How to Make Just One Slide Portrait in PowerPoint Using a Workaround

Lee Stanton August 28, 2021

When creating presentations, PowerPoint allows you to choose between the portrait or landscape orientation. Once selected, it’ll be applied throughout all slides. What if you want to mix it up?

How to Make Just One Slide Portrait in PowerPoint Using a Workaround

We’ll discuss whether it’s possible to make one of the slides portraits in PowerPoint and more.

Can I Make Just One Slide Portrait in PowerPoint?

Unfortunately, PowerPoint doesn’t allow you to change the orientation for certain slides. You’d have to change the orientation of your entire presentation.

You can always insert a portrait-oriented image or crop your photos to make them fit the screen. In addition, PowerPoint allows you to fit the size of your slides to your monitor.

Although PowerPoint doesn’t allow mixed orientations, there’s a workaround that involves two presentation decks.

How to Make Just One Slide Portrait in Windows

Windows users can follow the steps below to insert one portrait slide:

Create two presentation files. The first file is the master deck in landscape mode and the second file should contain that one portrait slide.
In the official presentation (first file), go to the location where you want to insert the portrait slide and select the text, picture, or object that you wish to link to.
Go to the “Insert” tab.
Under the “Links” section, tap “Action.”
Choose when you would like the portrait slide to appear. You can select “Mouse Click” or “Mouse Over.” If you choose the latter, the portrait slide will open when you hover over the linked location.
Press “Hyperlink to.”
In the drop-down menu, select “Other PowerPoint presentation.”
Find the presentation that you want to link to the original and press “Ok.”
Press “Ok” again.

When you enter the slide show and go to the linked text, picture, or object, hover over or click it, depending on the option chosen. The portrait slide will appear on your screen. When you want to exit the portrait slide, press “Esc” and you’ll return to the landscape presentation.

If you want to use multiple portrait slides, we recommend creating a separate PowerPoint file for all of them and linking them to the main file.

Tip: When creating the two presentation files, do it in the same folder for easier navigation.

How to Make Just One Slide Portrait on a Mac

As with Windows, there’s a workaround. Follow the steps below:

Create two PowerPoint files: one for your official presentation and the other for the single portrait slide to be inserted. Keep both in the same folder.
Open the presentation deck and go to where you want to insert the portrait slide. Select the text, object, or picture to be connected to the portrait slide.
Go to the “Insert” tab and press “Action.” If you have an older Mac, go to the “Slide Show” tab and press “Action.”
Choose when you would like the portrait slide to appear. You can select “Mouse Click” or “Mouse Over.” For the latter, the portrait slide will open when you hover over the linked location.
Press “Hyperlink to.”
Choose “Other PowerPoint presentation” from the drop-down menu.
Find the presentation that you want to link and press “Ok” twice.

Link Two or More Presentations to Switch Orientations

Unfortunately, PowerPoint doesn’t allow you to combine portrait and landscape in one file. But you can create just one portrait slide in a PowerPoint file and link it to your landscape presentation. Although it may seem complicated, this is the best solution available so far and it works for both Windows and Mac.

How did you manage this problem? Have you found any other solution or are you satisfied with the method as discussed above? Let us know in the comments.