How do you customize your online PowerPoint annotation settings and preferences?

1 Access the annotation tools

To start annotating your PowerPoint slides online, you need to access the annotation tools. There are two ways to do this, depending on whether you are in a web browser or a desktop app. If you are in a web browser, you can click on the pen icon at the bottom right of the screen, and then select the tool you want to use. If you are in a desktop app, you can go to the Slide Show tab, click on the Set Up Slide Show button, and check the box that says Use Presenter View. Then, when you start the slide show, you can click on the pen icon at the lower left corner of the screen, and choose the tool you want to use.

2 Change the ink color and thickness

Once you have selected an annotation tool, such as a pen, a highlighter, or a laser pointer, you can change the ink color and thickness to make your annotations more visible or distinctive. To do this, you need to click on the pen icon again, and then select Ink Color or Ink Thickness from the menu. You can choose from a range of colors and thicknesses, or customize your own by clicking on More Colors or More Thickness.

3 Erase or hide your annotations

If you make a mistake or want to remove your annotations from the screen, you have two options: erase or hide. To erase your annotations, you can use the eraser tool, which you can access from the pen icon menu. You can either erase individual annotations by clicking on them, or erase all annotations by clicking on Erase All Ink on Slide. To hide your annotations, you can use the hide ink tool, which you can also access from the pen icon menu. This will temporarily hide your annotations from the screen, but they will reappear when you click on the hide ink tool again.

4 Save or export your annotations

If you want to keep your annotations for future reference or share them with others, you can save or export them in different ways. To save your annotations as part of your PowerPoint file, you need to go to the File tab, click on Save As, and choose a location and a file name. Make sure you check the box that says Save to Computer with Annotations. To export your annotations as a PDF file, you need to go to the File tab, click on Export, and choose Create PDF/XPS Document. Then, click on Options, and check the box that says Include Comments and Ink Markup.

5 Tips and tricks

To maximize your annotation experience, try out some of these helpful tips. Utilize keyboard shortcuts to switch between annotation tools, such as Ctrl+P for the pen tool, Ctrl+I for the highlighter tool, and Ctrl+L for the laser pointer tool. You can also use the right-click button on your mouse or touchpad to undo your last annotation or switch back to the cursor. Additionally, you can zoom in and out of a part of your slide by pressing Ctrl and + or Ctrl and - respectively. If you want to change the appearance of your cursor or laser pointer, right-click on the slide, select Pointer Options, and choose a color, shape, or effect.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?