Drawing or annotating on Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other Office documents using the Interactive Digital Display

This article will show you how to use the Draw tools for Office files (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) on the Interactive Digital Display which may be stationed in some of the general use classrooms on campus.

1. After opening your PowerPoint, for example, tap on Draw.

This article shows screenshots from PowerPoint; however, the Draw tools work the same way in Word and Excel as well.

Draw is selected

2. Select the desired drawing tool.

With Office and the Interactive Digital Display, you can use a stylus or your finger to free draw with the pencil, color pen or highlighter tools. You can use the Lasso to select multiple drawings for deletion or conversion to text or objects.

Pencil tool selected

3. Ink to Math

Ink to Math allows you to carefully draw your equation and convert it to a Math object. You can always edit it with the keyboard after the conversion.

Ink to Math button.

4. Ink to Shape

Ink to Shape allows you to draw a shape, such as a triangle which is then converted from a drawing to a Shape object.

Ink to Shape button selected

5. Ink to Text.

Selecting either the pencil with the A on it (Office 365 only) or the Ink to Text button will allow you to auto convert your drawn writing to text. Unless your writing is very clear and neat, you will likely need to do extensive editing with the keyboard.

Ink to Text tool

6. Once you have finished your drawing, tap on the Save icon.

Save icon selected

Windows 11

The Interactive Digital Display uses Windows 11. If you need a primer on Windows 11, take a look at this LinkedIn course (you will need to login with your CSUF credentials):

Need More Help?

Contact the IT A/V Support Team at (657) 278-2277 or [email protected].

IT A/V Support Team website