Indezine Logo




Tell Me in PowerPoint Online

Learn about the Tell Me feature in PowerPoint Online.


Author:

Product/Version: PowerPoint Online

OS: Windows and Mac OS X





Everyone who uses PowerPoint has faced this situation: you know what you want to do with a slide or a slide object, but you don't know where to find the related option in PowerPoint! PowerPoint Online has a feature called Tell Me that will tell you what you need to do! Tell Me is a text field that you can see in PowerPoint Online after the last Tab of the Ribbon. Notice that it reads Tell me what you want to do, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1.

Tell me what you want to do
Figure 1: Tell me what you want to do

Within this box, you can type the words and phrases related to what you want to achieve.

Everything Looks Different?

Unlike desktop applications, both OneDrive and PowerPoint Online are constantly evolving much faster. That may explain why screenshots on this page sport an interface different from what you see when you log in.

Here are some guidelines that will help you in using the Tell Me feature in PowerPoint Online:

  1. When you click within the Tell Me box, a drop-down menu opens that contains suggested searches, as shown in Figure 2. At this point of time, you haven't typed a single word! If the existing results show the feature you are looking for, just click on it to proceed further.
  2. Recently used options show within the Tell Me drop-down menu
    Figure 2: Recently used options show within the Tell Me drop-down menu
  3. Let us imagine that you have a slide object selected on the slide. This slide object could be a chart, a table, a video clip, or anything else. In our example shown in Figure 3 below, we have selected a shape. Now, when you type a word or even start typing a phrase within the Tell Me box, you will be provided with a list of features related to the selected slide object. Look at the screenshot shown in Figure 3. You can see that the word 'fill' within the Tell Me box already has some options within the Tell Me drop-down list related to the selected Shape slide object.
  4. Options that the word 'fill' brought up for the selected shape
    Figure 3: Options that the word 'fill' brought up for the selected shape
  5. Now, look at Figure 4, where the same word 'fill' is typed within the Tell Me box, but this time along with a SmartArt selected on the slide. Notice the options listed within the Tell Me drop-down list are not available for selection (compare Figures 3 and 4).
  6. Options that the word 'fill' brought up for the selected SmartArt
    Figure 4: Options that the word 'fill' brought up for the selected SmartArt
  7. Other than clicking an item on the populated drop-down list, you can also get help using Microsoft Office's help documentation for the typed word or phrase. To do so, bring up the Tell Me drop-down list and select the Get Help on option, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 5.
  8. Get Help on option
    Figure 5: Get Help on option
  9. This brings up the PowerPoint Online Help window, as shown in Figure 6. Within this window, you can click on any topic that you think can help you.
  10. PowerPoint Online Help
    Figure 6: PowerPoint Online Help

See Also:

Help and Online Services: Tell Me in PowerPoint (Index Page)

Tell Me in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows
Tell Me in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

You May Also Like: emaze Again: Conversation with Motti Nisani | Libya Flags and Maps PowerPoint Templates


Popular Posts

Use Safe Fonts Available on All Systems in PowerPoint
Use Safe Fonts Available on All Systems in PowerPoint
Learn about using safe fonts in PowerPoint.

10 Tips for Pecha Kucha
10 Tips for Pecha Kucha
Read 10 amazing Pecha Kucha tips that will help you create and deliver a better Pecha Kucha presentation.

Creating Slide Backgrounds in Photoshop for PowerPoint
Creating Slide Backgrounds in Photoshop for PowerPoint
Learn how to create slide backgrounds for PowerPoint in Photoshop.

Formatting Arrows (Arrowheads) in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows
Formatting Arrows (Arrowheads) in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows
Learn how to format arrowheads for lines in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows.



Ebook PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts and Sequences Ebook

PowerPoint 365, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2007 and 2003 for Windows

PowerPoint 365, 2019, 2016 and 2011 for Mac

PowerPoint for the Web on Windows and Mac

Have you ever used keyboard shortcuts and sequences in PowerPoint? Or are you a complete keyboard aficionado? Do you want to learn about some new shortcuts? Or do you want to know if your favorite keyboard shortcuts are documented?

Go and get a copy of our PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts and Sequences ebook.

This is the original page. An AMP (Accelerated Mobile Page) version of this page is also available for those on mobile platforms, at Tell Me in PowerPoint Online.


Microsoft and the Office logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Home | PowerPoint | Photoshop | PowerPoint Templates | PowerPoint Tutorials | Blog | Notes | Ezine | Media Kit | Feedback | Site Map | About Us | Contact Us

Link to Us | Privacy | Testimonials

PowerPoint Backgrounds | Christian PowerPoint Backgrounds | Business PowerPoint Presentation Templates

Plagiarism will be detected by Copyscape

©2000-2023, Geetesh Bajaj. All rights reserved.