Microsoft PowerPoint X
The Formatting Palette
The Formatting Palette offers an easy way to format your text and objects with a single click. Since it is located in your workspace on the right side of the screen, it bypasses using less efficient menu options to format text, objects, and images, giving users easy access to quick changes when designing slides.
Accessing the Formatting Palette
The Formatting Palette should automatically appear on the right side of your screen when you open PowerPoint. If it is not visible, you can access it easily. It is helpful to remember that the available sections vary depending on which element is selected on a slide.
Viewing the Formatting Palette
- From the View menu, select Formatting Palette
NOTE: If the menu option is checked, the Formatting Palette is visible.
OR
From the Standard toolbar, click FORMATTING PALETTE
The Formatting Palette appears on the right side of the screen.
NOTE: The available sections vary depending on which element is selected on a slide.
Expanding the Formatting Palette
To optimize your workspace, the Formatting Palette consists of collapsible sections. Each section is indicated by a colored bar with the section title and a triangular arrow. These sections expand to reveal common functions of the individual sections.
- Access the Formatting Palette
- Click the heading of the section you want to expand
The section expands below the selected heading.
NOTE: The triangular arrow points to the right when the section is closed or points down when the section is open.
Formatting Palette Options
The Formatting Palette can consist of a wide variety of sections, including font, bullets and numbering, alignment and spacing, animation, hyperlink, and presentation. Each section contains different formatting options for the element you are working with.
Although each section contains many helpful options, the font, bullets and numbering, and alignment and spacing sections are detailed below:
Formatting Palette Options: Font Options
The Font section of the Formatting Palette allows you to prescribe font type, font size, font color, text style, and apply subscript or superscript text.
Palette Button |
Function |
|---|---|
 |
Changes font |
 |
Changes font size |
 |
Changes font color |
 |
Applies boldface, italics, underline, and shadow to text |
 |
Creates superscript or subscript text |
 |
Increases or decreases font size |
Formatting Palette Options: Bullets and Numbering Options
The Bullets and Numbering section of the Formatting Palette allows you to format the style, color and size of bulleted and numbered lists, as well as increase and decrease their indent.
Palette Button |
Function |
|---|---|
 |
Creates numbered list |
 |
Creates bulleted list |
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Increases or decreases the indent |
 |
Determines style for numbered or bulleted list |
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Determines the color of numbers or bullets |
 |
Determines the size of numbers or bullets |
Formatting Palette Options: Alignment and Spacing Options
The Alignment and Spacing section of the Formatting Palette allows you to format the horizontal and vertical alignment, and paragraph spacing.
| Palette Button |
Function |
|---|---|
 |
Designates horizontal alignment for text: right, center, left, justified |
 |
Designates vertical alignment for text: top, center, bottom |
 |
Increases or decreases paragraph spacing |
