New in PowerPoint: Detailed, Context-Aware Explanations for Shapes and Images

Rather than puzzling out visual elements in a presentation yourself, you can now have Copilot for PowerPoint explain what the shapes and images on a slide actually mean. It comes in handy with dense process diagrams, charts, screenshots or slides you’ve inherited from a colleague. The idea is faster comprehension: what does the graphic show, what part does it play on the slide, and what point is it making? Here’s a rundown of what’s known so far and what to watch for when you start.

 

Info Value: Understand visual elements faster
UseCase Use case: Analysing slides
Zeit Reading time:
4 minutes
Schwierigkeit Difficulty: Beginner

The explain feature isn’t new — what’s new is its reach. Until now, Copilot for PowerPoint could use Explain mainly on acronyms, text boxes, tables and whole slides. That now extends to shapes and images too: select a visual element and you get a context-aware explanation of what it shows and the part it plays on the slide. The biggest gains aren’t in building new slides but in making sense of existing ones — an inherited graphic, a busy diagram, a layered screenshot. You’ll need Copilot access in your Microsoft 365 environment, and the exact rollout can vary from one organisation to the next.

  1. Open your presentation in PowerPoint and go to the slide with the image or shape you want Copilot to explain.
  2. Select the image or shape on the slide.
  3. Right-click the element and choose Explain from the context menu.
  4. Read the explanation in the Copilot pane and check it against the visual element you selected.

  • Check the explanation against the slide: Always compare what Copilot says with the element itself — with figures, axes, legends and small print in particular, it can read the detail wrong. Treat the explanation as an aid to understanding, not a verified source.
  • Mind confidential content: Only use the feature on presentations your organisation has cleared for Copilot. Sensitive screenshots, client data or internal process diagrams deserve an especially careful look.
  • Whole slide or a single element: Right-click the slide itself and Copilot explains the overall structure in context — handy for a first overview, though the detail can get lost. For a specific shape or icon, select just that element and have it explained. That way you decide between the big picture and the fine detail.
  • Just ask a follow-up: The explanation lands in the Copilot pane like any other reply, so you can carry straight on — “And what does the red arrow in between mean?” — while staying in the same slide context. Take the first explanation as a starting point and sharpen it through conversation, rather than expecting a perfect answer first time.
  • Use it for speaker notes: Have a slide you’ve inherited explained, give it a quick check, then turn it into a few speaking points of your own. A fast way to present someone else’s deck with more confidence.

Shape and image explanations in Copilot for PowerPoint are a welcome help for anyone who needs to get to grips with someone else’s presentation quickly. The feature earns its keep most with decks you’ve inherited: grasping what a visual is saying, preparing for likely questions, writing speaker notes faster. We’re still short of a broad base of independent testing, so for now it stays a promising option that warrants a check. A good next step is a quick trial on a real team presentation: open a process slide, ask Copilot for the key message, then verify the numbers and labels by hand. When the explanation holds up, the feature can take real weight off your shoulders — especially with dense visuals that would otherwise take several minutes to decode.