Working with the Task Pane

The task pane is an area that appears to the right of the other PowerPoint panes. There are actually many different task panes, each one containing tools and options appropriate for a certain activity. Most of the time, the correct task pane will appear automatically when needed. For example, if you select the command to change a slide's layout, the Slide Layout task pane will appear automatically.

Many people prefer to work with the task pane hidden so they have more space onscreen. You can redisplay it when you need it.

1. Click on the Close button on the task pane. The task pane will disappear, and the current slide will have more space available.

2. Click on the View menu. The View menu will appear.

   

3. Pause for a few seconds if there is a down-pointing arrow at the bottom of the menu. The full menu will appear after a brief delay.

   Note 

   Step 3 may be necessary if the Personalized Menus feature is turned on. You will learn how to turn it off later in this chapter.

4. Click on Task Pane. The task pane will reappear.

   Tip 

   Instead of steps 2 through 4, you can press Ctrl+F1.

5. Move the mouse pointer over the border between the current slide's pane and the task pane. The mouse will become a two-headed arrow. Then drag to the left or right to resize the task pane.

   

Choosing a Different Task Pane

PowerPoint will often display a certain task pane based on what you're doing. You can also choose which task pane you want to see at any given moment.

1. Click on the Task Pane down arrow. A list of available task panes will appear.

2. Click on a task pane. The selected task pane will appear.

   

Tip 

The task pane has its own Back and Forward arrows, just like a Web browser window. You can click the Back (left) arrow to return to a previously used task pane.