Layout Tools
The Layout Tools are a docked toolbox that stays open at the edge of the window. A tab strip at the top lets you switch between tools without opening and closing a dialog every time. The slide itself is the preview: every action takes effect on the selection immediately and can be undone with Ctrl+Z.
Open the toolbox with the Layout Tools button on the PPPTools ribbon tab, in the Distribute group.
Always at hand
The pane stays open while you work on the slide. The header always shows how many objects are currently selected. Select objects, pick the matching tab, set the options and click Apply or Distribute.
The toolbox currently holds two tabs: Multiplier and Resizer. It is designed as an extensible box — further layout tools will be added later as additional tabs.
„Multiplier" tab
The Multiplier tab duplicates the selected object and distributes the copies in one step — horizontally, vertically, diagonally, in a circle, along an arc, as a grid, or along a selected guide line, optionally coloured and labelled sequentially.
It is the full Multiply & Distribute feature, embedded natively in the permanently docked pane. You choose the direction with the tiles at the top; all other options (spacing, grid, circle/arc, colouring, labelling, grouping) sit below. A click on Distribute writes the result to the slide.
For a detailed description of every option — including guide-line/path mode, hub, shrinking and colour palettes — see the Multiply & Distribute page.
The Multiplier is available without limits from the Standard licence tier upwards.
„Resizer" tab (Magic Resizer)
The Resizer scales the selection proportionally — not just the size, but on request also the font size, line weight and text margins by the same ratio. This way a shrunk object looks exactly the same, only smaller. (Dragging a corner by hand, in contrast, leaves font, lines and margins unchanged — the text then looks too big in the shrunk box.)
Pro feature
The Resizer is available from the Pro licence tier upwards.
Mode
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| By factor (%) | Scales each selected object by the given percentage (e.g. 75 %). |
| To target width (cm) | Brings the selection to a fixed width in centimetres; the height follows when the aspect ratio is locked. |
| To target height (cm) | As above, but based on a fixed height. |
| Fit into rectangle | Scales the selection uniformly until it fits completely into a target: either the slide area (with a small margin) or the last selected object. |
| Match width / height / both | Brings several objects to the same width, height or both. The reference is selectable: last selected, largest or smallest object. |
Scale along
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Font size | Scales the font of every text run by the same ratio. Mixed sizes within the same object stay correctly graded. |
| Minimum font (pt) | Lower bound when shrinking, so text does not become unreadably small. Applies only when shrinking. |
| Line/border weight | Scales the outline/border weight along. |
| Text frame margins | Scales the inner margins of the text frame along, so the text stays indented by the same ratio. |
Groups
For a group, PowerPoint scales the contained objects automatically. The Resizer additionally carries font, lines and margins of the group members along, so everything stays in the right proportion there too.
Anchor point
The anchor point determines what stays in place when scaling: the centre of the object, its top-left corner or its position (the object grows/shrinks without moving the reference point).
Autofit
If a text box has „Shrink text on overflow" enabled, that automatism would work against the font scaling. The Resizer temporarily disables it for the duration of the scaling and restores it afterwards.