How Do I Put Things in ABC Order in PowerPoint?

If you sort a numbered list by moving its items up or down, PowerPoint automatically changes the numbers to reflect the new order.

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Unlike other Office programs such as Word or Excel, PowerPoint 2013 under Windows 8.1 or 7 does not include a tool that automatically sorts a list of items alphabetically. You can, however, sort items, slides or even elements on a slide -- such as Clip Arts, pictures or text boxes -- by manually moving them up or down.

Sorting a List Alphabetically

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Step 1

After you select it, a text box's outline becomes visible.

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Select the slide that contains the list you want to reorder by clicking on its thumbnail in the Slides pane. Click on the text box to select it.

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Step 2

You can sort both bulleted and numbered lists.

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Move your cursor over the bullet next to the first list item you want to move up or down. When your cursor turns into a four-headed arrow, click-and-drag the item to its new location.

Step 3

Click the "Undo" icon to undo your last action -- for example, if you made a mistake while sorting the list.

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Click on the Save icon to save your PowerPoint presentation once you have finished sorting the list.

Sorting Slides Alphabetically

Step 1

You can select multiple slides by holding down the "Ctrl" key and clicking on each slide.

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Click on a thumbnail to select the first slide you want to move.

Step 2

To delete a slide, right-click it and select "Delete."

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Drag the thumbnail to move the slide up or down the list.

Step 3

Save the presentation as a new file instead of overwriting the current one by opening the "File" tab and selecting "Save as."

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Select Save once you have finished editing your presentation.

Sorting Elements Alphabetically

Step 1

PowerPoint

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Hover your cursor over the edge of the first element you want to move until the cursor turns into a four-headed arrow.

Step 2

Once you move an element, a guideline appears to the left that lets you keep all page elements aligned.

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Click-and-drag the element to its new location on the slide.

Step 3

PowerPoint

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Save your presentation file by clicking on the Save icon.