Drawing in PowerPoint allows you to add creative flair and visual interest to your presentations. Whether you want to highlight important information, illustrate concepts, or just add some personal touches, PowerPoint makes it easy to draw directly on your slides.

There are several ways to draw in PowerPoint:

Use the Drawing Tools Tab

PowerPoint provides dedicated drawing tools on the ribbon under the Draw tab. Here you’ll find options like:

Pens – Select a pen, pencil, or highlighter to draw freehand
Shapes – Choose from common shapes like rectangles and circles to insert
Eraser – Erase parts of your drawing

Colors – Change the color of your pen or shape fill

To start drawing:

Click on the Draw tab

Select a drawing tool like Pens
Click and drag on your slide to draw

You can draw simple shapes or complex illustrations this way.

Draw Using Shapes

The Shapes tool allows you to insert pre-made shapes, but you can also use it to draw your own custom shapes:

Click Insert > Shapes
Select the Scribble shape

Click and drag across your slide to draw

This acts like a freehand drawing tool. When you release your mouse, PowerPoint will smooth out your scribble into a shape.

Annotate in Slide Show View

You can use PowerPoint’s drawing tools to annotate your slides while presenting:

Click Slide Show > From Beginning to start the show
Click the pen icon in the toolbar
Draw on the slide using your mouse

Your annotations will not be saved, allowing you to draw attention to information without permanently altering your slide.

Tips for Drawing in PowerPoint

Here are some tips to help you master drawing in PowerPoint:

Use alignment guides like gridlines to help place objects precisely

Group objects to move or format multiple drawing elements at once
Layer objects to control which elements appear in front or behind
Change opacity to create watermark effects or transparent highlighting

Use slide backgrounds and themes to complement your drawings
Save custom pens, colors, etc. to the Quick Access Toolbar for easy access

Common Uses for Drawings in PowerPoint

Adding drawings to your PowerPoint slides can serve many purposes:

Highlight key data in charts or graphs
Illustrate concepts or processes with diagrams
Emphasize important points with arrows or circles

Add handwritten text, signatures, or doodles
Decorate slides with borders, dividers, or clipart

The possibilities are endless! Start experimenting with PowerPoint’s robust drawing capabilities to engage your audience and make your presentations more visually compelling.