When creating a PowerPoint presentation, you may need a slide that requires a different slide orientation – for example, a graph or image.
On PowerPoint, it is not possible to change the orientation for one single slide. When a slide orientation is changed, it applies to the entire presentation. However, there are creative workarounds that can help you make just one slide with a different orientation from the rest of the presentation.
Method #1: Link to a slide from another presentation
This option allows you to open a slide from another document during a presentation. The external slide can have a unique orientation. This method is suitable if you have audio or an animated object on the slide. Follow these steps:
Set slide orientation
Create a slide in a new presentation with the desired orientation
- Go to the Design tab and click Slide Size. Select Custom Slide Size… from the dropdown list.
Select Custom Slide Size… - Select either Portrait or Landscape, then click OK.
Select the orientation you prefer.
Hyperlink the slide
- Open your presentation and select an object (e.g. text) to hyperlink to the other slide created.
Select an object or text to hyperlink from any slide in your presentation. - Link the new slide to your presentation. Go to Insert and select Action.
Click Action. - Select the Mouse Click tab and select the option Hyperlink to:
Click Hyperlink to: - In the Hyperlink to: dropdown, select Other PowerPoint Presentation…
Select Other PowerPoint Presentation… - Windows explorer will launch. Locate the new presentation, select it, then click Open.
Browse through your computer files to find the PowerPoint document. - If you created more than one slide in the new PowerPoint document, a “Hyperlink to Slide” dialog box appears. It contains a list of slides from the new document. Select the slide you want to import, then click OK.
Choose the slide with a different orientation. - Click OK again.
Select OK. - During your presentation, click the hyperlink to open the slide from the other presentation.
Click on the hyperlink. - The slide opens with the orientation applied. Close the hyperlinked slide by pressing ESC to return to your presentation. Your presentation will resume from the slide with the hyperlinked text or object.
Press ESC to close the hyperlinked slide.
Method #2: Insert an image
In this method, you will paste a slide with a different orientation into your presentation as an image. It is a faster way of changing the orientation of one slide. However, since the pasted slide will be an image, the contents of the slide cannot be animated or edited. Follow these steps:
Create a slide
- Open a new PowerPoint document and create a slide with a different orientation than your presentation. When done, right-click the slide in the slides section and select Copy.
Copy the slide. - Open your presentation. On the Home tab, select New Slide.
Go to Home > New Slide. - Go to the Insert tab, click Shapes, then select Rectangle.
Select the Rectangle shape. - Click and drag the cursor over the entire slide to cover it with the rectangle. The rectangle will act as the background for the slide.
Drag the cursor to cover the whole slide with the rectangle. - While the rectangle is still selected, select Shape Fill and click the Black color.
Select the black color.
Paste the slide
- Right-click on the slide and select the paste option Picture (U).
Paste the slide into your presentation as a picture. - The pasted image (slide) will have a different orientation than other slides in the presentation. The slide will not need to be resized. Check the slide section to compare the slide to other slides in the presentation.
The slide orientation will appear to be different. - You can view the slide with the different orientation.
The slide will have a different orientation.