explain formatting text in powerpoint presentation

How to Format Text in PowerPoint? [A Complete Tutorial!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

When you have to create presentations using PowerPoint, knowing how to format text in PowerPoint the correct way can actually save you a ton of time! It is one of the most important tasks that we invariably need to perform on any presentation i.e. formatting text in PowerPoint!

To format the text in PowerPoint, select the text first. Then, on the home tab, you can use the various formatting options such as Font Type, Font Size, Font Styles, Line Spacing, Font Color, Text Highlight, etc.

Formatting text correctly in PowerPoint can add emphasis and grab the attention of the audience where needed. This can not only make your presentation look good, but also help you deliver it effectively!

So, in this article, we shall take a deep dive and understand all the nuances of formatting the text correctly in PowerPoint. I shall try my best to provide information about everything you need to know when it comes to editing and formatting the text!

So, let’s get started!

A Quick Note Before We Begin – if you want to make jaw-dropping presentations, I would recommend using one of these Presentation Designs . The best part is – it is only $16.5 a month, but you get to download and use as many presentation designs as you like! I personally use it from time-to-time, and it makes my task of making beautiful presentations really quick and easy!

1. How to Add Text to a Slide in PowerPoint? 

You probably may already know this, but let’s just start with the basics to make sure we are all on the same page!

You can add text to the slide in PowerPoint using a text box. Click on the “Insert” tab. Then, select the “Text Box” option. Next, click and drag on any part of your slide to add the text box. Finally, start typing to add text as soon as you have created the text box in PowerPoint.

Here’s a step by step process described in detail:

Step 1:  Click on the “Insert” tab

The first step to adding text to a slide in PowerPoint is to click on the “Insert” tab which is the third tab in the ribbon and located at the top left of the PowerPoint window.

Step 2: Select the “Text Box” option

Click on the “Text Box” option which in on the right side of the “Insert” tab in the “Text” section. After clicking on the “Text Box” option, your cursor will change on the slide.

Now to add the text box to the slide, simply click and drag your cursor to draw the text box with your preferred size.

Step 3: Add text to your presentation

To add text, you can directly start typing as soon as you create the text box. Click outside the box when you are done, and your text will be added to the slide.

If you want to edit the text again, then click inside the text box anywhere on the text. Alternatively, you can select the text box and right-click on it, and from the menu, click on “Edit Text”.

In case you are new to PowerPoint and want to know more about the nuances of adding text such as adding text over an image, shape, or even a video, check my other article on how to add text in PowerPoint that goes in-depth on this topic.

2. How to Change the Font of the Text? 

There are at least two methods you should know on how to change the font of your text in PowerPoint. However, make sure to check out our detailed guide on how to change fonts in PowerPoint where I’ve added even more relevant information explained in a step-by-step manner.

Nevertheless, the two methods are described below –

Method 1 – Using the “Home” Ribbon

The first method is by using the “Home” tab in PowerPoint . Here’s the detailed process explained –

Step 1: Select the Text

The first step is to select the text inside the text box for which you want to change the font. If you want to change the font of all the text inside the text box, you can also click on the text box itself!

Step 2: Change the Font

The next step is simply to change the font! To do that, make sure the “ Home ” ribbon is selected. (as shown in the image above). Then, under the “ Fonts ” section, click on the “ Font ” dropdown and choose the font as per your desire.

Method 2 – Using the Right-Click Option

The whole process is described through three simple steps below:  

Step 1: Select the text

The first step is to select the text located in text boxes. You can do that by double-clicking on a word in the “Text box” or dragging your cursor over the texts while holding the “left mouse button”

Step 2: “Right-click” on your selected text.

“Right-click ” on the text which you have selected. This will open a drop-down menu. The drop-down menu has the “Font” section of the “Home” tab which you can use to edit the font style, color, and size.

Step 3: Click on the “Font” drop-down menu.

Click on the “Font” option to open its drop-down menu. The drop-down menu has a variety of fonts that will appear in the middle of the screen.

Click on your preferred font style and it will change accordingly.

3. How to Change Font Size of Text in PowerPoint? 

The steps of changing the font size are very similar to that of changing the font of the text. The process is described in simple steps below:

Step 1: Select the text.

Select the text in which you want to increase or decrease the size of the font and then “Right-click” on it. A drop-down menu with the “Font” section of the “Home” tab will appear.

Step 2: Click on the “Font size” option.

Right beside the current font style, a number is showing the size of the font, that is the “Font size” option.

To change the size of the text, click on the “Font size” dropdown menu and different numbers will show up. Click on the size you want, and the font size will be changed immediately.

You can also type in the exact font size that you want if it is not present in the dropdown list.

4. How to Add Styles to Text in PowerPoint?

You can also take advantage of the Font Styles in PowerPoint to emphasize the text! There are primarily 4 text styles available in PowerPoint. These are –

• Strikethrough

There are also superscript and subscript text options, which we shall cover in detail later in this article.

To change the font style to bold, italics, underline, or strikethrough in your slide, first you have to select the texts you want to change the style of and then follow the instructions below:

How to Bold the Text in PowerPoint?

At first, select the text you want to bold. The “Home” tab has a “Font” section. On the bottom left of the “Font” section, there is a “B” button which will turn your text to a “Bold” style text. Click on the “B” button and your text will turn bold.

Alternatively, you can also use the shortcut i.e. “Ctrl + B” buttons on your keyboard after selecting the text to get the job done faster.

How to Make the Text Italics in PowerPoint?

Click on the button that looks like an “ I” which is the “Italic” style font option after selecting the text. It is located on the right side of “Bold” option. The selected text will be changed to an “ Italic ” style font immediately.

Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut for italicizing the text in PowerPoint. Just press the “Ctrl + I” buttons on your keyboard after selecting the text to get the job done.

How to Underline Text in PowerPoint?

Underlining texts can be done by selecting the text and clicking on the button that looks like a “ U ” . This is the “underline” option in the “Font” section. The “ U ” button is right beside the “ I” button in the Home tab.

Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut to underline text by pressing the “Ctrl + U” buttons on your keyboard after selecting the text.

How to Strikethrough Text in PowerPoint?

The strikethrough text is used when you want to cross out the text.

The “Strikethrough” button is beside the “Underline” button in the “Font” section and the icon has a line going through lower case “ ab ” .

After selecting the text, click on the “Strikethrough” option and it will cross out the text.

5. How to Highlight the Text in PowerPoint?

You can use the “Text Highlight Color” button to highlight the text in PowerPoint. However, this button is only available for the Office 365 version of PowerPoint .

If you are using an older version of PowerPoint, check out my other article on how to highlight text in PowerPoint . It provides you with multiple other ways to make your text stand out on a slide in PowerPoint.

That said, here’s a step-by-step process on how to highlight text in PowerPoint using the text highlight color option!

Step 1: Select the Text and Click the “Text Highlight Color” button

At first, you have to click on the text you want to highlight and select it. Then, you have to click the “Text Highlight Colour” button.

This button has a pen in the icon with a yellow line underneath it and it is located at the “Font” section of the “Home” tab. Doing so will instantly highlight your text.

If you want to highlight text across multiple text boxes, you can also first click on the “Text Highlight Colour” button on the “Home” tab. This will turn the cursor into a pen from the “Arrow” icon.

Now, simply click on the text box for the text you want to highlight. The text will be highlighted instantly.

6. How to Change Font Color in PowerPoint?

There are multiple ways in which you can change the color of your font in PowerPoint. I’ve listed the easiest method to change the font color below.

If you want to know ninja tips on how to change the font color for all text in PowerPoint, check out my other article. (by clicking on the link)

Follow the step-by-step guide to change your font color in PowerPoint:

Step 1: Click on the “Font Color” drop-down menu button

To change the color of your text, the first step is to select the text using your cursor. Then click on the “dropdown” button beside the “Font Color” button.

This button is located at the right of the “Font” section in your “Home” tab. It is an icon with a capitalized “A” and a red underline.

Step 2: Choose new font color

When you click on the dropdown menu, a color palette appears. Hover your cursor to the color you want, and you will see the text changing its color. Now, click to alter the text font color.

7. How to Clear Text Formatting in PowerPoint? 

Sometimes, you don’t particularly like the changes that you’ve made to the text and perhaps you want to start over from scratch. This is when the clear text formatting option in PowerPoint comes in handy!

To clear the text formatting in your PowerPoint presentation, select the text you want to remove the formatting from and click on the icon with the red eraser called the “Clear All Formatting” button.

