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Laura M. Foley Design

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What size should my slides be, 16:9 or 4:3?

July 3, 2017 by Laura Foley 2 Comments

Deciding on a slide format used to be easy when there was only one choice. Nowadays, you can choose between 4:3 format or 16:9. What do these numbers mean and which size should you choose for your presentations?

What the numbers mean

The above notation is called the “aspect ratio,” or the ratio of the width to the height of the slide. In the 4:3 aspect ratio, the dimensions are 1024 x 768 pixels (10.67″ x 8″); the height is 3/4 of the width. Back in the Ye Olde Days of PowerPoint, it was your only choice. Why? Because that’s the aspect ratio of actual slides, pictured above, television screens, and early computer monitors.

When high-definition screens came on the scene in the early 2000s, they were built in a 16:10 aspect ratio. But as more and more high-definition screens were manufactured, it became clear that screens with a 16:9 aspect ratio were cheaper to manufacture. So the 16:9 aspect ratio (1920 x 1080 pixels or 13.3″ x 7.5″) became the new standard.

What size should you choose?

From boardrooms to computer monitors to smartphone screens, 16:9 is the default screen aspect ratio so that’s the slide size I always go with. The 16:9 format gives you a lot of slide real estate to play around with! The legacy 4:3 aspect ratio, while still used, creates smaller slides and doesn’t look that great on newer screens.

How do you change an old 4:3 deck to the new 16:9 format?

Oh, this is super-fun to do and you’re a lucky duck if it becomes your job.

To resize your slides go to the Design tab on the ribbon and select Slide Size/Widescreen on the right side of the screen.

After you select the new size, this window will appear:

Now you’re faced with either everything on the slides being stretched out or squished to fill the space. Oh boy! Either way, after you make your selection you’ll need to go through the presentation slide by slide to ensure that everything looks good. This can be fairly straightforward if the creator of the presentation stayed within the template or a real pain in the rear if he/she didn’t. But do go through the deck to ensure that everything looks right.

If you’re a production artist that charges by the hour, reformatting an organization’s slides from 4:3 to 16:9 could be a nice little gig for you!

Other slide sizes for special events

Now, the 16:9 format is great for everyday use but what if you’re designing a presentation for an event? Last year, I was designing slides for a corporate conference where the setup included multiple, massive screens. For that event, the slides measured 52″ x 17″ and had a “leave this space blank” area on the bottom. Each event is different, so if you’re working on slides like these you need to become friends with the AV folks and find out what size slides they recommend for optimal viewing on that particular setup. The last thing you want to see on a gigantic stage are distorted graphics!

Bottom line

Unless you’re told otherwise, use the 16:9 format. You get a lot more space on each slide for your visuals and it’s really the way things are going.

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What is the Size of a PowerPoint Slide in Pixels?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

When creating a PowerPoint presentation, it is essential to determine the appropriate size for your slides. Understanding the size of a PowerPoint slide in pixels is crucial to ensure that your presentation looks great on all devices, from desktops to mobile devices.

The standard size of a PowerPoint slide is 1024×768 pixels and the widescreen PowerPoint slide is “1920×1080” pixels. It can also be adjusted based on your preferences or the requirements of the platform on which you plan to present your slides.

In this article, we will discuss the standard size of a PowerPoint slide in pixels or inches as well as how to adjust it to fit your needs. Let’s get started!

1. What is the Size of a PowerPoint Slide in Pixels?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, there are multiple preset slide sizes available. You can also customize the size of the slide using the “Custom Slide Size” feature available in the application. Depending on the slide size you select, the size of the slide in pixels will vary.

1.1 What is the Size of a PowerPoint Standard Slide in Pixels?

The “Standard (4:3)” option in Microsoft PowerPoint used to be the only size option in the beginning since most screens from 2010 and before were that size. The standard slide size in PowerPoint is “1024×768” pixels. 

1.2 What is the Size of a PowerPoint Widescreen Slide in Pixels?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, the default size of the slides is the “Widescreen (16:9)” option. The widescreen PowerPoint slide is “1920×1080” pixels.

2. What is the Size of a PowerPoint On-Screen Show Slide in Inches?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, the size of the slides is mostly measured in inches. Using the “Slide Size” dialog box, you can check the dimension of a slide in inches. Depending on the type of the selected slide, the slide size varies. There are three different “On-Screen Show” slide sizes available in Microsoft PowerPoint.

2a On-Screen Show (4:3)

The “On-Screen Show (4:3)” slides are “10×7.5” inches in size. This is the “Standard” slide size.

2b On-Screen Show (16:9)

The “On-Screen Show (16:9)” slide size is “10 x 5.625” inches in dimension. This is the “Widescreen” option which is the default slide size in PowerPoint.

2c On-Screen Show (16:10)

The “On-Screen Show (16:10)” slides are “10 x 6.25” inches in width and height respectively.

3. How to Find the Size of the Slide in Inches?

Using the “Slide Size” dialog box in Microsoft PowerPoint, you can find the size of the slides in your presentation in inches. To do so, follow the 3 quick steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Design” tab

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “Design” tab. This will open the “Design” menu.

Step-2: Click on the “Slide Size” option

In the “Customize” group of the “Design” menu, click on the “Slide Size” option. Then click on the “Custom Slide Size” option in the dropdown menu under the “Slide Size” option. This will open a dialog box.

Step-3: Click on the “OK” button

In the “Slide Size” dialog box, you can now see the size of the slide in inches in the “Width” and “Height” boxes. Then click on the “OK” button at the bottom of the dialog box to close it.

4. How to Change the Size of a PowerPoint Slide?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can change the side of the slides using the “Design” menu. However, you can only change the size of all the slides in a presentation at once. To change the size of the slide in PowerPoint, follow the 3 simple steps.

