How to Draw in Word

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To draw in Microsoft Word, open the Draw tab, pick a pen, pencil or highlighter, and drag across the page with your mouse, finger or stylus. If you don’t see the Draw tab, turn it on under File > Options > Customize Ribbon. For straight lines, arrows and boxes, use Insert > Shapes instead.

These steps cover Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows and the Draw tab in Word 2019, 2021 and 2024, with separate notes for Mac, iPad and the web. Microsoft says the inking tools you see depend on your device and your Microsoft 365 version, so a newer pen option may be missing in an older copy of Word. Steps follow Microsoft’s Draw and write with ink in Office and Add a drawing to a document guides.

Table of Contents show

Which Drawing Method Should You Use?

You want to Use
Sketch, doodle, sign or mark up a page by hand Draw tab (ink)
Draw neat circles, boxes or arrows by hand Draw tab with Ink to Shape
Make a diagram, flowchart or exact box Insert > Shapes
Write a math equation by hand Draw > Ink to Math

A mouse works for all of these. A touchscreen or a pen (stylus) gives smoother handwriting.

Illustration of the steps to draw freehand in Microsoft Word
Illustration: drawing freehand with Word’s Draw tab.

Draw Freehand With the Draw Tab

  1. Select View > Print Layout. Word lets you ink only in this view, so the Draw tools become available.
  2. Select the Draw tab. Pens, a pencil, a highlighter and the eraser appear.
  3. Choose a pen, the pencil or the highlighter. Your pointer becomes a drawing tool.
Recreated Word Draw tab control detail with a black pen selected pencil highlighter and Draw with Touch highlighted
Select a pen on the Draw tab. On a touch-capable setup, Draw with Touch lets you use your finger. This recreation enlarges the shared pen and touch controls; the pen set and available commands vary by device and Word version.
  1. On a touchscreen, select Draw with Touch if your finger scrolls the page instead of drawing. Touches now draw ink.
  2. Click and drag on the page to draw. Your ink appears where you drag.
  3. Press Ctrl + Z to undo a stroke you don’t like. The last stroke disappears.
  4. Press Esc when you’re done. Word stops inking so you can select and edit your drawing.

A finished ink drawing behaves like a shape: you can select it, move or copy it, change its color, resize it and rotate it.

Change pen color and thickness

Select a pen, then select the small down arrow on it. You get five thicknesses from 0.25 mm to 3.5 mm, 16 solid colors plus More Colors, and eight effects: Rainbow, Galaxy, Lava, Ocean, Rose Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze. The pencil texture adds shading when you tilt a supported stylus. Use Add Pen to keep extra pens with your favorite settings.

Recreated Word pen dropdown with five thickness choices sixteen color swatches effects and black selected
Open the selected pen’s dropdown to change its thickness and color. This enlarged recreation follows Microsoft’s pen-options example, with black selected; available effects can vary.

Turn On the Draw Tab If It’s Missing

The Draw tab turns on automatically on touch-enabled devices. On other PCs:

  1. Select File > Options. Word Options opens.
Word Options Customize Ribbon list with the Draw tab checked
Recreated Customize Ribbon detail. Check Draw in Main Tabs, then choose OK.
  1. Select Customize Ribbon. You can also right-click the ribbon and choose Customize the Ribbon. The list of tabs appears.
  2. Check Draw in the Main Tabs list on the right, then select OK. The Draw tab appears in the ribbon.

If the Draw tab is there but grayed out, switch to View > Print Layout.

If none of the ribbon’s buttons are showing, here’s how to restore a missing toolbar or ribbon in Word.

Not sure which view you’re in? The steps for getting a Word document back to Print Layout show how to recognize each one.

Erase, Select and Clean Up Ink

Illustration comparing Word ink tools with Insert Shapes
Illustration: Word’s ink tools compared with shapes.
  • Eraser: select it and drag over ink to remove it. The arrow on the Eraser button offers three eraser options, including a stroke eraser that removes a whole line with one click.
  • Lasso Select: circle part of a drawing or handwriting to select just that part, then move it or change its color. It selects only ink, not regular shapes or pictures.
  • Ink Replay: plays back your ink strokes in the order you drew them.

If your pen keeps drawing when you want to select things, turn off automatic inking: go to File > Options > Advanced and, in the Pen section, check Use pen to select and interact with content by default. The setting applies only to the app where you change it.

Recreated Word eraser dropdown with Eraser for whole strokes and Point Eraser plus Lasso control highlighted beside original sample ink
Open the eraser options to choose whole-stroke erasing, labeled Eraser in Microsoft’s current example, or Point Eraser. The lasso selects ink. This recreation shows the shared controls and an original sample stroke; layout varies by version.

Turn Sketches Into Shapes or Equations

Ink to Shape (Microsoft 365 and Word 2019 or later):

  1. On the Draw tab, select Ink to Shape before you draw. The button stays highlighted.
  2. Draw a circle, rectangle, triangle, arrow or similar shape. Word swaps your sketch for a clean Office shape in the same ink color.
Recreated Word Draw-tab control detail with Ink to Shape highlighted and an illustrated rough circle beside a clean circle
Recreated Draw-tab control detail with an illustrated before-and-after example. Select Ink to Shape before drawing; ribbon layout varies by Word version.
  1. Select Ink to Shape again to go back to freehand drawing.

