Applies To
PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac PowerPoint for the web PowerPoint 2024 PowerPoint 2024 for Mac PowerPoint 2021 PowerPoint 2021 for Mac PowerPoint 2019 PowerPoint 2016

In desktop versions of PowerPoint, you don't have to use the measurement units PowerPoint comes with. A few clicks, as described below, change PowerPoint units, for example, from inches to centimeters.

PowerPoint displays the measurement system your computer uses, so to change from inches to metric (or vice versa), you make the change in Control Panel in Windows rather than in PowerPoint.

  1. Close PowerPoint.

  2. Select Windows Start or press the Windows key, type Settings and press Enter.

  3. In the search box at the top, type measure and select Change the way measurements are displayed

  4. In the Regions dialog, select Additional Settings

  5. On the Numbers tab, select Measurement system and choose Metric

  6. Select OK twice, close Settings, and start PowerPoint.

The ruler (and dialog boxes that show units of measure) now display measurements in the system you've chosen.

Tip: To change back from centimeters to inches, repeat the steps above and select U.S. instead of Metric in step 3.

See Also

Show or hide the ruler