Fill shapes and text boxes with color or an image in Numbers on Mac
You can fill shapes and text boxes with a solid color, gradient (two or more colors that blend into one another), or image.
Fill with a color or gradient
The color fill choices include a set of preset colors that are selected to complement the current template. You can also create your own custom color fills by using the full color wheel and other color controls.
Click a shape or text box to select it, or select multiple objects.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Style tab.Choose one of the following:
A preset color or gradient: Click the color well next to Fill, then choose a color or gradient.
Any color: Click the disclosure arrow next to Fill, then click the Fill pop-up menu and choose Color Fill. Click the color wheel, then choose a color from one of the color palettes.
A two-color gradient fill: Click the disclosure arrow next to Fill, click the Fill pop-up menu and choose Gradient Fill, then choose colors. The color well shows colors that match the template; the color wheel opens the Colors window, where you can choose any color. Use the controls to change the angle and direction of the gradient.
A custom gradient: Click the disclosure arrow next to Fill, click the Fill pop-up menu and choose Advanced Gradient Fill, then click the color stops below the slider to choose colors. Click the slider to add another color stop. You can drag the color stops and use the other controls to change the blend, angle, and direction of the gradient.
Fill with an image
Click a shape or text box to select it, or select multiple objects.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Style tab.Click the disclosure arrow next to Fill, then click the Fill pop-up menu and choose Image Fill, or choose Advanced Image Fill if you want to add a tint to the image.
Click Choose, navigate to your photos, then double-click an image with a .jpg, .png, or .gif filename extension.
If you chose Advanced Image Fill, click the color well (to the right of the Choose button) and select a tint color.
To make the tint more or less transparent, drag the Opacity slider in the Colors window.
If the image doesn’t look the way you expected or you want to change how the image fills the object, click the pop-up menu above the Choose button, then choose an option:
Original Size: Places the image inside the object without altering its original dimensions. To resize the image, drag the Scale slider.
Stretch: Resizes the image to fit the object’s dimensions, which might change the image’s proportions.
Tile: Repeats the image inside the object. To resize the image, drag the Scale slider.
Scale to Fill: Makes the image larger or smaller to leave no space in the object.
Scale to Fit: Resizes the image to fit the object’s dimensions, but maintains the image’s proportions.
Save a custom fill
You can save a custom fill to use it again.
Click to select the shape or text box with the fill you want to save, then in the Format
sidebar, click the Style tab.Click the color well next to Fill, then drag the fill in the Current Fill well over another well to replace its fill.
You can drag only to a well of the same type. For example, if the custom fill is a gradient, drag the fill in the Current Fill well over a well in the Gradient section.
To change which types of fills you can replace, click the Fill Type pop-up menu, then select a different option. For example, if you want to save a gradient fill, click the pop-up menu, select Gradient Fill, then drag the fill in the Current Fill well to a well in the Gradient Fills section.
Remove a fill
Click a shape or text box with a color or image fill to select it, or select multiple objects.
In the Format
sidebar, click the Style tab.Click the color well next to Fill, then choose No Fill.
If you want to use the same formatting for other objects, you can create your own object style to use again.
Tip: You can also change the color of lines, shadows, borders, text, and more; whenever you see a color well in the sidebar, you can click it to add color to whatever is selected on the spreadsheet.