Accessible PowerPoint (implementation guide)

4.5. Text alignment

The text is left-aligned.

What does that mean?

A left-aligned text is aligned to the left margin of the presentation. This means that all line beginnings are vertically aligned and the line ends run out freely on the right.

Why is this important?

Left-aligned formatting helps recipients who have difficulty following the flow of reading, as the lines of text start on a common left-hand margin and are therefore easier to follow. If the lines are of different lengths, it is easier to jump from one line to the next with the eyes. As justified text causes irregularly large spaces between words and more frequent word breaks, especially in narrow columns, left-aligned flush typesetting is preferable.

How can I implement/check it?

To left-align a text in PowerPoint, you can follow the steps below:

1. Select the text that you want to left-align.
2. Click on the "Start" tab in the menu bar.
3. Find the "Paragraph" group and click the "Align Left" icon, or if you're using a Mac, click "Left Align" (it looks like four L-shaped arrows pointing to the left).

Alternatively, you can also use the key combination "Ctrl + L" to left-align the text.