How to Draw on PowerPoint Slides During a Presentation
Great for highlighting your key points
When you’re presenting a slideshow, you may want to highlight certain points on your slides which is a goodway to engage your audience. Using the draw features in Microsoft PowerPoint, you can use a pen or highlighter to call out what you need.
We’ll show you how to use each of the tools, adjust their colors, and even save your annotations when you finish presenting in PowerPoint on Windows, Mac, and the web.
Draw in Microsoft PowerPoint
You can use the drawing tools in PowerPoint if you use Presenter View or regular slide show view on Windows or Mac. You also have the same tools when you present a slideshow using PowerPoint on the web.
Tip: On Windows and Mac, you can also right-click the slide, move toPointer Options, and use the pop-up menu to choose the tool or change the color.
When you finish using the pen or highlighter, return to the drawing tools menu using thePenicon. Deselect the tool you’re using. You’ll then see your pointer again which you can use to advance your slides.
Note: In PowerPoint 365 for Mac, you’ll need to turn off the drawing tool as described above. But in earlier versions of PowerPoint, you’ll see your cursor immediately when you navigate to a different slide.
Erase a Drawing in PowerPoint
If you want to remove or redraw something during your presentation, you can use the eraser tool.
Select thePenicon in the toolbar and pickEraser. If you want to erase all ink you’ve added to a slide, chooseErase All Ink on Slideinstead.
Then, drag the eraser on the drawing you want to remove. When you finish with the eraser, return to the drawing tools menu and deselect theEraseroption.
Save Your Annotations
Whether you use PowerPoint on Windows or Mac, you have the option to save your drawings when you finish the presentation. This feature isn’t currently available in PowerPoint on the web.
End the show as you normally would. You can do this by selecting theMore Slide Show Optionsicon (three dots) in the toolbar or by right-clicking. Then, pickEnd Show. You can also use yourEsckey to end a slideshow.
You’ll see a pop-up message asking if you’d like to keep your ink annotations. ChooseKeepto hold onto them orDiscardto remove them.
Just keep in mind that if you keep the annotations, they become part of the slideshow. This is handy if you want toturn your presentation into a videoor play it automatically at a kiosk.
If you want to delete one or more annotations later, open your slideshow for editing. Select the drawing and use yourDeletekey to remove those you want.
Drawing freehand shapes or highlighting particular text during a PowerPoint presentation is an easy way to direct your audience’s attention to specific points. For more, look atthese tips to improve your PowerPoint presentationsin Microsoft Office.
Sandy Writtenhouse is a freelance technology writer and former Project, Department, and Program Manager. She turned her education, job experience, and love of technology into a full-time writing career. With all sorts of gadgets in her home and her hands, she seeks to help others make life easier through technology.Read Sandy’s Full Bio
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