PowerPoint Hacks for Quick Presentation Designs

Spend too much time working in PowerPoint? You need PowerPoint presentation hacks that save time and give you great results. We’ve put together 12 of the best techniques for hacking PowerPoint like a pro.

Here’s the goal: work fast and deliver great-looking presentations. With our PowerPoint design hacks, you’ll definitely do both. These are the most efficient way to create your next presentation. Let’s dive in!

12 Top PowerPoint Presentation Hacks

PowerPoint design hacks serve two purposes: saving you time and helping you serve up impressive designs to wow your audience. What’s more, you don’t need to be a design expert to use the 12 PowerPoint design hacks we’ll cover. Here’s our list:

1. Use the Guides

PowerPoint’s guide features are great PowerPoint hacks you can use right away. These help you keep objects in perfect alignment. Imagine that you’re dragging an image onto a slide where you’ve already placed a chart and a text box. Your goal is to align the image with these objects so that their edges line up.

Dragging objects in PowerPoint is easy; you simply click and pull on any piece of content. As you move it around the slide, you’ll see red dotted lines start to appear. These are guides, which show alignment and distance, indicating how your selected object fits alongside the other slide content.

Guides in PPT are dynamic and adjust as you move, making them the perfect tool for crafting symmetrical, visually pleasing slides quickly.

2. Scale Objects Precisely With the Size Menu

Hacking PowerPoint really involves making your slide designs work their best for you. They boost productivity by simplifying changes and ensuring uniformity.

Consider this situation: you have three objects on the same slide, and you want them to be the same size. Instead of adjusting each object’s size individually, select the first object, hold down Shift on your keyboard, and click the other two. Now all three are selected.

In the Picture Format tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon, you’ll find the Size group where you can input custom values for Height and Width. After typing in your desired dimensions, hit Enter, and all selected objects will resize to match.

3. Always Use Premium Templates

PowerPoint presentation hacks let you work smarter, not harder. So why spend time building slide layouts from scratch when you can leverage premium templates designed by experts?

The best source for premium PowerPoint templates is Envato Elements. With thousands of designs available, you’ll surely find the perfect one for your needs. Elements offers an all-you-can-download membership service, allowing you to access a full library of templates for a flat monthly fee. Plus, it includes stock photos, fonts, and much more, making it a perfect companion for your slide deck.

4. Split Objects Evenly With the Distribute Option

When working with several objects on a single slide, it’s helpful to split them equally distant from one another for a stylish layout. You can distribute objects evenly along either a horizontal or vertical axis.

To do this, select multiple objects by holding down the Shift key and clicking each one. Then, go to the Format menu on PPT’s ribbon.

In the Align dropdown menu, you’ll find options for Distribute Horizontally and Distribute Vertically. Click one of these options to evenly space the selected objects, creating neater slide layouts that are easy to read.

5. Streamline Bulk Edits With Master Slides

If you’re building a slide deck and want to place the same image on every slide, using master slides can save you time.

To access master slides, go to the View tab and choose Slide Master. The sidebar will display one or more numbered slides, which control the bulk edits in your presentation.

Insert an image on the master slide, and it will automatically appear on every slide linked to that master slide. This feature enables you to make universal changes quickly.

6. Shape Photos Into Stylish Shapes

PowerPoint allows you to creatively manipulate images by shaping them into various formats.

To shape a photo, select the image and navigate to the Picture Format tab on the ribbon. Click on the Crop drop-down arrow and hover over Crop to Shape.

You’ll see a variety of shape options to choose from. Click any shape, and the selected photo will be trimmed to fit within it.

7. Format Backgrounds for Sleek Backdrops

Transform the background of your slides into stunning design elements.

Start by finding the Design tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon and click on it. In the Customize group, select Format Background. This sidebar presents several fill options:

• Solid Fill for a colorful background
• Gradient Fill for a 3D effect
• Pattern Fill for visual textures
• Picture or Texture Fill to insert an image as your background.

To apply your new background to every slide, click Apply to All at the bottom of the sidebar.

8. Stage Content in Sequence With the Animation Pane

Animations are effective for controlling the flow of your presentation. Using the Animation Pane, you can manage how and when objects appear on your slides.

Access the Animation Pane from the Animations ribbon tab. The pane shows a list of animations in order, allowing you to drag them around to change the sequence.

Right-click on an animation to adjust how it starts, and modify speed features like Duration and Delay. This gives you full control over your slide animations, helping to create an engaging presentation.

9. Use Add-ins to Gain Extra Features

PowerPoint’s built-in features are just the beginning. You can enhance your experience with add-ins, additional features you can integrate into PowerPoint.

To explore add-ins, go to the Insert tab and find the Add-ins group. Click on Get Add-ins to access a variety of options that can assist with custom charting and style elements.

Once you find an add-in of interest, choose Install. After installation, you can access your add-in from the Insert tab under My Add-ins.

10. Find Inspiration With Design Ideas

PowerPoint offers a feature called Design Ideas, which provides inspiration when you’re stuck.

While working on a slide, click the Design tab and then the Design Ideas button on the right side.

A menu will pop up with creative layout suggestions based on your slide’s content. You can click on any thumbnail to apply the design instantly.

11. Craft Data Visuals With the Excel Charting Feature

Adding custom charts to your slides is an effective way to share data.

To insert a chart, navigate to Insert > Charts. Choose your desired chart type from the options provided.

An Excel spreadsheet will open within PowerPoint, allowing you to input or import your data. This approach ensures that your chart updates in real-time as you edit the data.

12. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are essential for improving your workflow in PowerPoint. By memorizing a few key combinations, you can perform tasks much faster.

Here are some valuable PowerPoint shortcuts to start using:

Task Keyboard Shortcut Undo last action Ctrl + Z Center selected text Ctrl + E Open the Insert tab Alt + N Select all content on a slide Ctrl + A Save your presentation Ctrl + S Group objects Ctrl + G

For a complete overview of the most useful PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts, check out our full tutorial:

• {.roundup-block__content-link} 20 Best PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Save Time in 2022

  Andrew Childress 16 May 2022

The Best Source for Designs With Built-In PowerPoint Hacks (With Unlimited Use)

Envato Elements is the best place for PowerPoint design hacks built into top-notch templates. For a flat-rate fee, you get unlimited downloads of the top PowerPoint themes, photos, fonts, and so much more.

With an unlimited library of templates, images, and design assets, you have the freedom to create beautiful presentations without limits.

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On Envato Elements, you unlock unlimited access to everything you need. Custom fonts, illustrations, and more will take your PowerPoint presentations to the next level.

Now You Know the Best PowerPoint Design Hacks

Who doesn’t love a time-saving trick? By applying the tips in this article, you can create impressive presentations efficiently. Choose a few hacks and start using them with your next PowerPoint project, and you’ll love the results.