Applies To
PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac PowerPoint for the web

In PowerPoint, speech and thought bubbles are called callouts.

An example of what a callout, or speech bubble, looks like in PowerPoint.

  1. Select a slide, and then on the ribbon, go to Insert > Shapes.

  2. Under Callouts, select a style of callout, then click and drag the cursor on the canvas to draw the callout on the slide.

  3. Once you've drawn the callout, drag the yellow origin point to the exact spot on the slide where you'd like it to point.

  4. Click inside the callout to add and format text.

  5. To format the callout, go to Shape Format and select options in the Shape Styles group.

    With a shape selected on the canvas, use the Shape Format options on the toolbar to apply a style, color, and other formatting.

    Use Shape Fill to select a color. Use Shape Outline to select a shape border style such as dotted or sketched. Use Shape Effects to apply an effect such as Shadow or Bevel, which can give a shape a three-dimensional appearance.

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