How to Create an Organizational Chart in Excel (Step-by-Step + Free Templates)

An **organizational chart** helps you visually represent team structure and reporting relationships. While Excel isn’t primarily a design tool, it has built-in features like **SmartArt** and **shapes** that make it easy to create professional-looking org charts.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to **build an organizational chart in Excel** step by step. And to save you time, grab our **two ready-to-use templates** at the end.

💡 Why Use Excel for Organizational Charts?

An org chart in Excel can help you:

  • Visualize **team hierarchy and roles**
  • Quickly **update structure** as teams grow
  • Integrate with other data (e.g., employee lists, departments)
  • Use familiar Excel tools for **easy editing**

🛠 Step-by-Step: Create an Organizational Chart in Excel

1. Prepare Your Data

Create a table with columns like:

  • Name
  • Position
  • Manager

This will help you outline the hierarchy before designing.

Prepare Your Data

2. Insert a SmartArt Organizational Chart

  1. Go to Insert → SmartArt
  2. Select Hierarchy and choose a layout (e.g., “Organization Chart”)
  3. Click OK

3. Add Team Members

  • Click on the [Text] placeholders inside SmartArt
  • Enter employee names and positions
  • Use the SmartArt Text Pane to manage hierarchy (promote/demote team members)add a team members

4. Customize the Chart

  • Use the **SmartArt Design** tab to change colors and styles
  • Resize and rearrange boxes for better readability
  • Add pictures (optional) by right-clicking a box → **Add Picture**

5. (Optional) Build a Custom Chart with Shapes

If you prefer more flexibility:

  1. Go to Insert → Shapes → Select a rectangle
  2. Create boxes for each team member
  3. Connect boxes with **lines/arrows** to show reporting relationships

📥 Download the Free Organizational Chart Templates

We’ve created **two ready-to-use templates**:

  • Basic Organizational Chart: A SmartArt-based chart that’s easy to edit.
  • Advanced Organizational Chart: A custom shape-based chart for more flexibility.

📥 Download Basic Organizational Chart Template
📥 Download Advanced Organizational Chart Template

🚀 Final Thoughts

Excel offers a simple way to create and maintain organizational charts. Use SmartArt for quick setup or custom shapes for more flexibility.

Need a **dynamic org chart linked to your employee database**? We can build a custom automated solution for you.

💡 Also read: How to Create an Excel Dashboard in Excel

💡 Related: How to Add Drop-Down Options in Excel

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