MicroSoft PowerPoint 2000 & 2002 Tips

To jump to any slide during a presentation with a keyboard shortcut: Type the number of the slide you want to display and then press [Enter].

To switch from another active tool to the Select Objects tool: Click on the Select Objects tool button on the Drawing toolbar.

To spruce up your lines and connectors with pattern or dash styles:
Select your line or connector and choose Format | AutoShape from the menu bar. Click on the Colors And Lines tab in the Format AutoShape dialog box, and then change your color and thickness using the Color and Weight dropdown lists in the Line panel. Next, to apply a pattern style to your line or connector, choose Patterned Lines from the Color dropdown list, and click on the pattern you wish to use in the Patterned Lines dialog box. Then, choose a secondary color using the Background dropdown list, and click OK to return to the Format AutoShape dialog box. Note that you can't use both a pattern and a dash style. To see the results of your choices, click the Preview button. Click OK to keep your changes and exit the Format AutoShape dialog box.

To draw onscreen during a presentation with PowerPoint's pen:
You can access an online pen by pressing [Ctrl]P  ([command]P on the Mac). If you want to return the mouse pointer to an arrow, press [Ctrl]A ([command]A on the Mac). Be aware, however, that trying to write text with the online pen is a skill that only a select few have mastered!

To change your chart data without using the datasheet:
Click on the data marker that you want to modify, pause briefly, and then click on it again. (This is different than a double-click, which results in the Format Data Series dialog box launching.) When you do, a Series Point handle appears at the top of the data marker. Drag the handle up or down to change the value that the marker represents. If you later open the datasheet, you'll notice that
PowerPoint resets the value in the corresponding cell to reflect the size of the new data marker in the chart.

To receive audience feedback with an email hyperlink on a kiosk slide):

Create a text box or a button that reads "Click here to email me your comments." Then, 

with your text box or button selected on your slide, press [Ctrl]K ([command]K on the Mac)

 to launch the Insert Hyperlink dialog box. Next, if you're using PowerPoint 2000/20001/2002, 

click on E-mail Address in the Link To panel (click on the Email Address tab on the Mac). 

Enter your own email address in the E-mail Address text box (the To text box on the Mac), 

type a message subject into the Subject text box (not necessary), and then click OK. If you're 

using PowerPoint 97, type mailto: in the Link To File Or URL text box, and then enter your 

email address immediately following it (no spaces). Next, type ?subject=, and then enter 

the subject message you want to use (again without any spaces between any of the items). 

Click OK to exit the dialog box.

To reorder your slides within Slide Sorter view or the Outline pane:

Click the Slide Sorter view button. Now, simply select a thumbnail image of a slide you want to 

move and drag it to a new location in the slide show. You can also move slides in the Outline 

window in Slide or Normal view (except in PowerPoint 97). Simply click the Slide View or 

Normal View button to display the Outline window. Then, click on the slide you want to 

move in the Outline window and drag it to a new location. With either method, all of your 

slide numbers, hyperlinks, slide associations, and transitions should automatically be 

adjusted and updated behind the scenes to accommodate the move.

To move and edit text on your slide with ease (PowerPoint 97/2000/2001/2002):

To make sure this option is turned on, choose Tools | Option (Edit | Preferences on the

Mac) and then click on the Edit tab. Select the Drag And Drop Text Editing option 

if it isn't already selected, and then click OK. Now, you can drag and drop text 

anywhere on your slide. To dothis, simply highlight the text you want to move. 

Then, click on the highlighted text, hold down your left mouse button, drag the text 

where you want it to appear, and let go of the mouse button.

To resize slide objects with more precision (PowerPoint 97/2000/2001/2002):

To resize an object with a center anchor point (so that all sides shrink or expand from the

object's center), hold down [Ctrl] ([option] on the Mac) as you drag an editing handle. 

To resize an object while maintaining its original proportions, hold down [Shift] as you 

drag one of the object's corner editing handles. (You can also hold down both these 

keys as you drag a corner editing handle to resize an object from its center while 

maintaining its proportions.)

