Microsoft Office applications are utilized widely in both personal and corporate environments. The former is sometimes a matter of familiarity and preference, while the latter is often due to how well-entrenched your organization is in the Redmond ecosystem. Given that these applications are part of the same suite, it makes sense to make them as consistent as possible, both in design and non-core functionalities. That is exactly what Microsoft is working on right now.
In a blog post, Microsoft has announced that Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Windows are getting Fountain and Brush pens. If these sound familiar, this is because they were introduced first in OneNote back in October 2024. Microsoft claims that customers "loved" these virtual pens in OneNote, so it makes sense to bring them to other Office applications too, allowing customers to unleash their creativity in new ways.
Users of these applications can simply head over to the Draw tab to take advantage of these new pens. Importantly, Microsoft recognizes that the Draw tab may have become too crowded for some of its customers, so it is giving users the option to rearrange, delete, and add tools according to their own preferences.
Tools can be reordered by long-pressing on them and then dragging them horizontally to your desired location. Alternatively, you can also click on the Delete option to get rid of virtual pens that you do not use. And if you would like to add more virtual pens that have been customized to your liking, simply press the + Add icon in the same tab. That said, it is important to note that the Text Pen can only have one ink.
These new capabilities are available to Microsoft 365 Insiders running Version 2508 (Build 19116.10000) or later on their Windows PCs. General availability timelines for these features are currently unclear.