Draw and write with ink in Office

In newer versions of Office, you can draw freehand to make annotations, highlight text, or quickly draw shapes. (We call this drawing with digital ink.)

On a touch-enabled device, you can draw with a mouse, your finger, or a digital pen. The exact features available depend on the type of device you're using and whether you're an Office 365 subscriber. In some apps, for instance, you can replay ink or convert ink to shapes or math.

For subscribers 2013, 2016 iOS Android Windows Mobile

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• If your device is touch-enabled, the Draw tab is turned on automatically. Otherwise, you must turn it on yourself, as described below.

• If your pen device uses an active pen (not just a stylus), Office detects when your pen is in range of your screen so you can start inking automatically.

Turn on the Draw tab to see the inking tools

This feature is only available to Office 365 subscribers. Subscribers get new features and improvements monthly. Click to try or buy a subscription.

Inking tools are available on the Draw tab of the ribbon, but by default, that tab is not turned on. To make the optional Draw tab visible:

1. On the File menu, select Options.

2. Tap the Customize Ribbon tab in the Options dialog box.

3. In the box on the right side of the dialog box, tap the check box labeled Draw.

   The Draw tab remains visible on the ribbon in this app until you return to this dialog box and turn off this option.

Write, draw, or highlight text

The new pen set is customizable and portable. You define the pens you want to have, and they are then available in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

1. On the Draw tab of the Ribbon, tap a pen to select it.

   

2. Tap again to open the menu of Thickness and Color options for the pen. Select your preferred size and color.

   • There are five pen thickness settings ranging from .25 mm to 3.5 mm. Select a thickness or use the plus or minus sign to make your pen thicker or thinner.

   • Sixteen solid colors are available on the menu, with more available when you tap More Colors.

   • Eight effects are also available: Rainbow, Galaxy, Lava, Ocean, Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

   

3. A Pencil texture is now available:

   

   When you draw with the Pencil texture while using a supported digital stylus, you can tilt the stylus to get a "shading" effect, just like you would get with a real pencil.

4. On the touch screen, begin writing or drawing.

   Once you have drawn an ink shape, it behaves like any shape that you are used to working with in Office. You can select the shape, then you can move or copy it, change its color, pivot its position, and so on.

5. To stop inking and select your annotations, either to modify or move them, pick Select on the Draw tab.

Erase ink

1. Under Draw > Tools, tap the Eraser.

   (In PowerPoint 2016, you can choose from four erasers. Tap the down arrow on the Eraser button to pick the eraser that you want.)

   

2. With your pen or finger, drag the eraser over the ink you want to remove.

   With the Segment Eraser in PowerPoint, you can simply tap a segment of ink or drag across it to remove it (rather than having to thoroughly wipe away the entire segment). Dragging across segments is an easy way to erase several at once.

Some active pens, such as the Surface pen, have an eraser that you can also use to erase digital ink.

Select parts of an ink drawing or written words

All apps include a standard selection tool on the Draw tab of the Ribbon that can select both digital ink drawings and any other kinds objects.

PowerPoint and Excel also have an ink selection tool, Lasso Select, specifically for selecting objects drawn with ink. It's most useful when you have a mixture of standard and ink objects and you only want to select an ink object.

Applies only to PowerPoint and Excel:

To select part of a drawing or words written in ink, use the Lasso Select tool. (This tool can't select non-ink objects—that is, shapes, pictures, etc.)

1. Under Draw > Tools on the Ribbon, tap Lasso Select .

2. With your pen or finger, drag to draw a circle around the part of the drawing or word that you want to select. A faded, dashed selection region appears around it, and when you're done, the portion you lassoed is selected. Then you can manipulate that object as you wish: move it, change its color, and so on.

   

In both Excel and PowerPoint, with a digital pen, you can select an area without even tapping the selection tool on the ribbon. Use the supported digital pen button to Lasso Select ink without visiting the ribbon. Then you can use the pen to move, resize, or rotate the ink object.

To turn off automatic inking in a desktop app:   

1. On the File menu, select Options, and then select Advanced.

2. In the Pen section, select the box next to Use pen to select and interact with content by default.

This setting only applies to the app in which you make it, so, for example you can have automatic inking turned on in Visio and turned off in Word.

Other digital ink features

Feature name	Description	See
Ink Editor	Use touch or a digital pen with Windows digital ink to edit documents	Edit your document with natural gestures
Ink to Shape	Convert an ink drawing into a standard Office graphic shape	Convert ink to shapes
Ink to Math	Use touch or a digital pen to write a complex math equation, and then convert it to text	Write, insert, or change an equation
Ink Replay	Replay a series of inking actions on a slide	Replay your ink strokes in Office
Ruler	Draw straight lines in ink, or align a set of objects	Draw straight lines or align things with the ruler

If you aren't an Office 365 subscriber and you have Office 2016 or Office 2013, read on to see what inking features are available to you.

Find the drawing tools

Go to the Review tab and select Start Inking to display the Ink Tools and Pens tab.