This icon is located in the “Font” section of the “Home” tab and clicking it will erase all formats such as bold, italics, underline, highlight, etc. from the text. The text will then revert to the default text of the theme.

If you want to learn how to clear formatting in PowerPoint on all slides, make sure you click on the link and check out the other article where I have gone into detail on this topic and provided tips on how to do so quickly!

8. How to Add Text Outline in PowerPoint? 

You can outline text in PowerPoint to create emphasis on certain text that you want the audience to look at.

Here’s how you can outline text in PowerPoint –

Step 1: “Right-click” on the text and select “Format Text Effects”

Select the text you want to outline and “Right-click” on it. A drop-down menu will appear with different options. Click on the “Format Text Effects” option from the menu.

Step 2: Click on the “Text Fill & Outline” button

After you click on the “Format Text Effects” option, the “Format Shape” sidebar will pop up on the right of the slide.

It usually automatically displays the “Texts Effects” option which is the icon in the middle that looks like an “A” . In case it doesn’t, click on “ Text Options ” first.

Click on the “A” icon beside it and then click on the “Text Outline” option. A menu will appear with the options like, “No line” , “Solid line” , and “Gradient line” .

Step 3: Select your desired Text Outline

Choose the text outline you want to apply to the slide text. Gradient line will create a transparent border around your text, and a solid line will fill up your text border.

Choose a color as per preference to add the outline to text in PowerPoint.

9. Using WordArt in PowerPoint 

I’ve written a detailed article on how to use WordArt in PowerPoint along with steps to customize your WordArt. So, make sure you click on the link and check out that article to learn more about WordArt. But, here’s a quick highlight on using WordArt –

To use WordArt in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to go to the “WordArt” option in the “Insert” tab. The whole process is described in easy steps below:

Step 1: Go to the “Insert” tab

The third tab from the right in the ribbon is the “ Insert” tab. Click on the “ Insert” tab to access the “ WordArt” option.

Step 2: Click on the “WordArt” button

Now, on the “Text” section of the “Insert” tab is a leaning “A” icon which is the “WordArt” button. Click on that button to access WordArt.

Step 3: Choose your WordArt style

Different styles of WordArt appear in a drop-down menu after you click on the “WordArt” button. Now select your preferred WordArt style to place it on the slide.

Step 4: Insert the WordArt into your presentation.

A “Text box” with the chosen style will be displayed in the middle of the slide. Select the “Your text here” texts and erase it.

Now, you can write any text with WordArt you want and then place it in your preferred location.

10. How to Change Text Direction in PowerPoint? 

The method to change the text direction in PowerPoint is similar to that of changing the text outline in that it needs the user to open the format settings.

Follow the steps mentioned below to change the direction of the text in PowerPoint –

Step 1: Click on the “Format Shape” button

The first step to changing text direction is to select the text you want to change and “ Right-clicking” on it. A drop-down menu with many options will be displayed on the screen. Click on the “Format Shape” option which is located right below the “Formatting Text Effects” button.

Step 2: Click on the “Size and Properties” option

A sidebar with the title “Format Shape” will appear on the right of the screen. Click the square icon on the right side called the “Size & Properties” option.

Step 3: Click on the “Text Direction” dropdown menu

Below the “Text Box” button is the “Text Direction” option.

Every text is horizontal by default so if you want to change it, you will have to click on the arrow-mark besides the “Horizontal” option to open a dropdown menu. This will show you different text direction options. Click on the direction you want your text to move in.

You can also rotate text in PowerPoint. There are actually multiple different ways in which you can rotate the text Check out our detailed guide on how to rotate text in PowerPoint !

11. How to Cut, Copy, Paste and Duplicate Text in PowerPoint?

Copy and paste in PowerPoint are perhaps one of the most important functions in PowerPoint! Furthermore, knowing how to cut and duplicate can also help you move your text around quickly.

I’ve written a detailed guide on how to copy and paste in PowerPoint with visual references. So, make sure you check that article out for the details. For brevity, I’m just sharing the basics here –

• How to Copy Text in PowerPoint – Copying text allows you to create a photocopy of the selected text. To copy the text in PowerPoint, select the text. Then, use the keyboard shortcut by pressing the “Ctrl + C” keys simultaneously. Alternatively, “Right-click” on the text that you want to copy and press the “Copy” button from the dropdown menu.
• How to Cut Text in PowerPoint – The “Cut” function allows you to remove a text and then place it again in a different location. It is almost the same as the copy function but copying creates a photocopy while the cut function deletes the object from its original location and places it on the location where you paste it. The keyboard shortcut to cut text in PowerPoint is “Ctrl + X” . Or alternatively, “Right-click” on the object that you want to cut and hit the “Cut” button from the drop-down menu.
• Paste Text in PowerPoint – The “Paste” function allows you to place the text to a preferred location that has been copied or cut. Hence, it is done after the cut or copy function. You need to paste the text after copying or cutting it to finish the process. The keyboard shortcut of pasting text is “Ctrl + V” . Or alternatively, “Right-click” on the location that you want to paste the object and hit the “Paste” button from the dropdown menu.
• Duplicate Text in PowerPoint – Duplicating texts is a combination of the copy and paste function. After selecting your texts, if you press “Ctrl + D” then it creates a duplicate of the original. It is, however, not an alternative to the cut function. But, it can be used instead of copy and paste. One drawback, though, of this function is that it can’t duplicate elements across slides. For that, you will need to use copy and paste functions.

12. Using Format Painter to Apply Text Formatting 

Format painter is a tool that allows the user to easily copy the font style, size, and color of a certain text and apply it to another text.

Actually, the format painter has the capability to do much more than just copying the formatting of the text! It can be used to apply the formatting of shapes, text boxes, images, etc. It is a super helpful tool!

In fact, I covered the use of format painter in PowerPoint in a detailed manner in another article. Make sure you check out that article too as it will save you a ton of time while editing your presentation!

Meanwhile, I’ve covered the basics of using the format painter below –

Step 1: Select the text and go to the “Format Painter” option

At first, you have to select the text you like the font of. This should not be the text you want to paint over. Now below the “Home” tab, and in the “Clipboard” section, there is a paintbrush icon called the “Format Painter” button. Click on it.

Step 2: Format paint the text.

Your cursor will change into a paintbrush after you click on the “Format painter” button. Now, move the cursor to the text you want to apply the formatting on and click it. It will change to the font of your choice.

This is a single-use format painting because your cursor will change back to normal after one use.

Step 3: Format painting multiple words at a time (optional)

If you want to change the font of multiple texts using the “Format Painter” option, then instead of clicking the icon once, “Double click” on the “Format painter” button.

This time, the cursor will not change back and allow you to format the font of several texts.

Once you are done using the format painter, simply click on the icon again or press the “Esc” key on the keyboard.

13. How to Align Text in PowerPoint?

In this section, I will be describing the different alignments options for text in PowerPoint. I’ve written a detailed article on how to align in PowerPoint where I also talk about aligning objects and shapes with respect to each other and provide tips to save time! So, make sure you check out that article for further details.

Meanwhile, below are step-by-step guides to align text in PowerPoint horizontally or vertically.

Horizontal Align – left, right, centre, justify

The horizontal alignment allows the text to be aligned in the text box on a horizontal axis.

The process of aligning texts in different horizontal styles is described in the simple steps given below:

To change the alignment of text, the first step is to select all the texts inside a “Text box” using your cursor.

Step 2: Choose your desired horizontal alignment

There are four icons made up of lines in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab. From the left, they are “Align Left” , “Centre” , “Align Right” , and “Justify” .

Click on your preferred horizontal alignment to change the text position inside the text box.

Vertical align – Top, bottom, middle

The vertical text alignment will allow you to align the text in the box in a vertical axis with respect to the text box.

The process of aligning texts in different vertical styles is described in the following steps:

The first step is to simply select the text that you want to change the vertical alignment of.

Step 2: Change the Vertical Alignment

Next, simply go to the “ Home ” ribbon. Then, click on the “Align” Tool as indicated in the image above. From the dropdown, choose the vertical alignment options from “ Top “, “ Middle “, or “ Bottom “.

14. How to Add Superscript and Subscript to Text in PowerPoint?

Using superscript or subscript text style can be especially helpful when creating a presentation for students or when adding an equation.

