Design principles do not change, and text formatting rules, such as Kerning, remain constant. If there is one huge observation the TLC Creative design team all noted, it was that Kerning controls in PowerPoint have not improved in over 15 years! Here is the post from December 2, 2007 that (unfortunately) has the same interface and options in PowerPoint in 2025…

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If you have used desktop publishing software you are familiar with the concept of kerning. With (variable width) fonts, different pairs of characters are spaced differently. Kerning is the adjustment of spacing between letters to obtain a more pleasing appearance. The great news is that PowerPoint now has some basic kerning capabilities. Microsoft calls it ‘Character Spacing’ and here is the quick menu.

We can also get more fine control over the Character Spacing by opening the Character Spacing dialog window.

Here are a few examples of kerning in use. The top text is the standard, or normal, kerning. The second one is expanded and the third is condensed. All is still editable text and can be applied to select text within a single text box.

– Troy @ TLC

This is from our Look Back series, rediscovering previous blog posts with relevant PowerPoint tips, tricks and examples. The original post from December 3rd, 2007 can be viewed here.

Microsoft Cloud offers many fonts that can complement any PowerPoint presentation design. These fonts are not only visually appealing, but they are cloud based and require no installation. But, if you’ve ever struggled to find the perfect Microsoft font for your slide designs, there is another choice. Google fonts are a great resource that offers hundreds of options for all design projects. While these fonts can be used for PowerPoint presentations, there are some limitations that you need to consider.  

If you do decide to go with Google, realize there is a big difference between Google fonts and Microsoft Cloud fonts. PowerPoint utilizes their unique Cloud fonts so every user, anywhere, can use these fonts without the worries of corruption. When these fonts are added to a PowerPoint presentation, the fonts are automatically downloaded and will not affect the look of the slides. 

In order to use a Google font, you’ll have to download from the company’s website and install into your computer’s system. Also, each additional user of this presentation will have to install the same fonts to display properly. 

There is a catch though – PowerPoint doesn’t natively support variable fonts. 

That all being said, at TLC Creative, we do not use Google fonts as an option in PowerPoint. Unless it is a custom font from the client, we stick to the Microsoft Cloud choices to avoid problems during presentations.  

What Are Variable Fonts? 

Variable fonts are amazing because they let one font file handle multiple styles like weight, width, and slant. This means you can have a ton of design flexibility without needing a separate file for each style. While PowerPoint doesn’t support variable fonts just yet there are options. You’ll just need to download the font in its variable format (like regular, bold, italic, semi-bold, etc.) and install it manually to display properly. 

How to Use Google Fonts in PowerPoint 

Even though you can’t fully use variable fonts in PowerPoint, you can still find something from Google Fonts that will work.  

1. Go to the Google Fonts website  

2. In the left column, use the filter option to display only variable fonts under Technology.  

3. Select a variable font. We’ll use Oswald as an example. You will be able to view all the weight variations to see what is available. In the upper right select the blue “Get font” button. 

4. In the next window, download the .zip file. 

5. Find the downloaded font file on your computer and extract the .zip file. 

WARNING: when obtaining fonts from Google to install on your system, you will download a .zip file. When the .zip file is extracted, you might see a font in the main folder that includes “VariableFont” in the name. Ignore this file! Open the folder named “Static” and install these fonts instead. 

6. Within the font folder, open the static folder. 

7. Select the desired variable fonts and right click to install.  

Now when you open PowerPoint, the newly installed Google fonts will be available in the dropdown menu. (Note: if you have PowerPoint open while you are installing, you will need to close and re-start for fonts to show) 

Even though PowerPoint isn’t fully on board with variable fonts, but we are hopeful that Microsoft adopts Variable fonts soon! You can still enhance your presentations with Google Fonts. Don’t let this hold you back. Get creative and find the perfect font for your next presentation. 

– The TLC Creative Presentation Design Team

The latest episode of The Presentation Podcast, episode 218 – “Navigating the Data Visualization Landscape: Tools, Tips, and Techniques with Ann K. Emery” was a wonderful conversation about Data Viz, specifically around displaying content on slides (it is a great conversation – listen to it here!). Over the past 19 years of PowerPoint and presentation related posts here at The PowerPoint Blog, there is a rich library of chart, graph, table and general data viz related posts. As example, this post from September 2012, “Help – This Shape is Stuck in the Chart“. And this is still a common frustration for many people as they work on slides. Allow us to share this old post, so that you may troubleshoot, and get back to focusing the audience’s attention on the key data (eg. Data Viz).

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Let’s explore this common frustration that appears to be bug in PowerPoint, but is in fact the way PowerPoint charts and graphs work. There is a good reason for this feature, but for most it seems to be bug. Which is it, depends on your preference.

Here is the scenario. A chart is on a slide:

With the chart selected, you decide to add a callout box to highlight the important data in the chart.

The new shape is inserted, editable and look like what you wanted. But the shape is actually within the chart boundaries. In this case you select the new shape, and the chart is also still. Select the chart, and the shape is also part of the selection.

The dilemma is the new callout shape can be edited and moved – but it can only move within the chart boundaries. It is also connected to the chart for animation.

What PowerPoint has done, which is actually by design, is inserted the shape as part of the chart element, because the chart was selected while the shape was inserted. If the chart is moved, the shape moves. If the chart is deleted, the shape is deleted. But the shape does not directly interact with the chart. As example the chart styling options do not change the shape styling. Chart animations do not animate the new shape(but animations can be added and controlled for the shape, they are part of the chart element animation).

For some, this is a feature – the ability to tie new shapes to a chart. For others, it is a bug –  they did not want the shape tied to the chart.

SOLUTION: If you want the shape outside of the chart, the easiest fix is to select the shape (select the chart, then select the shape within the chart) >> copy >> delete >> unselect the chart >> paste. Now the slide has a chart element and a separate shape element.

– Troy @ TLC

This is from our Look Back series, rediscovering previous blog posts with relevant PowerPoint tips, tricks and examples. The original post from September 19, 2012 can be viewed here.