If your version of PowerPoint is older than PowerPoint 2019, however, then highlighting text isn’t as easy. Luckily, there are some effective workarounds. If you want to learn how to highlight text in PowerPoint, then follow the steps below.
How to Highlight Text in PowerPoint 2019 or 365
If you’re using PowerPoint 2019 or you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, then highlighting text is quick and easy. There are two main ways to highlight text in PowerPoint.
How to Highlight Selected Text in PowerPoint
The first method is to select the text you want to highlight before applying the effect. To highlight selected text in PowerPoint:
Click and drag over the text you want to highlight. In the Home tab, click on the down arrow next to the Text Highlight Color tool. Click on your choice of highlight color. The text will now be highlighted.
How to Highlight Text Throughout a PowerPoint Document
If you have several sections of text throughout your document that you want to highlight, you can use the Text Highlight Color tool like a pen. To use the text highlight color tool in PowerPoint:
Ensure that no text is selected in your document.Click on the down arrow next to the Text Highlight Color tool in the Home tab. Choose the color you want to use. Click and drag over a section of text you want to highlight. When you release, the text will be highlighted. Repeat these steps for any other text you want to highlight.
How to Highlight Text in Earlier Versions of PowerPoint
If you’re using an earlier version of PowerPoint, the Text Highlight Color tool isn’t available. There are a number of ways that you can work around this, however. All of these methods should work in any version of PowerPoint.
How to Highlight Text in PowerPoint Using Word
No matter which version of Word you’re using, you’ll be able to highlight text. You can then copy and paste this text into PowerPoint with the highlight effect applied. To highlight text in PowerPoint using Word:
Open a new Word document.Type the word that you want to highlight.Click and drag over the word to select it. In the Home tab, click on the arrow just to the right of the Text Highlight Color tool icon. Select the color you want to highlight with. Your text will now be highlighted.Click and drag over the text again and press Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on Mac to copy the text.Go back to your PowerPoint document, and place your cursor where you want the text to appear.Press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V to paste the text in place.If the highlight isn’t showing, click on the Paste Options icon. Click on the Keep Source Formatting icon. Your text should now appear highlighted.
How to Highlight Text in PowerPoint Using Shapes
Another way to highlight your text is to use the Shapes tool. This allows you to create a colored rectangle behind your text. To highlight text using the Shapes tool:
First, click on the Insert tab. Click on Shapes and choose the first option under Rectangles. Click and drag to draw a rectangle that covers the word. The word will disappear behind the rectangle, but we will fix this shortly. Now click on Shape Format. If you can’t see this menu, click on the shape to make it appear. Click Shape Fill and select the color you want. Click on Shape Outline and select No Outline. Finally, click on Send Backward to put the rectangle behind your text. Your text should now appear in front of the rectangle.
How to Highlight Text in PowerPoint Using the Glow Effect
You can also apply a glow effect to a word in PowerPoint. This will produce a similar effect to highlighting it. To add a glow effect in PowerPoint:
Select the text you want to highlight.Click on Shape Format. Click on the Text Effects icon. Now click on Glow and select one of the Glow Variations. Click on More Glow Colors to choose a different color. Your text will now be highlighted, with the highlights following the shape of the letters.
Effective Text Formatting in PowerPoint
Knowing how to highlight text in PowerPoint is especially useful if you’re using an older version of the application. Despite some versions lacking a highlighting tool, there’s still a lot you can do even on the less up-to-date releases of PowerPoint. You can add video to a PowerPoint presentation to give it more visual appeal. Changing the size of your slides in PowerPoint can make your presentation stand out from the crowd. And of course, who can resist using slide transitions in a Powerpoint? Comment
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