I wrote a detailed post explaining the steps to superscript or subscript text in PowerPoint (with images). Make sure you check out that article for full details. I’ll share the brief steps below –

• To subscript text in PowerPoint, first, select the text. Then, click on the “ home ” tab, and click on the “ arrow ” button at the bottom right corner under the “ Fonts ” section of the Home ribbon.
• This will open a “ Fonts ” window dialog box. In the window select the “Subscript” text option. Make sure that the box is checked.
• You can also add the “Superscript” using the same process. Just make sure that the box before the superscript text is checked.

15. How to Add Bullet Points or Numbering to Text in PowerPoint?

Here’s how you can add bullet points or numbered list to your text in PowerPoint –

Step 1 – Select the Text

To add bullet points or numbering to text in your PowerPoint presentation, first, you have to select the text or navigate the blinking cursor in the place where you want the bullet point or numbering to be

Step 2 – Add Bullets from the “Home” Ribbon

Next, click on the “ Home ” tab. From the “ Paragraph ” section on the home tab, you can choose to add either bullets or numbering in PowerPoint.

You can choose to customize the bullet points if you don’t like the default design. Alternatively, you can also change the bullet style in PowerPoint to create your own design style.

16. How to Add Indent to Text in PowerPoint?

You can also indent text in PowerPoint – meaning you can add some space before the text starts in a new paragraph or a new line. (And no, you don’t need to keep pressing the space bar for that!)

Add or Increase Indent in PowerPoint

The first step is to move your cursor to the beginning of the paragraph you want to add indent to. It is important to note that the sentence that you want to indent should not be in the middle of the paragraph. Alternatively, you can bring the cursor to the start of a sentence and press “Enter” .

Now, click the icon with lines and an arrow pointing towards the right. This is called the “Increase Indent” button and is used to add or increase an indent level. You can find it in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab. (check the image above for reference)

How to Decrease Indent in PowerPoint? 

To decrease indent in a paragraph text, click on the button called “Decrease List Level.” The icon will have lines and a left-pointing arrow. It is to the left of the “Increase List Level” icon. Clicking it once will decrease one indent level.

17. Choosing Line Spacing of Text in PowerPoint

Line spacing can help increase or decrease the space between the line of text. You can add a line spacing between lines or between paragraphs. This explanation perhaps requires a detailed article.

[Edit – I’ve written a detailed article on Line Spacing in PowerPoint that highlights the nuances and explains everything in a beginner-friendly manner. Make sure you check it out by click on the hyperlink]

Nevertheless, the basic steps to choosing the line spacing in PowerPoint is described below:

If you want to modify the line space in a single paragraph, at first you have to select the paragraph you want to change the line spacing of using your cursor.

Step 2: Click on the “Line Spacing” button.

You can find the “ Line Spacing ” button in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab (as showcased in the image above).

After selecting the text, click on the “Line spacing” button to display a drop-down menu. Choose your preferred line spacing and the paragraph will change accordingly.

Step 3: Click on the “Line Spacing Options” button for Advanced Options

If you want more options to choose from, click on the “Line Spacing Options” button from the drop-down menu. It will open a dialogue box in the middle of the slide. Here, if you want to increase the space above your paragraph, you have to increase the “Before” option.

Or, if you want space after a paragraph, increase the “After” option. These work vice-versa. To change the space between lines, click on the dropdown menu button next to the “Line Spacing” option.

18. How to Add Text in Columns in PowerPoint?

The process of adding text in columns in your PowerPoint presentation is described in 2 easy steps below:

Step 1: Select the text or the text box

At first, select the text where you want to add the columns.

Step 2: Click on the “Add Column” button

Click on the “ Home Tab “. Then, under the “ Paragraph ” section, click on the “ Add or Remove Column ” button (check out the image above for references). You can usually locate it next to the indent or line spacing buttons. You can also hover over the button and wait for the name of the function to pop-up if you are unsure.

Once the button is clicked, a dropdown menu will appear. From the dropdown, choose the number of columns you would like to add.

You will notice that the columns have been added to the text immediately!

More PowerPoint Related Topics

• How to Use a Presentation Clicker to Deliver Presentations Effectively!
• How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint? [Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial!]
• How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? A Helpful Resource!
• How to Convert a PowerPoint to PDF? [A Simple Guide!]
• PowerPoint vs Google Slides: Which is Better? [ULTIMATE Test!]
• How to Change Bullet Style in PowerPoint? A Complete Guide

Credit to Nakaridore (on Freepik) for the Featured Image (further edited) of this Article

• Slidesgo School
• PowerPoint Tutorials

How to Format the Text in PowerPoint

Most if not all presentations need words, since it’s one of the most representative ways of communication. Text is an indispensable element, so you should know all there is to make it appealing and useful for your audience. In this Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll learn how to format your text in PowerPoint step by step . We’ll also talk about the Format Painter option.

Formatting the Text

Aligning the text, using the format painter.

• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Select the text you want to modify.
• On the Home tab, in the Font group, you’ll find a lot of buttons and settings that you can use to customize and modify the text. This group contains everything related to the font and its styles.
• To change the font of a text, select it and click the Font drop-down arrow. You’ll see a list of available fonts.
• Click the one you want to apply. The text will change accordingly.
• To change the size of your text, select it, click the Font Size drop-down arrow and choose the desired value.
• You can also enter your own value. To do so, click the Font Size text field (not the drop-down arrow), type the value and press Enter.
• You can also increase or decrease the font size one step at a time by clicking the Increase Font Size or Decrease Font Size buttons respectively.
• Next, we have the Bold, Italic and Underline buttons. The first one is used for emphasis. The second one makes your text lean slightly to the right. The third one draws a line under your text, in case you want to highlight something. To apply any of these styles, select the text and click the corresponding button.
• If you click the Shadow button, you can add a shadow to your text.
• Perhaps you want to cross out some words from your text. It’s easy to do so. Select the part of the text you want to cross out and click the Strikethrough button.
• Next, we have the Text Highlight Color and Font Color buttons. As their names suggest, the first one determines the color of the highlight and the second one determines the color of the text itself. It’s easy to change any of them: select the text, click the arrow next to Text Highlight Color or Font Color and choose the desired color from the list.
• For the Font Color, if you want a different color not included on the list, you can specify your own. Click More Colors and then, on the Custom tab, enter the RGB or HSL values of your desired color.
• Finally, if you want to remove all the formatting from your text, just select it and click Clear All Formatting.
• Horizontal align: If you click the Left Align, Center Align or Right Align buttons, you’ll align the text to the left, center or right, respectively. The last button, Justify, aligns the text so that each line has the exact same length.
• Vertical align: If you click the Top, Middle or Bottom buttons found in the Align Text drop-down menu, you’ll align the text to the top, the middle or the bottom of the text box itself, respectively.
• You might want to change how much spacing there is between the lines of a text. To do so, select the text, click the Line Spacing drop-down arrow and choose your desired value.
• You can also enter a custom value for the spacing. To do so, select the text, click the Line Spacing drop-down arrow and choose Line Spacing Options. Enter the desired values under “Spacing” and click OK.
• Lastly, you can modify the direction of the text. Just click the Text Direction drop-down arrow and choose the desired option.
• There’s an interesting tool in PowerPoint called Format Painter. This tool allows you to copy the format of a text and apply it to another text without having to change manually all the styles and settings one by one.

• First, select the text whose format you want to copy and then click Format Painter.
• You’ll see that a little paintbrush has appeared next to the cursor. Select the text where you want to apply the copied format. The text will automatically change.
• You can apply the copied format to multiple texts. Select the text whose format you want to copy and double-click Format Painter. After selecting any text where you want to apply the copied format, you’ll see that text has changed, but the cursor still keeps the little paintbrush next to the arrow, which means you can keep selecting other texts to apply the format.
• When you’re done, click Format Painter or just press Esc.

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Note : Also, you can format entire paragraphs by adjusting indents or bullets, filling space around the text, etc. - this is called paragraph formatting , not text formatting .

It is recommended to use the Slide Master to customize the current text formatting. Slide masters define the text size, font, color, and default attributes that should be used on slides. By applying text formatting to slide masters rather than individual slides, you maintain consistency and make global font changes much easier later.

In some cases, you want to manually change the text formatting for an individual object, such as chart title or shape, or even an individual paragraph or word.

Font formatting

You can format the text by using all the usual text-formatting methods:

Note : To open the Font dialog box, on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the dialog box launcher, or click Ctrl+T . See also shortcut keys for working with fonts .