Write or draw

1. Under Ink Tools >Pens choose Pen.

   

2. To change the ink color and stroke width, point to the color and width (0.35mm - 0.5mm) you want.

   

3. On the touch screen, begin writing or drawing.

   

Highlight text

1. Under Ink Tools, on the Pens tab, click Highlighter, and then pick a highlight color.

   

2. Point and drag your pen or finger over the text that you want to highlight.

   You can highlight text in Excel, Word, and Outlook, but PowerPoint doesn't support highlighting text.

Delete whole written words or ink drawings

1. Under Ink Tools, on the Pens tab, click the arrow below Eraser, and then pick an eraser size.

   

2. With your pen or finger, select the word or ink drawing that you want to erase.

Extra features in PowerPoint

Select parts of an ink drawing or written words (PowerPoint only)

To select part of a drawing or some written words, use the Lasso tool. (You cannot use the Lasso tool to select non-ink objects (shapes, pictures, etc.).

1. Under Ink Tools, on the Pens tab, click Lasso Select.

   

2. With your pen or finger, drag to draw a circle around the part of the drawing or word that you want to select. A faded, dashed selection region appears around it, and when you're done, the portion you lassoed will be selected.

   

Delete parts of an ink drawing or parts of written words (PowerPoint only)

1. Under Ink Tools, on the Pens tab, click the arrow below Eraser, and then pick an eraser size.

   

2. With your pen or finger, select parts of the ink drawing or text that you want to erase.

Convert ink drawings to shapes (PowerPoint only)

You can convert ink drawings on a touch screen into common shapes.

1. Under Ink Tools > Pens, select Convert to Shapes.

   

2. With a pen or your finger, draw a shape on the slide, and PowerPoint automatically converts your drawing to the shape that looks most like it.

   To stop converting shapes, click Convert to Shapes again.

Which shapes can PowerPoint convert?

When you create an ink drawing, PowerPoint can convert it to the shape that is most like it.

Ink drawing	Corresponding shape
Rectangle	Rectangle
Square	Rectangle with all sides equal
Diamond	Diamond
Parallelogram	Parallelogram
Trapezoid	Trapezoid
Irregular quadrilateral	Closed freeform shape with four sides
Regular pentagon	Pentagon with all sides equal
Regular hexagon	Hexagon with all sides equal
Ellipse	Ellipse
Circle	Ellipse with shape height and width equal
Single-headed arrow	Arrow
Double-headed arrow	Double arrow
Arrows connecting two shapes	Arrow connectors
Right triangle	Triangle with right angle
Equilateral triangle	Triangle with all sides equal
Isosceles triangle	Triangle with two equal sides
Irregular triangle	Closed freeform with three sides.

For more information about using Office with Windows touch devices, see the following:

• Office Touch Guide

• Read documents in Word

• Use Office Online on a tablet

Basic inking tools

Word for iOS, Excel for iPad, and PowerPoint 2016 for iOS all come with basic inking options on the Draw tab: a selection tool, a draw-with-touch tool, a stroke eraser, pens, ink colors and a color wheel, and ink thickness options:

Draw or write

By default, Draw with Mouse or Touch (or "Inking mode") is turned on when you are using a mobile device. Just tap the Draw tab, select a pen , and you can begin drawing ink on a slide.

To change the settings on a pen:

1. Tap again to open the menu of thickness and color options for the pen. Select your preferred size and color:

   • There are five pen thickness settings ranging from .25 mm to 3.5 mm. Select a thickness or use the plus or minus sign to make your pen thicker or thinner.

   • Sixteen solid colors are available on the menu, with more available when you tap More Ink Colors.

   • (For Office 365 subscribers only) Eight effects are also available: Rainbow, Galaxy, Lava, Ocean, Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

   

   A Pencil texture is now available:

   

   The Apple Pencil is sensitive to pressure, which allows you to vary line thickness. It's also sensitive to tilt, which allows you to create shading, as you can with a tilted lead pencil.

2. On the touch screen, begin writing or drawing.

   Once you have drawn an ink shape, it behaves like any shape that you are used to working with in Office. You can select the shape, then you can move or copy it, change its color, pivot its position, and so on.

3. To stop inking and select your annotations, either to modify or move them, turn off Draw with Touch on the Draw tab. Turning off this feature also keeps you from making accidental ink marks when your hand touches the screen.

Watch a video overview of the inking features in iPhone and iPad:

2:47

Select

On an iOS device, Inking mode is turned on when you have selected a pen or highlighter on the Draw tab. Otherwise, you are in Select mode, and you can tap to select an object.

(If you're using an Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro device, you can make Select mode the default by going to app settings.)

PowerPoint and Excel have an ink selection tool, Lasso Select, specifically for selecting objects drawn with ink. It's most useful when you have a mixture of standard and ink objects on a slide and you only want to select an ink object.

To select part of a drawing or words written in ink in PowerPoint or Excel, use the Lasso Select tool:

1. On the Draw tab on the Ribbon, tap Lasso Select .

2. With your pen or finger, drag to encircle the ink that you want to select.

   A faded, dashed selection region appears as you drag, and when you're done, the portion you've lassoed is selected. Then you can manipulate that object as you wish: move it, copy it, delete it, and so on.