The first step is to open the “Design” menu. To do so, click on the “Design” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen.

In the “Customize” group of the “Design” menu, you have to now click on the “Slide Size” option. This will open a dropdown menu containing the preset slide size options available in PowerPoint.

Step-3: Click on your preferred slide size

Finally, all you have to do is click on your preferred slide size option from the preset options available in the dropdown menu under the “Slide Size” option. The available slide sizes are “Standard” and “Widescreen” .

4.1 How to Customize the Size of a PowerPoint Slide?

The “Custom Slide Size” feature in Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to customize the size of all the slides in a presentation. Using the feature, you can set any dimension to the slides in your presentation. To customize the size of the slides in a presentation, follow the 7 easy steps.

The first step is to open the PowerPoint presentation file where you want to customize the size of the presentation slides. Then click on the “Design” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen to open the “Design” menu.

The next step is to click on the “Slide Size” option in the “Customize” group of the “Design” menu. In the dropdown menu, the default slide size is the “Widescreen (16:9)” option.

Step-3: Click on the “Custom Slide Size” option

Now all you have to do is click on the “Custom Slide Size” option at the bottom of the dropdown menu under the “Slide Size” option in the “Design” menu. This will open a dialog box.

Step-4: Click on the “Slide sized for” option

In the “Slide Size” dialog box, click on the “Slides sized for” option. Then click on the “Custom” option at the bottom of the dropdown menu under the “Slides sized for” box.

Step-5: Click on the “Width” box

In the “Slide Size” dialog box, the next step is to click on the “Width” box. Now you can type in your preferred width of the slides in inches. You can also use the up and down arrows in the “Width” box to increase or decrease the width of the slide respectively.

Step-6: Click on the “Height” box

The next step is to customize the height of the slides. To do so, click on the “Height” box in the “Slide Size” dialog box and type in your preferred slide height in inches. You can also click on the up or down arrows in the “Height” box to adjust the height of the slides to your preference.

Step-7: Click on the “OK” button

Finally, all you have to do is click on the “OK” button at the bottom of the “Slide Size” dialog box to save the custom size for the slides in the presentation file.

How-To Geek

How to change slide size in powerpoint.

PowerPoint allows you to change your presentation's slide sizes, which you may need to do to change how your slides are displayed or printed. Here's how.

Quick Links

Changing powerpoint slide sizes, changing to a custom powerpoint slide size.

PowerPoint allows you to format and present the content of your slides in different ways. If you want to print out or display your PowerPoint slides in a bigger or smaller-than-average size, you can change the slide sizes to match.

PowerPoint has two common slide sizes. The first, 4:3, is a good option if you're using older hardware to present your slides. If you're planning on presenting your PowerPoint presentation using a modern projector or display, then the 16:9 slide size should be your preferred choice.

By default, PowerPoint will default to the 16:9 side slide. To print your slides (full size, one per page), you'll likely need to use a custom slide size, rather than one of these options.

Switching to another size is thankfully an easy process---open your PowerPoint presentation to begin and then click the "Design" tab on the ribbon bar.

In the "Customize" section of the "Design" tab, select the "Slide Size" button. This will display the two common slide sizes in a drop-down menu.

Click either the "Standard (4:3)" or "Widescreen (16:9)" option to switch all of your PowerPoint slides to that size.

Unfortunately, it isn't possible to use multiple slide sizes in a PowerPoint presentation. Just as if you were making PowerPoint slides vertical , any changes you make to your PowerPoint slide sizes will apply to all slides.

Related: How to Make Slides Vertical in PowerPoint

It's possible to use a custom PowerPoint slide size if the default 4:3 or 16:9 options are unsuitable. You might choose to use a custom slide size if you're printing full-size PowerPoint slides using a custom page layout, for instance.

To do this, select Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size to display the "Slide Size" options menu.

Various preset slide sizes, such as A3 or A4 paper sizes, are shown under the "Slides Sized For" drop-down menu.

Select one of these preset options, or set your slide dimensions manually using the "Width" and "Height" option boxes. From there, click the "OK" button to save.

If you're scaling down to a smaller size, PowerPoint will ask you how it should handle any slide content.

Choose "Maximize" if you want the slide contents to remain at a similar scale, but with the risk that some of the content may be cut. Alternatively, click "Ensure Fit" to scale the slide contents down in size to match the new slide size without losing any content.

Once saved, the custom slide size you selected will be immediately applied to all of your slides, with slide content being resized or cut to match.

How to Change Slide Size or Dimensions in PowerPoint

Change PowerPoint Slide Size (Widescreen, Standard or Custom)

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated September 7, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can change the slide size or aspect ratio of a PowerPoint presentation in all versions. The default slide size or dimensions in 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 or 365 is widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio). You can also enter a custom slide size if you prefer (including entering slide size in pixels). The best time to set slide size is when you first set up your PowerPoint presentation before you add any content. If you change the size later in the process, you may have to deal with distorted pictures and you may also need to adjust the position and size of various objects on slides in Normal View and in the slide master(s) and layouts in Slide Master View.

The most common slide sizes or aspect ratios are typically used as follows:

• Widescreen or 16:9 aspect ratio is frequently used for onscreen presentations using a projector, monitor or a widescreen TV. Older projectors used the standard aspect ratio but most new projectors are designed for widescreen.
• Standard or 4:3 aspect ratio is often used if slides are intended to be printed on letter size paper.

Slide size changes affect the entire presentation. You cannot change slide size for single slides.

You should never change slide size just before running a presentation as you may not be satisfied with the results. If you already have a presentation with images and other content, it's also a good idea to change slide size on a copy of the presentation so you can keep the original deck and slide size.