To add or remove buttons to customize your toolbars:

To remove a toolbar button, hold down the [Alt] key ([command] key on the Mac), click on the button, 

drag it off the toolbar, and then release your mouse button. To add the button (or any

other preset button) back to your toolbar, click on the More Buttons arrow in the 

bottom-right corner of the toolbar (in the middle on the right side of the toolbar on the Mac). 

In PowerPoint 2000/2002, select Add Or Remove Buttons (Add Or Remove Buttons | 

Standard in PowerPoint 2002) from the menu. A submenu appears with all of the preset 

button options for the toolbar. Click to add (or remove) a button to your toolbar. In PowerPoint 

2001, hold down the [command] key and drag the button back onto your toolbar. Click the 

More Buttons arrow again to drag additional buttons onto your toolbar. In PowerPoint 97, 

right-click on any toolbar, choose Customize from the shortcut menu, and then click on 

the Command tab in the resulting Customize dialog box. Now, browse through the Categories 

and Commands until you find the button you want to add to your toolbar, select it in the 

Commands list box, and drag it onto your toolbar. Finally, click Close to exit the 

Customize dialog box.

To create a new presentation based on an existing:

In PowerPoint 97, 2000, and 2001, simply launch the existing presentation in PowerPoint, 

choose File | Save As, give the presentation a new name (so you don't overwrite the original), 

and then go ahead with your modifications. In PowerPoint 2002, simply choose File | New to 

open the NewPresentation task pane (if it isn't already displayed), and then click on the

Choose Presentation link in the New From Existing Presentation panel. In the resulting New 

From Existing Presentation dialog box, navigate to and select the existing slide show on which

 you want to base your new slide show and click the Create New button. This ensures that you 

don't accidentally save any changes to the original presentation-the first time you save the 

slide show, you'll be prompted to enter a new filename.

To reduce redundant formatting chores with the Format Painter tool:

Select the object that has the formatting you want, and then click the Format Painter tool

on the Standard toolbar. Next, click on the object that you want updated. When you do, 

the second object assumes all of the applicable formatting options from the first object and the

Format Painter tool is automatically deactivated so you can continue with your design tasks. 

If you want to update multiple items with the same formatting attributes as a selected object,

however, simply double-click on the Format Painter tool and then continue clicking on as 

many objects as you want to change-the Format Painter tool remains active until you 

deactivate it. To deactivate the tool, either press [Esc] or click on the tool on the toolbar again. 

Keep in mind that this tool won't change the object itself.

To selecting hard-to-reach objects on your slides (PowerPoint 2002):

You can cycle through all the objects on your slide simply by repeatedly pressing 

the [Tab] key. Each time you press [Tab], a new item is selected and outlined with 

the editing handles. To reverse the direction if you cycle past the item you want to 

select, hold down [Shift] as you press [Tab] and the previously selected item will 

once again be selected.

To control your zooms with more precision while designing slides:

Select the object you want to zoom in on prior to adjusting the Zoom percentage, 

and then select a value from the Zoom dropdown list. When you do, you won't be 

zoomed in to the center of your slide; your zoom will instead be centered on the selected object.

To start a slide show with any numbered slide (PowerPoint 97/2000/2001/2002):

Choose File | Page Setup from the menu bar. Then, in the resulting Page Setup 

dialog box, adjust the value in the Number Slides From spin box to the number 

you want your first slide to be and click OK. You can see that your changes took effect by looking at 

the slide numbers in the Outline pane of Slide or Normal view (unless you're using PowerPoint 97), 

or by your slide's numbers in the Slide Sorter view.

To change your slide layout for design efficiency (PowerPoint 97/2000/2001):

Choose Format | Slide Layout and then select the layout you want from the Slide 

Layout dialog box and click Apply (simply click on the layout you want in the Slide 

Layout task pane in PowerPoint 2002). But, for an even easier way to launch the 

Slide Layout dialog box (SlideLayout task pane in PowerPoint 2002), simply right-click 

([ctrl]-click on the Mac) on your slide and choose Slide Layout from the resulting 

shortcut menu. Now you can double-click (single click in PowerPoint 2002) on a 

slide layout icon and continue designing your slide with only a minimal interruption.

