How to use the Formatting Tools in PowerPoint

Insert a custom shape

To learn more about inserting custom shapes, you can have a look at this article.

Insert a text box

1. Click Insert a Text Box.
2. Draw a text box in the desired area. |

Insert a rectangle

1. Click the Insert a Rectangle button.
2. Draw a rectangle in the desired area.

Insert a line arrow

1. Click Insert a Line Arrow.
2. Draw your line arrow in the desired area.

Insert pictures

1. Click Insert Pictures to insert pictures from your computer.
2. Choose the desired picture/s.
3. Click Insert.

Insert a table

1. Click Insert a Table to add a table to your slide.
2. Choose the desired number of columns and rows.

Smart Align allows you to align objects to any other shapes or placeholders on your slide.

1. Select shape/s to align.
   • Select Smart Align Left to align with the leftmost shape in the selection.
   • Select Smart Align Right to align with the rightmost shape in the selection.
   • Select Smart Align Top to align with the highest shape in the selection.
   • Select Smart Align Bottom to align with the lowest shape in the selection.
2. Click again to align with the next shape in that direction.

Align objects Middle/Center

1. Select shape/s to align.
2. Select Align Centre to align objects to the horizontal centre point.
3. Select Align Middle to align objects to the vertical middle point.

Resize and Distribute

1. Select the shapes you want to distribute within a reference placeholder.
2. Shapes are resized and evenly distributed either horizontally or vertically.
3. Customize spacing by adjusting the gap between shapes; they will automatically resize to fit within the reference placeholder.

Distribute

1. Select shapes to distribute evenly.
2. Select Distribute Horizontally to set an even horizontal distribution between objects.
3. Select Distribute Vertically to set an even vertical distribution between objects.

Copy Height / Width / Dimensions

Apply a shape dimension, width or height, to any other shape selected in your slide.

1. Select your reference shape first, then select all the other shapes to which you want to apply the height and/or width.
2. Select either Copy Height, Copy Width or Copy Dimensions to apply those sizes.

Smart Painter

Smart Painter enables you to copy the position and dimensions of an element in PowerPoint and apply them to any other element in your presentation. To learn more about Smart Painter, you can have a look at this article.

Change size

1. Select a shape.
2. Select the Change Size button.
3. Select the desired height and width and activate or deactivate the lock ratio.

If you want to update the paragraph style or margins of several shapes at once you can use Select Similar Shapes. To learn more about Similar Shapes, you can have a look at this article.

The Arrange function allows you to position multiple elements in one click in PowerPoint. To learn more about the Arrange function, you can have a look at this article.

Swap Objects will allow you to swap two selected objects. To learn more about the Swap Objects function, you can have a look at this article.

When your shapes are all arranged, you might realize you’ve put text in the wrong shape. You can use Swap Text to swap text from two shapes. To learn more about the Swap Text function, you can have a look at this article.

Group and Ungroup

1. Select objects.
2. Click Group to combine them into one unit.
3. Click Ungroup to separate them back into individual objects.

Rotate 90° left and right

1. Select object/s
2. Click Rotate Right 90 to rotate the object/s 90 degrees clockwise.
3. Click Rotate Left 90 to rotate the object/s 90 degrees anticlockwise.

Send to back and front

1. Select the desired object(s).
2. Click Send to Back to move them behind all other objects.
3. Click Bring to Front to move them in front of all other objects.
4. Click Send Backward to move them one step back in the stack.
5. Click Bring Forward to move them one step forward in the stack.

Open the Selection pane

1. The Selection pane displays the name of each inserted object with the numbered order in which each was inserted.
2. Select to display the Selection Pane.

Update Margins

1. Select one or several shapes.
2. Set Default Margins for selected shapes, as applied when inserting a new shape in the current presentation.
3. Remove Margins by setting margins to zero in the selected shapes.
4. Set Custom Margins for selected shapes.

Custom Margins allow you to change all margins at once or to amend each margin individually.

Switch Fonts

1. Select text.
2. Click Switch Fonts to switch between your template’s body and heading fonts.

Increase / Decrease Font Size

1. Select text.
2. Click Increase Font Size to make the font larger.
3. Click Decrease Font Size to make the font smaller.

Insert and Refresh Footnotes in your PowerPoint slides. To learn more about the Footnotes feature, you can have a look at this article.

Update Paragraph

1. Select a shape.
2. Click on Paragraph to fine-tune the current paragraph’s text alignment, indentation, spacing, etc.
3. Choose desired properties and click OK.

Align text horizontally

1. Select a text box.
2. Choose Align Left to align your text to the left
3. Choose Align Center to center your text.
4. Choose Align Right to align your text to the right.

Align text vertically

1. Select a text box.
2. Choose Align Top to align your text to the top.
3. Choose Align Middle to align your text to the middle.
4. Choose Align Bottom to align your text to the bottom.

Merge Text Boxes

1. Select multiple text box.
2. Click on Merge Text Boxes to merge all the selected text boxes in the first textboxe selected.