5 Easy Methods to Prevent PowerPoint from Changing Font Size

Have you ever been frustrated by PowerPoint automatically changing the font size of your text? You carefully format your slide with the perfect font sizes, only to have PowerPoint unexpectedly resize things and throw off your whole layout. Luckily, there are several ways to prevent PowerPoint from changing font sizes.

In this article, we’ll walk through exactly how to keep your font sizes consistent in PowerPoint so you can create professional, polished presentations.

Why Does PowerPoint Change Font Sizes?

Before we get into the solutions, it’s helpful to understand why PowerPoint changes font sizes in the first place. There are a few main reasons:

1. AutoFit

By default, PowerPoint has a feature called AutoFit that automatically resizes text to fit within a placeholder. So if you type more text than will fit at the current font size, PowerPoint will shrink the text down. While this can be convenient, it often leads to inconsistent font sizes.

2. Templates and Themes

When you apply a new template or theme to your presentation, it can override your existing font sizes. Each PowerPoint theme has its own default font type and sizes for different levels of text (e.g. headings vs. body text).

3. Copy and Paste

If you copy and paste text from another source like a website or Word document, it can bring over the original font size which may not match the rest of your slide. PowerPoint will often automatically adjust the pasted text size.

4. Placeholder Inconsistencies

If you have text placeholders of different sizes on your slide, PowerPoint may size the text differently in each one, leading to inconsistent font sizes. The size of the placeholder affects the default maximum font size.

How to Prevent Font Size Changes in PowerPoint

Now that we know some of the main reasons why PowerPoint automatically changes font sizes, let’s look at several methods to stop this from happening. Here are the top ways to keep your font sizes locked in place:

Method 1: Turn Off AutoFit

The first and most important step is to disable the AutoFit feature so PowerPoint won’t automatically resize your text to fit the placeholder. Here’s how to turn off AutoFit:

1. Select the text placeholder you want to format
2. Go to the Shape Format pane (or Format Shape pane) on the right
3. Select the Text Options tab
4. Expand the AutoFit section
5. Select “Do not AutoFit”

Repeat this process for each text box on your current slide. You may also want to do this on your Slide Master to turn off AutoFit for all slides in your presentation. Disabling AutoFit gives you full control over your text sizing.

Method 2: Manually Format Your Text

Rather than relying on the theme and placeholder defaults, you can manually set your own font sizes for each block of text. To do this:

1. Select the desired text
2. Use the font size dropdown menu in the Home tab of the ribbon
3. Choose your desired font size

Repeat this manual formatting for each text box on the slide to ensure consistency. Here are some general recommended sizes to use:

By manually setting your font sizes like this for every text element, you can maintain full control and prevent PowerPoint from automatically changing them later.

Method 3: Use the Format Painter

If you have a lot of text placeholders on your slide that you want to format identically, you can save time by using the Format Painter tool. Here’s how:

1. Select the text placeholder with your desired font size and formatting
2. Click the Format Painter icon (paintbrush) in the Home tab of the ribbon
3. Click on the other text placeholders you want to apply that same font formatting to

The Format Painter lets you quickly copy font sizes and other text formatting attributes from one placeholder to others. This is a efficient way to ensure uniform sizing without having to manually set the font size for each individual text box.

Method 4: Create Custom Theme Fonts

If you want to change the default font sizes used in your presentation theme, you can create your own custom theme fonts. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Design tab in the PowerPoint ribbon
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to the Fonts menu
3. Select Customize Fonts at the bottom
4. In the dialog box, choose your desired fonts and set the font sizes for Heading and Body text
5. Give your custom font theme a descriptive name and click Save

Now your new custom font theme will appear in the font theme menu and you can easily apply it to any presentation. Setting custom theme font sizes like this helps keep your text sizes consistent across your whole presentation.

Method 5: Paste as Picture

Sometimes you need to copy and paste text from other sources into your PowerPoint slides. To avoid the pasted text coming in at the wrong size, you can use the Paste Special feature to insert the text as an image. Here’s how:

1. Copy the desired text from the original source (e.g. Word, website, etc.)
2. In PowerPoint, go to the Home tab and click the dropdown arrow below Paste
3. Select the Paste Special option
4. Choose the Picture (Windows Metafile) option

This will paste your text as a PNG image, preserving its original font size and formatting. You can then resize the image on your slide however you’d like. Pasting as an image keeps your original text sizes intact and prevents PowerPoint from changing them.

PowerPoint Font Size Tips and Tricks

In addition to the specific methods above, here are some general tips and best practices to help you keep your PowerPoint font sizes consistent and professional:

• Pick a default font and size for headings and body text and stick with it throughout your presentation for a polished, cohesive look
• Keep font sizes fairly large so your text can be easily read in the back of the room – presentations are usually viewed from a distance
• As a rule of thumb, use no more than 4 text sizes (e.g. title, heading 1, heading 2, and body) for a clean, readable design
• Use consistent margins and spacings so text frames match across slides and the default font size remains the same
• Choose PowerPoint templates that have well-defined layouts with consistent placeholders for each level of text
• When in doubt, print out your slides or view them in the Slide Show view to double check that all your font sizes look correct

Final Thoughts

Unexpected font size changes in PowerPoint are a common formatting frustration. But by understanding why they happen and following the methods outlined above, you can take control and keep your PowerPoint font sizes consistent.

Disable AutoFit, manually format your text, leverage tools like Format Painter and custom theme fonts, and paste text as images to preserve formatting. With these tips you can create presentations with uniform, polished text sizing that enhances rather than detracts from your message.

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Trish Dixon

Trish Dixon is the founder of PPTBliss and a PowerPoint expert with over a decade of experience in presentation design. Passionate about visual storytelling, Trish shares her expertise through easy-to-follow tutorials on slide design, animations, transitions, and best practices, helping professionals create impactful presentations across industries.

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