To change font size on your slide:

To resize all of the text in a text box, simply select the text box and then click 

on either the Increase Font Size or the Decrease Font Size as many times as 

necessary until you're satisfied with the results. If you want to resize just part of the 

text within a text, highlight that individual

text with your mouse prior to pressing the toolbar buttons. And if you'd prefer 

editing without a mouse and as an alternative to the toolbar buttons, press 

[Ctrl][Shift][>] ([command][shift][>]on the Mac) to increase your font size, and 

[Ctrl][Shift][<] ([command][shift][<] on the Mac) to decrease your font size. 

These shortcuts can be extremely helpful to you as you place

additional design elements on your slide and adjust its overall design.

To disable PowerPoint's live spell check editing while you work: 

If you're using PowerPoint 2000/2002, choose Tools | Options from the menu bar, 

and then click on the Spelling And Style tab in the resulting Options dialog box. 

Next, deselect the Check Spelling. As You Type check box in the Spelling panel and 

click OK. If you're using PowerPoint 97, choose Tools | Options from the menu bar, 

click on the Spelling tab in the Options dialog box,deselect the Spelling check box in the

 Check Spelling As You Type panel, and click OK. If you're using PowerPoint 2001, 

choose Edit | Preferences from the menu bar, click on the Spelling tab in the 

resulting Preferences dialog box, deselect the Check Spelling As You Type 

check box in the Spelling panel, and click OK. Now

To customize your default AutoShape colors and styles & avoid repetitive formatting:

Draw and format an AutoShape--you can change its color, line color, line thickness, 

and even give it a shadow. Now, select your newly formatted AutoShape, click the 

Draw button on the Drawing toolbar, and choose Set AutoShape Defaults. 

(In PowerPoint 2001, choose Format AutoShape from the Draw menu, click 

on the Colors and Lines tab in the resulting Format AutoShape dialog box, 

select the Default For New Objects check box below the Arrows panel, 

and then click OK.) Finally, save your presentation. Now, every time you work 

in the saved presentation, the formatting attributes you gave your AutoShape 

will automatically be applied to each new AutoShape you create. 

To get the pointer out of the way during a presentation:

Press [Ctrl]H to hide it. You can click the mouse button to advance 

to the next slide even when the arrow is hidden. If you want to bring the 

arrow back into view, simply press [Ctrl]A.

To undo all your changes and restore a picture back to its original size and proportions:

First, select your picture on your slide and then click the Format Picture button on the 

Picture toolbar. (Choose View | Toolbars | Picture if your Picture toolbar isn't already 

visible.) In the Format Picture dialog box, click on the Picture tab and then click the 

Reset button. Click Preview to see the changes. Now, click on the Size tab, make 

sure there isn't a check mark in the Lock Aspect Ratio and Best Scale For Slide 

Show check boxes in the Scale panel, make sure there's a check mark in the 

Relative To Original Picture Size, and then click the Reset button. Click Preview 

again to see the changes and click OK to accept your changes.

To place the tools you plan on using to design your slide at your fingertips:

Navigate to the menu in which a tool or group of favorite tools resides and look for a 

thin shaded bar at the top or to one side of the items in the menu. If you see one, 

click on it and drag it off toward the center of your slide. If it's a true tear-off menu, 

it will detach from its original location and become a "floating" toolbar. You can now 

simply click on the appropriate tool whenever you want to use it. To get rid of your 

floating toolbar, click on the X in its upper-right corner. Popular tear-off menus 

include AutoShapes, all of the subcategories of AutoShapes, Align And Distribute,

Order, Nudge, and Fill Color.

To create secondary charts quickly from an original chart:

Select the original chart, press [Ctrl]C ([command]C on the Mac) to copy it to your 

clipboard, and then navigate to any other slide and press [Ctrl]V ([command]V on the 

Mac) to paste it there. Now, instead of displaying all of the columns or rows of data

 (the default setting), you can hide what you don't want displayed. To do this on your 

new chart, double-click on the chart to open the datasheet. To hide a row, double-click 

on the row number. The data in the row is dimmed and the data is removed from the chart. 