Note: Some Ribbon tabs may appear with slightly different names if you are working with PowerPoint 365 and have a smaller screen or different display settings. Buttons on the Ribbon may appear as icons only and are also affected by screen size and display settings.

Recommended article: How to Reduce the Size of PowerPoint Presentations (10 Ways to Compress Your PowerPoint Decks)

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Regardless of the version of PowerPoint you use, you should go through your slides after you change slide size to be sure you are satisfied with the results. Be sure to check the slide master(s) and layouts in Slide Master View as well.

Change slide size to widescreen or standard

To change slide size to widescreen or standard size:

• In Normal View, click the Design tab in the Ribbon.
• Click Slide Size in the Customize group. A drop-down menu appears.
• Select Widescreen, Standard or another option from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears with options to maximize content or scale to fit (this dialog appears only if you are moving from a larger to a smaller slide size).
• Select the desired option.

Slide Size appears on the Design tab in the Ribbon:

The following dialog box appears in PowerPoint to maximize content or scale to fit only when you change slide size to a smaller size (such as widescreen to standard):

If you select Maximize, the slide content will not be resized when you change to the smaller slide size.

If you select Ensure Fit, PowerPoint will scale your content to fit the smaller slide size.

Change slide size to a custom size

You can use custom slide sizes. Simply choose options from the Slides sized for drop-down menu in the dialog box (such as A4 paper size) or enter custom dimensions.

To change slide size to a custom size:

• Choose Custom Slide Size from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
• Select an option from the Slides sized for drop-down menu or enter the desired slide size in the Height and Width boxes.
• A dialog box appears with options to maximize content or scale to fit (this dialog appears only if you are moving from a larger to a smaller slide size).

Note that the measurement system in PowerPoint dialog boxes is based on your system settings. If you would like to change the measurement system, check out our article on How to Change the Measurement System in PowerPoint.

The following dialog box appears when you select Slide Size and then Custom Slide Size:

You can create posters in PowerPoint by entering a custom slide size such as 36 inches wide by 56 inches high or 91.44 cm wide by 142.24 cm high. The maximum slide size in PowerPoint is 56 inches or 142.24 cm. As a best practice, set the slide size before adding content to the poster.

Many PowerPoint users are not aware that you can enter slide size in pixels (simply enter the measurement with px beside the number). This is useful in a number of situations such as using PowerPoint to create social media posts. If you enter slide size in pixels (such as 200px), when you tab to another box or close the dialog box, PowerPoint changes the pixels to the equivalent in the current measurement system.

Deal with issues when changing slide size

When changing slide size in existing presentations with content, 4 common issues occur:

• Pictures may be distorted as PowerPoint tries to adjust images to fit slide size. Images on slides in Normal View will be affected as well as images on the slide master(s) and layouts. If pictures are distorted, you will need to either manually resize each image or delete them and insert them again.
• Objects such as placeholders and shapes that have been created in PowerPoint are not in the position you'd like. You may need to move objects or reset one or more slides (on the Home tab in the Ribbon, click Reset in the Slides group).
• Extra space is created if you change to a larger slide size. You may need to move or resize objects and adjust the slide master(s) or layouts in Slide Master View.
• If you have changed to a smaller slide size, you may need to increase font size for placeholders and text boxes.

Dimension differences between different slide sizes

In PowerPoint 2013 and later versions, widescreen (16:9) format measurements are different and are set to 13.33 inches wide by 7.5 inches high or 33.867 cm wide by 19.05 cm high. This matches the height of the 4:3 format.

Avoid issues when changing slide size

To avoid issues in PowerPoint related to slide size, you should:

• Try to set slide size as a first step after you create a presentation and before you have entered any content. In 2013 and later versions, the default is widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio).
• If you have changed slide size in a presentation with content, review your slides to be sure you are satisfied with the results. You should also check the slide master(s) and layouts in Slide Master View.
• Never change slide size just before running a presentation as you may not be pleased with the results and you won't have time to fix your slide deck.
• If you have created a presentation with content, make a copy of the presentation first and change slide size on the copy.

Keep in mind that widescreen is normally used for on screen presentations and standard is often used for printed presentations.

This article was first published on October 6, 2019 and has been updated for clarity and content.

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How to change the size of slides in Microsoft PowerPoint

The actual size(s) of the slide is less important than the aspect ratio. By default, slides in presentations that you create from the Blank Presentation template are set to Widescreen size.

To change the size of your presentation slides, on the Design tab, in the Customize group, click the Slide Size button and then:

Notes : The Standard slide size:

• 1600 x 1200
• 2048 x 1536
• 2560 x 1920
• Matches the aspect ratio of standard tablet screens
• Exactly fills the screen in the Slide pane and when printed on a tablet.

Notes : The Widescreen slide size:

• 1920 x 1080
• 2048 x 1152
• 2560 x 1440
• Does not match the aspect ratio of standard tablet screens
• Has empty space above and below when printed on a 4:3 screen.
• Click Custom Slide Size... :

In the Slide Size dialog box:

• Choose the slide orientation in the Orientation group.

After choosing the necessary options, click OK . The Microsoft PowerPoint dialog box will show two options on how to scale the existing slides to a new slide size:

Maximize the content size or scale it down to Ensure Fit it on the new slide.

Note : It is impossible to change the size or orientation just for some slides.

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How to Change Your PowerPoint Slide Size (16:9 vs. 4:3)

• PowerPoint Tutorials

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to change your slide size in PowerPoint.

That way you can create slides for any situation including on-screen presentations, printed documents, posters, postcards, handouts, etc.

First off, the two most used PowerPoint slide sizes are:

• 16:9 ratio  for onscreen presentations and new overhead projectors. This is the default setting for the latest versions of PowerPoint.
• 4:3 ratio  for printing slides on standard 8.5 x 11 pieces of paper as handouts.

When starting with a blank PowerPoint presentation, changing your slide size is super easy and straightforward. If not, there are a few issues you’ll need to deal with, each covered below.

That’s why it’s worth figuring out what slide size you need BEFORE you build your presentation. If you later convert your presentation to a different size, it can be painful!

It’s just like the old carpenter saying, “measure twice and cut once.” In PowerPoint, you’ll want to “ask twice (to double confirm the required size) and build once.”

Changing your PowerPoint slide size does not make your PowerPoint presentation larger or smaller. To reduce your PowerPoint file size, you need to learn how to compress a PowerPoint presentation .

How to change your PowerPoint slide size

By default, new PowerPoint presentations start in the 16:9 slide size format.

This is the NEW standard for most modern overhead projects and monitors and is recommended for most presentations. That said, you can easily change your slide size to something else.

To change your slide size in PowerPoint, simply:

• Navigate to the  Design tab
• Open the  Slide Size  drop down menu
• Select  4:3 ,  16:9  or  Custom Slide Size  (see options below)

When starting with a blank presentation, you are now good to go. You will not have to worry about any of the conversion issues discussed below.

Notice too, how much wider the 16:9 slide size is versus the 4:3 slide size in the picture below. The new size gives you more room for the content on your slides.

When you are converting an existing presentation to a new slide size, you will additionally be given the following prompt:

“You are scaling to a new slide size. Would you like to maximize the size of your content, or scale it down to ensure it will fit on the new slide?

Maximize  leaves all your content as is on your slide, even if it no longer fits on the new slide size that you selected.

Ensure Fit  scales down your content in proportion to the new slide size you have selected. You will only see this option when moving from a larger slide size to a smaller one.

Custom PowerPoint slide sizes

Choosing  Custom  for your slide size gives you additional options to work with. Inside the dialog box you can choose your size on the left and your orientation on the right.

On top of that, you can also input your own custom slide size. However, I recommend using one of the preset PowerPoint dimension options.

• On-screen show (4:3)
• Letter Paper (8.5×11 in)
• A3 Paper (297×420 mm)
• B4 (ISO) Paper (250×353 mm)
• B5 (ISO) Paper (176×250 mm)
• 35mm Slides
• On-screen Show (16:9)
• On-screen show (16:10)

For your orientation options on the right-hand side of the dialog box, you can choose between  Landscape  and  Portrait .

In most situations, you will want one of the default settings. Best practice is  Landscape  for your presentation slides and  Portrait  for your printed notes, handouts and outlines.

Issues when converting 4:3 to the 16:9 slide size in PowerPoint

When converting an existing 4:3 presentation with content into the 16:9 format, you are not given any conversion options. Instead, PowerPoint simply does the conversion for you, which can create several problems.

There are two issues you will face in the new 16:9 slide size.

The first issue is that all the images on your slide master (including company logos) will be stretched to fit the new, larger slide size.

To fix the stretched images, you will need to fix those images (or reinsert them) on your slide master, as if you were creating a PowerPoint template from scratch.

The second issue you will face in the larger 16:9 slide size is that you will have a lot of extra white space on your slides.

While you can leave the space blank, doing so will make your content look weird. Ideally you don’t want a lot of white empty space like that on your slides. Especially since all your font sizes will be so small.

That’s why if you have the time, I recommend resizing your content to fill in the white space. You can do this by either increasing the font size of your content, or adding additional visuals that support your message.

Issues when converting 16:9 to the 4:3 slide size in PowerPoint​

When converting an existing 16:9 presentation to the 4:3 slide size, you are given the option to either  Maximize  or  Ensure Fit  (both covered below).

1. The Maximize option

This option means that the content on your slides will not be resized to fit the 4:3 slide size. The same is true if you move to any smaller slide size.

Maximize Issue #1:  All the images on your slide master (including your company logo) will be distorted.

You might also have issues with other content placeholders, slide backgrounds or anything else that was built on your slide master.  For these issues, you’ll first need to navigate to your Slide Master. Once you are there, you either adjust (or rebuild) your PowerPoint template so that everything fits properly.

Maximize Issue #2:  Your content will not be scaled down to the smaller slide size. Instead, you’ll have overhanging content as pictured above.

For these kinds of spacing issues, you will need to work through your slides to adjust your content.

One recommendation as you move from the larger 16:9 slide size to 4:3, is to break up your slides. Take the contents from one larger slide and break it into two (or even three) separate slides.

Breaking up your content is preferable to just cramming more content on the smaller slide space. Doing so will make your content easier to read when presented on an overhead projector.

2. The Ensure Fit option

This option means that PowerPoint will scale down your content to fit the smaller slide size based on the size you selected.

Ensure Fit Issue #1:  Distorted images, slide backgrounds and anything else that PowerPoint had to automatically resize on your slide master.

To fix these issues, you’ll need to navigate to your slide master and adjust (or rebuild) your template to make everything fit.

Ensure Fit Issue #2:  Your content will be scaled down to fit your new slide size, leaving you with a lot of white space. In addition, all your font sizes will be smaller, making them hard to read.

For small content like this, you’ll need to work through your slides and resize your content accordingly. Keep in mind the people at the back of the room too when choosing a new font style and size.

Saving your custom slide size as a PowerPoint theme

If want to use your own custom slide size for all your future PowerPoint presentations, you can save and set it as a PowerPoint theme.

This is a two-step process as discussed below.

1. Save your custom slide size as a theme

To save your custom slide size (and settings) as your own custom PowerPoint theme, simply:

• Open the M ore options
• Click  Save Current Theme
• Name your Theme (and don’t change the file location it saves to)
• Click  Save

2. Set your custom theme as the default

To set a custom PowerPoint theme as the default for all your future presentations, simply:

• Open the  More options
• Right-click  your custom theme
• Select  Set as Default Presentation
• Close out of PowerPoint (and do not save any presentations if it prompts you)

Once you’ve set your own custom theme as the Default Presentation, it will open every time you start PowerPoint. This saves you from always having to switch your slide sizes.

For examples of the different free PowerPoint themes included with your Microsoft Office subscription, see Microsoft’s blog post  here .

So that’s how you can change your PowerPoint slide size, either before or after you create your presentation.

And although you are given a lot of flexibility in the slide sizes you can choose from, I recommend using the default slide sizes as used by most people.

It’s also important to remember that switching slide sizes after you have built your presentation can be a total pain. So, to the extent possible, figure out your PowerPoint slide size first before you build out your presentation.

If you enjoyed the depth of this article, you’ll love our PowerPoint training courses and other free resources that you can learn more about here .

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A better way to change your slide sizes in PowerPoint without breaking it.

• October 6, 2021
• Tips and Ticks

An easy way to change slide sizes in PowerPoint presentations to 4:3 (Standard) or 16:9 (Widescreen) formats without breaking your theme and template or stretching your logos and images.

As with most things related to technology, there is more than one way to skin the cat – or in our case to resize PowerPoint presentations. We are going to discuss both the standard way ( as well as why we don’t recommend it ) and the right way, using our FREE PowerPoint resizing tool.

If you ever changed a presentation to Standard or Widescreen sizes in PowerPoint and thought you would likely agree that the outcome was unpredictable and undesirable.

TLDR: If you want to skip the details and go straight to the instructions on how to use our FREE PowerPoint presentation resizing tool to change slide sizes without breaking your slide content then Click Here .

Why the standard solution does not work:

In short, the standard way to resize your PowerPoint changes and breaks your fonts . Using the PowerPoint resize tool also stretches images , graphics, and logos on your slide and Slide Master Layouts.

The best way to explain what is wrong with this method – is to show you. With your presentation open go to the Design Ribbon and click on the Slide Size drop-down menu and select either the Standard(4:3) or Widescreen(16:9) aspect ratios.

You can pick either ‘Maximize’ – which will cause your content to flow over the edges of the screen or ‘Ensure Fit’ which will create empty gaps on either side of your presentation.

Whichever of the two options you select the result is not going to be what you want. Your slide content probably looks broken, logos might be stretched, the theme’s font has changed to Calibri, your corporate colors might have disappeared and your Master Layout’s placeholders are resized disproportionally.

METHOD 1: The standard way, how to change PowerPoint Slide Sizes in Windows 10 or Mac:

Part 1: before you change your powerpoint slide size.

Step 1:   Make sure your presentation is in its original working format.

Step 2:  Save your Theme color scheme.

1) Click on the View Ribbon, 2) then the Slide Master button

3) Click on the Colors drop-down menu and then on the 4) Customize Colors… button at the bottom of the list.

At the bottom of the Colors dialog box give your color scheme a name in the Name field – and call it whatever you want but remember the name because we are going to use that after we resize our template. Click on Save.

Step 3: Save your Theme fonts

1) While still on the Slide Master Ribbon click on the Fonts drop-down menu and then on the Customize Fonts… button at the bottom of the list.

2) In the Name field give your Theme Fonts a name that you will use and click on the Save button. 3) Close the Slide Master Ribbon by clicking on the “Close Master View” button.

Part 2: After you change your slide size

Step 4: Resize your PowerPoint presentation

After you close the Slide Master Ribbon the Design Ribbon should be visible again. Click on the Slide Size drop-down menu and select either the Standard(4:3) or Widescreen(16:9) aspect ratios and select the ‘Ensure Fit’ option ( it is easier to move items around than to also have to resize them especially when converting to a larger slide size ).

Step 5: Reselect your Theme color and Theme font

With the Design Ribbon still active click the Variants drop-down menu, then color and select the Color Theme you saved earlier, and then do the same for your fonts.

Step 6a: Fix stretched images – Method 1

Here is a quick hack to fix stretched graphics and images.

1) Right-Click on the stretched image and select “Size and Position” to open the Size and Position Task Pane. You will notice the Scale Height and the Scale Width are different, for example; Scale Height might be 99% and Scale Width might be 74%.

2) All you need to do to fix your image is press the up or down arrow on either the Width or Height and voila, your image is no longer stretched. If that doesn’t work then make sure Lock Aspect Ratio is checked.

Step 6b: Fix stretched images – Method 2

Another way to resize your images is to reset your images. To do this you simply select your image and then from the Picture Format Ribbon select the Reset Picture drop-down menu and select Reset Picture & Size button.

Step 7: Move placeholders, content,  and images into their new position.

The last thing to do is move items such as placeholders and images around on your presentation to make them fit better.

METHOD 2: The better way, to change your slide dimensions:

Step 1:  Go to our FREE resize tool Go to our FREE PowerPoint resize tool and Upload your PowerPoint file: www.knockoutprezo.com/resize-powerpoint

Step 2: Select a file location and select your PowerPoint document

Step3: Select whether you want to resize to Standard or Widescreen sizes. Once you make your selection the file will upload, convert the PPTX and then then the download will start automatically.

• PowerPoint won’t stretch your images and graphics
• No more missing colors
• Your theme fonts stay as it was ( Header and Body fonts )
• Your layouts stay in their original location which is a lot more predictable and easier to work with.

Step 3: Move placeholders, content, and images into their new position.

More PowerPoint Fixes

If you are interested, we also have two other PowerPoint Fixing tools, they are:

• Replace and fix my PowerPoint fonts – ( Find Out More )
• Change and fix my PowerPoint authoring language across all slides and Master Layouts – ( Find out more )

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2 Responses

Unfortunately, the resizing tool did not work for my use case. It simply overlayed a different slide deck formatting, but didn’t change any configurations, which made the deck useless. I like the thought for this tool though, as reformatting slides is a huge pain and time drain.

Do you mind me asking about your feedback about our resize tool. I didn’t quite understand your feedback.

Essentially what the tool does is that it resizes the deck without breaking, stretching etc the presentation assets, HOWEVER the user still needs to adjust the elements of the presentation. Did you go from 16×9 to standard or the other way around? There isn’t a way for the software to tell if you want an element aligning to the left, middle or right of the slide for example.

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How to Change the Slide Size in PowerPoint for Better Presentations

Makes them much easier to read

Powerpoint presentations are supposed to be engaging. But that’s another story if the audience can’t see what’s in front of them. So, in this article, we’ll discuss how to change the default slide size in Powerpoint.

This will come in handy so you can maximize your slides to the size of the projector or monitor you’ll be using and deliver a better presentation.

Choose One Slide Size First

PowerPoint allows you to change the slide size anytime you like, but it’s a good idea to pick the right size before you start creating your presentation.

If you decide to change the size later, PowerPoint will do its best to give you options on how to shift items around, but it will more than likely result in having to totally redesign your slides.

This is especially true if you move from a widescreen format slide to a smaller 4:3 standard sized slide.

If you choose to scale it down, PowerPoint will try to fit everything as best it can into the smaller slide. If you choose Don’t Scale , the items that are outside the standard size will simply be out of the window. You’ll then have to decide whether to delete those items or move them back into the slide.

Change Slide Size in PowerPoint

Once you know what size will be ideal for your output device, you can adjust the slide size in PowerPoint.

First, go ahead and open PowerPoint and select a slide.

This guide works will work for most modern versions of PowerPoint that have the ribbon interface, including the version in Office 365.

Next, go to the Design tab. It’s where you can find the options that let you tweak your presentation’s design.

There, head over to the far right end — to where you can find the Customize section. Next, choose Slide Size .

Clicking on this option will reveal a menu. It lets you pick the size of the slide that you want. Your choices are Standard , Widescreen , and Custom Slide Size .

Let’s walk through each of the choices. This way, you will have a better understanding of your options. This will also help you adjust your slide’s size as needed – a size that works best for your projector or TV.

If you go with the Standard size, you’ll be going with a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is a safe choice because it works for familiar devices such as older screens with low resolutions.

A Standard slide size is a suggested choice for old school presenters. This means those who will be working with old projectors and SlideShare or other old online presentation platforms .

If you choose Widescreen , you’ll be going with an aspect ratio of 16:9. This is the ideal choice for you if you’re dealing with newer devices and online presentation platforms.

Got a Microsoft Surface device or HD projector? Going with a Widescreen option is the better way to go. The same is true if you’ll be presenting on a HDTV or 4K TV/monitor.

If Standard and Widescreen slide sizes are not for you, you can also go with the Custom Slide Size…

If you select this option, a pop-up window will appear.

Here, you can select from plenty of choices regarding the slide size you want. If you’re about to deliver your Powerpoint presentation on an unfamiliar projector, it’s good to go with this option.

It’s flexible. It can also accommodate your preferred slide dimensions.

Plus this way, you can select the Orientation for your slides and notes. This lets you have control over the Width and Height of your slides, too.

You can also try expanding the Slides sized for menu option. Doing so reveals preset sizes that go beyond the Standard and Widescreen size options.

As you can see, this option allows you to adjust your slide to fit the size of a Letter Paper, 35mm slide, a banner, 16:10 aspect ratio and more.

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• PowerPoint Slide Size

PowerPoint Slide Size report

The most common PowerPoint slide ratios are "4:3" and "16:9". In previous versions of PowerPoint, the slide size was 4:3, widescreen, and high-definition formats have been adapted for TV and video. The default slide size in new versions of PowerPoint is widescreen (16:9). And the PowerPoint slide size can be changed by the following method.

The PowerPoint slide size also needs to be adjusted to cover the entire screen for different monitors and devices. You can often see some special proportions of slides at the press conference. In this case, [Custom Slide Size] is used. The following post will explain different PowerPoint Slide sizes and change them.

PowerPoint Slide Size Guide

Whether you are preparing your presentation for a class or your work, you should adapt it to the device which will be used for projecting it. Some devices or even laptops can have different sizes, so you will need to change the dimensions of your presentation. To change the size of your presentation slides, on the Design tab, in the Customize group, click the Slide Size button and then choose one of the pre-defined sizes.

Common PowerPoint Slide Sizes

• Standard (4:3) was the default slide size in older versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, like 2003 or 2007. Standard (4:3) slides have a size of 10 x 7.5 inches or 25.4 x 19.05 cm.
• Widescreen (16:9) is the default slide size in Microsoft PowerPoint 2013, 2016, and 365. Widescreen (16:9) slides have a size of 13.33 x 7.5 inches or 33.867 x 19.05 cm.

4:3 is best viewed on a standard computer screen, while the 16:9 is best viewed on a widescreen computer screen or TV. Using the proper dimensions ensures the presentation is scaled suitably not to appear warped. Widescreen is the default in most versions of PowerPoint.

