Add custom graphic elements to slides in your Presentation. Add, edit, and duplicate shapes. Learn how to modify and position shapes. Place and rotate shapes precisely. Fill shapes with color, add borders and duplicate as needed. Connect your shapes with lines and arrows for effective infographics.
Add and position shapes
To add and position shapes:
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- Click the Shape icon on the toolbar.
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- Choose your desired shape.
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- Click the slide to create and place the shape.
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- To reposition, hover over the shape. Click the double arrow, then drag the shape to a desired location.
For precise positioning, try the following options:
- For precision placement, select the shape and use the arrow keys on your keyboard.
- Hold down the Shift key to move the shape in a perfect vertical or horizontal.
- Hold down the Shift key and use the keyboard arrows will move the shape in 10px increments.
A tool-tip displays the x- and y-positions as well as the width and height of your shape.
When you are rotating a shape, a tool-tip will appear displaying the rotation angle. You can also multi-select to resize and rotate several shapes at the same time.
To add another identical shape to your slide, select a shape and right-click. Then choose Duplicate . This will create an identical shape on your current slide.
All shapes can have text added to them. You can adjust text margins in order to control the amount of text that will fit within a shape.
To reuse a shape:
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- Select the shape.
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- Use your keyboard to copy.
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- Navigate to another slide.
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- Paste using your keyboard.
Modify shapes
Shapes have yellow edit points that let you modify the shape. If you hold down the Shift key while resizing, you’ll maintain the aspect ratio of the object.
Click and drag the yellow edit point on a shape to make the following modifications:
- Convert a rectangle with rounded edges into a square or a circle.
- Use the yellow edit points to move the tip of a triangle or the tail of a call out.
- Convert a parallelogram into a square or diamond.
To rotate shapes:
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- Select a shape.
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- Grab the blue anchor at the top of the shape.
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- Rotate freely or hold down Alt to snap in 15 degree increments.
To fill a shape with color:
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- Select a shape.
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- Click the Fill icon in the Edit toolbar.
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- Select a color or create a custom color with a 6-digit hex number.
To add a shape border:
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- Select a shape.
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- Choose the Outline tool.
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- Choose a weight, style and color for your border.
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- If desired, add text to your shape by double clicking.
To create a transparent shape:
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- Select a shape.
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- Click the Fill icon in the Edit toolbar.
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- Adjust the transparency level with the slider at the bottom of the color picker.
Use the Align and Arrange tools in the edit menu to create a layout with multiple shape. For more information on arranging slide content, see Adding Content to a Slide.
If another user is working on a slide simultaneously with you, you’ll see icons for each user in the lower left-hand corner. Hover over a shape to see the name of the user currently working with that shape.
Add connector lines between shapes using the Lines and Connectors in the Shape drop-down menu. The lines will move with your shapes.
Use lines in Presentations
To add a line or arrow to a slide:
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- Select the Edit toolbar.
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- Click the Shape icon.
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- Choose a line style under Lines and Connectors.
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- Click and drag on the slide to create the line.
To format a line or arrow:
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- Select a line.
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- Click the Brush icon.
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- Choose the line color.
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- Choose a weight, line style and cap style.
If you select a line and right-click, you can Cut , Copy , Paste , Duplicate and Arrange your lines. This allows you to display multiple lines overlapping in a certain order.
If you select a line and begin to move the line, guides will appear to help you place your lines accurately. Lines can be used for flowcharts and in many other types of graphic displays.
For information on working with elbow connectors and anchor points, see Create Flowcharts.
Keyboard shortcuts for shapes
There are keyboard shortcuts available for arranging and sizing content on slides. With your Presentation open, click the Wdesk icon in the lower left-hand corner of your screen. Choose Keyboard Shortcuts. Then choose Presentations.
A complete table of presentation shortcuts is also available at Keyboard shortcuts.
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