Working with Pie Shapes in PowerPoint

Have you ever found yourself frustrated with the limited shape options within PowerPoint? Perhaps you needed a unique shape, like one resembling Pac-Man, as shown in Figure 1, below. For those who remember this lovable character from the classic computer game, it can be disheartening to not have this shape option readily available, especially since it’s just a variation of the Pie shape.

Figure 1: Pac-Man shape

But don't worry, there are ways to work around this limitation. With a little creativity and some basic design skills, anyone can create Pie shapes that perfectly fit their needs using various tools within PowerPoint, or even external software programs. So, the next time you find yourself searching for a particular shape in PowerPoint and coming up short, take a step back and consider your options - there's always a way to get what you need!

Whether you find Pacman lovable or not, creating the iconic shape in PowerPoint is simple if you know where to begin. The key is starting with a Pie shape!

Follow these easy steps to learn how you can work with Pie shapes in PowerPoint:

1. Add a new slide or use an existing slide.
2. Insert a new Pie shape on your slide. To do so, access the Shapes gallery, as shown in Figure 2, below. Within the Basic Shapes category, you'll find the Pie shape, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 2.
3. 
   Figure 2: Pie shape within Shapes drop-down gallery
3. We inserted a new Pie shape on the slide, as shown in Figure 3, below. Do notice that when you select the Pie shape, you will see two handles on the shape, shown highlighted in red within Figure 3. Depending upon your version of PowerPoint, these handles may be square or diamond shaped, and may also sport another color than the yellow shown in Figure 2.
4. 
   Figure 3: Pie shape
4. You can drag these handles to create variations of the Pie shape! In fact, look at the sample shapes, as shown in Figure 4, below, and you will notice that some of the shapes no longer look like pies!
5. 
   Figure 4: Variations drawn from Pie shape
6. In fact, you can see a Pacman shape, shown highlighted in red within Figure 4, above. Also notice the two semi-circles we ended up with, as shown highlighted in green within Figure 4.
5. Save your presentation often.