How to View Layers in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, no two objects are ever exactly side by side. If you drag a picture or a shape, for example, you'll find that it's always above or below other shapes, including text boxes. Opening the Selection pane makes it easy to manage these layers, particularly when you have a lot of objects, for example in a photo collage .

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The screenshots here show PowerPoint 2013; however, the process is the same for PowerPoint 2010 and 2007 .

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A PowerPoint slide with shapes and a photo.

Add some shapes or pictures to any PowerPoint slide by selecting the options in the ribbon under the Insert tab. Arrange them in any positions you please.

Open the Selection Pane.

Click the Home tab and then click the Editing icon on the far right of the ribbon. Click Select and then Selection Pane . The Selection Pane opens, listing every object in the PowerPoint slide.

Drag items up or down to change their layer position.

Click any object in the Selection Pane. The object is also selected in the slide, with a border appearing around it. Drag the object up or down in the list, or click the Arrow icons, to change its layer position.

Click the Eye to hide an object.

Click the Eye icon beside any item in the Selection Pane to hide it from view. To reveal the object again, click the empty Bar that appears where the Eye icon was. Note that there are two buttons at the top of the pane to Show All or Hide All of the objects.

Ctrl-click two objects to select them both.

Select two or more items by Ctrl -clicking them in the Selection pane. To group or ungroup the selected objects, you can right-click one of the objects or use the icons in the Picture Tools' or Drawing Tools' Format ribbon. A new Group item appears in the Selection panel.

Hide or reveal group contents by clicking the arrow.

Hide or reveal items under a Group item by clicking the small Arrow beside the group name. Clicking the Group in the Selection panel selects all of the items in that group, while clicking a single item in that group selects only that item.

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How to View Layers in Powerpoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

To view layers in PowerPoint, simply go to the “Home” tab, click on “Select” in the “Editing” group, and then “Selection Pane.” The Selection Pane will display all the layers on the current slide.

After you complete the action, you will be able to see all the layers on your active slide and manage their visibility and order.

Introduction

PowerPoint is a versatile tool used by students, business professionals, and creative minds to craft presentations that can inform, persuade, or entertain an audience. But did you know that PowerPoint slides are made up of layers, similar to layers in graphic design software? Understanding how to view and manage these layers can greatly enhance your presentation’s visual impact and professionalism.

Whether you’re a teacher assembling a lecture, a start-up pitching to investors, or a student presenting a project, having a firm grasp on PowerPoint’s layers function will allow you to control text, images, shapes, and other elements on your slides with precision. Knowing how to view layers in PowerPoint is particularly crucial when dealing with complex slides that require detailed editing and arrangement. So, let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of viewing layers in PowerPoint and why it’s a skill worth mastering.

Step by Step Tutorial: How to View Layers in PowerPoint

The following steps will guide you through the process of viewing layers in a PowerPoint slide.

Step 1: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

Open the PowerPoint presentation you want to work on.

After opening your presentation, make sure you are on the slide where you want to view the layers. You can navigate through different slides by clicking on them in the left-hand pane.

Step 2: Go to the Home Tab

Click on the “Home” tab in the PowerPoint ribbon.

The “Home” tab contains several groups of commands that help in formatting and editing your slides. For our purpose, we will focus on the “Editing” group.

Step 3: Click on “Select” in the Editing Group

In the “Editing” group, click on “Select.”

The “Select” button provides various options for selecting elements on your slide. This is where the “Selection Pane” option is located.

Step 4: Click on “Selection Pane”

From the dropdown menu that appears, click on “Selection Pane.”

The “Selection Pane” is a powerful tool that displays a list of all objects on the current slide. Each object represents a layer that you can manage.

Step 5: Manage Your Layers

The “Selection Pane” will show on the right side of the screen, listing all layers on the active slide.

In the “Selection Pane,” you can hide or show layers by clicking on the eye icon next to each layer. You can also reorder layers by dragging them up or down in the list. This is useful for changing which elements appear on top or below others.

Additional Information

When working with layers in PowerPoint, keep in mind that the order in which you add elements to a slide matters. The first element you add is placed at the bottom layer, with subsequent elements stacking on top. However, this order can be rearranged in the “Selection Pane.”

Another tip is to name your layers. By default, PowerPoint assigns generic names to layers, like “Rectangle 3” or “Text Box 4.” Renaming layers to something more descriptive makes it easier to identify and select the correct ones, especially when you have many layers on a single slide.

Also, remember that grouped elements will appear as one single layer in the “Selection Pane.” If you need to edit an individual element within a group, you’ll first have to ungroup them, make your changes, and then regroup if necessary.

Lastly, don’t forget the power of keyboard shortcuts. While using the “Selection Pane,” you can quickly hide or show all layers by holding the “Shift” key and clicking on the eye icon of any layer. This is a nifty trick that can save you time during your editing process.

  • Open your PowerPoint presentation.
  • Click on the “Home” tab.
  • Click on “Select” in the “Editing” group.
  • Click on “Selection Pane.”
  • Manage your layers in the “Selection Pane.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i lock layers in powerpoint.

No, PowerPoint does not currently have a feature to lock layers, but you can group elements to prevent them from being edited individually.

How do I rename a layer in PowerPoint?

To rename a layer, simply click on its name in the “Selection Pane” and type the new name.

Can I view layers on all slides at once?

No, the “Selection Pane” only shows layers for the active slide. You must navigate to each slide to view its layers individually.

Is there a limitation to the number of layers I can have on a slide?

There’s no set limit to the number of layers; however, having too many layers can make your slide difficult to manage.

Can I apply animations to specific layers?

Yes, you can apply animations to individual layers by selecting the layer and then adding an animation from the “Animations” tab.

Viewing layers in PowerPoint is a fundamental skill for anyone who aims to create dynamic and visually appealing presentations. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a PowerPoint newbie, understanding how to manage layers can elevate the quality of your slides to new heights.

Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you work with layers, the more intuitive the process will become. So next time you fire up PowerPoint to craft a presentation, take a moment to explore the “Selection Pane” and the possibilities it unlocks. Your audience will thank you for it!

Matthew Burleigh Solve Your Tech

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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How to Layer Objects in a PowerPoint Presentation

Make a boring presentation more snazzy

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If you never use desktop publishing programs such as Microsoft Publisher, Corel Draw, or Adobe InDesign, you may not be familiar with using objects and layers to create documents for print or screen. Unlike popular programs such as Word and Excel, PowerPoint’s entire design principle revolves around objects to create your presentation.

Just like a desktop publisher, each element in a PowerPoint presentation represents an object that can be positioned without disturbing other objects. These objects include text, images, videos, and any other elements present in your PowerPoint files. Since each object is its own element, you can layer objects to get your presentation to look exactly as you want. Read on to learn why and how to layer objects in a PowerPoint presentation.

Why Layer Objects?

There are two main reasons you may want to layer objects in a PowerPoint presentation. First, layering objects gives you the freedom to arrange your presentation in any layout that you desire. Rather than working in a linear fashion as with a word processor, you can place and layer objects all you want.

Second, layering lets you take advantage of all of the white space in your presentation. Text boxes in particular take up a lot of room. By layering objects, you can use all of the space on a slide without changing the position of other objects.

Layering Objects in PowerPoint

Suppose you add four boxes to your PowerPoint presentation; first a red one, then green, then blue, then yellow. Each box represents an object. When you add a new object to a PowerPoint presentation, the application automatically places the newest objects on top of older objects. If you add the boxes in the order mentioned above, the layering of the objects will look like this:

Notice that the newest box (yellow) is on top of the others. Using PowerPoint’s layering function, you can layer these objects in any order. To layer the objects differently from the default order, begin by clicking on the Home tab on the Ribbon and locating the section titled Drawing . In the Drawing section, locate and click on the button titled Arrange .

How to Layer Objects in a PowerPoint Presentation image 2

Notice that on the menu that pops up, there are four options titled:

  • Bring to Front
  • Send to Back
  • Bring Forward
  • Send Backward

With these commands, you can layer objects in PowerPoint any way you want. Notice, however that the menu items are grayed out; you can’t use them unless you first make an object active by clicking on it before you click on the Arrange button. As an example, let’s arrange the yellow box on top to a different layer.

Begin by clicking on the yellow box to make it the active object. Then, click on the Arrange button and select Send Backward from the menu. Notice that now the yellow box has moved back one layer to be between the blue box and the green box.

Now select the blue box and this time select Send to Back from the Arrange menu. Notice that now the blue box occupies the lowest level and is now behind the yellow, green, and red boxes. Using the four arrange functions on the Arrange button, you can choose whether an object moves one level up or down or all the way to the highest or lowest level.

It may take some getting used to working with layers in PowerPoint, but the menu system is quite intuitive. Use the Send Back and Bring Forward commands to move an object one layer back or forward and use the Send to Back and Bring to Forward commands to move an object all the way to the front or back of the layering order.

You can also simply right-click on the object and choose those options from the context menu as shown below.

How to Layer Objects in a PowerPoint Presentation image 5

In addition, it’s worth noting that you can also make your layers fully transparent or semi-transparent, which can result in some cool effects. In our little example, I made the yellow layer semi-transparent and then added some text to the green box.

How to Layer Objects in a PowerPoint Presentation image 6

You can make a layer transparent by right-clicking on it and then clicking on the Style button. You’ll see a bunch of boxes with different colors and styles. Towards the middle/bottom, you’ll find the options for transparent and semi-transparent.

How to Layer Objects in a PowerPoint Presentation image 7

There is virtually no limit to the number of layers the objects on a PowerPoint slide can occupy. However, to keep things neat and simple for your audience, consider using no more layers than you need on a single slide.

Use too many layers and you risk making too complicated a slide to follow. Experiment with arranging and layering objects in PowerPoint and you can reclaim unused white space to create a more visually appealing PowerPoint presentation. Enjoy!

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Blog / PowerPoint Tips / Layers in PowerPoint: gain control over your presentation.

powerpoint slide layers

Layers in PowerPoint: gain control over your presentation.

Navigate seamlessly through all the delicious layers in your PowerPoint cake to open up new possibilities in presentation design and build.

