How to Quickly Create a Word Cloud in PowerPoint

Are you trying to teach vocabulary? Want to show off the relative power of search terms? You need a visual like a word cloud PowerPoint design.

Word cloud PowerPoint designs have many advantages. They help you explain new ideas in creative ways. They help you keep presentations more interesting. They help the viewer hone in on the terms and ideas that matter most.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make a word cloud in PowerPoint using two methods:

1. You’ll see how to use a free PowerPoint add-in to create your word cloud right inside the app.


2. You’ll learn to make a word cloud with an online, web-based tool.

Let's jump in!

What Is a Word Cloud?

A word cloud PowerPoint is a visual featuring many words in fonts of different sizes or colors. The size of each word dictates its relative importance.

This degree of importance may take on many meanings. Imagine that you’re teaching a new concept with several ideas to support it. The main concept might be in a larger font, and the supporting words in smaller fonts. 

You might be sharing the data of a search engine optimization (SEO) study. Here, you’d be measuring relative keyword density, showing how often each term is searched for. Larger words represent more popular terms in your word cloud.

Word clouds are powerful visuals that feature a series of words. Alone, they can be stylish illustrations, and you may find them used for decoration. But a word cloud is also a powerful tool that uses analytics to measure the relative importance of words.

At a glance, you can introduce many new terms. This keeps your audience engaged and focused on the message that you’re delivering.

Complex topics can become tough to follow, especially for an unfamiliar audience. Here, you need a visual illustration to bring those concepts to life. Word clouds are the answer. And they’re the perfect companion to your PowerPoint presentations. 

How to Create a Word Cloud in PowerPoint

As we learn how to create a word cloud in PowerPoint, it's important to be efficient. Sure, you could manually type all your words, then arrange and turn them in a visually appealing way. We've got two methods for word cloud generator PowerPoint designs that save you time. 

Both methods of building word clouds in PowerPoint offer their own advantages:

1. Using PowerPoint add-in apps lets you complete the work right inside the app.


2. Online word cloud generator PowerPoint tools work from anywhere. You don’t have to have PowerPoint installed to use them.

Let’s look at how to make a word cloud in PowerPoint by using both options. Before you start typing your own word cloud, check these tools out. They automate most of the work of scanning your text, analyzing it, and putting it into a visual for you.

For both examples, we’ll use the beautiful Zeiss PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements. With 150 slides inside, it’s a flexible and stylish option for all your PowerPoint needs. It's got plenty of slides that are perfect for word clouds.

How to Add a Word Cloud to PowerPoint With a PowerPoint Add-In

PowerPoint add-ins are tools that bring new functionality to PPT itself. They operate within the app, saving you the time needed to exit PowerPoint and build designs. There are several word cloud PowerPoint add-ins available now in 2022.

These include Bjorn’s Word Clouds, Pro Word Cloud, and more. These are great options for building stunning word cloud PowerPoint designs fast. For this quick tutorial, we’ll use the Pro Word Cloud add-in from Microsoft AppSource.

PowerPoint add-in apps are found on the Insert tab. The Insert tab sits on PowerPoint's ribbon, the series of menus across the top of the menu bar. Click on the Get Add-ins button, then search for Pro Word Cloud and click Add.

To open Pro Word Cloud, navigate to the Insert tab and click on it. When you've installed the Pro World Cloud add-in, click on the My Add-ins dropdown arrow. It's in the Add-ins section near the center left of the Insert tab.

You'll see Pro Word Cloud listed, and you can click on its title to launch the add-in. When you do, Pro Word Cloud opens in a sidebar on the right side. Add-ins like this one work inside of PowerPoint and don't require any extra apps to use.

With Pro Word Cloud open, you'll need to add the words to the app. The tool needs words to transform into a visual cloud. The best option is to place them in a text box on a slide. Highlight the text, and the selected words form the basis of your word cloud.

In Pro Word Cloud, you can make a variety of stylistic choices. In the Font dropdown section, you can change up the text style. The Colors pane dictates the color palette of your word cloud PowerPoint. But many other options exist, and you can apply them by scrolling through the list and selecting a new theme.

Plus, you can change the layout. You may want a horizontal layout, a vertical design, or a mixture of both. All these choices and more are available, including a creative half-and-half design. Expert presenters leverage these options so that the word cloud feels like a part of the PowerPoint slide naturally.

