To change line spacing across a PowerPoint presentation, edit the text formatting in Slide Master view for each master or layout the slides use. Then check for slides that do not inherit the change and format those text boxes individually.
Change line spacing across slides with Slide Master
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Save a working copy of the presentation before changing its formatting.
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Open View > Slide Master.
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In the thumbnail pane, identify the master and layouts used by the slides you want to update. A presentation can contain more than one master, especially if it uses multiple themes.
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Select the relevant text placeholder on the master or a layout. Choose Home > Paragraph > Line Spacing and select a spacing option. For more control, open the Paragraph dialog using the group’s dialog-box launcher.
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Repeat for other relevant layouts or masters, then close Master View.
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Inspect representative slides from each layout. If a slide still uses an earlier version of a layout, reapply the edited layout in Normal view.
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Master formatting affects slides based on that master, but it does not guarantee that every text object will change. Layout choice and direct formatting can leave exceptions to correct.
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On a slide that remains unchanged, select the affected text and use Home > Paragraph > Line Spacing. For more precise settings, open the Paragraph dialog and choose the spacing mode you need. This method applies to the selected text rather than the whole presentation.
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Choose the right spacing control
- Line spacing sets the vertical distance between lines within a paragraph.
- Before and After paragraph spacing add space above or below a paragraph; they do not change the spacing between its lines.
- Vertical alignment positions text within its container and is a separate setting.
Microsoft’s detailed Windows instructions list Single, 1.5 Lines, Double, Exactly, and Multiple as spacing modes. The available menu and ribbon details can vary by platform and version. See Microsoft’s guidance on changing text alignment, indentation, and spacing in PowerPoint.
Why the change may not reach every slide
The presentation uses multiple masters or layouts
A master change reaches slides based on that master. If the presentation has multiple themes or master sets, identify which one each target slide uses and update the relevant layouts too. Microsoft explains this inheritance in What is a slide master in PowerPoint?
Existing slides still use an earlier layout
After editing a layout, some existing slides may need that layout reapplied in Normal view before the update appears. Microsoft’s instructions for customizing a slide master cover opening Slide Master view and editing the master or its layouts.
The text has individual formatting
If a text box or selected text was formatted directly on a slide, it may not follow the master’s spacing. Select that text and change its line spacing with the Home tab’s Paragraph controls.
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Platform and version notes
Microsoft’s spacing guidance covers PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016, and includes Windows and web instructions. Its Applies To list also names PowerPoint for Mac 2011. The separate Slide Master guidance covers Microsoft 365, 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016, including Mac editions. Because ribbon details differ, follow the labels shown in your version of PowerPoint.
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