How to Paste Into PowerPoint and Remove Gridlines
By Kathryn Hatashita-Lee
Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 offers the flexibility to insert other file types, such as an Excel worksheet or a WordPad document, right into your slides. Inserting these files as objects offers the advantage of accessing that file’s editing commands. For example, an inserted Excel worksheet allows you to edit with the Excel commands. PowerPoint also offers grid lines to help you place your content on the layout. A few clicks of the mouse will hide these gray lines for a less cluttered view as you work on your business presentation.
Paste Objects
Open the PowerPoint presentation and then click the “Normal” button on the status bar to display the command ribbon and slide pane. Navigate to the slide where you wish to insert the pasted content.
Click the “Insert” tab on the ribbon and then click the “Object” button in the Text group to open the Insert Object dialog box.
Click the “Create from file” button, click the “Browse” button to open the Browse dialog box, click the saved file and then click the “Open” button. The Browse dialog box will close.
Click the “Link” button to add a tick to the check box if you wish to create a shortcut to the file. Updates to the source file will appear on your slide.
Click the “OK” button to close the “Insert Object” dialog box. The selected file inserts in a placeholder on your slide.
Click in the placeholder, click the sizing handle on the placeholder’s frame and then drag to re-size the placeholder so you can view the content.
Remove Gridlines
Right-click on the empty space outside of the placeholder on the slide to display a list of options.
Click the “Grid and Guides” option to open the Grid and Guides dialog box.
Click the “Display grid on screen” button to remove the tick in the check box.
Click the “OK” button to close the Grid and Guides dialog box. The gridlines disappear from your slide presentation.
Tips
To insert a new file in the PowerPoint slide, click the “Create new” button in the Insert Object dialog box. A list of file types displays in the Object type pane. Click to select the file type, such as a WordPad Document, for example, and then click the “OK” button on the Insert Object dialog box. A new window opens in the selected program. As you type or create content in the window, the placeholder will update its content on the PowerPoint slide.
Double-click in the placeholder to activate the command ribbon for that file program. For example, double-click an inserted WordPad document to bring up the WordPad command ribbon to help you edit. To return to the PowerPoint command ribbon, click outside the placeholder to display the PowerPoint ribbon for editing.
To apply a keyboard shortcut to open the Insert Object dialog box, press the “Alt,” “N” and then “J” keys, one at a time.
To paste a smaller amount of content, click and drag to highlight the content on the open file and then press “Ctrl-C” to copy. Click into the placeholder on the PowerPoint slide. Press “Ctrl-V” to paste. For more paste options, right-click in the placeholder to display four options, and then click the preferred Paste option. Edit with the PowerPoint commands.
As an alternate way to remove grid lines, click the “View” tab on the command ribbon and then click the “Gridlines” button in the Show group to remove the tick from the check box. The gray lines disappear from view.