How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint: Widescreen and Custom

You open a deck someone sent you and it's squarish, or you need the same slides to fit an older projector, or you're building something that has to be tall instead of wide. Changing the slide shape is a two-minute job, but the box that pops up afterwards confuses plenty of people and can wreck a finished layout.

The steps below follow Microsoft's help page for PowerPoint. I'll cover Windows, Mac and the web version, and I'll explain that scaling question so you don't lose your pictures off the edge.

Switching between Standard and Widescreen slide sizes

For the two everyday shapes, this is all you need on Windows:

1. Open the Design tab.
2. In the Customize group, at the far end of the ribbon, select Slide Size.
3. Choose Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9).

Widescreen is the default shape in current PowerPoint, according to Microsoft. It suits wide modern screens, while Standard is the squarer shape. Mac and the web version use the same route: Design, then Slide Size, then your choice.

Setting a custom slide size in PowerPoint

If neither shape fits, go to Design, then Slide Size, then Custom Slide Size. There are two ways to use the box that opens.

• Pick a ready-made option from the Slides sized for list and select OK.
• Choose your orientation, then type a Width and Height yourself. Microsoft says to type a number followed by in, cm or px.

There are limits. Microsoft gives the minimum as 1 in, 2.54 cm or 120 px, and the maximum as 56 in, 142.24 cm or 720 px. Widescreen works out at 13.333 in wide by 7.5 in tall, which is useful to know if you're matching a design made elsewhere.

Maximize or Ensure Fit when you resize PowerPoint slides

If the deck already has content on it, PowerPoint asks how to handle it. Microsoft describes the two answers like this:

Choice	What happens to your content
Maximize	Makes content larger to use the space, and may push it off the slide
Ensure Fit	Shrinks content so everything stays visible

My rule of thumb: Ensure Fit is the safe choice for a deck you can't afford to break, and then you tidy up. Maximize suits a nearly empty deck. Whatever you pick, click through every slide afterwards, because text boxes and pictures rarely end up exactly where you left them.

Changing the slide size in PowerPoint on a Mac

On a Mac, the Standard and Widescreen choices are in the same place. For anything else, Microsoft says to use Design, then Slide Size, then Page Setup. There you pick from Slides sized for, or type Width and Height in inches, cm or px, then select OK. The scaling prompt is worded differently on Mac: Scale resizes content to fit, and Don't Scale keeps it the same size, which can overflow the slide.

Changing the slide size in PowerPoint for the web

The browser version offers Standard, Widescreen and a Custom Slide Size option. Microsoft notes that custom dimensions here are in inches only, within the same 1 in to 56 in range, and the scaling prompt is the Maximize or Ensure Fit pair.

One slide size for the whole PowerPoint deck

This surprises people. Microsoft says all slides in a presentation share one size and one orientation. You can't make a single slide portrait while the rest stay wide. If you need both, you'll need two separate files and a link or a PDF to join them up.

The size change also applies only to the current presentation. If you want every new deck to open in your preferred size, Microsoft's help says to set the size, then save and set a custom theme as the default.

Choosing a PowerPoint slide size for printing and for screens

Think about where the slides will be seen before you change anything:

• Presenting on a laptop, TV or modern projector: Widescreen.
• A squarer screen or an older projector: Standard may suit, so check the screen first.
• Handouts: Microsoft warns that a widescreen slide won't fit a letter-size sheet without being scaled down, so check the print preview.
• A poster or banner: use Custom Slide Size and type the width and height you need.

If your team is split between tools, the Google version of this job is covered in changing the slide size in Google Slides. And once the shape is right, my notes on building a strong PowerPoint presentation will help with what goes on the slides.

If the PowerPoint slide size won't change the way you expect

1. Check you picked the right tab. Slide Size lives under Design, not Home or View.
2. Look for the Customize group at the far end of the ribbon, and widen the window if the ribbon is squashed.
3. If your pictures went off the slide, undo and choose Ensure Fit (or Scale on a Mac) instead.
4. If a typed size is refused, check it falls inside Microsoft's minimum and maximum, and that you typed in, cm or px after the number.
5. Menus vary by version, so if yours looks different, search the Design tab for Slide Size or Page Setup.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change slide size in PowerPoint?

Open the Design tab, select Slide Size in the Customize group and choose Standard (4:3), Widescreen (16:9) or Custom Slide Size.

What is the default slide size in PowerPoint?

Microsoft says the default is 16:9, which is Widescreen. Changing the default means saving a custom theme and setting it as the default.

Can I make one PowerPoint slide a different size?

No. Microsoft says all slides share one size and one orientation, so you can't resize or reorient individual slides.

What is the biggest custom slide size in PowerPoint?

Microsoft gives the maximum as 56 in, 142.24 cm or 720 px, and the minimum as 1 in, 2.54 cm or 120 px.

What do Maximize and Ensure Fit mean?

Maximize enlarges your content and may push it off the slide. Ensure Fit shrinks content so everything stays visible.