There are numerous things that you may have in mind for your presentation. You can fade the text in and out, or add some SmartArt. Depending on the kind of presentation you will be making, you may want to manipulate your PowerPoint’s slide size too. This is also called the PowerPoint template size.
But, how does one resize a PowerPoint slide?
Microsoft PowerPoint allows users to change not only the size of PowerPoint slide but also its orientation. By playing around with the width and height control, you can customize the slide however you like. This article will help you change PowerPoint 2016 slide sizes.
In a Nutshell
Step 1 – Run your presentation and choose a slide – click on the Design tab
Step 2 – Find the Customize button, on the far—right corner and click to further find the Slide Size option and click on it
Step 3 – Choose the Standard (4:3) or the Widescreen (16:9) size option
Step 4 – When you choose either of these, a dialog box appears with an ‘Ensure Fit’ and ‘Maximize’ option. If you are changing from a larger to a smaller slide, choose Ensure Fit; or vice versa.
Step 5 – If these are not appropriate, click on the third option ‘Custom Slide Size’ and choose the ‘Slides sized for’ drop-down menu to peruse through pre-sets
Step 6 – You can change the slide size manually by changing the input of the Width and Height bars.
Changing Your Slide Size
Step 1
To change the PowerPoint slide dimension, you will first of all want to choose the PowerPoint application from your list, and double-click to run it.
Once it opens, you can either select a previously saved presentation or begin with a new one. When you have chosen the Microsoft slide or presentation of your choice, click the Design tab on the top bar of your screen.
Step 2
In the Design tab, look to the far-right corner, where you will find the Customize button. When you click on this, you will further see PowerPoint’s Slide Size option.
In the drop-down menu, there are two default sizing options and a separate option that allows you to customize PowerPoint’s size in inches or even centimeters and pixels!
Step 3 – Change Standard (4:3) size and Widescreen (16:9)
Standard (4:3) Size of a PowerPoint Slide
In the older versions of MS Office, including 2003 and 2007, this used to be the default PowerPoint slide size setting for all slides in the application. The standard (4:3) PowerPoint slide dimensions come in 10 x 7.5 inches or 25.4 x 19.05 cm.
The 4:3 in the standard slide size refers to its aspect ratio. This slide size is 33% wider than its height.
PPT Widescreen (16:9) Sizing Option
Newer models of MS Office tote this slide size as an option akin to standard, although ultimately it depends on your usage. The dimensions for a PowerPoint widescreen slide are 13.33 x 7.5 inches or 33.867 x 19.05 cm.
The 16:9 aspect ratio for this slide can be translated and understood by saying that a widescreen slide is 78% larger in width than in height. This is a default setting for all new presentations you make. You can also define a custom theme with the 4:3 aspect ratio, for the ppt slide dimensions.
Step 4
When you select either of these options, a dialog box appears. This box asks the user whether or not the content within the image should be fitted in the new slide dimensions through ‘Ensure fit’, or enlarged through ‘Maximise’.
If you are changing from a bigger to a smaller slide size, a good choice is ‘Ensure fit’, this allows PowerPoint to automatically adjust all of your text and images into the required size. When changing ppt slide size from a bigger to a smaller size, keeping the text as is or maximizing it may not work; especially if there is a lot of information on your slide.
When you choose the widescreen option, once again, the dialog box will appear. If you have changed your slide dimensions from a smaller to a larger slide, you should choose the Maximize option, to enlarge the text.
However, this option can result in your slide’s content spilling over. To correct these discrepancies, you can either adjust them manually or use the Ensure fit option to resize the PowerPoint slide’s content.
Step 5 – Customizing Your Slide Size
If neither the standard nor the widescreen fit the bill, you can go ahead and choose the Custom Slide Size option from the drop-down menu.
Once you choose this option, a dialog box should open up on top of the slide. For this, you will have to know how big a PowerPoint slide is originally.
After this dialog box is visible to you, you can choose to select a pre-set slide size from the drop-down menu contained within the ’Slides sized for’ option. Knowing how big a PowerPoint slide is will help in manipulating the ppt’s dimensions further.
Once you delve into this menu, you will find a whole world of slide sizes and ppt dimensions! Many of them are named as per the tasks they are used for or categorized as, such as A3, A4, Overhead, B5 (ISO) Paper, etc. This is an easy and effective technique when thinking of how to change the paper size in PowerPoint.
You may not notice a difference between the two sizes because, in the Normal View, PowerPoint will automatically adjust the zoom in or out. If you want more slide surface to work with, you should choose the Widescreen PowerPoint 2016 slide size option.
How To Customizing the Powerpoint Slide Dimension Manually
If none of the settings have worked for you so far, you should opt for your own setting. Figure out the dimensions you are looking for and input these into the width and height bars. You can even change the aspect ratio in PowerPoint.
Hovering your cursor over each dimension will issue a prompt from the computer. This prompt explains that the width of Powerpoint slide can only be a number between the ranges of 2.54 to 142.24cm. However, you can also set the dimensions in inches or pixels if that is easier for you.
By inputting the number and the correct SI unit (in, cm, px) you can set the dimensions. For inches, the minimum value is one-inch and the greatest are 56-inches. While the lower end of the range for PowerPoint dimensions in pixels lays in 120 px and goes all the way up to 720 px.
Choosing Your Slide’s Orientation
When you click the Slide Size button, located on the Design tab and further go into the Custom size settings, a dialog box appears. This dialog box not only contains settings for slide sizes but also for their orientation.
While the dimensions lay on the left of the dialog box, the orientation is found on the right side. In this, you have two options with two ppt background sizes; Portrait and Landscape.
When making slides, the default setting is on Landscape. This allows a horizontally wider view of the widescreen ppt, which is most advantageous when making presentations.
Right below it, you can find an option for the orientation of Notes or Handouts. This is set to Portrait view by default, as it allows a vertical and longer view of the slide, which helps maximize the slide’s usable surface.
What is the Best Size for Your Powerpoint Slides?
Depending on where your presentation will be viewed, you should be careful in choosing the sizes of your slide.
If the presentation is for a work meeting and will be projected through an LCD, you should choose the Widescreen (16:9) setting, to avoid distortion or black bars appearing on either side. If the presentation is going to be viewed through a projector, you should choose the Standard setting or change the selected slide to fit the window.
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