Using the PowerPoint Selection Pane to Manage Objects on a Slide
PowerPoint 2013 offers many ways to enhance your presentations. But complex slides with multiple components can make using these tools difficult. You might have a variety of objects such as shapes, images, and text boxes. Simply selecting an individual object can be frustrating when you have several objects layered on a slide.
Manage your objects by using the PowerPoint Selection Pane. This tool lists all objects on your slide in a simple task pane on the right side of your screen. You’re able to quickly select one or more objects using the Selection Pane.
Opening the PowerPoint Selection Pane
- Navigate to the Home tab on the ribbon.
- In the Editing group, choose the Select button.
- On the drop- down menu, click Selection Pane.
Using the PowerPoint Selection Pane
Once you have the Selection Pane open, you can select each component by clicking on the component’s default name. All default names will be very generic: Rectangle 1, Text Box 3, Group 22, for example. However, that’s easy to remedy. The Selection Pane allows you to name your objects so they are easier to track and edit. Be sure to give each object a concise but descriptive name.
There are also several more helpful options. You can:
- Select multiple objects by holding the Ctrl button and clicking on each object you want to include in the group.
- Hide objects by clicking on the eye icon to the right of each object in the Selection Pane. This can be useful when you’re trying to focus on a specific object or group of objects without other distractions.
- Rearrange objects behind and in front of other objects using the up and down arrows on the pane. Moving an object up on the pane will move it in front of objects on the slide. Likewise, moving an object down the pane moves it behind other objects.
Additional Productivity Resources
- We have more Microsoft PowerPoint tips in our Recent Posts and Categories sections. These are on the right side of your screen if viewing from a desktop.
- To learn about upcoming classes on Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft applications, please visit our Course Schedule page.
- To schedule a custom class for any Microsoft application on your organization’s campus, please contact our Training Team.
- Finally, be sure to look through our other Software Tips for more on Microsoft Office!
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