Modify a text formatting

In addition to the normal text-formatting controls, PowerPoint offers many different formatting and effects for the text you can use.

To modify text formatting using the ribbon, see how to modify WordArt formatting.

To modify a text formatting using the Format *** pane, such as the Format Shape pane, the Format Chart Area pane, or the Format Chart Title pane, select the object or several objects, then do one of the following:

Text fill formatting

On the Format *** pane, such as the Format Shape pane, Format Chart Area pane, Format Chart Title pane, on the Text Options tab, in the Text Fill & Outline group, in the Text Fill section:

This option is useful if you prefer to create hidden text or transparent text with outline formatting only (see about outline formatting below):

See how to apply a solid color .

• Move the Transparency slider to adjust the color transparency, or set a specific transparency percentage:

Note : By default, fill colors are opaque (other background formatting does not show through). A transparency setting of 100% makes the fill color invisible, while the default value for an opaque color is 0%.

See how to work with gradients .

See how to insert a picture .

• Insert any graphic object such as a picture, SmartArt, chart, diagram, etc., from the Clipboard .
• Choose any of the predefined textures from the Texture dropdown list:

You can select from various textures, including fabric, marble, granite, wood grain, and Formica-like textures in various colors. See how to use a texture fill .

See how to apply a pattern fill .

Text Outline formats

On the Format *** (such as Format Shape , Format Picture , Format Chart Area , Format Data Series , etc.) pane, on the Text Options tab, in the Text Fill & Outline group, in the Text Outline section, choose the one you need:

• The No line option hides a text outline.

• The Color and its Transparency - see more about how to apply a solid color .
• The Width of a text outline allows specifying the thickness of the line in points.

For example:

See also text effects in PowerPoint .

Clear formatting

To remove the text formatting and any effect (except Transform ), select the text, then on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Clear All Formatting button:

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to Format Presentation Slides

How to Format Presentation Slides

Learn how to give your presentation slides a facelift so they captivate your audience.

Why is Presentation Design and Formatting Important?

A well-designed presentation can help you connect with your audience and gets your message across in an easily digestible manner. Great presentation design can impart a positive first impression and is more likely to draw in and engage an audience.

Pretend you’re attending a presentation and instead of formatted PowerPoint slides, each one is plain white with a lot of dark text that’s hard to read. And even though the background and text colors are the same, none of the text is lined up and multiple fonts are used. There are no transitions or title pages that help to differentiate between topics being discussed and you’re presented with slide after slide of confusing, jumbled text.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

Formatting slides in your presentation is what enhances the look of the slides and transforms them into something that complements the content and resonates with the audience.

What Else Should a Good Presentation Include?

While formatted slides can help to connect with the audience, a good presentation should also include:

• Well-written, concise content that clearly explains the problem that you’re trying to solve and the unique solution you’ve come up with.
• A great hook or emotionally compelling introduction.
• Visuals that support your message and aren’t too busy.

Most importantly, a good presentation should be efficient and engage with the audience. And that engagement can be found in the content as well as how the slides are formatted.

Tips for Creating & Formatting Presentation Slides

Before you start creating your PowerPoint presentation, make sure that your content is solid. Making an outline can help you keep information organized, clear, and concise before you put it into a presentation. The outline can also help you break down what information is shared on each slide to keep things from being overcrowded or wordy. Take a minute to consider your audience and the best ways to connect with them and present what you’re trying to share.

Once your content is finalized, you can get to work on creating and formatting your presentation slides.

How to Make a Slide

A PowerPoint presentation is sometimes known as a deck and is composed of different slides. When you’re putting your own deck together, you’ll certainly need to add slides and format them in different ways.

In order to make a new slide appear in your presentation, first select the slide that you’d like your new slide to follow. Then click Home and choose New Slide . From there, you can choose your desired layout , and start inputting content. The layout options in PowerPoint are great for keeping your text lined up and consistent through the deck. You can also rearrange, duplicate, and delete slides as necessary.

Formatting Your Presentation Slides

Once you’ve created your content or slides, it’s time to consider design and formatting. This is where you make choices about themes, templates, color schemes, and fonts.

If you don’t feel confident about your design abilities, you might want to try applying a template . This customizable option offers a variety of artistic skins that can give your deck a professional polish. There is even a range of downloadable templates available from Microsoft to suit any kind of presentation.

Don’t feel like you must use a template, though. Many users may prefer to use or create a theme to visually tie together their presentations. PowerPoint provides a variety of themes which include color schemes, backgrounds, fonts, and placeholder slides. In the Design tab, you can choose a theme that appeals to you or matches with your content. You can even try different color variations within the theme by selecting Variants . Each variant has built in options for colors, fonts, and background colors and styles that can help you format your slides and create a cohesive look throughout the deck.

There are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to eschew the suggestions made by PowerPoint:

• Consider the colors you’re using. There are definitely a few color combinations you should avoid .
• Choose fonts that are easy to read and make sure that your text isn’t too small to be read across a large room. You’ll also want to remember to keep the text on your slides relatively sparse, with no more than three bullet points per slide.

Using Visual Aids in Your Presentation

One way to break up the monotony of an all-text presentation is to use visual aids like charts, graphs, static images, gifs, and movies.

As with all other aspects of your deck, ensure that your visuals are easy to see and understand, and aren’t too wordy. Imagine trying to read a line graph with lots of muddy colors and small text from across a conference room. The goal of a visual aid is to make the presentation you’re giving more compelling and the information you’re sharing easier to understand.

Here are a few tips for adding visuals to your presentation:

• Make sure the images you use are of high quality and that they fit in your deck. They shouldn’t be distorted or pixelated, as this will distract from the content.
• All charts should be very easy to read and understand. If someone can’t immediately glean what information is presented, you may be trying to fit too much into a single chart.
• Don’t use more than one chart per slide unless it’s necessary. Keep it simple.
• If you’re including a brand or logo in your deck, make sure you’re adhering to that brand’s style guide .

A great way to get design ideas for slides in your presentation us to use the Designer feature in PowerPoint. It automatically generates design ideas for you to choose from based on the content of your slide. Designer detects when you’re using pictures, charts, and tables and gives you suggestions for arranging them on your slides in a cohesive layout that’s easy on the eyes. Designer can also help to format your lists and timelines into easy-to-read graphics and suggests relevant graphics to pair with keywords that it finds within your content.

Create a PowerPoint deck that stands out and resonates with your audience by formatting it in a professional manner. And don’t forget to prep for your presentation !

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6.3 Formatting Microsoft PowerPoint Slides: Layout and Design Principles

Learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Format the layout of each slide
• Understand best practices in design principles

It’s time to transform the five slides from My Life in a Snapshot by manipulating the layout and adding options. Formatting the layout of each slide in Microsoft PowerPoint is the process of adding, subtracting, and/or adjusting the arrangement of elements such as text, images, and shapes on a slide. You may want to format the layout of a slide in PowerPoint to make it more visually appealing and effective for your audience. PowerPoint includes many options for altering the layout of the slide. The slide layout can be changed by using the tool on the Home tab in the Slides command group . From the Home tab, select Layout tab from the Slides command group. Here, you will see a listing and image of the layout options.

We have used three types of layouts in My Life in a Snapshot . Here are some commonly used slide layouts:

• Title Slide : This layout includes a title and subtitle and is typically used for the first slide of a presentation .
• Title and Content: This layout includes a title, subtitle, and one or two content boxes that you can use for text or media. This layout is typically used to give an overview of the presentation and the main topics to be covered.
• Comparison: This layout includes two content boxes, which can be used to present different types of information, such as text and images, or to compare and contrast two pieces of information.
• Section Header: This layout is used to create a slide that can be used as a header for a section of a presentation. It typically includes a title and subtitle, with a distinctive design.
• Content with Caption: This layout includes a content box and a caption box, which can be used to present a single image or other media and provide additional information about it.

These common PowerPoint slide layouts can help you create a clear and effective presentation structure. You can add, remove, or customize placeholders as you need, as well as use combinations of these layouts to create a unique, personalized presentation. PowerPoint also offers a variety of built-in slide layouts that you can use to create different types of slides.

Formatting Layout

When you design your slide layouts, arranging text boxes and other objects becomes key in making sure they are positioned in an effective manner. In this section, we will review the Alignment Guides option within the View tab and discuss the numerous built-in layout designs that PowerPoint can offer.