If one layer of cake is good, two, three, even four layers is even better, right? The principle is the same in PowerPoint. By layering slide elements, you can create  beautiful designs , complicated animations, and seamless transitions. But the more layers you have, the more difficult it is to locate and manipulate any one of them, especially if the one you need is right at the bottom of the stack.

Working with layers in PowerPoint

If you have PowerPoint, you have the luxury of the Selection and Visibility Pane. And if you’ve not heard of it before, you’re not alone. When we run our template training sessions for our clients, this is one of the many features we introduce that blows people’s minds. 

If you’re using the PC version, in the  Home  tab of the ribbon, under  Editing , click  Select , then  Selection Pane  to open the Selection and Visibility pane. Your pane should appear on the right side, just like your Animation Pane. Now you have the ability to treat individual design elements like layers, just as you would in design applications, like Photoshop.

If you’re using PowerPoint for Mac , in the  Home  tab, under Arrange, select Selection Pane to open it on the right-hand side

Getting to know your layers in PowerPoint

How do humans introduce themselves? It usually starts with a name. You should afford your layers the same courtesy, it’ll make it a lot easier to work together in the future. 

In your Selection Pane, you should be able to see the names of each of your elements, but these names might not be that useful. “Rectangle 1” and “TextBox 3” just aren’t very individual. When you start getting deep, deep into the layers, you’re not going to remember which was your first rectangle and which was your 400 th . Our advice is to rename your elements so that they each make sense to you. 

To do this,  single-click  the existing name and  type in your new one . Easy.

Giving your objects relevant names is especially useful when  constructing complicated animations . The names you give your elements in the Selection Pane will carry across to your Animation Pane in perfect cohesion. 

Move your layers around in PowerPoint

Stop helplessly clicking in the same spot thousands of times, hoping to catch a tiny part of the object that’s not blocked by another. You know what (most people think) Einstein said about insanity, right?

Definition of insanity. Einstein quote.

There’s no evidence he actually said that, but you’re still not going to get your mouse to click on the object you want. Let’s try a different tactic.

Simply  click the object’s name  in your Selection Pane, and ta-da, it’s selected. You can now manipulate it to your will. Or, if you want to reorder the contents of your slide, you can  drag the object’s name  in the Selection Pane up the list, and the on-slide element will follow suit.

Hide layers in PowerPoint

Even the most focused and brilliant designers can get overwhelmed as slide real estate starts to fill up. Sometimes, you just need to strip the clutter out so you can focus on making each individual element perfect. This is where hiding your layers comes in handy.

In your Selection Pane, simply find your well-labelled element, and  click the eye symbol  next to its name. The corresponding element will vanish from your slide. Fear not, it’s just hiding. When you want it back, you  click the eye again  and, as if by magic, it will appear again.

We’re all about making things simple

We're all about making things simple

In the Buffalo 7 studio , we like to spend our time on the things that really matter, like building client relationships and working in our squads to push the boundaries of creativity for our clients’ PowerPoint presentations. We don’t like wasting time searching through layers of PowerPoint objects. Your time is just as precious as ours, so activate your Selection Pane, and spend time sharing your big ideas with the world through the beauty of PowerPoint. 

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Tutorial: Managing PowerPoint Objects on Layers

About this lesson.

Every object on your PowerPoint Slide is on its own layer. Managing the objects in your slide deck is critical to creating complex designs. This tutorial will end your layer’s frustration as we cover EVERYTHING you need to know from the ARRANGE tool to fine controls via the SELECTION PANE to the mystery of objects behind the “Send to Back” layers.

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:29 Applicable PowerPoint Versions
  • 01:45 Understanding Layers
  • 02:15 Identifying Layers
  • 02:33 Placeholders are Objects on Layers
  • 03:08 Controlling Layers
  • 03:19 The Arrange Tool
  • 03:50 Bring Forwards
  • 04:14 Send to Back
  • 04:23 Bring to Front
  • 05:04 Find the Arrange Command
  • 06:38 The Selection Pane
  • 07:32 Renaming Objects
  • 07:53 Moving Object Levels in the Selection Pane
  • 08:06 Hiding Objects
  • 08:28 Grouping Objects on a Single Layer
  • 11:28 Editing Objects in a Group
  • 11:50 REGROUP vs GROUP
  • 12:49 Backgrounds on Layers
  • 13:36 Master Slides and Layers
  • 15:36 Wrap-Up

Subject Microsoft PowerPoint

Software Compatibility All Versions from 2013 UP

Course Completed

PDF Files There are not any files associated with this lesson.

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[Music] welcome to managing objects on layers in powerpoint with the arrange tool this is less from power up training where i provide my decades of experience to you for free every object on your slide exists on its own layer and sometimes you get frustrated as the shapes start hiding other shapes and makes it difficult to create your presentations in this tutorial we’re going to go deep into managing all your objects and layers and there are lots to cover from tools and techniques and concepts and much much more as always if you look down below you can use your youtube scroll bar to be able to find chapters to jump to the topics that might be of interest to you this tutorial is a pair of two tutorials all about the arrange tool specifically we’re going to take a look here of how we can arrange topics in three dimensions through our layers and in the other tutorial we’re going to talk about distributing and aligning objects in two dimensions look up here for the link for that particular training or down below in the notes to jump to that second of the pair but for now let’s go ahead and dive in to managing objects on layers in powerpoint let’s start in the latest version of office 365. this video is appropriate for all older versions of powerpoint since at least office 2013 and i suspect there will not be changes in functionality for years to come i’m currently in normal view and let me zoom into the workspace in powerpoint every object and i mean every object exists on its own layer from bottom to top as you insert objects they get put on the top layer and that continues with more layers stacked on top on top and on top here i have four boxes with layer numbers and you can see how layer four is on the top layer that is more forward let’s demonstrate this with our four boxes i’m gonna select layer two you can see it’s selected with the grab handles now when i drag it you can see that is still on the same layer when i cover up layer one and it hides behind layer three i’ll put it back to where we started and we’re about to see that there are more than just the four rectangle boxes that are in layers when i click on layer 3 i’m going to drag it in front of our text and sure enough the text placeholder where the bullets are become covered because the object itself the placeholder is behind the title itself is another object and i can cover that up and since we now know there are two text placeholders i can select the title text placeholder drag it in front of the bullet placeholder and you see that they too are on separate layers so let’s take control of the layers by changing their position in relation to all the object layers on a slide so let me introduce the action icon called arrange and all the related actions underneath you must be on the object to change and in your home ribbon menu tab to see the icon call to range click the downward arrow to reveal all the choices to begin we’re going to focus only on the order of object choices which are bring to front send to back bring forward send backwards i’m going to choose send forward let’s do that again by taking layer two and moving it forward a second time however when i do bring forward it looks like nothing changed and the reason why is that we were already in front of layer one and three when i move it down in front of layer four you see sure enough it is in front of layer four when i drag it up you see we are actually have layer two in front of one two three and four now let me go ahead and send it backwards one step at a time so i’ll send backwards it goes again layer four send backwards again it goes behind layer three and i send it back one more time and it goes behind layer four that took four steps to go back let’s see if we can just do a short version and use the new tool called bring to front when i do that presto layer two is now in front of all three objects and it is now our top layer and of course there’s the opposite command called send to back when i choose that for layer 4 it goes behind our other three layers but it also went behind everything including our text placeholders of the bullet items so you can see it truly is on the back layer as i stated earlier you must be on the home ribbon menu to see the arrange action icon if you’re on other menus it does not show up i’m selecting the object and now you’ll see that sure enough there’s the arrange but if i go to insert or any other item it then is no longer visible but there’s a second method and that is to use the context aware menu called shape format but that menu only shows up when you have a shape object selected and when you do select shape format menu you see that we uncovered the bring forward and send backward action icons plus the matching bring to front and send it back with layer 1 selected let me click the bring to front command and sure enough that object comes to the top and there’s even a third way to access these commands and that’s by using your mouse to right click and halfway down the pop-up menu you’ll see the related bring to front and send to back with the layer 3 object selected i will bring it to the front with the right mouse button click and i’ll do it again for layer 2 object with the right mouse button click and bring to front command is that simple obviously in this tutorial the layer names are no longer accurate as i move my objects forward and backwards it is hard to know at what layer each object is placed unless you know the trick to turn on the selection pane i am in my home menu on the ribbon menu and when i click the arrange action icon i can then choose selection pane at the bottom of the menu list on the right side a new selection pane appears with all my objects listed using some generic names but there are clues with the object in the workspace selected the name and the pane is also highlighted and the opposite happens when i click the name in the selection pane the object in the work area then becomes highlighted gives us a clue of what name matches which object the names are pretty generic but if you plan to do some heavy duty work on a specific slide you can elect to name each object to better identify each one just click the name once and then click the name a second time to get into edit mode and rename the object so the top of the list is the object that is on the top layer and within the selection pane list we can click and drag each object up or down to move to the front or to the back this is much more effective control to position the multiple object layers and one more slick trick inside the selection pane the ability to make objects visible and invisible the small eye icon on the right is clickable and it can make an object not visible on the canvas work area when it is invisible it is not clickable or visible earlier i said each object exists on its own layer and always one object per layer well that’s not totally true because you can combine objects together and they will jointly exist on one layer this is called grouping to demonstrate grouping i need to show you multiple ways to select groups of objects starting with the lasso method of clicking outside all the objects dragging the mouse around all the objects while holding your mouse button down and when you let go of the mouse button all the objects should be selected as indicated by the grab handles let me repeat that again and point out a common mistake and that is not clicking outside the range before starting to make it easier to visualize i’ve highlighted the area you must click outside of to capture all objects and not just outside but beyond the four corners so that when you drag your lasso it captures the outside of each object look at how all four objects grab handles are inside my tutorial highlighted area you must click outside top bottom left or right to be able to capture them all back to grouping with all four objects now selected you can visually confirm because the grab handles are on the canvas workspace around the four objects but also in the selection pane we then go to the range action icon drop down list and select group and the four individual items are now one which is a single set of grab handles and the four objects are indented in the selection pane under a group named two so now when i click on the object either in the canvas area or the selection pane the whole group is selected and controllable and movable and as you can see the selection pane grouping can be collapsed or expanded with a double click for easy management on a very busy slide page once grouped you can also ungroup simple enough just click the object in either the canvas workspace or the selection pane and then return to arrange action icon remember you must be on the home ribbon menu and on the list select ungroup now here’s an alternative way to select objects not by using the lasso method but the mouse and keyboard select the first object and then hold down the shift or the control key while clicking all the additional objects you want to collectively select then perform the group command and now for a quick tip shortcut to use your keyboard only have the object selected and the control key plus the letter g will group them together or control plus shift plus g to ungroup powerpoint has greatly improved on the editing of individual items in a group now you can just double click on the item of focus and edit without having to ungroup them and regroup them look how i click on the title layer 3 double clicking and change it to the word double click but sometimes you have lots more work that needs to be done on a group as opposed to just a single edit so you can ungroup them make your changes in this case i’m going to move the blue box to a new location and then i’m going to add some text formatting with some underline and also bold now for the magic with one of the objects selected i can then select regroup from the action drop down menu and powerpoint remembers the other items and puts them all back into the same group do note that if you don’t have an object selected regroup is not available it is dimmed out select the object and then go to arrange and regroup for the magic to happen working on slide canvas area you should be close to mastering managing objects on layers but there are two more bottom layers that are not obvious the first is the background layer it can be changed but not touched as in it can’t be selected or edited or moved let’s change the background i could select a pattern but that’s pretty ugly so let’s try picture or texture fill note how it feels in the background behind the whiteboard it can be seen but not touch clicked or edited we can only go back and select a different choice and all of our canvas objects will float above this background so the last item that exists in the layers of your slide is something called slide masters the masters light exists at the very bottom and it controls themes and other objects such as this whiteboard which is not clickable unless we go into the master slides and tied to the master slides is the concept of layouts layouts implement the master slides and will include objects and backgrounds that can be managed but not touched in the normal canvas area see how layer 4 can be moved but we can’t click the logo the reason is that the logo is on the layout managed by the master slide the third element of master slides are design templates which can impact the background and design elements that can’t be touched unless you edit them in the slide master view please look for our set of youtube videos on learning about master slides see the link above with this selected design template see how i cannot click the rectangle because it is locked in the master slide layout background i’m going to undo many of these changes to show behind the scenes in slide master know that we have a complete training video on the undo and redo commands see our working whiteboard image that cannot be clicked or edited on the normal canvas but let’s go into the slide master by clicking view on the ribbon menu and clicking slide master now that i’m in slide master mode when i select the matching layout i can now grab the white board to move or resize and when i exit slide master view we now see the smaller white board image in our working normal canvas area to learn more about slide masters do find our pair of youtube training videos there you go now you know about arranging the various layers within powerpoint please subscribe to our channel subscriptions encourages me to make more free training for you and if you liked it give us a thumbs up share it with your friends got comments or questions leave them below including ideas for a future training series on powerpoint and if you want to see all of our free training either for beginners or advanced users do visit our website of power dash up dot training so next time go power up

