To flip text upside down in Word, put the text in a text box and rotate the box 180 degrees. Click Insert > Text Box > Draw Text Box, type your text, then click the box’s border and choose Shape Format > Rotate > More Rotation Options. Set Rotation to 180° and click OK. You can also drag the circular rotation handle above the box. Regular text in a paragraph can’t be turned upside down, so the text box (or WordArt) is the way to do it.
This guide covers rotating text boxes, making mirror-image (backward) text, flipping text in shapes and tables, removing the border, and printing upside-down text for place cards and folded labels.
Method 1: Rotate a text box 180 degrees
- Click Insert > Text Box > Draw Text Box, and drag to draw a box.
- Type your text and format it.
- Click the text box border to select the whole box.
- On the Shape Format tab, click Rotate > More Rotation Options.
- In the Size tab, set Rotation to 180° and click OK.
Tip: hold Shift while dragging the rotation handle to snap in 15-degree steps, which makes hitting exactly 180° easy. Word may show the text right side up while you edit it; it appears upside down again when you click outside.
Method 2: Use Flip Vertical
With the text box selected, choose Rotate > Flip Vertical. In current versions of Word, this also turns the text upside down, but results can vary between versions, so the 180° rotation above is the most reliable.
Method 3: Make mirror (backward) text
- Right-click the text box border and choose Format Shape.
- Click Effects (the pentagon icon) > 3-D Rotation.
- Set X Rotation to 180° for mirror text, or Y Rotation to 180° for upside-down mirror text.
Mirror text is useful for iron-on transfers and window decals.
Remove the text box border
Select the text box, click Shape Format > Shape Outline > No Outline, and Shape Fill > No Fill if you want a transparent background.
Flip text in shapes and WordArt
Text you type into a shape (right-click the shape > Add Text) or WordArt (Insert > WordArt) rotates the same way. Select it and set the rotation to 180°.
What about table cells?
Table cells only support rotating text 90 degrees left or right (Layout > Text Direction), not upside down. Insert a text box inside the cell if you need upside-down text there.
Make folded place cards
- Create two text boxes with the same name.
- Rotate the top one 180° and leave the bottom one normal.
- Line them up above and below the fold line, print on card stock, and fold. The name reads correctly from both sides.
Word for Mac and the web
- Mac – the same steps work: Insert > Text Box, then Shape Format > Rotate.
- Web – Word for the web has limited text box support. Create the rotated text in the desktop app.
Frequently asked questions
Can I flip text upside down without a text box?
Not in Word’s regular text. Some websites convert text to upside-down Unicode characters you can paste, but they may not display correctly in every font.
Why does my rotated text look normal while I edit it?
Word temporarily shows it upright for editing. Click outside the box to see the rotation.
Will rotated text print correctly?
Yes. Check File > Print preview to confirm.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.