Alignment Guides

As stated previously, getting things to look exactly how you want them to appear next to each other is crucial to maximizing the design power of PowerPoint. But it can be difficult to align objects with other objects on a single slide, or objects with text, using only your mouse. Under the View tab, you will find a helpful alignment tool that you can access by checking the Guides box. When this box is checked, there will be two dashed lines on the presentation slide, one centered vertically and the other centered horizontally.

When you hover your mouse over one of these lines while holding down the Ctrl key, the cursor turns into a double line with arrows. Drag the line to where you want one guideline to be and let go of the mouse. When you do this, another line is created.

Hold down the Option key, not the Ctrl key, to turn your cursor into a double line with arrows.

You can continue to add guidelines anywhere on your slide to insert and align objects, text boxes, photos, and so forth. (In the section on Adding Visuals and Features to Microsoft PowerPoint Slides , we will cover inserting objects and images.) See Figure 6.23 for a visual example of what the guides look like after adding them to a slide. (If you see that the Guides box is checked but no lines are apparent, just uncheck it and check it again. That will usually bring the guides back into view.)

Link to Learning

Not every presentation has to be delivered by a person. There are many reasons why creating a self-running presentation is valuable. Many companies will design a presentation that can be left unattended in a booth or kiosk, at a trade show or convention, or saved as a video and sent to a client list. A self-running presentation can also help address time-related constraints. Read Microsoft’s steps for creating a self-running slideshow in PowerPoint to learn more.

Design Principles

In this section, you will learn about some basic design principles that are best practices for designing your own slides or choosing a theme for your presentation. You’ll find out how to use proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast, and white space to make your design elements stand out.

In photography, proximity refers to nearness —the distance between the camera and the subject being photographed. In the context of PowerPoint , it refers to the distance between the audience and the subject matter being presented. You can control the relative proximity within a PowerPoint slide. In photography, proximity can affect the composition of the photograph by changing the relative sizes of the elements in the frame. For example, if the camera is positioned close to a small subject, the subject may appear larger in the frame; if the camera is positioned farther away, the subject may appear smaller. The proximity of the camera to the subject can also influence the overall look of the photograph. A photograph taken from a close distance may have a more intimate or detailed appearance, while one taken from farther away may have a more distant or expansive look.

Proximity is an important consideration in designing PowerPoint layouts because it can affect the composition, perspective, and overall look of each slide. In Figure 6.24 , you can see two different sizes of the budget sheet. The first one is effective for an overall view of what the document looks like. The second one is more effective if you want the audience to be able to read it. If so, it’s preferable to zoom in as close as possible to that content.

Aligning objects or text on a page adds organization and creates a sense of cohesion, making your content in general more usable. When alignment exists on a slide, the human eye knows where to focus, and the slide is more comfortable to view. In PowerPoint, alignment is the way that text, images, and other elements are positioned on a slide. Proper alignment is important because it helps to create a cohesive, professional-looking presentation. When elements on a slide are aligned, they are more visually balanced, which can make the slide look more organized and appealing to the audience. Properly aligned elements can help guide the viewer’s eye and create a natural flow from one element to the next, making the presentation easier to follow and understand. In addition to the Guides checkbox that we reviewed in the section on Formatting Layout , there are also checkboxes for Rulers and Gridlines. Ticking these boxes will show additional lines on the slide that will help you align your slide elements.

Repetition is the use of similar or identical elements, such as colors, fonts, or design elements, across multiple slides in a presentation. In a slideshow, repetition—especially when similar elements are repeated across multiple slides—can make the presentation feel more polished and professional and make it easy for the audience to follow and understand. Repetition also promotes a consistent look and feel for the presentation. Repetition of important elements such as headings or key points can establish a visual hierarchy that guides the viewer’s eye and makes your presentation easier to follow.

Repetition of visual elements is a good way of reinforcing the key points you want to establish with the audience because they know where to look. In this way, repetition makes the main message of your presentation more memorable and connected for the audience.

In presentations, contrast refers to the use of different elements, such as colors, fonts, and other design elements, to focus attention and create visual interest. You may want to use contrasting colors, such as complementary colors or light and dark shades, or contrasting fonts, such as a bold or decorative font for headings and a simple font for body text. Using contrast helps create a hierarchy and makes your presentation easier to follow.

Using contrasting design elements, such as different shapes or patterns, can help to add visual interest and break up the slide into distinct sections. Overall, contrast is a useful tool in presentations because it can help to draw attention, create visual interest, and make the presentation more effective and engaging for the audience. Notice how in the new title slide of My Life in a Snapshot ( Figure 6.21 ), the title is in large font, the subtitle is in small font, and the colors used are off-white, red, and black. The different font sizes and colors contrast with one another and create an engaging, yet professional, appearance.

White Space

The last design element to consider within this section is white space . White space, also known as negative space, is the unoccupied areas of a slide that are not filled with text or other content. By leaving enough white space around text and other elements, you can make the content easier to read and understand. White space can be used to create visual interest by creating balance and separating different elements on the slide. By surrounding a key point or element with white space, you can draw attention to it and make it stand out. Additionally, using white space consistently throughout a presentation can help to create a cohesive look and feel. It is an important element of slide design and can be used in a variety of ways to enhance the readability, visual appeal, and effectiveness of a presentation. Filling your slides with text or images will make them look too busy and hard for your audience to read. Using the Designer tool to suggest different layouts can help add white space and sustain interest throughout the presentation with aesthetically pleasing slides.

Another principle that underlies all the design principles reviewed in this section is known as the rule of thirds . This is a basic principle of photography and design that suggests that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines. It is essentially a tic-tac-toe game board!

Real-World Application

Applying the rule of thirds.

The rule of thirds theory suggests that if you place the important elements of the image along these lines, or at their intersections, your photo or design will be more balanced and will have more visual interest. By placing the main subject of your photo or design along one of the lines or at an intersection, you can create a sense of tension and dynamism that draws the viewer’s eye into the image. Additionally, using the rule of thirds can help you avoid placing the subject of your image dead center every time, which can make for a static and uninteresting composition.

Although the rule of thirds is not a hard-and-fast rule, it is a useful guideline that can help you create more visually appealing and dynamic compositions in your slide creations and layouts. Figure 6.25 provides an example of a grid created according to the rule of thirds.

There are other composition models you can use, as well. The point is that in design, composition is the basis of it all. You want a well-composed layout and placement of text and images, aligned so that the eye moves easily about the slide.

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Although many slideshows are made of animations, charts and sounds, simple text is also common. Text is used to display a bulleted list of items or label a chart with information. Even the simplest of presentations will have some text added to it. Text is how you communicate facts and figures to your users, but that doesn't mean you need to use plain, unattractive content to your slideshows. PowerPoint 2019 provides a way to create text with customized styles and add it to your slides.

The Types of Text Objects

When you create a new slide in PowerPoint, two objects are automatically created. The first one is a text object. The second one underneath the text object is an open space where your selection of an object can be made. PowerPoint 2019 works with rectangular objects where you can size them and move them to a location on a slide.

(Default text box)

The default text box created in a new slice is above the main object rectangle. As the text describes, just click the text box and you're prompted to enter the new text that you want to display. You can type any text in the object, but should you type too much text or the font is too large, then you will be forced to resize the text box. Resizing a text box is the same as resizing any object in PowerPoint. Circles placed on each side of the rectangular areas and in the corners can be used to make the text smaller or larger.

In the "Insert" tab, a section named "Text" contains the tools to create text objects in your presentations.

(Text menu section)

PowerPoint offers numerous text box objects. The "Text Box" button adds a basic object where any text can be added to a slide. The "WordArt" button ads clipart and text with specialized styles offered by Microsoft. You can also add a date and time text object. This one offers a dynamic date and time on your slideshows so that you can timestamp them as you run your slides.

A slide number object places a small text box object in a corner of the slide where you can identify the slide number. This is useful if you need to keep track of the number of slides that you've added to the presentation, and then as you scroll through each slide it displays on the slide itself. It can help the presenter know what slide they have reached as they work with a presentation.

Headers and footers are common with Word documents, but you can still use them in PowerPoint presentations. A header displays text at the very top of a presentation. This header is repeated with each new slide. A footer is similar, but it is displayed at the very bottom of a slide. Headers and footers are beneficial when you need to display the same information without manually typing it on each slide. For instance, if you have a title for your presentation, you could add it in a footer object. Page numbers (or slide numbers) are used in footers. Footers are beneficial for notices such as copyright where it can be placed at the bottom of the slide aside from the other critical content.

