The Insert tab in PowerPoint, as the name suggests, is used to insert objects and elements on the slide in your presentation. There are several commands and groups that can be accessed using the “Insert” tab in PowerPoint.
But, knowing all these commands and what objects can be inserted on the slide using the “Insert” tab requires a deeper understanding.
Thus, in this article, we shall take a look at the “Insert” tab in PowerPoint. We shall understand all the commands that are available on the insert tab.
So, without any further delay, let’s get started!
Just remember – This article will walk you through all the commands available on the “Insert Tab”. If you wish to learn more about any feature highlighted in this article in further detail, simply click on the links to open the article in a new tab in your browser!
1. Where is the Insert Tab in PowerPoint?
In Microsoft PowerPoint, the “Insert” tab is located in the menu ribbon at the top of the screen.
On the left-hand side, you can find the “Insert” tab between the “Home” tab and the “Draw” tab. Using the “Insert” tab, you can add various objects to your presentation slides.
You will see that the “Insert” ribbon contains multiple commands that are together in groups. Let’s take a look at the various groups and commands available in the “Insert Tab”.
Note – to understand the difference between groups, commands (or features), ribbons, and tabs, make sure that you check out my other article that explains every element on the Ribbon in PowerPoint in complete detail!
2. Commands Available on the Insert Tab in PowerPoint
The commands under the “Insert” tab in PowerPoint are divided into 10 groups based on their functions.
2a. Slides
The “Slides” group of the “Insert” menu contains the feature to add different types of new slides. This group allows you to work with slides in PowerPoint.
New Slide
The first icon in the “Slides” group is the “New Slide” option. This command allows you to easily add slides in PowerPoint.
You can also click on the down arrow under the icon to open the “Office Theme” dropdown menu and select a slide layout for the new slide.
Reuse Slides
The “Reuse Slide” feature in the “Slides” group of the “Insert” menu allows you to add a new slide copied from the opened presentation or any other PowerPoint presentation file on your device.
2b. Tables
The “Table” group under the “Insert” tab contains only the “Insert Table” feature. Using the feature you can insert or draw a new table, or even paste a table from another source.
2c. Images
The “Images” group consists of three key features, which include “Picture”, “Screenshot” and “Photo Album” options.
Pictures
Using the “Pictures” feature you can add an image to your PowerPoint presentation either from your device or the internet. You can also add stock images. The “Picture” option supports all picture formats.
Screenshot
Click on the “Screenshot” icon in the “Images” group of the “Insert” tab to open a dropdown list of all the open windows on your device.
Using this list, you can take a screenshot and add it directly to your presentation slide.
Photo Album
The “Photo Album” option in Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to create a photo album on your presentation slide.
2d. Illustrations
In the “Insert” tab, you can use the “Illustrations” group to add illustrated shapes, icons, charts, etc.
Shapes
Click on the “Shapes” option to get a dropdown menu containing all the predesigned shapes in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Once you select a shape, all you have to do is drag the cursor to draw the shape on your slide. This will allow you to easily insert a shape in PowerPoint. Make sure to check out my other article on “How to Format Shapes in PowerPoint” to know what to do once you’ve added a shape.
Icons
The “Icons” option will launch the “Icons” dialog box containing a gallery of thousands of icons provided by Microsoft 365. This will allow you to insert icons in PowerPoint.
You can also add icons from other sources or websites directly to your PowerPoint presentation.
3D Models
Using the “3D Models” option in the “Insert” menu, you can add 3D models to your PowerPoint slides. You can access both 3D Models on your device as well as stock models.
SmartArt
The “SmartArt” option will launch the “Choose a SmartArt Graphic” dialog box that you can use to add information that is easy to visualize.
To add SmartArt in PowerPoint, simply click on any one of the SmartArt based on the text present in your slides. Then, click “OK”.
SmartArt allows you to conveniently convert boring-looking text into a visually appealing (sort of) graphic.
Chart
The “Chart” option in the “Illustrations” group allows you to add graphs, bar charts, histograms, etc. to your presentation slides.
2e. Add-ins
The fifth group in the “Insert” menu is “Add-ins”. You can use this option to install add-ins in PowerPoint which are third-party tools that provide additional functionality to your PowerPoint presentation.
2f. Links
The “Links” group is only accessible after you click on an object inside the open slide. The group contains three commands.
Zoom
The “Zoom” feature in PowerPoint is a new addition that you can use to create a zoom slide.
A zoom slide is like a table of contents that includes preview thumbnails of all or selected slides. You can click on the thumbnails during the presentation to jump straight to that slide.
The “Zoom” feature makes the presentation appear more interactive in nature.
Link
Using the “Link” option you can add hyperlinks in PowerPoint either to text or shapes. The hyperlinks can be from the internet or the slides within the PowerPoint file.
Action
Clicking on the “Action” option in the “Links” group of the “Insert” tab will open the “Action Settings” dialog box. Now you can choose how the selected object will behave during the presentation.
2g. Comments
The “Comment” option in the “Comments” group allows you to add comments in PowerPoint either to a slide or to selected objects inside a slide. You can use it for reviewing others or even your own presentation slides.
2h. Text
In Microsoft PowerPoint, the “Text” group in the “Insert” menu includes various options to add text. You can add text in the slide, the header and the footer, and also add text as other file formats.
Text Box
To add text to your slides, you have to first insert a text box in PowerPoint. To do so, click on the “Text Box” option in the “Text” group of the “Insert” menu. Then draw a text box in the slide to type text inside it.
Header & Footer
Clicking on the “Header & Footer” option will open the “Header and Footer” dialog box. In this dialog box, you can choose to add date and time, slide number, and text in the header and footers.
You can edit the footer in PowerPoint using the master slides.
The “Date & Time” and “Insert Slide Number” options in the “Text” group also launch this dialog. You can also edit the headers and footers of the Notes and Handouts.
WordArt
The “WordArt” option in the “Text” group of the “Insert” tab allows you to choose different text themes for the text within the slide. There are 20 WordArt themes available in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Check out my other article on “WordArt in PowerPoint” to know everything about how to use this feature!
Object
The “Object” option is the last icon in the “Text” group. This launches the “Insert Object” dialog box. In the “Insert Object” dialog box, you can paste or add new text in different file formats.
2i. Symbols
The “Symbols” group in the “Insert” menu includes two features: “Equation” and “Symbol”. The “Equation” feature allows you to add mathematical equations inside the slide. You can use the “Symbol” option to add mathematical symbols and characters in text boxes.
2j. Media
In Microsoft PowerPoint, the final group under the “Insert” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen is “Media”. The “Media” group allows you to add videos, audio, and recordings to the slides.
Video
The “Video” option under the “Media” group allows you to insert videos to the presentation slides. You can add videos from your device or online sources.
Audio
In the “Media” group, the “Audio” feature allows you to add audio to your slides. You can add recorded or downloaded audio from your device. You can also click on the “Record Audio” option to directly add audio to the slide.
Screen Recording
The last option in the “Media” group is the “Screen Recording” option. You can use this option to add video and audio recordings directly from your screen.
Credit to Benzoix (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited).