Stop Automatic Text Resizing in PowerPoint Placeholders or Text Boxes
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated March 12, 2021
Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)
You can turn off or stop automatic text resizing in PowerPoint by changing Autofit options. PowerPoint’s Autofit feature is set to automatically resize text in text boxes or placeholders. You can turn off Autofit for all PowerPoint presentations on your computer or for a specific text box or placeholder on a slide.
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Stop text resizing in PowerPoint for all presentations
To stop text resizing for all PowerPoint presentations (current and new presentations):
- Click the File tab in the Ribbon.
- Click Options. A dialog box appears.
- Select Proofing in the categories on the left.
- Click AutoCorrect Options. A dialog box appears.
- Select the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
- Deselect (uncheck) the AutoFit title text to placeholder and AutoFit body text to placeholder options.
- Click OK twice.
Below is the AutoCorrect options dialog box with the Autoformat As You Type tab selected (Autofit title text and body text to placeholder have been turned off):
AutoFit title text to placeholder automatically resizes the title text within the title placeholder if the text doesn’t fit.
AutoFit body text to placeholder automatically resizes body text within a body placeholder if the text doesn’t fit.
Turn off text resizing for specific placeholders or text boxes
To turn off or stop text resizing for specific placeholders or text boxes (or shapes with text) in 2013 and later versions:
- In Normal View, select the placeholder or text box (or shape with text) by clicking its edge.
- Right-click or press Shift + F10 to display the context menu.
- Select Format Shape. In 2013 and later versions, a task pane appears.
- Click Text Options in the Task Pane.
- Select Text Box below Text Options.
- Select Do Not Autofit. This will only affect the current object.
Below is the Task Pane in 2013 and later versions with Autofit turned off:
You can also set these options in Slide Master View for specific layouts.
To turn off text resizing for specific placeholders or text boxes (or shapes with text) in 2010:
- In Normal View, select the placeholder or text box (or shape with text) by clicking on its edge.
- Right-click or press Shift + F10 to display the context menu.
- Select Format Shape. In 2010, a dialog box appears.
- Select Text Box in the left pane.
- Select Do Not Autofit.
- Click Close.
Below is the Format Shape dialog box in PowerPoint 2010:
You can also set these options in Slide Master View for specific layouts.
This article was first published on May 7, 2017 and has been updated for clarity and content.
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More resources
How to Compress PowerPoint Presentations (10 Ways to Reduce File Size)
How to Highlight Text in PowerPoint (5 Ways)
How to Insert a Video from a File in PowerPoint
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Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced
Microsoft PowerPoint: Design for Non-Designers
Microsoft PowerPoint: Animations Bootcamp
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