Microsoft’s Convert ink to shapes in Office page lists the shapes Word recognizes. If a circle stays wobbly, draw a little slower and close the shape fully.

Ink to Math:

  1. Select Draw > Ink to Math. A box opens for handwriting.
  2. Write the equation with your mouse, finger or stylus. A preview shows how Word reads it.
Recreated Math Input Control dialog with an original handwritten x plus 2 equals 5 typed preview and Insert highlighted
Check the recognized equation in the preview, then choose Insert. This recreated Math Input Control uses an original handwritten “x + 2 = 5” example.
  1. Use the correction tools in the box to fix any symbol Word misread, then select Insert. The equation appears as typed, editable math.

Draw With Shapes Instead

For diagrams, arrows or straight lines, shapes are easier to control than freehand ink.

  1. Place your cursor where you want the drawing and select Insert > Shapes. The shapes gallery opens.
  2. Pick a shape, line or arrow. For freehand lines, choose Freeform or Scribble in the Lines group. Your pointer turns into a crosshair.
Recreated Word Insert Shapes Lines gallery detail with the last Scribble icon highlighted and Freeform Scribble tooltip
In Insert → Shapes, choose Freeform: Scribble at the end of the Lines group. This recreated detail enlarges that part of the gallery; the other shape groups are outside the crop.
  1. Drag on the page to draw it. With Freeform, click to add corners and double-click to finish. The shape appears and the Shape Format tab opens.
  2. Use Shape Format to change the fill, outline, effects and size. You can also click inside a shape and type.

To fine-tune a freeform line, select it and choose Edit Shape > Edit Points, then drag the points. To swap one shape for another, use Edit Shape > Change Shape.

To keep several shapes together, choose New Drawing Canvas at the bottom of the Shapes menu first, then draw inside the canvas so everything moves as one. A canvas is optional; it helps when you want connectors between shapes, as in a flowchart. You can also hold Ctrl, click each shape, and select Group in the Arrange group.

For a simple divider, use a solid line in Word, and for depth you can add a shadow the same way you add a drop shadow to a picture in Word.

For a full page of evenly spaced writing lines, a table is easier than drawn shapes. That’s the method used for making lined paper in Word.

Draw a Rectangle or Box in Word

Place the cursor where you want the box and choose Insert > Shapes > Rectangle. Click and drag diagonally on the page to draw the box, then release. Hold Shift while dragging for a perfect square.

Select the box to reveal Shape Format (Drawing Tools > Format in older versions). Use Shape Fill for its inside and Shape Outline for its border color, weight or dash. Choose No Fill when you want an outline only; otherwise the fill can cover text or a picture underneath.

Drag a corner handle to resize it, or type an exact height and width in the Size group. To put text inside, right-click the rectangle and choose Add Text, then type. A drawn rectangle is different from a paragraph border or a check box.

Keep Your Drawing in Place

Drawings and shapes float on the page, so text can push them around or hide behind them. Select the drawing, then select Layout Options (the small icon beside it) or Wrap Text on the Shape Format tab:

Recreated Word selected original arrow drawing with Layout Options In Front of Text and Fix position on page highlighted
For a floating drawing, choose In Front of Text, then Fix position on page. This recreation shows the Layout Options flyout beside an original sample arrow.
  • In Line with Text treats the drawing like a large letter that moves with the paragraph.
  • Square or Tight makes text flow around it.
  • In Front of Text lets you draw over a picture or text without moving anything.

Drawing in Word for Mac, iPad and the Web

  • Mac: the Draw tab has pens, a pencil, a highlighter and an eraser, and you can draw with a finger on a trackpad. Lasso Select is only available in PowerPoint and Excel on Mac. To stop a pen from always inking, go to Word > Preferences > General and clear Use pen to select and interact with content by default.
  • iPad and iPhone: selecting a pen on the Draw tab starts inking. Apple Pencil changes line thickness with pressure and shades when tilted. Turn off Draw with Touch so your hand doesn’t leave stray marks.
  • Word for the web: Microsoft’s inking guide has no web-specific steps. If a drawing tool is missing in your browser, open the file in the desktop app with Editing > Open in Desktop App and draw there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I draw in Word?

Check that you’re in Print Layout, that the Draw tab is turned on, and that you’ve selected a pen. On a touchscreen, turn on Draw with Touch.

If your finger doesn’t work anywhere in Windows, not only in Word, turn the touch screen back on in Windows 11.

Can I draw my signature in Word?

Yes. Draw it with a pen on the Draw tab, or try the other ways to insert a signature in Word.

Can I draw over a picture in Word?

Yes. Ink sits on the page like a shape, so you can draw on top of a picture. Set the picture’s text wrapping so it stays in place, as shown in wrapping text around a picture in Word.

How do I delete a drawing?

Use the Eraser on the Draw tab, or press Esc, select the drawing and press Delete. To remove an inserted image instead, follow the steps for deleting a picture in Word.

Do I need a stylus to draw in Word?

No. A mouse or trackpad works with every pen on the Draw tab. A stylus or touchscreen makes handwriting smoother, and only a supported stylus adds pressure and tilt shading.

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