How do I adjust slide margins in PowerPoint?

Why change the margins of a presentation in PowerPoint?

Changing margins in PowerPoint can be useful for a number of reasons. First, it helps to better organize the content on each slide by adjusting the space available for text boxes, images, and other visuals. By widening the margins, and therefore by playing with the edges of the slide, you can give a more airy and professional look to the presentation. Negative space is very important for giving importance to your content.

In addition, by reducing margins, you can maximize space for content and make the presentation more concise and compelling. Finally, changing the margins can also be useful to adapt to different viewing media, such as computer screens, projectors, or paper prints.

In short, you can change the margins in PowerPoint, this will allow you to personalize and optimize the layout of the presentation for effective and impacting communication, as proposed by our agency powerpoint.

What margins should you choose for your slides?

It is important to adapt the margin of your PowerPoint presentation according to the final result you want to obtain.

A larger margin can provide some airiness and make the content more readable, while a smaller margin makes more use of slide space, ideal for presentations with heavy content. The objective is to find the right balance so that your message is clear, while respecting the aesthetic and functional constraints of the presentation medium.

For a margin of about 2.5 cm

This wider margin provides an airy and elegant effect, ideal for formal or professional presentations. It makes it possible to clearly separate the elements and to prevent the content from appearing too dense. This option is recommended for presentations that contain important text or for slides where visual clutter must be avoided.

For a margin of about 0.5 cm (pay attention to printing)

The narrow margin maximizes the space available on the slide, allowing for more content, whether text or images. This is particularly suitable for presentations that are very text-dense, or with lots of visuals, when you want to optimize every square inch of space.

⚠️ Be careful, however, if you use this margin not to make the presentation too “tight”, as this could affect readability. Printers could also eat away at your lost funds, and therefore your margins, and accentuate this tight effect even more. If you want to print your document, these margins may be too small.

Margin of about 1.5 cm

This margin offers a compromise between an airy presentation and an optimal use of space. It allows you to have a clear layout without freeing up too much empty space. Ideal for balanced presentations where there is both text and visual elements. It is perfect for a modern and professional look, without being too rigid or too tight.

There are 3 different types of guides in PowerPoint:

The classic guides

Creatable and editable in normal mode, you can easily insert them into your presentation. These are repeated on all the slides as long as they are viewed in normal mode. Classic margins are the empty spaces around the edges of each slide. They ensure that content, such as text or images, is not too close to the edges and allow for an airy presentation. These margins also ensure optimal readability by creating visual balance on each slide.

⚠️ But be careful, the disadvantage is therefore that they are not displayed when creating a layout in mask mode.

You will recognize the Master margins by their gray color.

Master's guides

Creatable and editable in the Master, in the “slide master” option. These are repeated on all layouts related to the Master and are visible both in Mask mode and in Normal mode. So you will no longer have to worry about your layout when inserting new slides from the Master. They define the overall workspace for all items on the slides, such as titles, logos, or text boxes. By changing these margins on the master slide, the changes are applied consistently across the presentation and for any slides you create in the future.

You will recognize the Master margins by their red color.

Layout guides

Creatable and editable only in the mask, on the layout in question. Layout margins refer to the areas reserved for the various items in a specific slide layout. For example, the layout margin for a title slide defines where the title and subtitle will appear, while the layout margin for a content slide defines where the text and images will appear. These margins make it possible to customize the layout while maintaining a coherent structure.

You will recognize the layout margins by their yellow color.

The steps to edit guides in Powerpoint

Open the PowerPoint document

Open your PowerPoint presentation by double clicking on your file.

Access the guide options

To access guide options on PowerPoint, simply right-click on your presentation. A pop-up will appear.

Select the option to use margins

You can adjust the guides on PowerPoint by right-clicking on your presentation and then selecting the “Grids and guides” option in order to customize the dimensions according to your needs. You can therefore easily add a vertical and/or horizontal coordinate system, as well as hide or make visible your guides.

Edit the guides on your slide according to your preferences

All you have to do is select your margin on the slide and drag and drop it where you want. Your mouse icon will adapt when you want to change the location of your margins, and you will have the live spacing of the margin in relation to the edge of the slide.

Check the preview of the guides before validating the changes

It is important to check how the margins look before you start editing your presentation. Make sure that your default text boxes, images, logos, or titles work well with the layout you just created. If you want to align a text box to a margin, you will have to make sure that your box does not contain inner margins.

Save the PowerPoint document keeps the margins/guides adjusted in memory

You will easily regain your margins the next time you open your presentation. Microsoft has extended this functionality to the entire Office suite.

Delete a guide

To remove a marker on PowerPoint, simply right-click on the desired marker and select the “Delete” option in the pop-up that appears.

There is a second tip for deleting a guide quickly. Hold your left mouse click on your guide, then drag it across the end of your slide.

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