How to Outline Text in PowerPoint: A Complete Guide

Outlining text is a great way to make your PowerPoint presentations more visually engaging and to draw attention to key points. PowerPoint provides several text outline options that let you quickly apply outlines to text boxes, shapes and WordArt.

In this article, we’ll walk through exactly how to outline text in PowerPoint using a few different methods. Whether you want to outline all the text in a text box, just selected portions, or WordArt and shapes, we’ve got you covered with step-by-step instructions.

Why Outline Text in PowerPoint?

Before we get into the how-to, let’s briefly discuss why you might want to outline text in your PowerPoint slides:

• Emphasis: Outlining can be used to draw attention to and emphasize important words, phrases or sentences. It makes text stand out from the rest and signals to your audience that this information is key.
• Contrast: An outline, especially one in a contrasting color to the text and background, can increase visual contrast and make text more distinct. This improves readability and can help your message come across clearly.
• Style: Outlines are an easy way to add some extra visual interest and style to plain text without getting too distracting. They can enhance the overall graphic design of your slides.
• Consistency: Using the same outline style for related text elements across your slide deck creates a polished, professional, and consistent look. This helps to unify your presentation visually.

So outlining is not just about making things look nice – it serves important communication functions like highlighting key information and improving readability. When used strategically, text outlines can take your PowerPoint slides to the next level.

Now that we understand some of the benefits and use cases for outlining text, let’s look at how to actually do it in PowerPoint.

How to Outline an Entire Text Box in PowerPoint

Here are the steps to quickly add an outline to all the text inside a PowerPoint text box:

1. Select the text box you want to add an outline to by clicking on its border. You should see a solid or dashed border and handles around the text box when it’s selected.
2. Navigate to the Drawing Tools Format tab in the PowerPoint ribbon. This tab becomes available when you have a text box, shape or other object selected.
3. Look for the Shape Outline dropdown in the Shape Styles group of the ribbon. It may just look like a pen icon if the ribbon space is limited.
4. Click the dropdown arrow next to Shape Outline and select a color for the text outline from the color picker. You can choose a theme color, standard color, or click “More Outline Colors” for custom options.
5. All the text in the selected text box will now have an outline applied in the color you chose. Voila!

Modifying Text Box Outline Weight and Dash Type

In addition to color, you can also customize the outline weight (thickness) and dash type:

1. With the text box still selected, click the Shape Outline dropdown again.
2. Hover over Weight in the dropdown menu. A submenu will appear showing different point sizes.
3. Choose an outline weight. These are measured in points, and a higher number equals a thicker outline. For most text, a 1-2 pt outline is sufficient.
4. Back in the Shape Outline dropdown, hover over Dashes this time. Another submenu will appear.
5. Select a dash type from the submenu, such as a solid line, dashed line, dotted line, etc. This lets you customize not just the thickness but also the style of the outline.

Here’s a quick reference table summarizing the outline properties and how to change them:

Following these steps makes it quick and easy to apply and customize an outline for an entire PowerPoint text box. But what if you only want to outline certain parts of the text? Read on to find out.

How to Outline Only Selected Text in PowerPoint

Sometimes you may want to apply an outline to just certain words or phrases within a text box for extra emphasis, rather than outlining everything. PowerPoint allows for that flexibility. Here’s how:

1. Highlight the specific text you want to outline within the text box using your mouse or keyboard. This could be an individual word, phrase, or sentence.
2. With the text highlighted, go to the Home tab in the PowerPoint ribbon.
3. Locate the Font group on the Home tab. You should see buttons for things like font size, color, bold, italic, etc.
4. Find the Text Outline button within the Font group. It looks like a capital “A” with a thin border around it.
5. Click the Text Outline button and choose a color for the text outline from the dropdown menu that appears. You can select a theme color, standard color, or choose “More Outline Colors” for even more options.
6. The outline color you selected will now be applied to only the highlighted text, leaving the rest of the text in the box unchanged.

You can also customize the weight of the outline on selected text using a similar process:

1. With the desired text still highlighted, click the Text Outline button again.
2. This time, choose Weight from the dropdown menu instead of a color.
3. Select an outline weight (in points) from the submenu that appears. A larger point size will give you a thicker outline.

Using this method, you can easily apply eye-catching outlines to select words or phrases within a larger block of text in PowerPoint. This is a great technique for drawing attention to key terms or takeaways in your presentation.

How to Outline WordArt and Shapes in PowerPoint

PowerPoint allows you to apply outlines to WordArt and shapes as well, not just regular text. The process is very similar to outlining a text box.

To outline WordArt:

1. Click on the WordArt object to select it. Handles should appear around the edges.
2. Go to the Drawing Tools Format tab in the ribbon. This tab is contextual and only appears when a graphic object like WordArt is selected.
3. Use the Shape Outline dropdown in the Shape Styles group to choose an outline color, weight, and dash type for the WordArt, just as you would for a text box.

To outline a shape (including shapes with text in them), follow these steps:

1. Click on the shape to select it. You should see the familiar selection handles.
2. Navigate to the Drawing Tools Format tab in the ribbon.
3. Use the options in the Shape Outline dropdown to set the outline color, weight, and dash type for the shape.

So whether you’re working with regular text boxes, fancy WordArt or graphic shapes, PowerPoint offers the same tools and options for adding and customizing outlines. This helps keep your formatting options consistent across different types of content.

Best Practices for Outlining Text in PowerPoint

To wrap up, here are some tips and best practices to keep in mind when outlining text in PowerPoint:

• Use outlines strategically and sparingly. If every single bit of text on a slide is outlined, nothing will stand out and the effect will be lost. Instead, outline only the most important text that you really want to draw attention to and emphasize.
• Choose outline colors that complement your design. The color of the outline should work well with the color of the text itself, the fill color of the shape (if applicable), and the overall slide background. Use the custom color picker to find the perfect shade.
• Keep outlines simple and understated. Stick with simple line styles like solid, dotted, or dashed lines and avoid using an outline weight thicker than 3 points for most text. You want the outline to subtly enhance the text, not overpower or distract from it.
• Be consistent with outline formatting. Use the same outline color, weight, and dash type for related elements throughout your slide deck to create a polished, cohesive look. Consistency helps unify your presentation visually.
• Always check readability. After adding outlines, always preview your slides, especially from a distance or on a large screen to ensure the text is still easily readable. Outlines, especially thicker ones, can sometimes impact readability so use caution.
• Don’t go overboard! Outlining text is just one of many ways to add visual interest to your slides. Use it in combination with other design elements like shapes, icons, images, and whitespace for best results. A little bit of outlining can go a long way.

By following these guidelines and the step-by-step instructions outlined above, you’ll be able to strategically and effectively use text outlines in PowerPoint to add emphasis, visual interest, and clarity to your presentations. When applied thoughtfully, text outlines can be a powerful tool for directing audience attention and improving information delivery in PowerPoint.

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Trish Dixon

Trish Dixon is the founder of PPTBliss and a PowerPoint expert with over a decade of experience in presentation design. Passionate about visual storytelling, Trish shares her expertise through easy-to-follow tutorials on slide design, animations, transitions, and best practices, helping professionals create impactful presentations across industries.

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