PowerPoint 2019 (Part 13): Indentation and Line Spacing

Indentation and line spacing are two important features you can use to change how text appears on a slide. Indentation can be used to create multi-level lists or visually differentiate paragraphs. Line spacing can be adjusted to improve readability or to fit more lines on the slide.

 

How to indent text

Indentation helps format the layout so that text appears more organized on your slides. The quickest way to indent is to use the Tab key. An alternative method is to use one of the Indent commands. With these commands, you can increase or decrease the indentation level.

1. To indent using the Tab key: Place the insertion point at the beginning of the line you want to indent, then press the Tab key.

1. To indent using the Indent command: Place the insertion point at the beginning of the line you want to indent. From the Home tab , select the Increase List Level command .

 

1. To reduce the indentation level, select the desired line, then press Shift + Tab or the Decrease List Level command .

Indent lists and paragraphs

Indentation will produce different results depending on whether you are working with a list or a paragraph.

1. Paragraph : Indenting the first line of a paragraph using the Tab key separates paragraphs, as in the examples above.
2. Lists : Indenting a single line of a list creates a multi-level list. This means the indented line is a child header of the line above it. This multi-level list is useful if you want to create an outline or hierarchical structure.

After creating a multi-level list, you might want to choose a different bullet point style for the different levels of the list to make them stand out even more.

Adjust the indentation level.

Sometimes you might want to adjust the indentation level in your presentation. You can do this by moving the indentation markers on the Ruler. By default, the Ruler tool is hidden, so you need to show it first.

 

How to display the Ruler

1. Select the View tab on the Ribbon.

2. In the Show group , select the box next to Ruler. Ruler will appear.

Indentation marker

The indentation markers are located to the left of the horizontal ruler and they provide several indentation options.

1. First-line indent marker : Adjusts the first line of the paragraph.

1. Hanging indent marker : Adjusts every line of the paragraph except the first line.

1. Left indent marker : This action moves both the First-line indent marker and the Hanging indent marker simultaneously , indenting all lines in a paragraph.

Indent by using indent markers

1. Place the insertion point anywhere within the paragraph you want to indent, or select one or more paragraphs.

2. Go to the desired indent marker. For example, we will use the Left indent marker option.

3. Click and drag the indent marker if needed. When you're finished, the selected text will be indented.

 

Customize bullet point spacing

When working with lists, PowerPoint allows you to adjust the spacing between bullet points and text using the First-line indent marker and Hanging indent marker options .

How to change bullet spacing

1. Select the lines you want to change, then go to the desired indent marker. The example will use the Hanging indent marker option .

2. Click and drag the indent marker if needed. When you're finished, the bullet spacing will be adjusted.

Line spacing

PowerPoint allows you to adjust the spacing between each line in a list or paragraph. You can decrease the line spacing to fit more lines on the slide, or you can increase it to improve readability. In some cases, PowerPoint may automatically resize the font when you adjust the line spacing, so increasing the line spacing too much can make the text too small.

How to format line spacing

1. Select the text you want to format.

2. On the Home tab , locate the Paragraph group , click the Line Spacing command , and then select your desired line spacing option from the menu.

 

3. The line spacing will be adjusted.

If you want to adjust line spacing with even greater precision, select Line Spacing Options from the drop-down menu. The Paragraph dialog box will appear, allowing you to adjust line and paragraph spacing, or the spacing added before and after each paragraph.