   

Erase

1. On the Draw tab, tap the Eraser.

   (In PowerPoint, you can choose from three erasers—a stroke eraser, or a small or medium eraser. Tap the down arrow on the Eraser button to pick the eraser that you want.)

2. Drag the eraser over the ink you want to remove.

Convert ink drawings to standard shapes in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, you can convert ink drawings on a touch screen into common shapes:

1. Ensure that Draw with Mouse or Touch is turned on.

2. Tap Ink to Shapes

3. With a pen or your finger, draw a shape on the slide. When you finish drawing, PowerPoint automatically converts your drawing to the shape that looks most like it.

   To stop converting shapes, tap Ink to Shapes again.

Basic inking tools

Word for Android, Excel for Android, and PowerPoint for Android all come with basic inking options on the Draw tab: a selection tool, a draw-with-touch tool, a stroke eraser, pens, ink colors and a color wheel, and ink thickness options:

Draw or write

By default, Draw with Mouse or Touch (or "Inking mode") is turned on when you are using a mobile device. Just tap the Draw tab, select a pen , and you can begin drawing ink on a slide.

Select

On an Android device, Inking mode is turned on when you have selected a pen or highlighter on the Draw tab. Otherwise, you are in Select mode, and you can tap to select an object.

PowerPoint and Excel have an ink selection tool, Lasso Select, specifically for selecting ink drawings. It's most useful when you have a mixture of standard and ink objects and you only want to select an ink object.

To select part of a drawing or words written in ink in PowerPoint or Excel, use the Lasso Select tool.

1. On the Draw tab on the Ribbon, tap Lasso Select .

2. With your pen or finger, drag to encircle the ink that you want to select.

   A faded, dashed selection region appears as you drag, and when you're done, the portion you've lassoed is selected. Then you can manipulate that object as you wish: move it, copy it, delete it, and so on.

   

Erase

1. On the Draw tab, tap the Eraser.

   (In PowerPoint, you can choose from three erasers—a stroke eraser, or a small or medium eraser. Tap the down arrow on the Eraser button to pick the eraser that you want.)

2. Drag the eraser over the ink you want to remove.

Some active pens, such as the Surface pen, have an eraser that you can also use to erase digital ink without having to select an eraser from the Ribbon.

Convert ink drawings to standard shapes in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, you can convert ink drawings on a touch screen into common shapes:

1. Ensure that Draw with Mouse or Touch is turned on.

2. Tap Ink to Shapes

3. With a pen or your finger, draw a shape on the slide. When you finish drawing, PowerPoint automatically converts your drawing to the shape that looks most like it.

   To stop converting shapes, tap Ink to Shapes again.

Basic inking tools

Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile all come with basic inking options on the Draw tab: a selection tool, a draw-with-touch tool, a stroke eraser, pens, ink colors and a color wheel, and ink thickness options:

Draw or write

By default, Draw with Touch (or "Inking mode") is turned on when you are using a mobile device. Just tap the Draw tab, tap a pen, and you can begin drawing ink on a slide.

The Draw tab in Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile for Windows 10 is similar to the desktop versions of each app. Before you can use the drawing features, be sure to update to the latest version of Windows 10. To do this, select the Windows button in the lower-left corner of your screen, and select Settings > Update & security > Windows Update. Click Check for updates to get the latest updates.

Select

To switch out of Inking mode on PowerPoint Mobile (so that you can select and interact with objects), tap Select on the Draw tab.

PowerPoint Mobile and Excel Mobile also include a free-form selection tool, , specifically for selecting objects drawn with ink. It's most useful when you have a mixture of standard and ink objects and you only want to select an ink object.

To select part of a drawing or words written in ink in PowerPoint or Excel:

1. On the Draw tab on the Ribbon, tap Lasso Select .

2. With your pen or finger, drag to encircle the ink that you want to select.

   A faded, dashed selection region appears as you drag, and when you're done, the portion you've lassoed is selected. Then you can manipulate that object as you wish: move it, copy it, delete it, and so on.

   

Erase

1. On the Draw tab, tap the Eraser.

   (In PowerPoint, you can choose from three erasers—a stroke eraser, or a small or medium eraser. Tap the down arrow on the Eraser button to pick the eraser that you want.)

2. Drag the eraser over the ink you want to remove.

Convert ink drawings to standard shapes in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, you can convert ink drawings on a touch screen into common shapes:

1. Ensure that Draw with Mouse or Touch is turned on.

2. Tap Ink to Shapes

3. With a pen or your finger, draw a shape on the slide. When you finish drawing, PowerPoint automatically converts your drawing to the shape that looks most like it.

   To stop converting shapes, tap Ink to Shapes again.

Open the Draw tab on Windows 10 Mobile phones

Here's how to see the Draw tab in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Windows 10 Mobile phones.

1. Select the More button in the lower-right corner of the screen.

2. Pick the Draw tab.

   

See Also

Write notes and draw in OneNote for Windows 10