PowerPoint offers an easy way to insert equations. Simply click “Insert” from the top ribbon, select “Equation”, and choose a common equation or create a custom one. Supported Windows versions also offer an “Ink Equation” feature to draw and input equations directly.
You might need to insert equations into your PowerPoint slide while preparing a presentation on math-related topics. You will be glad to know that PowerPoint enables you to do so easily and quickly. In today’s guide, we will discuss the process of inserting equations into a PowerPoint slide.
Contents
1. Click ‘Insert’ from the Top Ribbon
Open the Microsoft PowerPoint slide where you want to add the equation. Press “Insert” from the top ribbon. Then, expand the “Equation” option in the Symbols section. These screenshots show the desktop ribbon; the arrangement can differ between versions.
2. Select the Preferred Equation
Now you will see the most common equations we typically use for mathematics. You can simply click on the equation to insert it on the slide.
3. Adding A Custom Equation
If none of the preset equations meets your need, you can create a custom equation by pressing “Insert New Equation” under the Equations.
This editor gives you everything from arithmetic operators and symbols to exponents, coefficients, and other terms you might need while building an equation. The tools are grouped by type, so it is easy to spot the structure you want and drop it straight into your slide. Select a structure, such as a fraction, then fill its dotted placeholders with your own values. Click an existing equation to bring its equation tools back onto the ribbon. In PowerPoint for Windows, Alt + = is a shortcut for starting a new equation.
4. Inserting Equation by Drawing an Equation
On supported Windows versions, the “Ink Equation” feature lets you write an equation by hand and convert it into an editable equation. In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows, open Draw > Ink to Math and choose Open Ink Equation Editor. Write your equation in the input window, check that the preview has recognized it correctly, then select Insert.
You can also select handwriting already on a slide and choose Draw > Ink to Math. Microsoft lists this conversion feature for Microsoft 365 subscribers on Windows, so a newer Office version alone does not guarantee that the button will appear. If your version does not offer it, use the typed equation method above.
Conclusion
As you see, there are plenty of options in MS PowerPoint to enter an equation. Whether your slide calls for a function, fraction, limit, log, or operator, each one lives under the Equation feature in PowerPoint. We hope this article helped you to learn how to insert an equation in PowerPoint. Do let us know if you have any questions.
