Most PowerPoint presentations are displayed in a 16:9 aspect ratio, i.e., landscape orientation. This is well-suited for presentations on all common monitors and with most projectors.

In some cases, however, you may need to adapt to the local conditions and possibly change the orientation of your PowerPoint presentation to portrait format . We will show you various options and explain how you can easily set the desired orientation.

When is a PowerPoint presentation in portrait format appropriate?

In some cases, you may need to adapt to the specific circumstances. For example, you may still occasionally encounter 4:3 monitors and projectors, or (pivot) monitors oriented vertically. To ensure your presentation displays all facts and information clearly under these conditions, you may need to adjust the PPT slide format and adapt your presentation accordingly. Portrait orientation is also often the better choice for handouts or printing the presentation, compared to landscape.

You can read here how to change your slide format to sizes other than 4:3/16:9 or portrait format.

Portrait-format presentations are also ideally suited for use on mobile devices , as these are usually held in portrait format and thus the presentation is displayed optimally without rotating the screen.

They are also ideal for digital signage , such as in shop windows, reception areas or at trade fairs.

In academia, portrait-format presentations can be used for presenting scientific posters or research results , as they make better use of vertical space and can therefore display more information on one page.

Portrait-format presentations can also be used effectively in corporate communications and marketing , for example for social media posts, internal information materials or product presentations.

PowerPoint portrait format: Advantages for your presentation

You've probably encountered this situation before: The goal is to present people and their roles within the company in an appealing and structured way using an organizational chart. However, a single landscape-format slide doesn't offer enough space for this purpose. What can you do in this case?

We present a simple solution – the portrait format in PowerPoint . Thanks to the advantages this orientation offers, it's possible to create a meaningful and visually appealing organizational chart of your company's employees. This article also explains what you need to consider when choosing the slide size.

Portrait-format PowerPoint presentations offer several additional advantages over traditional landscape-format presentations:

• Mobile optimization: As more and more people use their smartphones and tablets to gather information and read content, it's essential that presentations are optimized for these devices. Portrait-format presentations adapt seamlessly to the screen orientation of mobile devices, providing a better viewing experience without the need to rotate the screen.
• Better use of vertical space: In portrait format, content on a single slide can be arranged and structured more effectively due to the increased vertical area. This improves readability and makes it easier for viewers to grasp the content.
• Easier integration of infographics and diagrams: The portrait format allows for better integration of these into the presentation. Since many of these elements have a vertical orientation, they are displayed better in portrait format and offer viewers a clearer view of the information. This makes it easier to convey and understand complex data and relationships.

Setting PowerPoint to portrait mode: here's how!

To display your presentation in portrait format, proceed as follows:

1. In Microsoft PowerPoint, open the slide whose alignment you want to change.

2. On the Design/Customize tab, first select the "Slide Size" option and then the "Custom Slide Size" option.

3. Now select the "Portrait" option.

4. In the next step, in the "Slide Size" dialog box, under "Orientation" and " Slides " , click on the "Portrait" option. Then confirm your selection with OK. You can find a video tutorial here .

5. A PowerPoint dialog box will open, allowing you to choose between maximizing and scaling to fit .

When you maximize the window, content is displayed larger, which can sometimes result in some images no longer being visible. If you select "Scale," PowerPoint will attempt to optimally adjust all content to the new dimensions.

Set PowerPoint portrait orientation for individual slides

Even though using portrait format in PowerPoint might seem like a simple, optimal solution for enhancing your presentation, implementing it can sometimes be more complicated. Keep in mind that many PowerPoint templates are designed for landscape format.

Often, it's only possible to create the entire presentation in either landscape or portrait format . If this is your goal, you can open the slide size settings under the "Design" tab and then select "Custom Slide Size" .

If you want all slides in PowerPoint portrait format, follow the steps above. If you only want one slide displayed in this orientation, we will now explain how to set this.

To create a presentation with both slide formats, you need to create two different presentations in your desired dimensions and then link them together.