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How to Work in PowerPoint with Layers

Working with PowerPoint can be daunting for beginners, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize the many possibilities its functions and features can present to you. For one, using PowerPoint templates with the Slide Master feature can allow you to create layers in your slides that will add depth and impact to your presentations. If you want to learn how to work in PowerPoint with layers , read the detailed guide below.

What even long-time PowerPoint users may not know is that you can make the most out of these layers and work better with the help of the Selection and Visibility Pane. This Pane allows you to better work with layers. It helps you to organize and keep track of the different layers and elements in your slides as you design each of them.

Work with Layers Using Selection Pane

Enabling Selection and Visibility to Work with Layers

The Selection and Visibility feature in PowerPoint is a nifty one, but not a lot of people know about it. This is perhaps why not a lot also work with layers, and thereby aren’t making the most out of PowerPoint.

This feature allows you to see your design elements or layers and identify them on a separate pane. You can enable this feature by going to the Home tab in the Ribbon. From here, go to the Editing -> Select, Then, choose Selection Pane to open a pop-up box for Selection and Visibility.

How to Work in PowerPoint with Layers

Easily Work with Layers in Your Slides

The Selection and Visibility Pane will show all the objects, or layers, in your current slide. Each of these objects has preset names that are automatically provided by PowerPoint. Names such as “TextBox 1” or “Line 4” can be renamed, however, so you can better recognize the objects you create. This is because these rather generic names can be confusing, especially if you have multiple textboxes and lines on your slide.

So, to rename each object, just click on its name in the Selection and Visibility Pane and type the name that you want. It helps to have a specific word or short phrase to describe each object as its name, so you can easily recognize it against the other objects in your slide.

By giving your objects specific and convenient names, you can better work with layers. It will also be so much easier for you to identify these objects especially when you work with complex animations, which also reflect the names you assign to the objects.

Rename Objects in Selection Pane

Access and Reorder Your PowerPoint Layers

If you’re familiar with Photoshop, then you will see how working with PowerPoint layers and using the Selection and Visibility Pane is familiar. By using the Selection Pane, you can access the objects or layers that are obstructed by other layers in your slides. This means you don’t have to dig through the many layers just to get to the one that you want, Just click on the layer’s name in the list in the pane and access it in the slide.

If you want to reorder the layers, you can also do so in the pane. Just select the name of the object you want to reorganize, then drag it up or down along the list of other layers.

You can also hide the layers if you want the objects to not show up, but you don’t really want to delete them just in case you change your mind. This can be useful if you want to declutter your slide for a while as you work with a few layers at a time.

To hide each layer, just click on the “eye” icon next to the layer’s name in the Selection Pane to hide it, then just click it again to unhide it.

Hide PowerPoint Layers in Slide

Now that you know how to work with PowerPoint layers, you can create more dynamic and complex slideshows.

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powerpoint slide layers

  • Presentation Design

How to Design PowerPoint Slides With Layers & Depth

  • By: Amy Boone

When you design your PowerPoint slides for your presentations, it’s common to think in terms of linear sequence. Slide 1 comes before slide 2 which comes before slide 3, and so on. Linear progression makes sense to us. And for good reason. It is tied to the way we write and read. We also think of time as moving on a line (hence the creation of timelines). Even design storyboarding moves through a sequence of chronological squares. Linear progression is part of our lives. Don’t worry, we aren’t asking you to abandon something that makes so much sense.

However, we believe you can elevate your slide design when you think not only of how your slide deck advances forward, but also of how layers can stack up to create depth and beauty as you move forward. Today we’re looking at 3 quick ways to create PowerPoint slides with more depth.

1. Use Textures

Home designers know that layering textures is one of the best ways to make a space feel welcoming. They say, ““If you’re looking to create more visual interest in a room, adding texture is a surefire way to accomplish your goal. ” We can use this same principle to add visual interest to our slides. But we aren’t asking you to use a brick or water texture for your slide background. That can look heavy-handed and dated. Instead, opt for more subtle textures that you can layer with color, text, and gradients.

Try creating your own backgrounds simply using your smartphone . In the following slide, I took a closeup picture of a plant leaf (with all of its natural variations and veining) in my office and recolored it using the preset color option on PowerPoint’s format picture menu. It’s a simple way to create one-of-a-kind backgrounds with depth in just a few steps.

2. Use Gradient Layers

Gradient layers are another easy way to give your slides depth. You can apply them over the full screen or just a portion of it, as shown below. Here we see a box that covers the right 2/3 of the screen that has been set to a gradient fill.

powerpoint slide layers

In the following examples, you can see how this gradient box creates depth with a couple different images. All you have to do is play with the transparency of the primary image so that the gradient shows through.

Watercolor Background Without Gradient Layer

Watercolor background with gradient layer, golf ball without gradient layer, golf ball with gradient layer, 3. use powerpoint’s design ideas feature.

Finally, you can make use of preset designs to add depth to an otherwise flat PowerPoint slide. One of the best additions PowerPoint has made to their program in the past decade is their Design Ideas (formerly Designer) function. During its release, the Corporate VP for Microsoft 365 said, “this all works thanks to a powerful combination of automated design and smart image analysis . PowerPoint Designer was built in collaboration with professional graphic designers , who helped develop over 12,000 creative blueprints. Designer applies cloud intelligence to analyze and identify the most compelling portion of your images to determine which blueprints work best with your content.”

The nice thing about these automated designs is that they always include layers of depth—many of which I wouldn’t think to include if I was designing on my own. You can take advantage of these smart design elements easily. First, load a slide with the images, shapes, and text that you want to use. You can see below that I started a simple title slide and added one line of text and one stock picture from PowerPoint’s image bank.

powerpoint slide layers

A Tip for Working with Layers: Use the Selection Pane

Once you start adding layers, it can get confusing to work with them. That’s why I recommend using the selection pane function in PowerPoint. Rather than clicking through layers that are hidden behind each other, simply pull up the selection pane menu, so you can see what you are working with.

For example, this fairly simple slide template has a lot of depth and texture, and the selection pane shows there are 6 elements working together to give it that feeling. From this menu, you can also choose to hide/show certain elements which helps show how each layer is functioning. You can also reorder and rename your elements easily.

powerpoint slide layers

Want more tips and tricks for creating presentation design that truly wows? Check out our blog , browse our design portfolio, or get in touch with one of our presentation experts now .

Amy Boone

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How to Collab With Photoshop

How to compress masked images in adobe, how to create an emf format file.

  • How to Draw Moving Lines in PowerPoint
  • How to Copy a JPG to a PSD

PowerPoint revolves around visual hooks, bringing slide show presentations to life via bulleted lists, animations, charts, videos and images. Among the other customization options offered by the program, PowerPoint allows you to layer these objects, one "atop" the other, in a single slide. Although viewing layers created by another presenter is as easy as opening and clicking through a PowerPoint presentation, you'll have to create your own layers if you want to view them in your own slide show.

Add the objects that you wish to layer to your PowerPoint slide with the “Insert” tab. By default, the most recent object added to a slide appears on the top layer of objects. PowerPoint doesn't place a limit on the number of objects you can use per slide; it's up to you to limit the number of objects to avoid confusion.

Click on a single object, or layer, to select it. You can modify its position among the other objects, which act as additional layers of your slide, under the “Drawing” tab on PowerPoint's main control ribbon. From here, click the “Arrange” button.

Select one of the four options – “Bring to Front,” “Send to Back,” “Bring Forward” or “Send Backward” – to reposition the layer you have selected. “Bring Forward” moves the object up one layer while “Send Backward” moves it back one layer. “Bring to Front” puts it on the top layer and “Send to Back” positions it on the bottom layer.

Save your presentation with layers intact as a PPT or PPTX file with PowerPoint's "Save" or “Save As” option. Open your creation in Microsoft PowerPoint or Microsoft PointPoint Viewer to see your layers in action.

  • Microsoft Office: Make the Switch to PowerPoint 2010
  • Microsoft Office: Basic Tasks in PowerPoint 2010
  • Microsoft Office: Insert a Picture or Clip Art
  • Help Desk Geek: Layering Objects in a PowerPoint Presentation

Dan Ketchum has been a professional writer since 2003, with work appearing online and offline in Word Riot, Bazooka Magazine, Anemone Sidecar, Trails and more. Dan's diverse professional background spans from costume design and screenwriting to mixology, manual labor and video game industry publicity.

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VEGA SLIDE

How to Layer Objects in a PowerPoint Presentation

powerpoint slide layers

Layering refers to the ability to arrange objects on a slide so some appear on top of others. Just like layers in Photoshop or other design programs, each object in PowerPoint resides on its own layer.

The layer order determines which items are visible in front and which ones are obscured behind. PowerPoint remembers the order in which you add objects to a slide and stacks the newest additions on top.

Why Layer Objects in PowerPoint

There are several key reasons you may want to layer objects in your PowerPoint presentations:

  • Create visual interest – By overlapping objects and making some transparent, you can create more sophisticated slide designs that capture attention.
  • Build complex animations – Layering allows you to animate some objects separately from others on the same slide. This helps focus the audience.
  • Hide and reveal content – Stack objects in front of content you want to keep hidden until just the right moment. Layering creates opportunities for dramatic reveals.
  • Fix alignment issues – Rather than nudging misaligned objects pixel by pixel, rearrange their layering order to line them up perfectly.

How to Layer Objects

PowerPoint makes layering easy with just a few clicks. Here are the basic steps:

1. Add Objects to Your Slide

Start by inserting all the items you want to layer – pictures, shapes, text boxes, charts, SmartArt, etc. If you already have objects on your slide, skip to the next step.

2. Select the Object to Layer

Click the object you want to move to a different layer. Avoid clicking and dragging at this stage.

3. Choose a Layering Option

Go to the Format tab and locate the Arrange group. Click the drop-down and select one of the following options:

  • Bring to Front – Moves the selected object in front of all other objects
  • Bring Forward – Moves the selected object up one layer
  • Send Backward – Moves the selected object down one layer
  • Send to Back – Moves the selected object behind all others

Alternatively, you can right-click the object and choose a layering option from the context menu.

4. Repeat as Needed

Reselect objects and use the layering commands to stack them in the desired order.

5. Fine-Tune Layer Alignment

Use PowerPoint’s alignment tools on the Format tab to line up layered objects perfectly.

Advanced Layering Techniques

Mastering a few additional layering techniques will help you become a PowerPoint pro:

  • Rename Layers – Use the Selection Pane to give custom names to objects for easy identification.
  • Lock Layers – Lock down finished layers in the Selection Pane to prevent accidental changes.
  • Copy Layers Between Slides – Duplicate layers to efficiently reuse complex designs.
  • Modify Layer Transparency – Make layered objects semi-transparent for a cool layered effect.
  • Animate Layers Separately – Use PowerPoint’s animation tools to individually animate objects on separate layers.

Layering Best Practices

Follow these tips when layering objects for the best PowerPoint slide design:

  • Limit layers to 5 or fewer for simplicity.
  • Put layered objects close together to appear as one integrated unit.
  • Use alignment guides and gridlines to accurately overlap items.
  • Make sure layered text remains readable.
  • Watch out for unintended transparency effects.
  • Test on various screen sizes to ensure nothing gets cut off.

The layering tools in PowerPoint provide immense creative freedom. Implementing these best practices will ensure your layered slides enhance rather than distract from your presentation’s core message.

Layering objects opens up exciting new presentation design possibilities. You can capture attention, incorporate sophisticated visuals, and craft compelling stories through strategic layering.

Mastering object layering does take some practice, but the effort pays off through more polished and professional slides. With these PowerPoint skills under your belt, you will be able to produce truly stunning and impactful presentations.

Citations: [1] https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/layer-objects-on-slides-81cccf31-9219-4c89-b7ba-9f25ad429c4a [2] https://www.presentation-process.com/layering-in-powerpoint.html [3] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/group-or-ungroup-objects-56d8b2d3-2f31-4f50-abae-6154c1f969a9 [4] https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/align-and-arrange-objects-on-a-slide-5f961535-a2ae-4914-a24a-94c669903ae3 [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSNuB_fdVMs [6] https://www.powerpointninja.com/design-tips/layering-technique-for-powerpoint-objects/ [7] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/group-or-ungroup-shapes-pictures-or-other-objects-a7374c35-20fe-4e0a-9637-7de7d844724b [8] https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/powerpoint2016/aligning-ordering-and-grouping-objects/1/ [9] https://buffalo7.co.uk/blog/powerpoint-layers/ [10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXVvDGz04Hk [11] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/video-ungroup-and-regroup-shapes-or-pictures-ee79ec23-97f2-42a7-b2aa-86a8641e9db3 [12] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/align-or-arrange-objects-bfd91078-2078-4b35-8672-f6270690b3b8 [13] https://smallbusiness.chron.com/layers-powerpoint-39961.html [14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx_i9xox-FU [15] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WA-8OjEI3Y [16] https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/change-the-order-in-which-stacked-objects-placeholders-or-shapes-appear-on-a-slide-9a3b64b2-f1ac-42bc-ad97-ab30fad93de4 [17] https://creativepro.com/secrets-of-powerpoints-selection-pane/ [18] https://zebrabi.com/guide/how-to-ungroup-in-powerpoint/ [19] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX2R93TIpUI [20] https://zebrabi.com/guide/how-to-group-objects-in-powerpoint/ [21] https://data-flair.training/blogs/how-to-group-or-ungroup-objects-in-powerpoint/ [22] https://helpdeskgeek.com/office-tips/layering-objects-in-a-powerpoint-presentation/ [23] https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/powerpoint2003/grouping-and-ungrouping-objects-on-a-slide/1/ [24] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42AWLMxh2rk [25] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=005gGDxKDus

About The Author

Vegaslide staff, related posts.

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AsapGuide

How To Layer and Stack Images on Top of Each Other in PowerPoint

Layering and stacking images on top of each other in PowerPoint allows you to create more visually interesting and complex slide designs. It’s an easy way to add depth, emphasize certain elements, and make your presentation more engaging.

Table of Contents

Why Layer Images

Insert images, change stack order, align and distribute, tips for layering images, layer shapes and images, create transparent layers, build complex compositions, animate smoothly, use picture effects, custom layouts.

Here are some of the key reasons you may want to layer images in PowerPoint:

  • Create depth and dimension: By stacking images, you can create a layered, 3D effect. This adds visual interest.
  • Emphasize key elements: Layering allows you to highlight the most important visuals by placing them on top.
  • Craft engaging designs: Complex and multi-layered designs hold attention better than simple flat images.
  • Reinforce concepts: Layering related visuals helps communicate connections and relationships.
  • Add creativity: There are endless possibilities for unique slide designs with layered images.

How to Layer Images

Layering images in PowerPoint only takes a few simple steps:

First, insert all the images you want to layer onto your slide. To insert pictures:

  • Select the Insert tab
  • Click the Pictures button
  • Select your image files and insert

You can add as many images as needed.

Once your images are inserted, you can layer them by changing the stack order:

  • Bring to Front – Brings the image forward to the top layer
  • Send to Back – Sends the image back behind all other images
  • Bring Forward – Moves the image up one layer
  • Send Backward – Moves the image down one layer

To change the order, right-click the image and select one of the stack order options.

Use PowerPoint’s alignment tools to align layered images relative to each other and the slide. You can align left, right, top, middle etc.

The distribute tools allow you to space layered objects evenly.

Here are some tips to help you layer images effectively:

  • Use transparency: Make images partially transparent to create a cohesive layered effect.
  • Group images: Group related layered images so they move together as one object.
  • Overlap carefully: Make sure key focal points remain visible when layering.
  • Consider layout: Position largest images on the bottom layer for optimal layout.
  • Use textures: Layer textured backgrounds under main images for additional depth.
  • Emphasize concepts: Match images to reinforce concepts and connections.
  • Animations: Animate layered images to transition smoothly between slides.

Advanced Techniques

Once you get the hang of basic layering, try these advanced techniques:

Combine layered shapes (rectangles, circles etc) with images for additional design flexibility.

Make shapes semi-transparent to create overlays over images. For example, tinted transparent shapes can make images pop.

Layer groups of images and shapes to craft intricate multi-layered designs.

Set animations so layered elements transition smoothly as you go from slide to slide.

Leverage options like reflections and shadows to make layered images appear three-dimensional.

Save layered designs as custom layouts to maintain layering on new slides.

Layering images takes your PowerPoint skills to the next level. By stacking visuals and customizing transparency, you can easily create professional, unique, and engaging slide compositions that capture attention.

Start experimenting with layers, using the alignment tools, and exploring the creative possibilities layered images offer. The more you explore complex multi-layered designs, the more innovative your slides will become.

About The Author

powerpoint slide layers

AsapGuide Staff

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powerpoint slide layers

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The PowerPoint Blog

Powerpoint layer order explained.

How do you describe what is on top or bottom for slide content?

Z-ORDER_5

Let’s look at a simple explanation of 2D design. With presentation design, this is very easy to visualize by looking at a chart. A standard bar chart has two axes: left-right (X) and up-down (Y).

Z-ORDER_7

To expand on things, here is a simple explanation of 3D design. In 3D design, there are 3 axes; left-right (X), up-down (Y) and front-back (Z).

Z-ORDER_6

Similarly, PowerPoint slides can have 3 axes for content. Slide content is 2D, which is left-right and up-down. But, it can also be layered on top of each other, which is the Z-axis. So, content that is layered on top of each other is referred to as the “Z Order.” Here is an exploded view of a slide. The Z-order has the text on top, so no other slide content is going to block it – but the text may overlap other content.

Z-Order 02

Z-order is adjusted with PowerPoint’s ARRANGE > ORDER OBJECTS tools. These are the “bring to front” and “send to back” buttons. The SELECTION PANE shows all slide objects in their Z-order with items at the top of the list on top and items lower on the list having the other items on top of them.

Note: PowerPoint cannot have objects on the same layer, so as soon as there is 1 object on a slide, something is always layered on top.

Z-Order 4

-Troy @ TLC

powerpoint slide layers

What is a slide layout?

Slide layouts contain formatting, positioning, and placeholder boxes for all of the content that appears on a slide. Placeholders are the dotted-line containers on slide layouts that hold such content as titles, body text, tables, charts, SmartArt graphics, pictures, clip art, videos, and sounds. Slide layouts also contain the colors, fonts, effects, and the background (collectively known as the theme ) of a slide.

Figure 1: All of the layout elements that you can include on a PowerPoint slide

PowerPoint includes built-in slide layouts, and you can modify these layouts to meet your specific needs, and you can share your custom layouts with other people who create presentations in PowerPoint.

Slide Layouts in PowerPoint

Figure 2: Standard slide layouts in PowerPoint, showing the placement of various placeholders for text or graphics

In Slide Master view , you can change the standard slide layouts that are built in to PowerPoint. The picture below shows the slide master and two of the layout masters for a theme in Slide Master view.

Slide master with layout masters in Slide Master view

Figure 3: In Slide Master view, in the thumbnail pane on the left, a slide master appears at the top, followed by layout masters that define layouts you can use like the Title slide and the Title And Content slide.

To learn more about slide masters, see What is a slide master?

Where can I find slide layouts?

If you want to apply a defined slide layout to a particular slide , select the slide. Then, on the toolbar ribbon, select Home > Layout and choose a layout from the gallery of options that appears.

The Layout button on the Home tab in PowerPoint has all the available slide layouts.

If you want to customize the definition of a slide layout that you then later apply to individual slides, on the toolbar ribbon, select View > Slide Master . (This feature isn't available in PowerPoint for the web.)

Slide layouts can be customized in Slide Master view

The layout masters appear as thumbnails in the thumbnail pane under the slide master. Click a layout master in the thumbnail pane, and then begin customizing.

More about slide layouts

Apply or change a slide layout

Edit and reapply a slide layout

What is a slide master?

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Art of Presentations

Slide Master in PowerPoint – A Complete Beginner’s Guide!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Slide Master in PowerPoint – A Complete Beginner’s Guide!

When I first started using PowerPoint, I had no idea about the “Slide Master”. In fact, when I first learned about it, I was quite confused. I didn’t quite understand its purpose and how it worked. Furthermore, some of the changes I made to the slide master were scary at first simply because I didn’t understand how it worked!

Slide Master in PowerPoint allows you to have master control over all slides. It allows you to make changes to all slides at once. You can also use the slide master to create footers, add watermarks and slide numbers, generate custom presentation templates, edit placeholders, among other things.

Retrospectively thinking, having a “Slide Master” in PowerPoint is such an important feature! Knowing how to use the slide master properly can help you save a lot of time while creating a presentation!

So, in this article, I’ll share with you all the details you need to know about a Slide Master in PowerPoint. Without further adieu, let’s get started!

1. What is the Slide Master In PowerPoint and Why is it Used?

Slide Master is a Microsoft PowerPoint feature that allows you to easily edit all the slides at once or the individual slide layouts of a presentation.

1a. What is a Slide Master?

The slide master in Microsoft PowerPoint contains all the information on the slide layout as well as the theme of a presentation. This includes the fonts, color, effects, background, and the size and position of the placeholders.

powerpoint slide layers

To access the slide master, first, click on the “View” tab in PowerPoint . Then, click on the “Slide Master” option. This will open the slide master view in PowerPoint.

The master slide is the top slide in a hierarchy of slides in a presentation (as shown in the image above). Changes that you make to the master slide impact all the slides in the slide master.

It is important to note that the actual design and content of the presentation must be added to the slides in the “Normal View”. Any images or content you add to the slide master will become uneditable in the normal view of the PowerPoint presentation.

The best way to use the slide master is by using “Placeholders”. I’ve written a detailed article on “Placeholders” in PowerPoint . Make sure to check out that article to learn more about them!

1b. Uses of Slide Master View in PowerPoint –

Since the slide master stores information about the theme and the layout of the slides in a PowerPoint presentation, you can use the “Slide Master” view to edit several elements in the presentation.

a. Change Slide Background

powerpoint slide layers

Using the “Slide Master” view, you can change the background of all the slides at once. The background editing features are available in the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” menu.

You can click on the “Colors” option to change the colors for the slides, the “Fonts” option to set a specific font for the presentation, and the “Effects” option for the background effects. Besides, you can click on the “Hide Background Graphics” option to remove all background graphics from the entire presentation.

Clicking on the “Format Background” option under the “Background Styles” button, you can access various customizable background colors and designs for the presentation.

b. Rearrange Placeholders in Slide Layout

powerpoint slide layers

In Microsoft PowerPoint “Slide Master” view, you can edit both the master slide and the slide layouts. By rearranging the placeholders in a slide layout, you will only create changes for the slides using that specific layout instead of the entire presentation.

To rearrange the placeholders, all you have to do is click on a placeholder and drag it to your preferred position on the slide.

c. Customize Overall Text Formatting

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Slide Master” view, you can easily change or customize the overall text formatting. You have to first click on the content placeholder in the master slide which is the top slide in the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen.

Then click on the “Home” tab from the menu ribbon. In the “Font” section of the “Home” menu, you can customize the fonts like the style, size, color, highlights, etc. This will customize the text of all the slides.

d. Customize Theme Fonts

powerpoint slide layers

By customizing the theme fonts in the “Slide Master” , you can choose a set of fonts for various list levels of text in all the slides. To do so, click on the “Fonts” option in the “Background” section under the “Slide Master” tab. Then click on your preferred set of fonts from the dropdown menu.

e. Customize Theme Colors

powerpoint slide layers

The theme color in a “Slide Master” contains a set of colors for various elements of the slides in a presentation like the background, heading, body text, etc. By customizing the theme color in “Slide Master” , you can customize the colors for the entire presentation.

All you have to do is click on the “Colors” option in the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” menu and select your preferred theme colors from the dropdown menu.

f. Create Unique Slide Layouts and Templates

Using the features in the “Slide Master” menu, you can edit any element and object in the presentation. You can change the color, font, arrangement, theme, etc. of the entire presentation.

You can also create and edit individual slide layouts. You can easily use the “Slide Master” view to create fully unique slide layouts and templates.

2. Difference Between Slide Master and a PowerPoint Template?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, a Slide Master contains information about the layout and the theme of the presentation.

A PowerPoint template, on the other hand, is a design or pattern of a slide or even a whole presentation. In short, a template is a copy of a presentation blueprint that can be edited to fit your needs, while the master slide stores the layout and theme of that template.

3. How to Access the Slide Master in PowerPoint?

powerpoint slide layers

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can access the slide master in the “View” menu. You have to first click on the “View” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen. Then click on the “Slide Master” option in the “Master Views” section of the “View” menu. This will open the “Slide Master” view where you can edit the master slide and the slide layouts.

4. How to Edit a Slide Master in PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to edit the slide master using the “Slide Master” view. You can edit the master slide itself, and also the slide layouts separately. You can even add or remove master slides and slide layouts.

4a. Using the Master Slide to Apply Changes to All Slide Layouts in PowerPoint

Since the master slide contains all the information on the theme and layouts of the entire presentation, any change in the master slide will be automatically applied to all the slide layouts under the master slide.

To apply changes in the master slide, all you have to do is click on the master slide from the slide layout panel and use the features available in all the tabs in the menu ribbon.

4b. How to Change Slide Background in the Slide Master?

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Slide Master” view, click on “Background Styles” and select the “Format Background” option from the dropdown menu. This will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen.

In the “Format Background” sidebar, you can change the color, gradient, or pattern of the background. You can also add an image as the background.

4c. How to Customize Fonts and Text Formatting in the Slide Master in PowerPoint?

To customize fonts and text formatting in the “Slide Master” view, you have to follow the 2 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Customize Fonts” option

powerpoint slide layers

You have to first click on the master slide from the slide layout panel. Then click on the “Fonts” option from the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” menu. From the dropdown menu, click on the “Customize Fonts” option at the bottom.

Step-2: Click on the “Save” button

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Create New Theme Fonts” dialog box, click on the “Heading font” box to customize the heading and on the “Body font” box for the body text. Then click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

4d. How to Customize Theme Colors in Slide Master?

In the “Slide Master” view of Microsoft PowerPoint, you can customize the theme color by following the 2 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on “Customize Colors”

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” view, click on the “Colors” option. Then click on the “Customize Colors” option at the bottom of the dropdown menu.

Step-2: Click on “Save”

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Create New Theme Colors” dialog box, click on the box next to each option to select your preferred colors. Then all you have to do is click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

4e. How to Apply Effects in PowerPoint Slide Master?

powerpoint slide layers

To apply effects in the “Slide Master” view of PowerPoint, click on the “Effects” option in the “Background” section. This will open a dropdown menu containing fifteen effect options to choose from. All you have to do is click on your preferred effect from the dropdown menu.

4f. How to Edit Footer in PowerPoint?

powerpoint slide layers

The footer in a PowerPoint presentation is a text that appears at the bottom of all slides. To edit the footer in the “Slide Master” view, all you have to do is click on the “Footer” box at the bottom of the master slide. Then type in the text you want in the footer.

