How to Change Slide Size in Microsoft PowerPoint
In today's post, we'll delve into a fundamental aspect of PowerPoint design – how to change slide size. Whether you're preparing a presentation, a report or using PowerPoint in a creative way to create other marketing materials, adjusting slide dimensions is a necessary step.
When to Change Slide Size in Microsoft PowerPoint
Before discussing how to change slide size in PowerPoint, let’s talk about when and why you might want to do so. One of the most common reasons for changing your slide size is to ensure your presentation fits optimally on the screen where it will be presented. Will your presentation will be online or in-person? Will it appear on desktop monitors and laptops, a large screen in a conference room, or be projected on a stage?
Widescreen Presentations
The default slide size for any new presentation in Microsoft 365 is 13.33 x 7.5 inches (16:9 aspect ratio). This is the most common size for monitors, laptops and mobile devices.
Standard Presentations
The “Standard” size 4:3 in PowerPoint was prevalent when most presentations were delivered using overhead projectors. This is less common today. If you are presenting in person, consult with someone at the venue or your audio-visual team to find out if the screen will be standard (4:3) or wide (16:9) before setting up your slide size in PowerPoint.
Print and Digital Design Material
There are other instances when you would need to change slide size in PowerPoint. A multifunctional design tool, PowerPoint can be used to create a variety of marketing material and graphics - not just presentations! Consider using PowerPoint for:
Reports
Flyers
One-pagers
Sales sheets
Brochures
Social media graphics
Posters
You can use PowerPoint to design both digital and print pieces. One benefit of using PowerPoint in these cases is that you won’t need to learn new design software if you’re already familiar with PowerPoint. PowerPoint is often accessible to most staff at organizations, making it easy to share and edit files for designers and non-designers alike.
How to Change Slide Size in Microsoft PowerPoint
Begin by opening the PowerPoint file you're working on or starting a new presentation and then follow these steps:
Step 1: Click on the Design tab of the Ribbon.
Step 2: Click on Slide Size near the far right end of the toolbar.
Step 3: Here you can select Standard (4:3), Widescreen (16:9), or Custom Slide Size.
Step 4: If you want to adjust your slides to something other than PowerPoint’s Standard or Widescreen options, click Custom Slide Size and a dialogue box will open up.
In the Slide Size dialogue box you can manually enter your document dimensions or choose preset dimensions from a dropdown menu. You can also change the orientation (landscape or portrait) of your slides as well as your notes, handouts, and outline pages.
Caution: When using PowerPoint’s preset Slide Size options from the drop down menu, slide sizes may not be what you would predict. PowerPoint incorporates margins, resulting in the actual document dimensions being different from the standard page size selected. It’s best to enter your desired document dimensions manually.
Changing your slide size always applies to all slides and master layouts in your file. You cannot have 2 different slide sizes in one document.
Step 5: Choose “Ensure Fit” or “Maximize” option.
In many cases when changing your slide size, you’ll be prompted to select “Ensure Fit” or “Maximize,” indicating how PowerPoint scales the content on your slides when the slide size changes. If the aspect ratio (proportions between width and height) remains the same, PowerPoint automatically scales your content and the “Ensure Fit” or “Maximize” options won’t come up. In all other cases, you’ll be prompted to choose.
Ensure Fit and Maximize affect both content on your slides and Slide Master Layouts. To decide which option to choose, you should consider if you are increasing or decreasing your slide size and how drastically the aspect ratio is changing.
Maximize: Generally works best when increasing the size of your slides by scaling your content up. However, it can cause shapes and images to extend off the slides.
Ensure Fit: Generally works best when decreasing the size of your slides by scaling your content down. PowerPoint ensures content will remain within the boundaries of your slide.
Step 6: Review and adjust your slides.
After you change slide size in PowerPoint, you may need to make some adjustments, like resizing images and text boxes, to ensure your content looks perfect in the new dimensions.
We hope you found this guide informative and actionable. If you have any more questions about PowerPoint design or need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us. Stay tuned for more informative and personable tips and tricks to enhance your presentation skills.
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