PowerPoint alignment tools
PowerPoint 2016 has several tools that help you to arrange content on a slide or slide master:
■ The horizontal and vertical rulers measure the distance from the center of a slide.
■ Gridlines are fixed indicators that mark a grid of the size you select by using major and minor indicators. The default gridlines mark off half-inch squares, with indicators every 1/12 inch. You can have PowerPoint snap objects to the grid regardless of whether the grid is currently displayed.
■ Guides are movable indicators that help you to align objects with other objects.
■ Smart guides appear when the object you’re moving is aligned with the edge or centerline of another object, is equidistant from two points, or reflects the spacing of a parallel object.
A variety of alignment tools are available if you need them
IMPORTANT You can turn on and off the display of the alignment tools only when the presentation is in Normal view or Outline view.
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To display or hide rulers
➜ On the View tab, in the Show group, select or clear the Ruler check box.
➜ Press Shift+Alt+F9.
To display or hide gridlines
➜ On the View tab, in the Show group, select or clear the Gridlines check box.
➜ Press Shift+F9.
To manage gridlines and guidelines
1. On the View tab, click the Show dialog box launcher.
2. In the Grid and Guides dialog box, select the check boxes of the features you want to turn on.
Configure the grid to meet your needs
3. In the Spacing list, select standard grid spacing from 1/24” to 2”, or click Custom, enter specific spacing in the adjacent box, and then click OK.
Align objects
After inserting pictures or drawing shapes in the approximate locations you want them on a slide, you can align them to provide a sense of order and balance. You can use the automatic alignment commands to align individual or multiple graphics in several ways. For example, you can:
■ Align objects with each other horizontally or vertically by any edge or centerline
■ Distribute graphics evenly within their current space, either horizontally or vertically.
■ Align objects relative to the slide that contains them or to other selected objects.
The simplest way to align objects is by using the smart guides that appear when you drag objects on the slide.
Smart guides appear as dashed lines that indicate the alignment and spacing of objects
Tip Smart guides are turned on by default. If you would prefer that they not appear, turn them off by clearing the Display Smart Guides When Shapes Are Aligned check box in the Grid And Guides dialog box.
If you prefer not to depend on the smart guides, you can use the tools on the Format tool tab to specifically align and distribute objects.
To align objects with the slide
1. On the slide or in the Selection pane, select one or more objects that you want to align with the slide.
2. On the Format tool tab, in the Arrange group, click the Align button.
3. On the Align menu, if the Align to Slide option is not selected, click that option.
Then click Align Left, Align Center, Align Right, Align Top, Align Middle, or Align Bottom.
To align objects with other objects
➜ With the smart guides feature turned on, drag a shape until the smart guide indicates that it is aligned with another.
Or
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1. Select two or more objects you want to align with each other.
2. On the Format tool tab, in the Arrange group, click the Align button.
3. On the Align menu, with the Align Selected Objects options selected, click Align Left, Align Center, Align Right, Align Top, Align Middle, or Align Bottom.
To distribute shapes evenly within the current container 1. Select three or more shapes you want to distribute.
2. On the Align menu, click Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically.
Stack and reorder objects
When multiple objects exist on the same space on a slide, the stacking order of the objects determines which objects obscure others.
Regardless of whether graphics and other slide elements actually overlap each other, all the elements on an individual slide are stacked in a specific order. The default stack- ing order is determined by the order in which elements are inserted. Opaque elements (such as graphics, filled shapes, and filled text boxes) that are later in the stacking order can hide elements that are earlier in the stacking order.
You can change the stacking order by moving objects forward and backward or by specifying the order in the Selection pane.
The Selection pane provides a convenient way of selecting and ordering objects
Tip If you can’t select an object on a slide because it is covered by another, select and reorder the object from within the Selection pane. PowerPoint assigns names to objects on the slide;
you can change the default names to more descriptive names.
To display the Selection pane
➜ On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Select, and then click Selection Pane.
➜ On the Format tool tab, in the Arrange group, click Selection Pane.
To change the stacking order of objects from within the Selection pane
1. On the slide or in the Selection pane, select the object that you want to move in the stacking order.
2. In the Selection pane, do any of the following:
● To move the object one position forward, click the Bring Forward button (the up arrow).
● To move the object one position backward, click the Send Backward button (the down arrow).
● Drag the selected object to any position in the order.
To change the stacking order of objects from the ribbon
➜ On the Format tool tab, in the Arrange group, do any of the following:
● To move the object one position forward, click the Bring Forward button.
● To move the object to the front, click the Bring Forward arrow, and then click Bring to Front.
● To move the object one position backward, click the Send Backward button.
● To move the object to the back, click the Send Backward arrow, and then click Send to Back.
To change the stacking order of objects from the slide
➜ Right-click the selected object, and then do any of the following:
● To move the object one position forward, point to Bring to Front, and then click Bring Forward.
● To move the object to the front, click Bring to Front.
● To move the object one position backward, point to Send to Back, and then click the Send Backward button.
● To move the object to the back, click Send to Back.
Order and group objects
You can group multiple objects on a slide so that you can copy, move, and format them as a unit. You can change the attributes of an individual object in the group—
for example, you can change the color or size of a shape—without ungrouping the objects. If you do ungroup them, you can easily regroup the same selection of objects.
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In the Selection pane, grouped objects appear under a common heading.
Selecting a grouped object displays the object handles and the group handles
To group objects
1. Select two or more objects that you want to group.
2. Do either of the following:
● On the Format tool tab, in the Arrange group, click the Group Objects button, and then click Group.
● Right-click the selection, click Group, and then click Group.
To ungroup objects
1. Select a group by clicking any object in the group and then clicking the outer selection outline.
2. Do either of the following:
● On the Format tool tab, in the Arrange group, click the Group Objects button, and then click Ungroup.
● Right-click the selection, click Group, and then click Ungroup.
To regroup objects
1. Select one object from the original group.
2. Do either of the following:
● On the Format tool tab, in the Arrange group, click the Group Objects button, and then click Regroup.
● Right-click the selection, click Group, and then click Regroup.