Check out my other article on “How to Add a Footer in PowerPoint?” to learn more about editing, adding, and removing footers in PowerPoint.

4g. How to Add Logo to All Slides Using Slide Master in PowerPoint

Adding a logo to your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation can be a smart way of branding. It is quite easy if you know the correct steps.

In fact, I’ve written a detailed article on how to add a logo in PowerPoint . Do make sure to check out that article as well to get all the advanced tips and tricks and to know the correct way to do it!

Meanwhile, here are the key steps to add a logo to all slides using the “Slide Master” in PowerPoint –

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” tab

powerpoint slide layers

The first step is to click on the master slide from the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen in the “Slide Master” view. Then click on the “Insert” tab from the menu ribbon.

Step-2: Click on the “Pictures” button

powerpoint slide layers

The next step is to click on the “Pictures” button in the “Images” section of the “Insert” menu. Then click on the “This Device” option from the dropdown menu. This will open a dialog box.

Step-3: Click on the “Insert” option

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Insert Picture” dialog box, click on the logo you want to add to the presentation. Then click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the dialog box to add the logo to the master slide. This will automatically add the logo to all the slides of the presentation.

4h. Use Slide Master to Add a Watermark in PowerPoint 

A watermark is an identifying text or image that usually appears across a document and is semi-transparent. You can learn about how to add or remove watermarks in PowerPoint in my other article.

Meanwhile, I’ll share the key steps in a brief manner below –

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Slide Master” view, click on the master slide which is the top slide in the slide layout panel. Then click on the “Insert” tab from the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Text Box” option

In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Text Box” option from the “Text” section. Then draw the text box on the master slide. You can now type in the text you want as a watermark on all the slides.

Step-3: Click on the “Format Text Effects” option

powerpoint slide layers

The next step is to select the text in the watermark text box. Then “Right Click” on the selected text and click on the “Format Text Effects” option. This will open the “Format Shape” sidebar on the right side of the screen.

Step-4: Increase the text transparency

powerpoint slide layers

In the “Format Shape” sidebar, click on the “Text Fill and Outline” option which is the first icon. In the “Text Fill” section, click on the “Solid Fill” option. Then drag the slider next to the “Transparency” option to the right until the text reaches your preferred transparency.

5. Understanding Slide Layouts in PowerPoint Slide Master

Slide Layouts in Microsoft PowerPoint are slide designs that have pre-arranged placeholders that you can use to add your content quickly and easily. To understand the functions of slide layouts in PowerPoint and how to use them, you can read my article on slide layouts in PowerPoint .

5a. How to Know Which Slides Use What Slide Layouts

Using the “Normal” view in PowerPoint, you can see which slides are using what slide layouts. All you have to do is follow the 2 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Normal View” option

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “View” tab. In the “View” menu, click on the “Normal” option which is the first option in the “Presentation Views” section. This will return the screen to “Normal View” .

Step-2: Click on the “Layout” option

In the slide thumbnail panel at the left side of the screen, “Right Click” on a slide. Then click on the “Layout” option from the context menu. This will open a list of all the slide layouts available in the presentation. You will see the slide layout being used by the selected slide is highlighted in the list.

5b. How to Insert and Rename Slide Layouts

To insert or rename slide layouts, you have to first access the “Slide Master” menu from the “View” tab in the menu ribbon.

Inserting Slide Layouts

powerpoint slide layers

In the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen, you have to first click on the place where you want to insert a new slide layout. Then click on the “Insert Layout” button in the “Edit Master” section of the “Slide Master” menu.

Renaming Slide Layouts

powerpoint slide layers

To rename a slide layout, you have to first click on the layout from the slide layout panel. Then click on the “Rename” option next to the “Insert Layout” button in the “Slide Master” menu. This will open the “Rename Layout” dialog box where you have to type in the new name for the slide layout.

Finally, you have to click on the “Rename” button in the dialog box to rename the slide layout.

6. Understanding Placeholders in Slide Master in PowerPoint

powerpoint slide layers

In Microsoft PowerPoint, a placeholder is a pre-formatted box on the slide where you can easily add content with a single click. You can learn more about placeholders in PowerPoint in my other article.

Using the “Slide Master” view, you can add, remove and edit the type and position of the placeholders in each slide layout. There are seven types of placeholders: “Text” , “Pictures” , “Chart” , “Table” , “SmartArt” , “Media” , and “Online Image” .

Besides, you can also use a “Content” placeholder which allows you to add any type of mentioned content.

7. How to Insert a Slide Master in PowerPoint?

powerpoint slide layers

To insert a slide master in Microsoft PowerPoint, the first step is to open the “Slide Master” view from the “View” tab. In the “Slide Master” view, click on the “Insert Slide Master” button. It is the first button in the “Edit Master” section of the “Slide Master” menu.

Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+M” keys on your keyboard to insert a new slide master.

8. How to Delete a Slide Master in PowerPoint?

powerpoint slide layers

To delete an unused master slide in PowerPoint , you have to first “Right Click” on the master slide from the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen. Then click on the “Delete Master” option in the right-click menu. Alternatively, you can press the “delete” key on your keyboard.

9. How to Exit the Slide Master View in PowerPoint?

powerpoint slide layers

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can exit the “Slide Master” view with one click. All you have to do is click on the “Close Master View” button. It is the last button under the “Slide Master” tab and is located in the “Close” section.

Microsoft Power BI Blog

Power bi february 2024 feature summary.

Headshot of article author Saveen Reddy

Welcome to the Power BI February 2024 update. We’ve got a lot of great features this month. Here are some key highlights:

  • Visual calculations make it easier than ever to do calculations that were very hard or even impossible.
  • The Power BI home provides a centralized location for all your Power BI desktop activities.
  • Fabric Copilot for Power BI can now add measure descriptions to your semantic model measures.
  • The Power BI add in now supports shareable links to make it easier for people to consume reports.
  • The new Explore feature gives you a better understanding of what’s in the data you’re exploring.

Fabric Community Conference

Join us at the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference the ultimate Microsoft Data & AI learning event, on March 26-28, 2024, at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. With over 150 sessions for everyone who works with Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, SQL, Azure AI, and Purview , the conference promises a rich learning experience.

This is a unique opportunity to meet the Microsoft product teams building these technologies, the customers betting their businesses on them, and the partners that are at the forefront of deployment and adoption. Engage with this vibrant community, learn from their real-world experiences, stay abreast of the latest developments.

Please note that this event is in-person only. Sessions will not be recorded, streamed or made available for on-demand consumption.

Register today using code MSCUST for an exclusive discount ! Need help convincing your boss to attend? No problem!  Use this letter  to share with your boss about this unforgettable opportunity.

powerpoint slide layers

  • Version number: v: 2.126.927.0
  • Date published: 02/16/2024

powerpoint slide layers

On-object Interaction Updates

  • Enhanced Reference Layer in Power BI Azure Maps Visual 

Data connectivity

Certified connectors updates, storytelling in powerpoint – replace report urls with shareable links in power bi add-in, data overview in explore, directquery connections update, shared device mode is now ga, power bi custom visuals new local storage api, on-object interaction support for custom visuals, tmdl in power bi desktop developer mode, editor’s pick of the quarter, new visuals in appsource, multiple sparklines, rose donut pie chart by powerviz, xviz gantt chart by lumel, control chart xmr by nova silva, drill down graph pro, more users can now collaborate with protected pbix in power bi desktop.

Visual calculations 

A new way of doing calculations has arrived! You can now add calculations directly on your visual using visual calculations, which are DAX calculations that are defined and executed directly on a visual. A calculation can refer to any data in the visual, including columns, measures, or other visual calculations. This approach removes the complexity of the semantic model and simplifies the process of writing DAX. You can use visual calculations to complete common business calculations such as running sums or moving averages. Visual calculations make it easy to do calculations that were previously very hard or even almost impossible to do.

To use visual calculations while in preview, you need to enable it in Options and Settings  ➡️  Options  ➡️  Preview features . Select visual calculations and select OK . Visual calculations will be enabled after Desktop is restarted.

To add a visual calculation, you first need to select a visual. Next, select the New calculation button in the ribbon:

The new calculation button is shown on the Home tab of the ribbon in Power BI Desktop in the Calculations group.

To add a visual calculation, type the expression in the formula bar in the visual calculations edit mode that opens. For example, in a visual that contains Sales Amount and Total Product Cost by Fiscal Year , you can add a visual calculation that calculates the profit for each year by simply typing: Profit = [Sales Amount] – [Total Product Cost].

The visual matrix is updated as you add visual calculations using in the formula bar. New visual calculations are added as columns to the visual matrix.

Additionally, you can easily add a running sum of profit by writing:

Here is a visual with the two visual calculations we have just created:

A screenshot of a graph Description automatically generated

You can use many existing DAX functions in visual calculations. Functions specific to visual calculations are also available, such as RUNNINGSUM , PREVIOUS and MOVINGAVERAGE . Using these and other functions, visual calculations are much easier to read, write and maintain than the current DAX required.

We are only just getting started with this preview. There is a lot more that we have planned, so please stay tuned for updates in future releases. However, we invite you to jump in now!

For more information, read the dedicated blog post and documentation . Please try the preview today and let us know what you think .

Dynamic subscriptions for Power BI reports

Dynamic per recipient subscriptions is now available in Preview for Power BI reports! Like dynamic subscriptions for paginated reports , you can now distribute a personalized copy of a Power BI report to each recipient of an email subscription.

Imagine you have a report that includes sales data for your entire team. You want to schedule an email subscription that sends out a PDF copy of this report to each salesperson on a weekly basis, with the report filtered to only show their sales results.

This can now be done by connecting to a semantic model (previously Power BI dataset) that defines the mapping between recipients and respective filter values. When it’s time to send out the report, the latest data available in your semantic model will determine which employees should receive a report in their inbox, and with what filter values applied.

A screenshot of a computer New dynamic subscription, select and filter data.

See the documentation for dynamic subscriptions here.