To create such a link, you must select an object, such as a text box, to serve as the link base. Once you have selected this object, you can click on " Action" under the " Insert" tab, then " Left" .

PowerPoint will now open the action settings, where you can select the action that will open the presentation in portrait mode. After selecting the action , you can create a hyperlink to the presentation you want to link to .

This works by first clicking on “ Hyperlink to” and then on “ Other PowerPoint presentation” .

Select the presentation from its location and click OK. After confirming the action again with OK , a link to the presentation in portrait format will be created on the selected slide. To return to your original presentation from the linked presentation, simply create another link.

Print PowerPoint portrait-format slides to fit.

If you want to create a PDF from your presentation, for example, to print a slide, it helps to manually adjust the slide size. To do this, first switch the orientation to portrait and then select "Custom" under "Paper Size" . Now enter 21 cm for the width and 29.7 cm for the height .

Export PowerPoint presentation in portrait format

If you have created your PowerPoint presentation in portrait format, you have several options available for exporting and sharing it .

• Export as PDF: One of the most common methods is to export your presentation as a PDF file. This allows you to save the presentation in a single file that can be opened and viewed on most devices without losing any formatting or design elements . Furthermore, PDF files are easy to email and can be easily shared on websites or social media.

And this is how it works:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation in portrait mode.
2. Click on "File" in the upper left corner of the program window.
3. Select "Export" from the menu.
4. Click on "Create PDF/XPS document" or "Save to PDF", depending on which option is displayed in your version of PowerPoint.

5. In the dialog box that opens, select the location where you want to save the PDF file and enter a file name.

6. Make sure that the "PDF" option is selected in the "File type" drop-down menu.

7. Optionally, you can make further settings under "Options" , e.g. the quality level of the images or saving only certain slide areas.

8. Click "Publish" or "Save" to create the PDF file.

• Export as a video: Another option is to export your presentation as a video. PowerPoint offers the option to save your slide transitions and animations in a video that can be played on various platforms . This is particularly useful if you want to share your presentation on social media or embed it on a website , as videos often attract more attention and are more visible in users' news feeds.

And this is how it works:

1. Navigate to the "Export " menu option as described above.
2. Click on "Create Video" or "Save to Video", depending on which option is displayed in your version of PowerPoint.
3. In the dialog box that opens, you can select the video quality (e.g., "Ultra HD", "Full HD", or "Standard HD"). Note that higher video quality results in a larger file size.

4. Under "Seconds between slides," select the desired duration for the automatic display of each slide in the video. You can also set custom transition times by adjusting the transitions for each slide in the normal editing view.

5. Click "Create Video" or "Save" to start saving the video.

6. Choose the location where you want to save the video and enter a file name. Make sure that "MPEG-4 Video" or "Windows Media Video" is selected in the "File type" drop-down menu, depending on your preferred format.

7. Click "Save" to export the video. PowerPoint will now create the video, and you can watch the progress at the bottom of the program window.

Important when switching to PowerPoint portrait format: Avoid distorted content.

Using the previously explained "scale to fit" option, you can enlarge or reduce the size of your original slide content and place it in the center of the slide. You may need to rearrange some of your slide content to ensure everything looks right.

Conclusion: Use PowerPoint portrait format to change your audience's perspective!

It can often be difficult to effectively present all the facts and in-depth content to your audience in a landscape format presentation. Portrait PowerPoint format is ideal for creating new, visual perspectives for your audience.

Do you have questions about PowerPoint portrait format? We're happy to advise you and help you with any problems. For questions or concerns regarding professional presentations, please contact us by email at becker@presentationload.de .

Besides the standard PowerPoint portrait format, there are other slide formats available in PowerPoint. This article explains how to use and modify them.

Are you looking for visually appealing and professionally designed slide templates ? Feel free to browse our shop. We have numerous slides on a wide variety of (business) topics available for download. Visit us today! ► To the shop

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