Microsoft Office Apps Update Brings Drawing Support to iPhone - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Microsoft Office Apps Update Brings Drawing Support to iPhone

by

Microsoft today updated its suite of Office apps designed for the iPhone, adding finger-drawing support to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

In January, the company added inking support to its productivity suite for the iPad Pro to take advantage of the Apple Pencil, but now iPhone users can also make use of the feature using their digits.

microsoftoffice
A new Draw tab can be found in each of the three apps. The drawing tools in this tab allow iPhone owners to use a stylus or finger to write, draw, highlight, and annotate various Microsoft Office documents.

The thickness and color of the pen can be changed, while hand-drawn shapes can also be transformed into customized shapes. Excel users can annotate over cells, while those who use PowerPoint can draw freeform over slides.

Microsoft Word [Direct Link], Microsoft Excel [Direct Link], and Microsoft PowerPoint [Direct Link] are all available for iPhone on the App Store. While the apps are free to download, users need a qualifying Office 365 subscription to create and edit documents.

Top Rated Comments

Scottsoapbox Avatar
127 months ago
This is for those annoying people who like to review documents and point out changes that need to be made instead of just making them and telling you.
If we don't point out your mistakes, you are just going to keep making them.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
127 months ago
Nice to see someone doing frequent updates to an already excellent office suite. O365 is excellent IMO, as is OneDrive. Apple could learn a thing or three.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
127 months ago
At this rate, office is going to run better on my iPad than on my Mac...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
127 months ago
This is for those annoying people who like to review documents and point out changes that need to be made instead of just making them and telling you.
They are the same people who would respond to your quote by saying, "If I have to do your job, why am I paying you?":D

On topic: MS, post Balmer, has been improving their offerings on a fairly consistent basis. Good on them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
deany Avatar
127 months ago
Their iOS software update are insane 700mb plus for Word and Excel every month more or less.
Our data is capped at home.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Three141 Avatar
127 months ago
This is a good step, one of things I like about MS Onenote is the ability to annotate.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

Apple to Launch 'MacBook Ultra' With These Six New Features

Friday April 24, 2026 10:32 am PDT by
While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a...
Apple TV Thumb 3

Here's What's Coming in the 2026 Apple TV

Thursday April 23, 2026 12:08 pm PDT by
There are a lot of folks waiting for a new version of the Apple TV because the set-top box hasn't been updated since 2022. There is an update coming this year, but people will need to wait a bit longer because Apple is holding the next Apple TV until the new version of Siri comes out this fall. Design Apple TV design updates don't happen often, and that's not changing in 2026. The next...
Apple Maps General

Tim Cook Calls Apple Maps Launch His 'First Really Big Mistake' as CEO

Thursday April 23, 2026 5:29 am PDT by
Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has named the botched 2012 launch of Apple Maps as his "first really big mistake" in the role, according to a Bloomberg report covering the town hall meeting that was held Tuesday with his recently announced successor, John Ternus. The Maps app launched with mislabeled landmarks, faulty directions, and a user experience that fell well short of Google Maps at the...