ABC's of PowerPoint 2007

06. Evenly Space Objects: Distribute Tool
PPT 2007  |  PPT 2003

Have you ever wanted to evenly space 3 or more objects either vertically or horizontally? PowerPoint has a built in function to do just that. First select the objects you want to distribute by clicking on them while holding the shift key.

Arrange Tools

Next locate your "Arrange" tools. They can be found by selecting the images, then clicking the "Format" tab on the ribbon. The "Arrange" tools will be located towards the right of the ribbon. You will see the word "Allign". After you click on "Allign", a drop down menu will appear with various alignment and distrobution settings. Then distribute according to your needs.

How it works...
PowerPoint distribution only allows for distribution of an objects center point, therefore the space between horizontal text may not be equal if the box is larger than the text requires. To get around this you will need to make each text bounding box the same size as your text.

Select your text fields. Right click on them, and select "Format Object". This will open the "Format Shape" window. Click the "Text Box" button. Deselect "Resize Shape to fit text". Observe any changes. Now reselect "Resize Shape to fit text"and hit close. Finally redistribute.

PowerPoint allows you to add the "Distribute" Tools to your Quick access Toolbar. To customize your Quick Access Toolbar please read Tip 01. Customize the Toolbars.

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