You can click any one of these text objects to add them to a slide. You should first select the slide that you want to use. In the left panel, the slide that is surrounded by a red line is the active one. You can also see the active slide in the center window.

Adding a Text Object  

The procedure to add a text object is similar for all types, but we'll show you several examples. Just know that the procedures for one object is similar to these examples, so you can use them with other text objects if these samples are not the same object that you need to add.

The most common text object that you'll add to a slide is basic text. This object displays text anywhere on the slide. It can be formatted as a bullet or number list.

To add the text, click "Text Box" in the "Text" menu section. A new text box with default fonts and colors is displayed where you can type new content.

(A new text box object)

A new text box object displays an empty space as a small square. You can type text in the square, but the text is set as the default font that's a part of the theme you've implemented. In the image above, a simple "This is a test" is added to the text box. You can rotate text just like you can with images by using the arrow at the top of the box. Rotating text will change the way it displays both vertically and horizontally.

When you add text objects to a slide, new options in the main menu display. These new features let you format and style text. When you click away from a text box, these options disappear from the main menu, but you can see them in a context menu if you right-click the text box.

(Text style options in the main "Paragraph" menu section)

The "Text Direction" option lets you set the text layout either vertically or horizontally. By default, text is set to display horizontally. You can change the direction to vertical, and the text will display from top to bottom (vertically).

The "Align" text option is similar to aligning text in other applications. This option is useful if you have several text boxes and need to align the text in each one. Text can be aligned three ways: Top, middle and bottom. This alignment is vertical, so should you change the default option (top), then it will move text up or down. Top alignment is the default and places text at the top of the text box square. Middle alignment vertically centers content in a text box. As you increase the height of the text box area, text will still display in the center. Finally, the "bottom" option aligns text at the very bottom of the text box space.

Changing Text Font

The font used in a text box is the default set in your theme, but you can change it at any time. You can also have multiple fonts in one text box. Highlight the text that you want to change, right-click it and choose the "Font" option from the context menu.

(Font selection)

When you click the "Font" menu option, a window opens with several font styles that you can choose from.

(Font options window) 

In this window, you can choose an alternative font from the "Latin text font" dropdown and any special styles shown in the preference window. You can add effects such as a strikethrough or display text in all capital letters. Although your theme sets a font color, you can set an alternative font color including a color for the underline should you decide to use an underline effect.

All text can be formatted, moved, styled and customized when you add it to your slides. Your slides have themes configured, but text boxes have flexible options in PowerPoint.

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How to Format PowerPoint Slides: A Complete Tutorial

Complete Tutorial: How to Format PowerPoint Slides

Format PowerPoint Slides? As you know, PowerPoint is a handy tool if used properly. There is a lot to format and changes to be made in the program, and in this article, we go through the most critical formatting tips, what you will learn to format in this article are:

• Chunks of Content
• Header and Footer
• Bullet Lists

The above is a long list of areas, but that is why we have named this article exactly “Complete Tutorial: How to Format PowerPoint Slides.” Let’s dig into the content!

Format Text in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, all text is written in text boxes. Each text box can be viewed as its own miniature document which can have its own settings for, for example, indents, tabs, and another formatting.

Like different Word documents, paragraphs work in the same way in text boxes for PowerPoint. If you write a running text and end with “Enter”, a new paragraph is created for upcoming text. This makes it possible to have different settings for different pieces within the same text box.

To make different formatting in text boxes, it is crucial to keep track of what you want to format. Is it one or more words? Or a piece? Or all the text in the text box? With the right selection, this will be easy. Format text is very important when you format PowerPoint slides.

Format Words, in Running Text in PowerPoint

Select the word or text to be formatted. Double-click for a word or make a continuous selection for a coherent text.

Then do the formatting (for example, bold style), and this applies to the selected text.

Pro Tip! For single words, it works just as well just to place the cursor in the word and do its formatting. It is therefore not necessary to mark the word.

Format a Paragraph

To format a whole piece of text in the text box, it is sufficient to place the cursor in the current paragraph. However, if you have to format several parts, it is necessary to mark these pieces in advance.

Then do a paragraph formatting (for example, bulleted list or indentation). Then this change only occurs in the current paragraph.

Format Chunks of Content

You can also format the full contents of a text box at once without having to select all text. When you click on a text box, the frame becomes around a dashed line. Then you are in an edit mode and can choose or edit the text in the text box. If you click on the dashed frame, the line instead becomes solid. Now the entire text box is selected, and all formatting you make applies to the whole text in the text box.

This method is handy for quickly giving the text the same settings and formatting at once, and a great tool when you format PowerPoint slides.

Pro Tip! If the text box is in edit mode (dashed line), you can press “Esc” on the keyboard. Then the entire text box is highlighted (solid line).

Format the Header and Footer

The information displayed on each page of the PowerPoint presentation, such as a logo, address, title, or page number, should be in either the header or footer of the image. Since these are such common elements for a presentation, that is, they are visible on all pages, PowerPoint has created a function that prevents you from formatting this on every page.

Changing the contents of the footer or header is a simple process that can be applied either to individual images or across the board to all slides in the presentation. You can easily format the footer in your PowerPoint slides by following these steps:

Format Header and Footer in PowerPoint

1 Open the PowerPoint file. Then, click the “View” button in the top menu, and then navigate down to the “Normal” or “Slide Sorter” views that you see in the top left.

2. Click the “Insert” menu. Then click the “Header and Footer” option. Click on “Slide.”

3. Edit header information displayed at the top of the image or change the text in the footer field. Click “Apply” to apply the changes to one or more selected images. Click “Apply to All” to change the header and footer information of all the slides.

Format Bullet Lists

When you format PowerPoint slides, bullet lists are very important. Create bulleted lists with default points and lists with your own graphic points. You can also create numbered lists in the same way. You can easily add and format a bullet list in PowerPoint by following these steps:

1. Click on the bullets bullet button or select a bulleted image layout.

2. Enter the first entry in your list.

3. Press the Enter key. A gray dot appears on the next line.

4. Continue until the list is complete.

5. To change the row in the list but not to create a new point, press Shift + Enter.

Format the Bullet Point Appearance in Your PowerPoint Slides

1. Select the frame on the placeholder.

2. Start menu “Home”.

3. Select the Points “Bullets” button.

4. Click the Bullets and Numbering option to use a different bullet appearance.

5. Click the “Customize” button to select a character for point appearance.

6. Select Color and Size as a percentage of text.

7. You can use the “Picture” button for more alternative points.

Space Between Bullet Points and Text.

When you have selected bigger points for your text, it may become crowded between the points and the text. To increase the distance between points and writing, first show the ruler.

1. Click “View” Ribbon.

2. Check the Ruler box.

Distance Between Bullet Points and Text.

1. Click on the text. You cannot choose to mark the frame on the placeholder!

2. Drag the Hanging Indent icon. It’s the little triangle with the tip up, the “tent.”

Several Levels in the Bullet List

You can create sub-points for your bulleted list.

1. Stand with the cursor in the text at one point.

2. Click the “Increase Indent” / “Decrease button”

3. You can use the Tab key to lower the level and Shift + Tab to raise the level. Then the cursor must be placed in front of the first letter of the point.

Bullet List Spacing

You can set the spacing between rows.

1. Select the frame on the placeholder or select individual rows.

2. Start menu “Home.”

3. Select “Line Spacing.”

Poorly formatted bullet point list is a very common issue, make sure you make this right when you format PowerPoint slides.

The Format Panel

You can enable the style panel for shapes and image objects. There are formats and layout options gathered for quick changes. To activate the Format panel, right-click on the object and then select Image “Format Shape.” The style panel opens on the right side with the various useful options when formatting PowerPoint slides.

Add & Format Tables

To create an edit Tables are a lot easier and more convenient compared to Word and Excel. This is a great way to format PowerPoint slides. In PowerPoint, the tables are formatted to look good, rather than be packed with data. The trade-off is, however, less functionality, you cannot use classic Word fields or Excel formulas. However, you can achieve this by link an Excel file to your slide, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to “Insert”

2. Click “Object”

3. Select the Word document or Excel file you want to embed in your slide.

Add a Table to a PowerPoint Slide

There are several ways to create and add tables in PowerPoint, the most convenient and comfortable method is:

2. Select “Table,” and specify how many rows and columns you need

Setting Table Options in PowerPoint

After you create a table, click anywhere in the table to select it to enable the Alternative Group table in the Table tab. Then click the options button and toggle between and format rows and columns.

The Total Rows option is just another format for the bottom line – PowerPoint has no formulas or calculations. You can see checkboxes instead of a menu if the screen is wide enough.

Select a Table Style in PowerPoint

The standard layout gets boring, pretty fast. While selecting your table, visit the Format Groups table on the Table Layout table in the ribbon to apply a new style. Click on the left and right scroll arrows at both ends of the table style gallery or click on “cute place” at the bottom to display all styles in a palette. If you want a standard table, select “Clear Table Style,” which is also the first table in the Table Style gallery and the Table Format palette.

In this article, we have presented several elements you can edit and format in PowerPoint. Furthermore, we have taken you through the process of actually format PowerPoint slides. Now, you are probably more confident when you work with:  

Of course, there are many more elements in PowerPoint that can be formatted, but it will be too long for an article. We plan to launch an article shortly focusing on how to format images and video.

Thank you for reading, and we hope you have learned something. Do you have any questions or comments? Then you are more than welcome to get in touch with us as usual. If you need help with PowerPoint or other Microsoft Office tools, you are also welcome to contact us.

You May Also Like: How to Embed: PowerPoint Video

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Formatting your presentation in PowerPoint 365

• 10 videos | 39m 54s
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In this course.

• Playable 1.  Overview: Formatting your presentation in PowerPoint 365 51s This video outlines the key content covered in the Formatting your presentation in PowerPoint 365 course, including formatting font, creating lists and modifying line and paragraph spacing. FREE ACCESS
• Playable 2.  Formatting your text in PowerPoint 365 4m 54s Font is an essential formatting element for any presentation. In PowerPoint, you can easily adjust your font to match the aesthetics of your presentation. In this video, you will learn how to change your text’s font style and size and apply different effects and formatting options. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Apply formatting and styles to text. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 3.  Aligning your text in PowerPoint 365 5m 9s In addition to font formatting, PowerPoint contains various paragraph formatting options. One of the most important of these is text alignment. See how to apply right, left, center and justified alignment to your text. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Apply formatting and styles to text. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 4.  Adjusting text rotation & direction in PowerPoint 365 3m 56s When typing in shapes and text boxes, it can be useful to change the orientation of your text. See how to rotate your text, adjust its direction, and apply other paragraph formatting options in PowerPoint. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Apply formatting and styles to text. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 5.  Organizing text into columns in PowerPoint 365 3m 18s In PowerPoint, you can organize your text into columns to help you optimize space on your slides. You can set the number of columns and adjust the spacing between your columns. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Format text in multiple columns. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 6.  Creating bulleted lists in PowerPoint 365 5m 16s Bullet points allow you to structure your content into organized lists. In this video, you will see how to adjust the style and appearance of bulleted lists and create sublists. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Create bulleted and numbered lists. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 7.  Creating numbered lists in PowerPoint 365 4m 56s Like bulleted lists, numbered lists can help you create clarity and coherence in your presentations. In this video, you will see how to create a numbered list or numbered sublist, as well as how to customize your list style. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Create bulleted and numbered lists. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 8.  Creating a hybrid list in PowerPoint 365 5m In PowerPoint, you can combine bulleted and numbered lists to better present your information in your presentation. You can even customize your list formatting by using an image or special character as a bullet point. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Create bulleted and numbered lists. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 9.  Modifying paragraph indentation in PowerPoint 365 2m 52s In PowerPoint, you can customize your paragraph layout using indentation. This can help give structure to longer text and ensure that what you have written is clear and easy to read. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Apply formatting and styles to text. FREE ACCESS
• Locked 10.  Modifying line & paragraph spacing in PowerPoint 365 3m 44s By default, text written in PowerPoint is single-spaced. Adjusting line spacing can help give your text more room to make it easier to read. This video aligns with MO-310 Microsoft PowerPoint Exam Objective: Apply formatting and styles to text. FREE ACCESS

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PowerPoint XP  - Formatting Text

Powerpoint xp  -, formatting text, powerpoint xp formatting text.

PowerPoint XP: Formatting Text

Lesson 7: formatting text.

/en/powerpointxp/using-the-autocontent-wizard/content/

Introduction

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:.

• Add text boxes to slides
• Format text
• Cut, copy, and paste text

Adding text to an original slide

Many of PowerPoint's slides have text boxes already included and ready for you to add information. However, if you create an original slide, you'll need to add a text box or two.

To add text to an original slide:

• Insert a blank new slide .
• Click the text box button in the Drawing toolbar .
• Click and drag your mouse pointer to create a text box on the slide.
• Click and drag your mouse pointer to create a text box.

The Formatting toolbar

PowerPoint's default font or text type is Arial. However, you may want to change the font type, font size, and other formatting. Use the Formatting toolbar to set the color, size, and overall look of your text. It doesn't matter whether the text is an original slide or in a preset layout.

Here are some of the formatting options:

• Bold, italics, and underline
• Center, align left, and align right
• Bullets and numbering
• Increase font size
• Decrease indent

Formatting text

The Formatting toolbar allows you to make many changes to your text to give it the look you want for your presentation.

To format text:

• On the Formatting toolbar, click the down-pointing arrow or the button for the item you want to format.
• For example, to set the font size for text you haven't typed yet, click the down-pointing arrow next to the number and choose the font size. To change the font color, click the down-pointing arrow next to the underlined A.
• To make formatting changes to existing text, highlight text and click the down-pointing arrow or the button for the formatting change.

Take some time to experiment with the different formatting options to decide what's best for your presentation.

The Format menu

You can also use the Format menu to make formatting changes to the text in your presentation.

To use the Format menu:

• A dialog box opens.
• Choose the font , font style , and/or size .

Cut, copy, and paste

Once you've determined how your text will appear in your slides, you may need to cut copy or paste some information.

To copy and paste:

• Select the text you want to copy.
• Click the copy button on the Standard toolbar (Ctrl+C).
• Move your mouse pointer to the location on the slide where you want the text to appear.
• Click the paste button on the Standard toolbar (Ctrl+V).

To cut and paste:

• Select the text you want to cut.
• Click the cut button on the Standard toolbar (Ctrl+X).
• Open PowerPoint.
• Choose Blank Presentation .
• Choose a blank slide from Content Layouts .
• Insert a text box.
• On the Formatting toolbar , choose Times New Roman as the font type and 40 as the font size .
• Type the title Tips for Getting Organized .
• Highlight the text and click the Center button on the Formatting toolbar .
• Save this presentation and call it Tips for Getting Organized .

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Create a presentation

Create a presentation in PowerPoint

Create presentations from scratch or start with a professionally designed, fully customizable template from Microsoft Create .

Tip:  If you have Microsoft Copilot it can help you create a presentation, add slides or images, and more. To learn more see  Create a new presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint.

Open PowerPoint.

In the left pane, select New .

Select an option:

To create a presentation from scratch, select Blank Presentation .

To use a prepared design, select one of the templates.

To see tips for using PowerPoint, select Take a Tour , and then select Create , .

Add a slide

In the thumbnails on the left pane, select the slide you want your new slide to follow.

In the  Home tab, in the  Slides  section, select  New Slide .

In the Slides section, select Layout , and then select the layout you want from the menu.

Add and format text

Place the cursor inside a text box, and then type something.

Select the text, and then select one or more options from the Font section of the Home tab, such as  Font , Increase Font Size , Decrease Font Size ,  Bold , Italic , Underline , etc.

To create bulleted or numbered lists, select the text, and then select Bullets or Numbering .

Add a picture, shape, and more

Go to the  Insert  tab.

To add a picture:

In the Images section, select Pictures .

In the Insert Picture From menu, select the source you want.

Browse for the picture you want, select it, and then select Insert .

To add illustrations:

In the Illustrations section, select Shapes , Icons , 3D Models ,  SmartArt , or Chart .

In the dialog box that opens when you click one of the illustration types, select the item you want and follow the prompts to insert it.

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Presentation Design and PowerPoint Formatting Services

Consultants need overnight PowerPoint formatting -- We do it! Companies need presentation design inline with corporate style guide - We do that too!

Everything you Need to Know About PowerPoint Formatting

Consultants speak via  PowerPoint presentations .

Wouldn’t you agree? Be it selling ideas, product promotions, company management, education, marketing or a keynote speech at an event, presentations are here to stay.

And hence the need for PowerPoint formatting.

"PowerPoint Formatting is a part of our job and vocabulary at Chillibreeze. However, not everyone is familiar with the actual term “PowerPoint formatting."