(To redisplay the row, double-click on the row number again.) Do the same for any 

columns you want hidden. Return to the slide by clicking outside the chart and save 

the presentation file. You now have two chart slides showing different views of the data.

To customize your black & white view settings (PowerPoint 97/2000/2001/2002):

To switch to a black & white view, choose View | Black & White if you're using PowerPoint 97/2000 

or View | Grayscale in PowerPoint 2001/2002. If a secondary window doesn't launch 

by default displaying your slide in full color, you can open it manually by choosing View | 

Slide Miniature. To alter your Black & White or Grayscale settings, right-click 

([ctrl]-click on the Mac) on your slide in your main work area and choose either 

Black & White or Grayscale from the resulting shortcut menu. In the submenu you'll 

find eight additional choices, such as Inverse Grayscale and Gray With White Fill. 

You can also mix Black & White and Grayscale options for different objects 

on your slide. To change the view for one object only while you're in this mode, 

right-click ([ctrl]-click on the Mac) on it and choose Black & White or Grayscale 

from the resulting shortcut menu, and then select a new view option from the submenu.

To control whether your presentation ends with a black slide (PowerPoint 2002):
Choose Tools | Options from the PowerPoint menu bar, and click on the View tab in the resulting Options dialog box. Next, deselect the End With Black Slide option in the Slide Show panel and click OK. Now you can end all your future presentations however you wish (i.e. add your own black slide without any unnecessary text or create a slide with a list of scrolling credits acknowledging your coworkers). 

To zoom on the fly while designing a slide:
Press and hold [Ctrl] as you roll the mouse wheel and the slide will zoom in and out accordingly. To focus your zoom on a particular object, select the object prior to zooming and it becomes centered in your work area as you zoom in on it.

To insert symbols into text on your slides:

Choose Insert | Symbol from the menu bar. When the Symbol dialog box 

opens, simply locate and select the symbol you want, click Insert, and then 

click Close. There's a quicker way however if you know the character code 

for the symbol: simply make sure your number pad is enabled, hold down 

the [Alt] key, type 0 on the keypad, and then enter the appropriate character

code. When you release the [Alt] key, the associated symbol inserts into your text. 

To control long bulleted lists with the AutoFit Options smart tag:

Click the AutoFit Options smart tag that appears in the lower left hand 

corner of the slide to control how you want to display your long bulleted 

list. If you want to stop AutoCorrect from making your text "shrink to fit," 

then click Control AutoCorrect Options on the smart tag shortcut menu 

which will open the AutoFormat As You Type tab in the AutoCorrect 

dialog box. Next, deselect the AutoFit Body Text To Placeholder option 

under the Apply As You Type heading and click OK. When you return 

to your slide and enter additional bulleted items, the entries extend 

past the placeholder boundaries rather than shrinking to fit within them. 

If you choose to work this way, you can use the AutoFit options smart 

tag to re-arrange your bulleted list once you've finished typing it. Click 

the smart tag again. To keep more of the list items on the same slide 

without shrinking them, select Change To Two-Column Layout and cut 

and paste the bullets you want in the second column. You can also select 

one of two other options to put your list overflow on the next slide. 

To create diagrams in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint:

To browse diagram types, first display the Drawing toolbar. Do this 

by choosing View | Toolbars | Drawing from the menu bar or right-clicking 

on any toolbar and choosing Drawing from the dropdown list. Then click the 

Insert Diagram Or Organization Chart button. In the Diagram Gallery dialog 

box, click each type of chart and read its description. Once you've decided on 

a diagram, double click on it to insert the empty diagram into your file. You can 

add labels to the diagram by clicking on the text placeholders and entering 

your text. If you want to change the overall appearance of the diagram, 

click the AutoFormat button on the Diagram toolbar, choose a style, and 

click OK. Explore the Diagram toolbar to control the size, position, and 

shape of your diagram. To change the diagram you've chosen, just click 

the Change To button to see how your data looks in another diagram type.