This February release we added multi-visual container format support ! Previously, when multi-selecting across different visual types, the format pane did not support any options for formatting the visuals. Now, when multi-selecting different visuals, we’ve added formatting support for container formatting such as changing the size, background color, adding a shadow or turning on/off titles in bulk.

When multi-selecting different visual types (e.g. a line chart and bar chart):

A screenshot of a graph, Visualizations. Order Quantity by Year, Sales by Category.

We’ve also added the ability to format a visual’s container size and position even if it’s empty:

A screenshot of a graph, Visualizations. Select or drag fields to populate the visual.

This month we also bring you a handful of quality improvements to the on-object experience:

  • Bug fix : when working with a non-visual (text box, button, image, shape) the build pane accidentally closing automatically. The build pane now stays open unless explicitly closed regardless of selected item type.
  • Bug fix : style bug where the build pane was showing 5 icons across instead of the usual 6 has been fixed.
  • Bug fix : in some cases, the data flyout was extending beyond the window size making the search box hard to use, this has now been fixed.
  • Enhancement : When choosing a field using the data flyout – you can now click anywhere on the name, not just the checkbox next to it to select the field.

A screenshot of a computer, Data selecting Order Quantity.

5.Enhancement : If replacing a field in a visual that does not use an aggregation or date hierarchy (other dropdowns are disabled), we auto open the data dropdown to save an extra click.

A screenshot of a graph, Data selecting Category.

Power BI Home in Desktop is Enabled by Default  

We are excited to announce the new and improved Power BI Home as the default experience! The Power BI Home has been redesigned to provide a centralized and familiar location for all your Power BI activities within the desktop application. Our aim is to enhance your productivity and make it easier to discover and consume content.

With Power BI Home, you no longer need to navigate through multiple menus or tabs to access your files and reports. This intuitive interface serves as a hub, like other popular office products, where you can effortlessly manage your reports, all from a single location.

Whether you’re a seasoned Power BI user or new to the platform, Power BI Home ensures a consistent and seamless experience across all your Power BI activities.

Now, you can:

  • Initiate a new report directly from the new home screen.
  • Access reports from recommendations that we have curated.
  • Locate your most recent reports through the Quick Access lists.

A screenshot of a computer abilities within the new home screen.

Please continue to submit your feedback directly in the comments of this blog post or in our feedback forum .

Enhanced Reference Layer in Power BI Azure Maps Visual

We’re excited to introduce a significant enhancement to the Power BI Azure Maps visual reference layer feature. In response to valuable user feedback and in alignment with evolving industry standards, we have expanded the capabilities of the reference layer. Now, in addition to supporting the existing GeoJSON format, users can also utilize KML (Keyhole Markup Language) and WKT (Well-Known Text) formats.

We’re also adding URL as a data source alongside file upload. This addition offers users even more flexibility and convenience in importing spatial data into Power BI. Whether your data resides in GeoJSON, KML, WKT, or through a URL link, the Power BI Azure Maps visual seamlessly integrates these formats, ensuring a comprehensive and versatile geospatial analysis experience.

Measure descriptions with Copilot

Add descriptions to your semantic model measures with Fabric Copilot for Power BI! People building reports from your semantic model can see the name and description of your measures, making the description property essential documentation. And Fabric Copilot is here to help!

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

Streamline your semantic model documentation by creating measure descriptions with Copilot .

1. Click on the model measure in the Data pane of Model view to see the measure properties .

2. Click on the Create with Copilot (preview) button under the Description textbox.

3. Review the measure description from Copilot, then click Keep it .

4. Now the measure description is in the Description box. Fine tune the description, as needed.

5. You update the measure later? No worries, just click the button again when you need the description updated!

Try this out today and let us know what you think! Get started today by turning on this public preview feature in Options > Preview features and learning more about how to get access to Fabric Copilot for Power BI on your tenant at https://learn.microsoft.com/power-bi/create-reports/copilot-introduction#copilot-requirements .

DAX query view improvements  

We released the public preview of DAX query view in November 2023, and in this release, we made the following improvements:

A screenshot of a computer, Boolean values are now showing in the Results grid.

  • A share feedback link has been added in Options > Preview features. We would love to hear your feedback on DAX query view!
  • A bug causing active query tab to stop being highlighted is fixed.
  • A bug with close brackets of a nested IFs DAX formula is fixed.

And we have released additional INFO DAX functions.

  • INFO.CHANGEDPROPERTIES()
  • INFO.EXCLUDEDARTIFACTS()
  • INFO.FUNCTIONS()
  • INFO.LINGUISTICMETADATA()

A screenshot of a computer, we have released additional INFO DAX functions.

Learn more about DAX query view at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/transform-model/dax-query-view .

SingleStore, we’re thrilled to inform you that our connector has now officially moved out of beta. We want to express our gratitude for your valuable feedback and for being an essential part of our beta journey. Your insights have played a crucial role in shaping the enhancements we’ve made.

This upgrade comes with an exciting new feature – you can now cancel running queries, hassle-free. No more queries running in the background after you refresh the UI/visual or navigate across the pages in the report.

Our team is dedicated to continuously improving and adding even more useful features to enhance your experience. Thank you for your ongoing support, and we can’t wait to continue providing you with top-notch features that elevate your data connectivity and reporting capabilities.

When you add the Power BI add-in to a presentation, you can pick a report suggested to you or paste a link to a specific report.

When you paste a standard report link (the URL copied from the browser address bar), and if sharable links are enabled for your organization and allowed for this report, you have re-share permissions to this report, Power BI add-in can replace the link you pasted with shareable link. In that case you will see a checkbox added below the report URL that offers you automatic access to this report. Just mark this checkbox and Power BI add-in will create a shareable link for you.

Using a sharable link ensures that other users viewing the presentation have the required permission to see the report, and do not need to request access when viewing the presentation.

A screenshot of a computer, Using a sharable link ensures that other users viewing the presentation have the required permission to see the report, and do not need to request access when viewing the presentation.

Have you tried out the new Explore feature yet? This month we added a data overview feature to Explore that allows you to get the “gist” of what your data is all about. Powered by Copilot, data overview gives you a summary of what’s contained in the data you’re exploring and highlights some interesting tidbits to get you started. Let us know what you think!

A screenshot of a computer, Powered by Copilot, data overview gives you a summary of what’s contained in the data you’re exploring and highlights some interesting tidbits to get you started.

Maximum connections per data source  is a setting to configure the maximum number of connections DirectQuery opens for each underlying data source. This controls the maximum number of queries that can be executed concurrently against each data source and is configurable per semantic model.

We recently updated the upper limit of the number of concurrent Direct Query connections allowed per semantic model. The updated limits for each SKU are listed in the table below.

The upper limit for Power BI PPU is 100 active connections. Note that there is no change to the Power BI Pro and Report Server limits and the default maximum value remains as 10 concurrent connections.

Introduced last September, shared device mode is now generally available! With shared device mode, organizations can safely deploy the Power BI mobile app across their pool of shared devices.  Check it out !

This API allows Custom Visuals to store data directly in the local browser. Data stored locally is more secure and improves the performance of web apps. The API will be controlled by a global admin setting. Learn more about the API.

Our February release introduces the support of the new on-object interaction. This enhancement allows users to build and customize visuals directly on the visual in Power BI Desktop. It puts common actions for creating and formatting visuals on the visuals themselves, actions such as adding fields, changing visualization types, and formatting text.

The primary objective of Power BI Desktop developer mode is to provide friendly source control and co-development experience. With this objective in mind, you can now save your Power BI Project files (PBIP) using  Tabular Model Definition Language (TMDL)  format. TMDL has been designed from the ground up to be human-friendly, facilitating not only readability but also easy editing in any text editor. This represents a substantial enhancement for source control and collaborative development experiences, particularly when dealing with complex file diffs.  

Saving as a PBIP using TMDL is currently in preview. Before giving it a try, you must first enable this feature in Preview features: go to  File  >  Options and settings  >  Options  >  Preview features  and check the box next to “Store semantic model using TMDL format”.  

After enabling the preview feature, when saving as PBIP, your semantic model will be saved as a TMDL folder named “\definition” with separate files for each table, perspective, role, culture:  

After enabling the preview feature, when saving as PBIP, your semantic model will be saved as a TMDL folder named “\definition” with separate files for each table, perspective, role, culture: 

You can also upgrade existent PBIP files to TMDL , by just opening them and choosing “Upgrade” when you save:  

You can also upgrade existent PBIP files to TMDL, by just opening them and choosing “Upgrade” when you save: 

By default, Fabric Git Integration will still use Tabular Model Scripting Language (TMSL) to export the semantic model during the Public Preview. However, if the semantic model is imported into Fabric using TMDL, then Fabric Git Integration will export the definition into Git using TMDL in the event of any semantic model changes in the service.  

Learn more about TMDL in Power BI Project files  here .  

Visualizations

  • Inforiver Analytics+ (Charts+Cards+Tables)
  • Inforiver Premium Matrix / Table
  • Drill Down Donut PRO (Filter) by ZoomCharts
  • Date Picker
  • Enlighten Aquarium
  • Deneb: Declarative Visualization in Power BI
  • Comment – Dynamics 365 Finance business performance planning
  • Reporting – Dynamics 365 Finance business performance planning
  • Variance – Dynamics 365 Finance business performance planning
  • Matrix planning – Dynamics 365 Finance business performance planning
  • Copy – Dynamics 365 Finance business performance planning
  • Table edit – Dynamics 365 Finance business performance planning
  • Graphical planning – Dynamics 365 Finance business performance planning
  • Waterfall-Visual-Extended
  • Processifier Process Mining
  • flashbi fantail
  • Map by Squillion
  • Charticulator Visual Community (View)

New features were added to Multiple Sparklines on Oct 23

  • When you double click a line chart, it will zoom in to screen size of visual and you can then compare it with any other line chart in that column.
  • You can use different colors for each line chart in a field/column.
  • You can insert ratings with bands.
  • You can add beeswarm / distribution microchart.

