A Beginner's Guide to Text Wrap in PowerPoint

Wrapping text around pictures, shapes, tables, charts, and other page elements isn't supported in PowerPoint. Still, there are workaround methods you can use to mimic it in a PowerPoint presentation. Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, and PowerPoint Online.

Manually Insert Spaces in Text to Mimic Text Wrapping

If you have a small graphic and want the text to read from left to right while skipping over the graphic in the middle, here's how you do it:

1. Select the graphic that you want to wrap text around on a slide. 

2. Go to Home, select Arrange, and choose Send to Back. Or, right-click on the image and choose Send to Back.

   If Send to Back is grayed out, the graphic is already there.

3. Create a text box over the image and type or paste text into the text box.

4. Place the cursor in the text so that it is in the upper left corner of the part of the image that you want the text to flow around. Use the spacebar or tab to create a visual break in the text. As each line of the text nears the left side of the object, use the spacebar or tab several times to move the rest of the line of text to the right side of the object. 

5. Repeat for each line of text.

Mimic Text Wrapping Around Rectangular Shapes

Use several text boxes when you are wrapping text around square or rectangular shapes. You might use one wide text box above the square shape, then two narrower text boxes, one on each side of the shape, and then another wide text box under the shape.

Import Wrapped Text From Microsoft Word

If you use PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016 or PowerPoint 2013, import wrapped text from Word into PowerPoint.

1. Open the PowerPoint slide where you want to use text wrapping.

2. Go to Insert and choose Object.

3. Choose Microsoft Word Document from the Object type list and select OK to open a Word window.

4. In the Word window, insert an image and type or paste your text.

5. Select the image, go to Picture Tools Format, select Wrap Text, and choose Tight. Or, right-click on the image, point to Wrap Text, and choose Tight.

6. Select the PowerPoint slide to see the wrapped text. (If you use PowerPoint 2016 for Mac, close the Word file to see the wrapped text in PowerPoint.) In PowerPoint, the image and wrapped text are in a single box that can be moved and resized.

7. To edit the wrapped text, double-click the box to re-open Word and make the changes there.