PowerPoint defaults to landscape, but you can switch to portrait in the slide size menu

Open PowerPoint and go to the Design tab at the top. Click Slide Size (on the far right of the ribbon). A dropdown menu appears with preset options. At the bottom, select Custom Slide Size. In the dialog box that opens, change the width and height so the height is larger than the width — for example, 7.5 inches wide by 10 inches tall instead of the default 10 by 7.5. Click OK.

PowerPoint will ask whether you want to Maximize or may support Fit. Choose Maximize if you want your existing content to scale up to fill the new shape. Choose may support Fit if you want to keep the current size of text and images and have blank space around them. Either way, you can edit the content afterward.

Once you switch to portrait, every new slide in that presentation will be portrait. If you later want to go back to landscape, follow the same steps and flip the width and height numbers again.

Key Takeaways

  • Portrait mode in PowerPoint is set through Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size, where you make the height larger than the width.
  • When you change the slide size, PowerPoint asks whether to scale existing content up or keep it the same size with blank space around it.
  • The change applies to all slides in that presentation going forward, but you can switch back to landscape at any time using the same menu.
  • Portrait slides work better for printed handouts, mobile viewing, or presentations on tall screens, but some projectors and video conferencing tools may crop the edges.

What happens to your existing slides when you switch

If you already have slides in landscape and you switch to portrait, your text boxes, images, and shapes stay where they are — but they may look cramped or off-center on the new shape. The Maximize option stretches everything proportionally to fit the taller format, which can make text larger but may distort images. The may support Fit option keeps everything at its original size, which preserves the look but leaves white space on the sides.

After you switch, open each slide and move elements around so they look intentional in the portrait layout. Text that was centered horizontally in landscape may need to move up or down. Images may need to be resized. This is normal — portrait and landscape require different composition.

Portrait mode and projectors or video calls

Before you commit to portrait for a live presentation, test it on the actual projector or video conferencing software you will use. Some projectors are set to landscape only and will crop the top and bottom of a portrait slide. Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet all handle portrait slides, but the audience may see black bars on the sides if their screen is landscape.

Portrait works best for presentations you are sharing as a PDF or printed handout, or for presentations on a mobile device or tablet. If you are presenting to a room or on a video call to an audience with standard landscape monitors, landscape slides are usually the safer choice.

Exporting a portrait presentation to PDF or print

When you export a portrait presentation to PDF, the portrait shape is preserved. Go to File > Export As > Create PDF, and the PDF will be portrait-sized. If you are printing, go to File > Print, and in the printer settings look for an option to print in portrait orientation — this is separate from the slide size itself.

If you want to print multiple slides per page (like a handout with 6 slides on one sheet), the print dialog will handle the layout. Portrait slides will print smaller on a landscape page, so test one page first to see whether the text is readable at that size.

Switching back to landscape

If you change your mind, go back to Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size and swap the width and height numbers back (width larger than height). Choose Maximize or may support Fit again. Your content will reflow to landscape, though you may need to adjust positioning again because elements that looked good in portrait may not look good in landscape.

If you have already made a lot of edits to your portrait slides, switching back will undo some of that work. For that reason, decide on portrait or landscape early, before you spend time positioning text and images.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make some slides portrait and others landscape in the same presentation?

No. The slide size applies to the entire presentation. If you need both orientations, you have to create two separate presentations and combine them in a PDF afterward, or use a different tool that supports mixed orientations.

What size should I use for portrait?

Common portrait sizes are 7.5 inches wide by 10 inches tall, or 8 inches wide by 10 inches tall. The exact size depends on your content and where you are showing it. Test your slides on the device or projector you will use before finalizing the size.

Will portrait mode work on a Chromebook or iPad?

Yes. The Design menu and Slide Size option work the same way on Chromebook and iPad. On iPad, tap the paintbrush icon to open the Design tab, then look for Slide Size.

Does changing to portrait affect file size or performance?

No. The orientation does not change how PowerPoint stores or runs the file. Large files with many images or videos will be slow regardless of whether they are portrait or landscape.