Highlight Text in PowerPoint
6 minutes read
Working with text in PowerPoint seems pretty easy and straightforward.
But there’s a lot of PowerPoint features you may not be using effectively.
In this tutorial, we’ll teach you how to highlight text in PowerPoint and use other text effects to enhance your presentations. We’ll also provide a curated list of some of our most popular PowerPoint templates available on Envato Elements.
Featuring Enjoy PowerPoint Template
Before diving into the text highlighting techniques, let’s take a moment to explore the template we’ll be using for this tutorial—the Enjoy PowerPoint Template, available on Envato Elements.
The Enjoy PowerPoint template is a minimalistic premium template suitable for various purposes. Here are some notable features of this template:
- 100 unique slides
- Comes with free fonts
- Includes built-in animations and transitions
- Available in a 16:9 format
How to Insert Text and Change Fonts in PowerPoint
Now that we’ve introduced our template, let’s discuss how to add and customize text in PowerPoint.
1. Insert Text on PowerPoint
To insert text, PowerPoint provides text placeholders where you can add your content. Simply click Insert and then select the Text Box option.
Text placeholders appear as empty boxes with cues like “Click to add title.” If you use a pre-made presentation, these placeholders may contain starter text that you can replace or customize.
To add text beyond the existing placeholders, create a new text box by clicking and dragging on the slide to your desired area. You can then type your text and customize its appearance.
2. Change the Appearance of Your Font
Once your text is in place, you can modify its appearance using one of the 15 font tools in PowerPoint.
Select the text you want to modify, navigate to the Home tab, and select your desired font option.
Font modification options include:
- Bold: Thickens the font.
- Italic: Slants the text, useful for captions and annotations.
- Underline: Underlines the text, ideal for titles and headings.
- Shadow: Adds contrast to the text for better visibility.
- SuperScript: Raises a character above the text.
- Subscript: Lowers a character below the text.
- Strikethrough: Crosses out the text.
- Text Color: Changes the color of the text.
- Font: Selects from a variety of typefaces.
- Font Size: Adjusts the text size.
- Increase/Decrease Text Size: Similar to the font size option.
- Change Case: Alters the text case.
- Character Spacing: Adjusts the spacing between characters.
- Clear Formatting: Resets formatting for selected text.
How to Highlight Text in Microsoft PowerPoint
Now, let’s move on to the main focus of this tutorial—highlighting text in PowerPoint.
1. Insert a Shape
Begin by going to Insert and selecting Shapes. Choose the rectangle shape.
Draw the rectangle over the word or phrase you wish to highlight.
After the shape covers the desired text, right-click on the shape and select Send to Back.
Next, click on Shape Outline and select No Outline to remove the border. You can change the highlight color by clicking on Shape Fill.
In addition to highlighting text, you can further enhance your text with built-in styles or customize them according to your preferences.
2. Use Built-in Text Effects
To add flair to your text, select the text and navigate to the Shape Format tab. Here, you can explore various Word Art Styles to apply different styles to your text.
3. Customize Your Text
For more advanced customization, use the hidden feature Format Text Effects. Highlight the text you want to modify, right-click, and select Format Text Effect. A menu will appear on the right, allowing you to tailor your text.
You’ll find three main categories under the Text Options menu: Text Fill & Outline, Text Effects, and Textbox.
4. Use Text Fill & Outline
In this first option, you can choose different ways to fill and outline your text, such as gradient, picture, or pattern fills. The sample below demonstrates a solid fill.
5. Use Text Effects
Explore various effects under the Text Effects section. Options include:
- Shadow
- Reflection
- Glow
- Soft Edges
- 3-D Format
- 3-D Rotation
The screenshot below illustrates how the text appears with the Reflection effect applied.
6. Apply the Textbox Feature
This feature controls text behavior in PowerPoint, allowing you to adjust the shape to fit the text or shrink the text on overflow. Refer to the example in the screenshot below:
How to Add Animation to Your Text
To enhance your presentation further, consider adding animations to your text. This feature allows you to introduce text on or off the slide dynamically.
After selecting your text, click on the Animations tab at the top of PowerPoint. You will see various animation options to choose from, including:
- Appear
- Blinds
- Checkerboard
- Dissolve
- Fly in/Out
- Peek In/Out
- Random Bars
- Spiral In/Out
- and many more
For a detailed guide on adding animations, refer to this tutorial:
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PowerPoint Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Now that you’ve learned how to highlight text in PowerPoint, here are some frequently asked questions and their answers:
1. How Can I Make a Good Presentation?
To create a more professional presentation, you can follow the rule of threes. For more insights into this rule and other PowerPoint guidelines, check out this article:
2. Can I Add a Timer to My Slide?
Incorporating a timer into your presentation can help manage time effectively and inform your audience of allocated Q&A time. To learn how to add a timer, see this tutorial:
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3. How Can I Make My Slide Background More Interesting?
Adding a gradient background can make your slides visually appealing without distracting the audience. You can create your own gradient or use a template. For more details, check out this article:
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4. What Is a Placeholder in PowerPoint?
A placeholder is a preformatted container for text, images, or video that helps maintain slide layout. Many placeholders have directions like “insert image here.” To learn more about placeholders, read this article:
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5. How Do I Keep My Audience Engaged?
Engaging your audience can be achieved through interactive presentations and the use of props. For further ideas, refer to this article: