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Show Your PowerPoint Presentation in Widescreen Format

By Wendy Russell Wendy Russell Writer Brock University Former Lifewire writer Wendy Russell is an experienced teacher specializing in live communications, graphics design, and PowerPoint software. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 12, 2020 Tweet Share Email Hero Images / Getty Images Tweet Share Email MS Office Powerpoint Word Excel Outlook The widescreen format is the norm in movies today and has become the most popular choice for new laptops. It only follows that PowerPoint presentations are now being created in widescreen format. Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint 2010, 2007, and 2003. PowerPoint 2019, 2016, and 2013 automatically default to widescreen. In older versions of PowerPoint, you'll make the change manually.

Advantages of Widescreen PowerPoint Presentations

If you show your presentation on a widescreen monitor, set this up before you add any information to your slides. Making a change to the setup of the slides at a later time ​causes your slides to be stretched and distorted on the screen.​

Other advantages to using widescreen format are

Uses all available space on your screenIs the newest presentation display of choiceMore room for your information on the slideLess chance of your slide looking cluttered

Set Up for Widescreen in PowerPoint 2010 and 2007

There are two different widescreen size ratios available in PowerPoint 2010 and 2007. The choice you make depends on your particular monitor. The most commonly chosen widescreen ratio is 16:9. Go to Design on the ribbon. Select Page Setup. In the Page Setup dialog box, under the heading Slides sized for, choose On-screen Show (16:9). Select OK.

Choose the Widescreen Size Format in PowerPoint 2003

Setting your presentation up for widescreen success in PowerPoint 2003 is just as easy as any other version. In the Page Setup dialog box, under the heading Slides sized for, choose Custom. To set the PowerPoint for a standard 16:9 ratio, enter the width as 10 inches and the height as 5.63 inches. Select OK.

PowerPoint Fits Widescreen Presentations to Your Screen

You can create a widescreen PowerPoint presentation even when you don't have a widescreen monitor or a projector that works in widescreen. PowerPoint formats your presentation for the available space on the screen, just like your regular television shows a widescreen movie in letterbox style, with the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. If your presentations will be reused in the years to come, create them in the widescreen format. Keep in mind that converting a presentation to widescreen at a later date causes the text and images to be stretched and distorted. Avoid these pitfalls and have only minimal changes to make at a later date if you start at the beginning in a widescreen format. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation How to Save PowerPoint Presentations as PDF Files How to Add Page Numbers in PowerPoint How to Use the Animation Painter in PowerPoint 2010 End Powerpoint Presentations With a Black Slide PPTX File (What It Is and How to Open One) How to Insert a Copyright Symbol or Emoji on a PowerPoint Slide How to Change the Slide Size in Google Slides How to Apply Security in PowerPoint Presentations How to Fix a Red 'X' Picture on a PowerPoint Slide Using Design Themes in PowerPoint How to Use Speaker Notes in PowerPoint How to Make Hotspots on the Image Map in PowerPoint Landscape and Portrait Slides in the Same Powerpoint What Is Microsoft PowerPoint? An Introduction to PowerPoint Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies