Use PowerPoint’s Virtual Annotation Pen during a Presentation

November 9th, 2005

Have you ever needed to emphasize a word or phrase during a presentation? You can do so in the middle of a presentation with PowerPoint’s virtual annotation “pen.”

To use the annotation pen during a slide show:

  1. Open the presentation in Slide Show view.
  2. Right-click on the slide, and select Pointer Options | Ballpoint Pen, Felt Tip Pen or Highliter.
  3. When you are done using the pen, press ESC. (PowerPoint will prompt you to keep or discard your annotations.)

To change the ink color of the pen, right-click during a Slide Show, select Pointer Options | Ink color, and then select the color you want.

To change the default pen color, select Slide Show | Set Up Show…, and select the pen color you want in the Show options section.

Keyboard Shortcuts

You can also access the annotation pen by pressing CTRL + P during a presentation, and return to the arrow (normal mouse pointer) by pressing CTRL + A.

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One Response to “Use PowerPoint’s Virtual Annotation Pen during a Presentation”

  1. Aaron Matson Says:
    April 12th, 2006 at 1:51 am

    when you press CTRL + P it defaults to the Felt pointer but i want default to be ballpoint.

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