A screenshot of a graph New features were added to Multiple Sparklines on Oct 23

Once you double click the line chart, it zooms in to the visual size. You can then compare it with another line chart in the same column. This is shown below:

A graph with purple lines Once you double click the line chart, it zooms in to the visual size. You can then compare it with another line chart in the same column.

Download this visual from APPSOURCE

For more information visit https://www.excelnaccess.com/sparklines/

or contact [email protected]

Rose/Donut/Pie Chart is a powerful visual that lets you build four types of charts – a rose, a rose donut, a donut, and a pie chart. These chart types are commonly used to display part-to-whole relationships, proportions of categorical data, and ratios. Each arc represents the ratio from the total for easy comparison.

Key Features:

  • Chart Options: Rose, donut, pie charts with style customization.
  • Data Colors: Choose from 30+ palettes, including color-blind mode.
  • Fill Patterns: Apply patterns or use custom images.
  • Smart Labels: Improve readability with data and leaf labels.
  • Arc Customization: Easily adjust arc radius, padding, and stroke.
  • Ranking: Filter Top/Bottom N, show others intelligently.
  • Center Circle: Multiple layers, text, icons, and images in the center.
  • Mouseover Text: Display dynamic details when hovering over arcs.
  • Image Labels: Integrate dynamic image URLs for enhanced visuals.
  • Conditional Formatting: Detect outliers and set smart rules for measures/categories.

Other features included are annotation, grid view, show condition, and accessibility support.

Business Use Cases: Finance, Healthcare, E-commerce, Education, Customer Demographics

🔗 Try Rose/Donut/Pie Chart for FREE from AppSource

📊 Check out all features of the visual: Demo file

📃 Step-by-step instructions: Documentation

💡 YouTube Video: Video Link

📍 Learn more about visuals: https://powerviz.ai/

✅ Follow Powerviz : https://lnkd.in/gN_9Sa6U

A screenshot of a chart Rose/Donut/Pie Chart is a powerful visual that lets you build four types of charts - a rose, a rose donut, a donut, and a pie chart. These chart types are commonly used to display part-to-whole relationships, proportions of categorical data, and ratios. Each arc represents the ratio from the total for easy comparison.

xViz Gantt Chart by Lumel is a Microsoft Power BI Certified Visual. As the most feature rich Gantt in Power BI – it is widely used across most Fortune 500 companies world-wide.

Why Large Enterprises Choose xViz Gantt Chart:

Real-time Alerts for Project Managers: Leverage Conditional Formatting to receive color-coded alerts and status flags, ensuring timely awareness of schedule delays or progress issues.

Visualize Task Dependencies: Easily identify causes of delays with the ability to plot task dependencies using connectors within the roadmap view.

Adaptable for Different Users: From Stakeholders tracking yearly progress to Project Managers analysing monthly views and Developers scrutinizing smaller time grains with flexibility across three distinct timeline levels.

Strategic Planning with Reference Lines and Ranges: Utilize Reference Lines and Ranges to mark crucial dates, holidays, sprints, or deadlines across projects.

Customization Galore:   Wide range of customizable options, including adjustable timeline limits, selectable week start days, and indentation customization for ragged hierarchies.

Hassle-Free Licensing:   The visual is free for use in Power BI Desktop. For sharing & collaborating on Power BI service, the licenses can be purchased directly from Microsoft AppSource.

A screenshot of a computer

Try xViz Gantt Chart today after watching the 2-minute video highlights.

Years ago, Stacey Barr introduced us to the magic of Control Charts. Magic it is, because it allows everyone to split their temporal data in two: random noise and real signals. And we all are looking for real signals, and don’t want to be distracted by random noise.

In our last release of the Control Chart XmR we have added several new features to make it even easier to find real signals and ignore random noise in your data.

First, we added a feature to allow any report consumer to override the applied rules. This allows everyone to analyze the effects of one specific rule or set of rules.

A screenshot of a computer First, we added a feature to allow any report consumer to override the applied rules. This allows everyone to analyze the effects of one specific rule or set of rules.

Several customers asked for a possibility to download the calculated values from the visual. Now you can download all values calculated by the Control Chart XmR, like: LCL, CL, UCL, sigmas and signals.

Don’t hesitate and try the new Control Chart XmR now on your own data by downloading it from the AppSource . All features are available for free to evaluate this visual within Power BI Desktop.

Questions or remarks? Visit us at: https://visuals.novasilva.com/ .

Drill Down Graph PRO lets you create elegant and user-friendly graphs to represent complex relationships between nodes. It’s ideal for both small and large network graphs and offers advanced features like cross-chart filtering and vast customization options. You can create hierarchies and explore them using this visual’s intuitive interactions.

Main features include:

  • Multiple layout options – dynamic, hierarchical, and radial
  • Focus nodes mode – for gradual exploration of graphs.
  • Customization options – choose colors, shapes, images, and labels.
  • Bidirectional links – show reciprocal relationships between nodes.
  • Touch device support – explore your data anywhere.

Popular use cases:

  • IT – asset management, IT infrastructure, IoT monitoring
  • Logistics – fleet management, stock management, parcel tracking
  • Sales & Marketing – community detection, account management, web analytics

ZoomCharts Drill Down Visuals are known for interactive drilldowns, smooth animations, and rich customization options. They support interactions, selections, custom and native tooltips, filtering, bookmarks, and context menu. Use them to create visually appealing and intuitive reports that business users will love on any device.

Get Drill Down Graph PRO from AppSource!

Learn more about Drill Down Graph PRO by ZoomCharts.

A screenshot of a computer ZoomCharts Drill Down Visuals are known for interactive drilldowns, smooth animations, and rich customization options. They support interactions, selections, custom and native tooltips, filtering, bookmarks, and context menu. Use them to create visually appealing and intuitive reports that business users will love on any device.

Have you ever wondered how to collaborate with your colleagues on sensitive data without compromising its security? Do you want to learn how to use Microsoft Purview Information Protection sensitivity labels to protect your data ?

If so, you’re in the right place! We’ll show you how to use sensitivity labels with protection to encrypt and protect your data, and how to enable more users to edit and republish encrypted PBIX files. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to collaborate more securely with your data in Power BI.

Protecting your data with Microsoft Purview

Compliance admins in your organization can use Microsoft Purview Information Protection  sensitivity labels  to manage their org’s sensitive data across different apps and services and meet regulatory and compliance requirements.

They define file protection policies for the sensitivity labels, which result in files being encrypted when such labels are applied, allowing only authorized users to open and edit these files in Office apps and Power BI Desktop.

Sensitivity labels are widely adopted by enterprises today and used to label and protect content in  Microsoft 365  apps such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook, and now in Power BI and Fabric as well.

All you have to do is enable Information Protection in Microsoft Fabric’s Admin Portal and let the labels do the rest.

A screenshot of a computer All you have to do is enable Information Protection in Microsoft Fabric’s Admin Portal and let the labels do the rest.

How Power BI Desktop enforces sensitivity label protection

In Power BI Desktop , we enforce label protection on PBIX files. To open a PBIX file, you either must be the label issuer or have one of the following usage rights .

These usage rights are elevated permissions, as they grant permission to change the sensitivity label. Because Power BI and Office apps use the same label policies, compliance admins may prefer not to grant these usage rights for Highly confidential labels. This might block you from collaborating with your colleagues when you’re sharing or downloading Power BI reports and trying to open them in the desktop app.

Collaborating and keeping label protection on PBIX files

By enabling “ Increase the number of users who can edit and republish encrypted PBIX files (preview) ” in your tenant, users that have been assigned with all of the following usage rights should be able to open, edit, and republish the protected PBIX file to the Power BI service:

  • View Content (VIEW)
  • Edit Content (DOCEDIT)
  • Save (EDIT)
  • Copy and extract content (EXTRACT)
  • Allow Macros (OBJMODEL)

Thus, users who were once restricted can now collaborate with protected files, while keeping protection consistent with the organizational policy.

Note: These usage rights are a sub-set of the “Co-Author” permissions preset in Microsoft Purview compliance center.

What are the restrictions and why?

In order to align with compliance requirements, users with these usage rights are lightly restricted while editing a protected PBIX file.

No exporting to unsupported formats –The user won’t be able to export to formats that don’t support sensitivity labels, such as CSV files.

A screenshot of a computer In order to align with compliance requirements, users with these usage rights are lightly restricted while editing a protected PBIX file. No exporting to unsupported formats –The user won’t be able to export to formats that don’t support sensitivity labels, such as CSV files.

No label change – The user can’t change the label on the PBIX file.

A screenshot of a computer No label change - The user can't change the label on the PBIX file.

Republishing to the original workspace only

Republishing to the original workspace only

Why restrict republishing into the original workspace only?

To remain compliant, we must keep users from gaining more permissions, including Power BI permissions (i.e., Read, Write, Reshare and Build). Meaning that a user who wishes to publish should not be able to publish to a workspace that might grant them additional permissions through Workspace roles.

Additionally, this feature is meant for collaborating and sharing items that are more restricted than usual, and confidential data is usually managed in a dedicated workspace. This restriction will prevent users from publishing confidential data across the tenant.

Side note: The file must be published at least once for other users to be able to republish it to that specific workspace. If the file has not yet been published, then the latest label issuer (the one who set the protected label) or a user with sufficient usage rights must publish it and then share the file with the other editors.

How to enable it

Prerequisite: The compliance admin must assign you and your colleagues the proper permissions for that sensitivity label.

Next, Fabric/Power BI admins must enable the feature in Admin Portal > Information protection > Increase the number of users who can edit and republish encrypted PBIX files (preview).

In Power BI Desktop, users who would like to open and edit protected PBIX files must enable the feature by opening File > Options and settings > Options > Preview feature > Less elevated user support.

Final words

With this new feature, users can now collaborate more easily with other users when working on confidential data in Power BI Desktop, without any loss of protection along the way.

That is all for this month! Please continue sending us your feedback and do not forget to vote for other features that you would like to see in Power BI! We hope that you enjoy the update! If you installed Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store,  please leave us a review .

Also, don’t forget to vote on your favorite feature this month on our community website. 

As always, keep voting on  Ideas  to help us determine what to build next. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

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