Convert slide text to a SmartArt graphic

Presentations often contain slides with bulleted lists. Here's a quick way to convert the text in a bulleted list to a SmartArt graphic to show your message visually in PowerPoint. A SmartArt graphic is a visual representation of your information that you can fully customize.

In this article

Overview of converting slide text to a SmartArt graphic

Convert slide text to a SmartArt graphic

Change the colors of an entire SmartArt graphic

Apply a SmartArt Style to an entire SmartArt graphic

Overview of converting slide text to a SmartArt graphic

When converting your text to a SmartArt graphic, you can choose from many built-in layouts to add visual appeal to your information. Place your pointer over a thumbnail to experiment with the layouts for SmartArt graphics that work best with bulleted lists.

After you select a layout for a SmartArt graphic, the text in your slides is automatically put in shapes and arranged based on the layout that you chose. You can then customize the SmartArt graphic by changing its color or by adding a SmartArt Style to it.

Note: You can also convert pictures on your slide to a SmartArt graphic.

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Convert slide text to a SmartArt graphic

For Office 365 subscribers, PowerPoint Designer recommends conversion of text to a SmartArt graphic when it encounters suitable content on a slide. On the Design tab of the ribbon, select Design Ideas.

1. Click the placeholder that contains the text on the slide that you want to convert.

2. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Convert to SmartArt .

3. In the gallery, click the layout for the SmartArt graphic that you want.

   The gallery contains layouts for SmartArt graphics that work best with bulleted lists. To view the entire set of layouts, click More SmartArt graphics at the bottom of the gallery.

   

Notes: 

• If you want both a slide with the text and another slide with the SmartArt graphic created from that same text, create a copy of the slide before you convert it to a SmartArt graphic.

• You can convert your SmartArt graphic back to text by right-clicking the graphic and selecting Convert to Text.

• You can also convert your slide to a SmartArt graphic by right-clicking the placeholder that contains the text on the slide that you want to convert, and then clicking Convert to SmartArt.

• You will lose some text customizations, such as changes to the text color or font size, that you made to the text on the slide when you convert the text to a SmartArt graphic.

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Change the colors of an entire SmartArt graphic

You can change the colors applied to the shapes in your SmartArt graphic. The different color combinations are all derived from the theme colors of your presentation.

1. Click the SmartArt graphic.

2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the SmartArt Styles group, click Change Colors.

   

   If you don't see the SmartArt Tools or Design tabs, make sure that you've selected a SmartArt graphic. You may have to double-click SmartArt graphic to select it and open the Design tab.

3. Click the color variation that you want.

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Apply a SmartArt Style to an entire SmartArt graphic

A SmartArt Style is a combination of unique and professionally designed effects, such as line style, bevel, or 3-D, that you can apply to your SmartArt graphic.

1. Click the SmartArt graphic.

2. Under SmartArt Tools, on the Design tab, in the SmartArt Styles group, click the SmartArt Style that you want.

   To see more SmartArt Styles, click the More button .

   If you don't see the SmartArt Tools or Design tabs, make sure that you've selected a SmartArt graphic. You may have to double-click SmartArt graphic to select it and open the Design tab.

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See also

Convert pictures on a slide to a SmartArt graphic