How to Insert a Checkmark or Checkbox in PowerPoint

Add a checkmark in your PowerPoint presentation by selecting the down arrow next to "Bullets" and choosing a bullet style with checkmarks. Or, insert checkmarks directly with shortcut Alt+0252 or Alt+0254. To add a clickable checkbox, open PowerPoint's Developer tab and choose "Checkbox".

If you want to place a tick icon or add a clickable checkbox in your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, just press a keyboard shortcut or use one of the menu options. We'll show you how to do this in your slides.

Add a check mark in PowerPoint

To add a check mark symbol to your slides, use one of the six methods listed below. The checkmark style varies slightly depending on which method you're using, so try different methods and see which you like best.

Using a bulleted list

One way to show check marks, especially in lists, is to use PowerPoint's bulleted list option. Here you make a list of your items, with each item having a check mark next to it.

To use this method, on your slide, select the location in the text where you want to add a check mark.

Then, in PowerPoint's ribbon at the top, select the "Home" tab. Then, in the “Paragraph” section, click the down arrow icon next to the “Bullets” icon.

From the bulleted menu that opens, choose the bulleted list with check marks.

Where you chose on your slide, you now have a check mark icon. You can leave the check mark there or add text to accompany the symbol. Add additional checkmarks by simply pressing the Enter key.

Using a keyboard shortcut

If you prefer keyboard shortcuts, you can use a keyboard shortcut to add checkmarks to your slides.

To use it, first place your cursor where you want to add a check mark in your slide.

Note: When using the numbers for these keyboard shortcuts, be sure to use the numeric keypad on your keyboard. Pressing numbers on the top row of your keyboard will not work.

Next, on your keyboard, press Alt+0252. This will add a checkmark symbol.

To add a symbol where the checkmark is inside a box, then on your keyboard press Alt+0254.

Copy and paste check mark

If you're in a hurry and want to quickly put a checkmark in your slides, find the checkmark symbol somewhere (online or in a document), copy it and paste it into your slides.

You can find the checkmark symbol on Google by simply searching for “checkmark symbol”. Once you find it, copy it to your clipboard.

Return to your PowerPoint slide, right-click where you want to add the symbol and choose "Keep Text Only" in the "Paste Options" section.

You now have your symbol copied to your slide.

Using the symbol menu

PowerPoint has a symbol menu containing several symbols that you can add to your slides, one of which is a check mark symbol.

To add this Wingdings symbol to your slides, first select where you want to display the symbol.

Then, in PowerPoint's ribbon at the top, click the "Insert" tab and choose Symbols > Symbol.

And that's all. You now have your icon selected in your presentation.

Using the Icon Menu

PowerPoint offers an icon menu where you have many types of icons to use in your presentations. You can also use this menu to add a checkmark to your slides.

To use it, from PowerPoint's ribbon at the top, select the "Insert" tab. Then choose “Icons”.

In the opened window, at the top, click on the search field and type “verify”. Then, from the list of displayed icons, choose the checkmark icon you want to use.

Add the selected icon to your slide by choosing "Insert" at the bottom.

You will see the icon you chose in your slide.

Using the Emoji Bar

PowerPoint supports emoji, which means you can use this menu to add a tick emoji to your slides. However, note that the appearance of the symbol varies depending on the device you are using to view your presentation.

To use this method, first select where you want to add the check mark symbol in your slide.

Then, if you're on Windows, bring up the emoji bar by pressing Windows and "." (period) at the same time. On Mac, you press Command + Control + Space.

In the emoji bar, find and click the tick emoji to add it to your slide.

Insert clickable checkbox in PowerPoint

To add a checkbox that you can click to check it, use PowerPoint's interactive checkbox control. This adds a box that is empty by default, but is checked when clicked.

Note: You can only check the box when presenting your slideshow. You cannot toggle with the box when you are in edit mode.

That said, to start the process, launch your presentation with PowerPoint. Then, in the application ribbon at the top, select the "Developer" tab (if you don't have this tab, learn how to enable the Developer tab in Office applications).

In the "Developer" tab, in the "Controls" section, select "Checkbox" (which is, unsurprisingly, a checkbox icon).

On your slide, draw the checkbox where you want to place it.

Once the checkbox has been added, you can edit its text. To do this, first click on your box so that it is selected. Then, in the "Developer" tab at the top, in the "Controls" section, choose "Properties".

In the "Properties" window, select the "Caption" field and enter your personalized text. Then press Enter and close the window.

To test if the checkbox works, play your slideshow by choosing Slideshow > From Current Slide at the top.

When the show starts, click on your checkbox and it will tick itself.