Change PowerPoint's Measurement System from Inches to Cms or Vice Versa by Changing Your Control Panel Settings

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated April 6, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

When you're working on your slide decks in PowerPoint, the Ruler and various dialog boxes or task panes (such as picture or object size) display in inches or centimetres (cm). If you want to change your measurement system from inches to centimetres or vice versa, you'll need to change your control panel settings for your device. Unfortunately, unlike Microsoft Word, you can't change the measurement system directly in PowerPoint.

Below is the Control Panel in Windows 10:

Control Panel in Windows 10.

Recommended article: How to Quickly Remove All Animations in PowerPoint Presentations

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Changing PowerPoint's Measurement System in Windows 10

To change PowerPoint's measurement system in Windows 10:

  1. Close PowerPoint.
  2. Click Start on the bottom left, type Control Panel in the search box and press Enter. The Control Panel displays in Windows 10.
  3. In the Control Panel, click Clock, Language and Region. A dialog box appears.
  4. Click Region. A dialog box appears.
  5. Click Additional settings. The Customize Format dialog box appears.
  6. Under Measurement system, select Metric if you want your measurements in centimetres or U.S. if you want your measurements in inches.
  7. Click OK twice.
  8. Start PowerPoint. The Ruler, dialog boxes and task panes will now display measurements in the system you chose.

Below is the Customize Format dialog box in the Control Panel:

Customize Format dilaog box in Windows Control Panel to change measurement system units in PowerPoint or Excel from cm to inches or vice versa.

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More resources

How to Turn Off Automatic Text Resizing in PowerPoint

10 Ways to Compress PowerPoint Presentations to Reduce File Size

How to Quickly Remove All Speaker Notes in a PowerPoint Presentation

How to Crop an Image into a Circle in PowerPoint (Crop to Shape Method)

How to Change the Background of PowerPoint Slides to a Color, Gradient or Picture

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Summary
How to Change the Measurement System Units in PowerPoint (from Inch to Cm and Vice Versa)
Article Name
How to Change the Measurement System Units in PowerPoint (from Inch to Cm and Vice Versa)
Description
When you're working in PowerPoint, the Ruler and various dialog boxes or task panes (such as picture or object size) display in inches or centimetres (cm). If you want to change your measurement system from inches to centimetres or vice versa, you’ll need to change your control panel settings for your device.
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Avantix Learning Inc.

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