Custom PowerPoint Slide Size

Using a custom PowerPoint slide size is possible if the default 4:3 or 16:9 options are unsuitable. You might choose to use a custom slide size if you are printing full-size PowerPoint slides using a custom page layout, for instance. To do this, select Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size to display the "Slide Size" options menu.

• From the Slides sized for the drop-down list, you can choose pre-defined popular sizes, such as Letter Paper (8.5 x11 in), Ledger Paper (11 x 17 in), A3 Paper (297 x 420 mm), etc.
• Enter the custom sizes in the Width and Height fields.
• Choose the slide orientation in the Orientation group.

You can run your slideshow on a computer screen, a television screen, or a projector. It is best to know your display device upfront. It would be best to change your slide dimensions before designing your slides before adding shapes and images to slides. Changing the dimensions afterward is possible, but it can ruin your slide design. If pictures are distorted, you will need to manually resize each image or delete them and insert them again.

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PowerPoint Slide Size

How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint

PowerPoint allows you to change the aspect ratio of your presentation. The widescreen slide size is best when presenting on modern displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio. If you’ll be presenting on an older display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, you’ll want to use the standard slide size instead.

Change the Slide Size

• Click the Design tab.
• Expand the Customize group.

To change the slide orientation, click the Slide Size button and select Custom Slide Size . Change the slide settings and click OK .

• Widescreen : 16:9 ratio is much wider than it is tall and works well for wide, high definition screens.
• Standard : 4:3 ratio is only slightly wider than it is tall and works best for traditional screens.

• Maximize : Crops your content and fills all the available space on the slide.
• Ensure Fit : Scales content down and leaves additional space at the top and bottom of the slide.

The entire presentation is resized to fit the new format.

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How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint

While most users are accustomed to the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of presentations, you can change the size of slides in PowerPoint.

You might change to accommodate a different screen size – maybe the older 4:3 aspect ratio – or to create a custom file type. The tool even includes a few predefined sizes to make it easy for you.

You’ll ideally want the size of your presentation to match whatever device it will be shown on (which is why it’s worth asking about the resolution of the screen or projector you’ll be using in advance!)

Here’s how to change slide size in PowerPoint in a few quick steps.

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Change Slide Size Between Standard and Widescreen

The two most common sizes for PowerPoint presentations are standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) sizes. The standard size has shifted to 16:9 as more computer and projection screens have moved to this size.

Both are presets that exist within the tool.

Open your presentation, click Design in the top menu. Find the Slide Size button and click to see the two sizes. Click the one you want to use.

PowerPoint will give you the option to scale content to the new size.

Note that when you change slide size, it affects all of the slides in the open file. If you scale, that also impacts every slide. Make sure to go through and make sure the design of each still looks as intended before giving the presentation. Some adjustments may be necessary.

Change to Another Standard Size

You can also change the size of PowerPoint slides to match other common sizes, such as A4, banner, or ledger using page setup features.

Open the presentation, click Design in the top menu. Find the Slide Size button and click Page Setup. The current configuration is noted with a check mark.

Pick the size and orientation you want to use from the menu and click OK. You will be prompted to choose whether you want to scale the content up or down here as well.

Change to a Custom Slide Size

You can also use a custom slide size in PowerPoint, making each slide any size you want.

Click custom. Type the desired width and height in the boxes and click OK. You will be asked if you want to scale the content.

When it comes to custom sized slides in PowerPoint, note that not all templates will act the same way when changing size or scaling up or down. Fonts, design elements, and images can sometimes get out of alignment or not quite look the way you want.

While the scale feature is quite helpful, it is important to always go back and check each slide if you change the size after content has already been added to the presentation.

Don’t forget to take a look at our full PowerPoint templates guide , or our collection of the best PowerPoint templates for your next project!

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How to Change PowerPoint Slide Size: Standard, Widescreen, Custom

• Most PowerPoint presentations are now 16:9, but for some purposes, it makes sense to use 4:3 or a fully custom aspect ratio and size.
• You can easily change the PowerPoint slide size, both aspect ratio, screen orientation and physical size (if printed).
• Learn how to adjust the slide aspect ratio and size in PowerPoint and how to rearrange content to fit nicely into the new space.

In PowerPoint you can easily change the slide size from the ribbon interface: Design > Slide Size to either 16:9 (default) or 4:3. In the same place you’ll also find a Custom slide size option with more formats. When changing the slide size PowerPoint will rearrange slide contents to either maximize the available space or ensure content fits inside the new frame size.

In this short article, I’m going to show you how to change PowerPoint slide size in a few easy to follow steps. This is a useful thing to do if you want to customize your presentation for different purposes, such as printing, presenting on different screen sizes, or just making it look more professional.

By default, the latest versions of PowerPoint defaults to a widescreen landscape 16:9 aspect ratio when you create a new presentation. But what if you need a different aspect ratio for your presentation? Thankfully it’s something very easy to do, both for blank and existing presentations.

Why Change the Size of a PowerPoint Slide?

Before we get started, let me explain why changing the slide size might be useful for you. PowerPoint slides have two predefined common sizes:

• Standard (4:3)  – with a printed size equivalent of 10 x 7.5 inches or 25.4 x 19.05 cm.
• Widescreen (16:9)  – with a printed size equivalent of 13.33 x 7.5 inches or 33.867 x 19.05 cm.

These are the aspect ratios of the slides, which means how wide they are compared to how tall they are. The physical dimension, in inches or centimeters, depending on how you set your Windows regional settings , are equivalent for paper dimensions when you do print your PowerPoint presentation.

The 4:3 slide size is the standard one that has been around for a long time, and it works well for most projectors and older monitors.

