Align Actions Overview

Align actions are the foundation of creating professional, pixel-perfect layouts in PowerPoint. With Offgen's alignment tools, you can position shapes precisely in seconds—tasks that would otherwise take minutes of manual dragging and nudging.

Why Use Align Actions?

• Precision: Achieve pixel-perfect alignment every time
• Speed: Align multiple shapes instantly instead of adjusting them individually
• Consistency: Create uniform layouts across your presentation
• Professional: Make presentations look polished and intentional

Categories

Offgen organizes alignment features into three categories:

Shape Alignment

Align shapes relative to each other:

• Align Left: Align to the leftmost shape
• Align Right: Align to the rightmost shape
• Align Top: Align to the topmost shape
• Align Bottom: Align to the bottommost shape
• Align Center: Center shapes horizontally
• Align Middle: Center shapes vertically

Learn more about Shape Alignment →

Docking

Anchor shapes to the edges of your slide:

• Dock Left: Position shapes at the left edge
• Dock Right: Position shapes at the right edge
• Dock Top: Position shapes at the top edge
• Dock Bottom: Position shapes at the bottom edge

Perfect for creating sidebars, headers, footers, and consistent margins.

Learn more about Docking →

Distribution

Space shapes evenly with perfect consistency:

• Distribute Horizontal: Equal horizontal spacing
• Distribute Vertical: Equal vertical spacing
• Distribute in Circle: Arrange shapes in a circular pattern

Learn more about Distribution →

How Alignment Works

Selection Matters

Most alignment actions work on all selected shapes:

1. Select the shapes you want to align
2. Choose an alignment action
3. Shapes align based on the extremes of your selection

Reference Points

Each alignment action uses a reference point:

• Align Left: Uses the leftmost shape's left edge
• Align Center: Uses the center point of all selected shapes
• Dock Left: Uses the slide's left edge (0 coordinate)

Common Use Cases

Creating Headers

1. Select all header shapes
2. Align Top (align to same horizontal line)
3. Distribute Horizontal (even spacing)

Building Sidebars

1. Select sidebar shapes
2. Dock Left (position at left edge)
3. Align Center (horizontal centering within sidebar)
4. Distribute Vertical (even spacing)

Making Grids

1. Select all shapes in first row
2. Distribute Horizontal
3. Select all shapes in first column
4. Distribute Vertical

Centering Content

1. Select shapes to center
2. Align Center (horizontal centering)
3. Align Middle (vertical centering)

Tips & Best Practices

1. Use Alignment Combinations

Most professional layouts use multiple alignment actions:

• Center + Middle = Dead center
• Align Top + Distribute Horizontal = Evenly spaced row
• Dock Left + Distribute Vertical = Sidebar menu

2. Align Before Distributing

For best results:

1. First align shapes (top, bottom, left, or right)
2. Then distribute them for even spacing

3. Group After Aligning

Once you've aligned shapes perfectly:

1. Select them all
2. Use "Group" from Transform actions
3. Now they move as one unit

4. Use Smart Suggestions

Offgen's smart suggestions show the most relevant alignment actions based on your selection. Look for these context-aware recommendations!

Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow:

• Ctrl+Shift+L - Align Left
• Ctrl+Shift+R - Align Right
• Ctrl+Shift+T - Align Top
• Ctrl+Shift+B - Align Bottom
• Ctrl+Shift+C - Align Center
• Ctrl+Shift+M - Align Middle

Video Tutorial

Watch our alignment tutorial to see these actions in practice:

Watch Alignment Tutorial →

What's Next?