Office comes with many shapes that can be used in Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word. If you want to use a shape that is not included in the default shape library, you can combine and group shapes to create custom shapes for your document.

​ ​ ​ Notes PowerPoint 2013 also includes custom shapes capabilities, providing more options and flexibility. The procedure in this article works with Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word, and does not require the PowerPoint Custom Shapes feature.

​​Combine shapes to create new shapes

A quick way to create custom shapes is to combine shapes from the default library. Here's a simple example to show you how.

On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Shapes to open the default shape gallery. In this example, we will select an ellipse . Hold down Shift as you draw the ellipse to make it a circle. If you want to add any effects, under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, use the Shape Styles group to add any effects, such as edges and gradient shading.

Use Insert > Illustration > Shapes to add other shapes – for example, we’re using a five-pointed star in this example.

      
PowerPoint 2013 Tutorial: Combining Shapes to Create Custom Shapes

                      Position the shapes you add to create the desired design. If desired, you can add formatting to the shapes you add. Repeat this step for any other shapes you want to add.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  making the shapes stay together the way you want, group them into a single picture. Shift-click each shape, right-click, and click Group > Group. You can then add effects such as reflections, or copy and paste the picture into any other part of the document.

      
PowerPoint 2013 Tutorial: Combining Shapes to Create Custom Shapes

                              Some effects added after grouping may change the appearance of the design. Under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, hover your mouse pointer over an effect in the Shape Styles group to preview how your shape will look using that effect.

Use Edit Points to change shapes

You can also use Edit Points to change the shape to a new form.

Click the shape you want to change, and then, under Drawing Tools, on the Format tab, click Insert Shape > Edit Shape > Edit Points.

      
PowerPoint 2013 Tutorial: Combining Shapes to Create Custom Shapes

​ ​ Drag the black edit point to change the shape. Use Edit Point to change the curvature of the line between two black edit points.