Microsoft starts testing new ‘Portrait mode’ feature in PowerPoint on iOS

Making PowerPoint presentations on small screens of handheld devices is a bit tricky due to the way we usually use them in portrait orientation. Microsoft wants to address that in PowerPoint on iOS by testing a new Portrait mode feature with its Office Insiders.

“With a shift towards mobile-first content creation, we have heard from many of you that you prefer to do so in Portrait mode,” shares Ekta Dwivedy, a PowerPoint Mobile team product manager. “Based on your feedback, We have added the capability to switch and in and out of Portrait mode when both creating and editing slides!”

The mode can now be tried by Office Insiders who own iPads and iPhones running Version 2.68 (Build 22112003) or later, though it might not yet be available to all testers.

Accessing the new mode differs depending on the device you are using, though it can be applied whether on an existing presentation or a new one. For iPads, the feature can be found on the Orientation dropdown menu under the Design tab, while iPhone users can locate the Orientation option in the Design option under the Home tab.

In October, Microsoft also started testing a new ability for PowerPoint and Word for the web to instantly insert images from a mobile phone. It only requires pairing the Android device with a user’s work or school account, and the photos from the phone will be available on PowerPoint’s image insert selections.

Earlier this month, the Redmond company also rolled out Office Version 2211 (Build 15831.20012) to Beta Channel Office Insiders, giving them the new “Save Media with Closed Captions” feature, allowing the saving of all the closed caption files along with the media files.

In December, new PowerPoint improvements are expected to have their general availability. This includes the added audit fields related to the protection status of a document (Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint for desktop) and a “refreshed look” (Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint for the web). According to the latest Microsoft 365 roadmap, the latter will give PowerPoint “a simpler, more coherent experience that lets you focus more easily on your work,” though it is not detailed what areas will be specifically improved.