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Even PowerPoint succumbs to portrait mode

Even PowerPoint succumbs to portrait mode

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Microsoft addresses the shift towards mobile-first content creation.

By Jess Weatherbed, a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.

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A screenshot demonstrating how to access portrait mode on Powerpoint for iPad
Office Insiders can now create slides in portrait mode in PowerPoint for iOS on iPads and iPhones.
Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is introducing the ability to create slides in portrait mode in its mobile PowerPoint app. The feature is available in public beta via the Microsoft Office Insider program (running Version 2.68 or later) and is currently limited to iPhone and iPad devices.

The increased demand for portrait mode content has been driven by the popularity of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. As people have adjusted to consuming content in their phone’s native vertical orientation, tools optimized for portrait content creation have to follow suit.

A screenshot of PowerPoint for iOS in portrait mode on an unspecified iPhone model.
The new Portrait Mode orientation can be accessed from the Design tab.
Image: Microsoft

Microsoft acknowledged this “shift towards mobile-first content creation” alongside its announcement. Now, Office Insiders using PowerPoint Mobile on iOS can switch in and out of portrait mode when creating and editing slides.

Here’s how it works:
  • Open an existing presentation or create a new one.
  • From the Design option tap on Orientation.
  • Choose Portrait.

Microsoft Powerpoint’s new portrait mode is limited to Apple devices for now, so hold tight Android users.

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