How to Use the Eyedropper in PowerPoint (Match Any Colour Exactly)
Your slides will look far more professional if the shapes and headings use the exact blue from your logo rather than a blue that's nearly right. The Eyedropper picks a colour from anything on the slide — a logo, a photo, a screenshot — and applies it with one click.
Quick reference
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Colour a shape from a picture | Select the shape → Shape Fill → Eyedropper → click the picture |
| Colour text | Select the text → Font Color → Eyedropper |
| Pick from outside PowerPoint | Click and hold with the eyedropper, drag to another window, release |
| Type a hex code instead | More Colors → Custom → Hex |
| Use it everywhere | Add it to the theme colours |
1. Pick a colour for a shape
1. Put the picture with the colour you want on the slide (your logo, say).
2. Click the shape you want to colour.
3. Go to Shape Format → Shape Fill → Eyedropper.
4. Hover over the picture — a small preview square shows the colour under the pointer.
5. Click. The shape takes that colour exactly.
2. Click the shape you want to colour.
3. Go to Shape Format → Shape Fill → Eyedropper.
4. Hover over the picture — a small preview square shows the colour under the pointer.
5. Click. The shape takes that colour exactly.
The same Eyedropper is under Shape Outline, Font Color, and in the background and chart colour menus.
2. Pick a colour from outside PowerPoint
Want the colour from a website or another app? Start the eyedropper, then click and hold on the slide, drag the pointer to the other window while still holding the button, and release over the colour. It works anywhere on your screen.
3. Use the colour again
Once you've picked a colour, it appears under Recent Colors in every colour menu. That's fine for a few uses, but for a colour you'll use throughout the deck, go further.
4. Type a hex code
If your brand guide gives you codes like #1E5AA8, you don't need the eyedropper at all. Open any colour menu → More Colors → Custom, and type the code into the Hex box.
5. Add it to the theme
So that the colour is always one click away and every chart uses it automatically:
1. Design → Variants ▾ → Colors → Customize Colors.
2. Click Accent 1 → More Colors → type the hex code (or pick with the eyedropper from a shape you've already coloured).
3. Name the scheme and Save.
2. Click Accent 1 → More Colors → type the hex code (or pick with the eyedropper from a shape you've already coloured).
3. Name the scheme and Save.
Now it sits in the theme row at the top of every colour picker, with lighter and darker tints beneath it.
Troubleshooting
The eyedropper picked a slightly different shade. Photos and JPEG logos have compression noise. Zoom in and pick from a flat, solid area, or use the official hex code.
I can't find the Eyedropper. It's at the bottom of the Shape Fill, Shape Outline and Font Color menus. PowerPoint for the web doesn't have it — use a hex code there.
I want the colour's code for use elsewhere. After picking, open More Colors → Custom and the hex and RGB values are shown.
Wrapping up
Shape Fill → Eyedropper → click the logo. Hold and drag to grab a colour from any window. If you'll use it more than twice, put it in the theme colours and the whole presentation stays on brand.