Finally, you can change the case, modify the size, and specify a maximum word count to include. With these tools, you can tailor your word cloud to fit the needs of your specific project. 

Once you've finished adjusting the settings, click on Create Word Cloud. This is the blue button at the bottom of the sidebar.

Pro Word Cloud generates your word cloud PowerPoint design. The finished product is an image that you can add to your PPT.

By default, the image is copied to your clipboard. To place it on your slide, simply press Ctrl + V on your keyboard. When you do, you'll see it appear on the slide. 

The word cloud now behaves like any other image in PowerPoint. You can click and drag it to move the word cloud around your slide. Or you can pull on the edges to resize it.

As you can see, it's easy to use a word cloud generator PowerPoint. In a few quick steps, you can build your own word cloud PowerPoint right inside the app.

How to Add a Word Cloud With an Online Generator

Need to create a word cloud in PowerPoint, but don't have an add-in to use? No problem. With an online word cloud generator PowerPoint, you can make a word cloud online. Again, the idea is that the tool does the heavy lifting for you and outputs a finished word cloud.

There are many options available that you can use today. These include:

• Word Cloud Generator


• Free Word Cloud Generator


• 
  MonkeyLearn Generator.

For this example, let's use the MonkeyLearn tool.

To get started, launch the MonkeyLearn Word Cloud Generator using your web browser. You'll see a text input box, into which you can place the words that you want to feature. Don't be afraid of pasting a large block of text, as the tool automates determining which to emphasize.

There's also an option to upload words from a text file saved on your computer. This is a useful option, especially if you've got a lot of words. Or, you can paste words from your clipboard into the input box.

With your words input, click the blue Generate Cloud button in the lower right corner. The MonkeyLearn tool generates a word cloud in seconds that's ready for a PowerPoint slide.

Across the top of the screen, you can adjust style elements like fonts and color themes. Plus, you can pull on the slider to adjust the word layout in real0time. In my example below, I clicked the T tool, then chose new colors so that my word cloud matches the PowerPoint template.

Once you're finished, click Download. Several file format options are listed, with Download Cloud .PNG being your best choice here. 

When you click this, an image file of your word cloud design downloads to your computer. You can then paste or import it into PowerPoint and place it on the slide of your choice. Again, you've created a flat image file, so any tweaks need to be made in the online tool.

As you can see, it's easy to build a word cloud PowerPoint. With add-in and web-based options, you can choose the approach that works best for you. The bottom line is that you shouldn't create it yourself with endless text boxes and tilt transformations.

Both techniques work well to bring words to life. It's a surefire way to craft an engaging, winning PowerPoint presentation for 2022.

The Best Source for PowerPoint Templates (With Unlimited Use)

Throughout this tutorial, you've been working in Microsoft PowerPoint. Take your PowerPoint design work to the next level with Envato Elements. For a single flat rate, you'll get unlimited downloads of PowerPoint templates that are perfect for your word cloud graphics.

Explore Elements Templates Now

While you're learning new skills like word cloud generator PowerPoint techniques, you might feel stretched for time. Instead of using your limited time to design a PowerPoint, lean on a template instead. That saves you time and gives you better results.

On Envato Elements, you'll find more than just the best PowerPoint templates. You saw one great example, Zeiss, in this tutorial. You'll also unlock:

• 
  Stock photos to perfectly balance your PowerPoint slides


• 
  Graphics and illustrations that give your slides a bit more pizzaz


• 
  Custom fonts for completely custom text styles that work with your PowerPoint template

Need a template but aren't ready for a subscription? We've got you covered with another fantastic marketplace. You can use GraphicRiver templates with word cloud PowerPoint designs, too! Buy a single template and start designing right away.

Now You Know How to Make a Word Cloud in PowerPoint

You just learned a great technique for creative word visuals. You've seen tools that help create free word cloud templates for PowerPoint. This tool is a great way to relate words based on size, and now you know how with PowerPoint.

Now, it's your turn! Try out one of the two methods we covered to create a word cloud of your own. Think of a topic that you want to cover with word-based emphasis, then create a word cloud in PowerPoint yourself. Or try out an article like this one in an online tool to hone in on key ideas.