To create a custom PowerPoint 2000 template based on an existing template:
In Slide Master view, you can select individual elements that make up each template and move, rotate, recolor, or resize them to create a new template. You can also duplicate the individual parts of a template to create unique-looking templates. To open the Slide Master, choose View | Master | Slide Master from the menu bar or hold down the [Shift] key and click the Slide View button in the lower left corner of the window.

To download new bullet shapes in PowerPoint 2000: 

Select the text that you want bulleted and then choose Format | Bullets And 

Numbering.   Next, click the Picture button on the Bulleted property sheet of the 

Bullets And Numbering dialog box to open the Picture Bullet dialog box and select 

Clips Online. Doing this launches your default browser and automatically directs 

it to Microsoft's Design Gallery Live. On this page, click Browse in the upper-right 

corner of the Web page, then select Web Bullets from the Browse For dropdown 

list and click Go. When you find the bullet you want to use, click on the bullet image 

to open it in a preview window. Click on the bullet in the preview window and the 

Design Gallery Live downloads it into your Microsoft Clip Gallery. Right-click on the 

bullet in the Microsoft Clip Gallery, choose Clip Properties from the hidden menu 

to open the Clip Properties dialog box, and click Refresh. Now, select the File path 

near the bottom of the dialog box, press [Ctrl]C to copy it to your clipboard and click 

OK. Close the Microsoft Clip Gallery dialog box and return to the Picture Bullet dialog 

box. Click the Import Clips button to open the Add Clip To Clip gallery dialog box. 

Place your insertion point in the File Name text box, press [Ctrl]V to paste in the 

Web bullet file path and click Import.

To suppress the Slide Master's background graphics on one slide:

In Slide view navigate to the slide that you don't want the graphic on. 

From the menu bar, choose Format | Background to open the Background 

dialog box. Select the Omit Background Graphics From Master check box. 

Then, click Apply so the graphic is only omitted from the slide that you're 

currently on. All of the other slides still display the graphic, but now you have 

one slide that benefits from the versatility built into the Slide Master feature.

To create hyperlinked text in PowerPoint 2000 without the underline:

Select your text on the slide, right-click on it and choose Hyperlink | Remove 

Hyperlink from the shortcut menu. You can also just select the text and press 

[Ctrl]K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box and then click Remove Link. Since 

there's no longer a hyperlink assigned to the text, the underline format disappears. 

Next, select the text box (rather than the text within the text box), press [Ctrl]K or 

right-click on it and choose Hyperlink from the shortcut menu to display the Insert 

Hyperlink dialog box. Then add the desired hyperlink as you normally would and 

click OK. Now, when you view your slide show, your text won't be underlined, 

yet when you click on it you'll be brought to the destination you assigned to the 

text box in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

To save PowerPoint 2000 slides as a graphic file for image editing:

Open your presentation in PowerPoint and navigate to the slide that you want 

saved as an image. Choose File | Save As and in the Save As dialog box select 

Portable Network Graphics (PNG),Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), or any other 

available graphics file format from the Save As Type dropdown list. Give your image a 

filename and click Save. When the message box popsup, click No to export only the 

current slide. Now you can open the file in a multitude of other programs and edit it.

To make an image partially transparent by using it as picture fill for an AutoShade:

Select AutoShapes | Basic Shapes on the Drawing toolbar and create a 

rectangular AutoShape. Choose Fill Effects from the Fill Color tool's dropdown 

menu and click on the Picture tab inthe Fill Effects dialog box. Then, click the Select 

Picture button, navigate to and select your image in the Select Picture dialog box, and 

click the Insert button to return to the Fill Effects dialog box. Next, select the Lock Picture 

Aspect Ratio check box in the bottom-left corner of the Picture property sheet and then 

click OK. (You may need to adjust the proportions of your AutoShape to eliminate any 

automatic cropping that occurs). Then, double-click on your image-filled AutoShape 

and click on the Colors And Lines tab in the Format AutoShape dialog box. Now, 

you can use the Transparency slider in the Fill panel to adjust the transparency of 

your image. Use the Preview button to check out the results, and then click 

OK when you're satisfied.