However, if you have a widescreen display or a modern projector (I assume you do), you might want to use the 16:9 slide size, which is more suitable for high-definition videos and larger images. The 16:9 slide size also gives you more space to fit your content on the slide, since it adds equal space on the two horizontal sides compared to Standard.

Of course, you can also create your own custom slide size if you want to have more control over how your presentation looks. For example, you can choose a specific paper size if you want to print your slides, or you can adjust the width and height of your slides to match your super ultra wide monitor, or vertical monitor.

• 1.1 Step 1: Open your PowerPoint Presentation and Select the Design Tab
• 1.2 Step 2: Choose One of the Predefined Slide Sizes or Create a Custom Size
• 1.3 Step 3: Adjust your slide content to fit the new slide size

How to Change PowerPoint Slide Size: Step-by-Step Guide

So, how do you change PowerPoint slide size? It’s actually very simple, and it only takes three easy steps:

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint Presentation and Select the Design Tab

The first thing you need to do is open your PowerPoint presentation and select the Design tab on the top interface ribbon. This is where you can find all the options for customizing your slides, including the slide size.

On the Design tab, look for the Slide Size button in the Customize section, near the far right end of the toolbar. This button looks like a square with two arrows pointing outwards. You can’t miss it because it also says Slide Size underneath it.

Clicking on this button will open a drop-down menu with two options: Standard (4:3) and Widescreen (16:9). These are the two common slide sizes that I mentioned earlier. At the bottom there’s also a Custom Slide Size… link we’re goint to talk about later.

Step 2: Choose One of the Predefined Slide Sizes or Create a Custom Size

Now that you have opened the Slide Size menu, you can choose one of the predefined slide sizes or create a custom one.

If you want to use one of the predefined slide sizes, simply click on either Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9) and PowerPoint will automatically change all your slides to that size.

The difference between Standard and Widescreen slide sizes is noticeable when you compare them side by side. Here’s an example of slides with different sizes and orientations (standard and widescreen).

As you can see, the Standard slide size has a more square shape, while the Widescreen slide size has a more rectangular shape (doh!).

The orientation of your slides also affects how they look on different screens. Landscape slides are wider than they are tall (suitable for monitors), while portrait slides are taller than they are wide (suitable for smartphones). Whether someone uses smartphones for PowerPoint presentations is another discussion entirely.

If you want to create a custom slide size, select Custom Slide Size from the drop-down menu and enter your desired width and height in inches, centimeters, or pixels.

You can also choose from various preset sizes in the Slides Sized For drop-down menu, such as A3, A4, Banner, B4, B5, and more.

Once you have chosen your custom slide size, click OK to apply it to all your slides.

Step 3: Adjust your slide content to fit the new slide size

The last step is to adjust your slide content to fit the new slide size. Depending on how much you changed your slide size, some of the existing slide content may be cut off or resized.

When you change the slide size in PowerPoint and the app is unable to automatically scale your content, it prompts you with two options: Maximize and Ensure Fit .

Maximize means that PowerPoint will increase the size of your content as much as possible without changing its aspect ratio. However, this may result in some of your content being cut off at the edges of your slides.

Ensure Fit means that PowerPoint will reduce the size of your content so that it fits within your slides without being cut off. However, this may result in some of your content being too small or too far apart.

You can choose either option depending on what works best for your presentation. You can also manually rearrange, resize, or delete some of your slide elements to make them fit better on your new slide size.

Changing the PowerPoint slide size is useful in some scenarios and can help you customize your presentation for different purposes and audiences. Normally this is not something you need to do, but now you know how it’s done.

Did you know you can add YouTube videos in Powerpoint ?

By choosing an appropriate slide size for your presentation purpose, you can make sure that your slides look professional and clear on any screen. Yes, that means making multiple variants for multiple projection mediums, but that’s what makes you a Pro.

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Reduce the file size of your PowerPoint presentations

If the file size of your presentation is too large, try the following tips to make it more manageable.

Compress pictures in your presentation

Select a picture in your document. The Picture Format tab appears.

On the Picture Format tab, in the Adjust group, select Compress Pictures .

Under Compression options , do any of the following:

Make sure that Apply only to this picture is not selected so that the changes you make here will apply to all pictures in the document.

Select Delete cropped areas of pictures . This option removes the cropped picture data but note that if you delete the cropped picture data, you won't be able to restore it.

Under Resolution , select Use default resolution .

Under Compression options , do either of the following:

Select Delete cropped areas of pictures . This option removes the cropped picture data but note that if you delete the cropped picture data, you won't be able to restore it.

Delete image editing data and lower default resolution

By default, when you edit an image, the data from the original is retained (to ensure the image can be restored). Discarding it means that you can't restore the changes you make, but it will reduce your file size. Lowering the default resolution for images also reduces your overall file size.

Go to File > Options > Advanced .

Under Image Size and Quality , do the following:

Select Discard editing data . This option removes stored data that's used to restore the image to its original state after it's been edited. Note that if you discard editing data, you won't be able to restore the image after you edit it.

Make sure that Do not compress images in file is not selected.

Reduce the character set of embedded fonts

To make your presentation more sharable with others who don't have the same fonts in their system, it's typical to embed the fonts you use. However, embedded fonts will increase your file size. To minimize the file increase, embed only those characters used in the presentation.

Go to File > Options > Save .

Note:  If you've used custom fonts and want others to edit the presentation, select Embed all characters .

Reduce the file size of your Excel spreadsheets

Reduce the file size of your Word documents

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Presentation Sizes

Presentations may not look as pleasant as how you design them with pictures, animations, videos, and other graphic designs without considering the proper sizes. Often measured in either fullscreen or widescreen aspect ratios, the standard presentation sizes are actually categorized according to the number of content slides per presentation.

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