Make sure everyone reads your PowerPoint slide contents in the order that you intend.
When someone who can see reads a slide, they usually read its content, such as texts and pictures, in the order the elements appear on the slide. In contrast, a screen reader reads the elements of a slide in the order they were added to the slide, which might be very different from the order in which things appear.
Set the reading order of slide contents
Use the Selection pane to set the order in which the screen readers read the slide contents. The Selection pane lists the objects on the slide in reverse order. When the screen reader reads this slide, it reads the objects in the reverse order listed in the Selection pane.
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On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, select Arrange.
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In the Arrange menu, select Selection Pane.
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In the Selection pane, to change the reading order, do one of the following:
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Drag and drop items to the new location.
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Select the item and then select the Up arrow button (Bring Forward) or Down arrow button (Send Backward).
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Use built-in slide designs for inclusive reading order
PowerPoint has built-in slide designs that contain placeholders for text, videos, pictures, and more. They also contain all the formatting, such as theme colors, fonts, and effects. To make sure that your slides are accessible, the built-in layouts are designed so that the reading order is the same for people who see and people who use technology such as screen readers.
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On the View tab, click Normal.
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In the Thumbnail pane, locate the place where you want to add the new slide. Right-click, and select New Slide. Click the new slide to select it.
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On the Design tab, expand the Themes gallery, and select the slide layout that you want. PowerPoint automatically applies this layout to the new slide.
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Go to the new slide, and add the title and content that you want.
