Skip to main content

Who needs a keyboard? Just write with your digit in Microsoft Office for iPhone

microsoft office iphone update finger doodle
Image used with permission by copyright holder
We may have done away with the stylus when we got rid of those Palm Pilots, but now your finger can serve as a substitute when you use Microsoft Office for iPhone. That’s right — you can now doodle, scribble, or be one of the few people capable of writing legibly with one of your digits in the iPhone version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Thanks to a new app update, everything you can do with Microsoft Office on Windows and iPad, you can now do on your iPhone (at least, in terms of using your finger to write).

To access this new finger-painting feature, simply navigate over into the “Draw” tab, then let your creativity take control. Who wouldn’t want to scribble all over their spreadsheets and presentations, right? Once you’re in the Draw section, you’ll be presented with a simplified page layout, then have the opportunity to write all over a text document, cells, or slides.

You can even choose your writing implement for full customization. Whether you’re looking to use a pen (pick from a myriad of colors), a highlighter, or even an eraser, Microsoft has you covered. You can also make your lines a bit bolder by pressing down harder on your iPhone screen, as Microsoft has taken full advantage of the iPhone’s haptic feedback feature.

Sure, it’s not the most thrilling update of all time, and there are a few kinks that users might find annoying. For example, if you want to scroll around the page, you’ll have to get out of the Draw feature (unless you just want to draw all over the scrollbar). But if you’re getting a bit tired of typing everything with an iPhone keyboard and would rather do some good old fashioned handwriting instead, this may just be your chance. While you need a qualifying Office 365 subscription to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, the apps themselves are free to download.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Here’s how Apple could change your iPhone forever
An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying on its back, showing its home screen.

Over the past few months, Apple has released a steady stream of research papers detailing its work with generative AI. So far, Apple has been tight-lipped about what exactly is cooking in its research labs, while rumors circulate that Apple is in talks with Google to license its Gemini AI for iPhones.

But there have been a couple of teasers of what we can expect. In February, an Apple research paper detailed an open-source model called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE) that is capable of media editing using natural language instructions from users. Now, another research paper on Ferret UI has sent the AI community into a frenzy.

Read more
There’s a big problem with the iPhone’s Photos app
The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

While my primary device these days continues to be my iPhone 15 Pro, I’ve dabbled with plenty of Android phones since I’ve been here at Digital Trends. One of my favorite brands of phone has been the Google Pixel because of its strong suite of photo-editing tools and good camera hardware.

Google first added the Magic Eraser capability with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which is a tool I love using. Then, with the Pixel 8 series, Google added the Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to make edits that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. There are also tools like Photo Unblur, which is great for old photographs and enhancing images that were captured with low-quality sensors.

Read more
Why you should buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max instead of the iPhone 15 Pro
Someone holding an iPhone 15 Pro Max outside on a patio, showing the back of the Natural Titanium color.

If you want the best iPhone money can buy in 2024, you have two options: the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. They have the same chipset, similar display technology, nearly identical cameras, etc. It's a really close battle, save for the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro is $200 cheaper.

It might be tempting to save some cash and choose the iPhone 15 Pro, but I recommend you splurge for the larger (and more expensive) iPhone 15 Pro Max. Why? Let me explain.
It's a big iPhone you won't hate using

Read more