So…What is PowerPoint Formatting?

It can also be described as a process where slides are given a facelift. It involves adding elements, such as shapes, icons, images and animations that not only enhance the look of the slide but also perfectly complement the content.”   Says Hubert, a Presentation & Design Services Executive at Chillibreeze.

You might also want to know  the different levels of PowerPoint formatting .

Why is it called PowerPoint formatting?

I would wonder the same if I weren't part of the Presentation design team at the beginning of my career at Chillibreeze.

Here are some lines/terminologies used by customers when sending work to their Chillibreeze crew:

• An attached deck that would like you to help us fix up
• Attached is a deck we need your  magic and expertise  on  
• Need help coming up with a few  design options  for the attached slides
• Please improve
• Please find attached a PPT document to be  beautified and enhanced  accordingly
• Kindly,  enhance the design , alignment, space utilization, and overall look and feel
• Can I get your help to  clean up  attached?
• Attached is a presentation that needs  redesigning  to be more appealing
• Need some urgent  layout and beautifying  touches on the attached presentation
• Can you please  clean this up ?

However, they all mean the same –  PowerPoint Formatting .

What should you expect from PowerPoint formatting?

Nothing goes under the hammer without clear expectations. So, it is with PowerPoint formatting.

Quality is a top priority in every business. No wonder it is the number one expectation from PowerPoint formatting as well. There is more to it than just clean looking slides.

No one wants to sit through a boring presentation. So, sometimes you might also want it designed and formatted to make it presentable to your audience.

Why is PowerPoint formatting even needed for business presentations?

First of all, ask yourself, what is the purpose of your presentation?

“I want my slides to be engaging and entertaining” probably wins the vote. Formatting PowerPoint slides are part of making your slides communicate visually.

Design elements, proper alignment, consistency check…all work towards giving your presentation a clean and neat look.

When you have a lot of information in your slides, it’s not an easy task to hold people’s attention. You have to put extra effort in getting your message across.

The purpose of formatting is to bring life to your slides and capture the attention of the audience.

What is the process involved in formatting slides?

Every business organization will have its own set procedures for formatting PowerPoint slides. The list below gives the bare minimum that needs to be followed:

Instruction : Clear guidelines on the requirement in formatting. Is it just a simple clean up or, should the designer go a step further to make it visually appealing.

Consistency : All slides should have a consistent look and feel. They should show a relation either by color, font family, font size, and alignment.

Details : Spacing between fonts, spell check, text condensation, shapes, images, image size, are maintained.

QC : Final  quality check  to ensure that instructions are followed, consistency is maintained throughout the presentation, and finer details are attended.

Apart from these simple processes, most organizations have their brand guidelines and PowerPoint template for the company’s internal as well as external use that we must strictly adhere to.

PowerPoint presentations never run out of business. They continue to be the go-tool for communicating visually with a larger group. It does not just end there.

Just like we dress up for occasions like parties, weddings, or for work in a certain attire, we need our PowerPoint presentation to be dressed up to fit your specific business needs.

Related posts:

• Is Your PowerPoint Designer Using this 5 Point Quality Checklist?
• Are you Formatting Your Presentation to the Right Level?
• How do You Know WHEN You Need PowerPoint Formatting?
• How to Conquer PowerPoint Formatting Graphic needs?

Chillibreeze Presentation Design Experts To Your Rescue

Our customers have deadline​s and need our help. Our PowerPoint design experts take their rough content - format it - apply style guidelines and deliver a polished PowerPoint deck. They appreciate the way we learn their needs, keep their information safe and rapidly deliver on-time.​​

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How can I apply a uniform format after finishing a presentation?

I realize that the slide master dictates a certain style on any new slides that are added to the presentation. However, users are free to override the style dictated by the slide master. Once all of the presentation content has been finalized, is there a way to reapply the slide master across the presentation in order to obtain uniform formatting (e.g. consistent bullets and fonts) on all slides prior to finalizing the presentation?

• microsoft-powerpoint
• presentations

PowerPoint 2003

• Go to Format > Slide Layout to open the Slide Layout task pane.
• Select the slides you want to reapply the master layout to.
• In the Slide Layout task pane, find the layout that you want to reapply.
• Click the arrow on that layout and then select Reapply Layout .

PowerPoint 2007 / 2010

Select the slides you want to reapply the Slide Master formatting to.

On the Home tab of the ribbon, in the Slides section, click the Reset button.

• Awesome! This is extremely helpful. –  Puneet Lamba Apr 20, 2011 at 11:59
• Note for future users: Although, the later versions of PowerPoint look somewhat different, the steps are identical to the PowerPoint 2007 / 2010 instructions above. –  Mathematician Oct 31, 2023 at 19:10

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How-To Geek

How to change an entire presentation's formatting in powerpoint.

You don't need to change a PowerPoint presentation's formatting one slide at a time. You can do it all at once in the Master View. Here's how to use this time-saving feature.

If you’re wanting to reuse a PowerPoint presentation but would like to clear the slideshow's formatting, there’s no need to do it slide by slide---you can do it all at once. Here’s how.

First, open the PowerPoint presentation with the formatting you want to edit. To illustrate the before and after, here’s what we’ll be working with in this example.

Looking even closer, here are the formats our current slideshow is using:

• Colors: Gallery
• Headings: Gill Sans MT
• Body: Gill Sans MT
• Effects: Gallery
• Background Style: Style 10
• Background Graphics: Wooden Flooring

Once you’re ready to reformat, select the “ Slide Master ” option in the “Master Views” group of the “View” tab.

The first child slide is selected by default. Be sure to choose the parent slide above it, or the changes won’t take place for every slide.

If you want to assign a new theme to the presentation, you can do that here. Select “Themes” from the “Edit Theme” group and choose your desired theme from the drop-down menu.

Each theme comes with its own unique set of fonts, colors, effects, and so on---and there's certainly no shortage of items to choose from. If you want to stick with your current theme but change some of the individual formatting options, you can do so with the options available in the “Background” group.

Here are the different options available for reformatting:

• Colors: Changes all the colors used in your presentation, as well as the color options available in the color picker.
• Fonts: Changes all the headings and body fonts used in the presentation.
• Effects: Changes the appearance (shading, border, etc.) of objects in your presentation.
• Background Styles: Choose the background style for the selected theme.
• Hide Background Graphics: Hide (or unhide) background graphics that come with a theme. This can only be used on each slide type in the Master view.

To make changes, select the option from the menu and choose your desired change from the menu that opens. For example, if we wanted to change our colors from “Gallery” to “Green Yellow,” we’d select “Colors” from the “Background Group” and then choose “Green Yellow” from the drop-down menu.

Related: How to Change the Default Font in PowerPoint

Repeat these steps for whichever options you’d like to change. We’ll make the following changes to our slideshow in this example:

• Colors: Green Yellow
• Headings: Calibri
• Body: Calibri
• Effects: Glossy
• Background Styles: Style 10
• Hide Background Graphics: Title Slide only

Once you’ve made the desired changes, select the “Close Master View” button in the “Close” group.

Related: How to Create a Custom Template in PowerPoint

You’ll now see the changes applied throughout the entire presentation.

And a closer look shows all the finer details.

That’s all there is to it!

Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Claim Your FREE Training Module and Get Your Time Back!

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Presentation Design
• January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

• Change the slide order
• Reset your layout
• Change the slide dimensions
• Use PowerPoint Designer
• Format text
• Format objects
• Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Here is how the program is laid out:

• The Application Header
• The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
• The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
• The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

• The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

• Online Pictures
• Screenshots
• Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

• A SmartArt graphic,
• A 3D object,
• A picture from the web,
• Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

• A picture from the web

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

• Click on the  Picture  icon
• Find  a picture on your computer and select it
• Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

• Using graphics in PowerPoint
• Inserting icons onto slides
• Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
• How to embed a video in PowerPoint
• How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

• The background color automatically changes across all slides
• The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
• The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

• Gradient fill
• Picture or texture fill
• Pattern fill
• Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
• In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
• Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
• Select  Fonts
• Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

• Select the  element
• Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

• Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
• Click on the little star  next to the slide
• Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

• Navigate to the  Animations tab
• Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

• Select the  slide
• Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
• In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

• Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
• Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

• Navigate to the  File tab
•  Select  Save As  on the left
• Choose  where you want to save your presentation
• Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
• Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

• Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
• Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

• Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
• Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
• Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
• Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
• Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

• How to print multiple slides per page
• How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
• How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

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