Change PowerPoint Slide Size to A2 (Portrait or Landscape)

To change a PowerPoint presentation to A2, open Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size on Windows, enter 42 cm × 59.4 cm (16.54 × 23.39 inches) for portrait, and choose how to scale existing content. Reverse the width and height for landscape. A2 changes the slide canvas; it does not automatically make a printer or exported file use A2 paper, so check your output settings too.

What You’ll Need

A PowerPoint presentation you can edit, preferably saved as a copy if it already contains carefully arranged slides.
The A2 dimensions: 420 × 594 mm (42 × 59.4 cm, or approximately 16.54 × 23.39 inches). Use the same units shown in the size dialog.
If you plan to print, access to a printer or print service that supports A2 paper. You can still set up the slide size and export a PDF without an A2 printer.

A2 is an ISO paper size. This guide is for Microsoft PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac instructions are included where the menus differ.

Step-by-Step

Save a working copy. If the deck already has content, use File > Save As to create a separate copy before changing the canvas. Changing size affects the whole presentation, and the scaling choice can move or resize objects. A copy gives you a straightforward way to return to the original layout if the result needs substantial repair.
Open the custom slide-size controls. On Windows, select the Design tab, then choose Slide Size in the Customize area and select Custom Slide Size. In some window layouts, the command may be shown directly as Page Setup. On a Mac, go to Design > Slide Size > Page Setup; the labels and dialog arrangement can vary slightly by PowerPoint release.
Set the A2 measurements. In the size dialog, choose Custom from the slide-size list if it is available. Enter 16.54 as the width and 23.39 as the height if the fields use inches. If they use centimeters, enter 42 and 59.4. Those rounded values represent A2 portrait. If your dialog uses millimeters, enter 420 and 594. Use the units displayed in the fields rather than guessing from your monitor or slide ruler.
Choose portrait or landscape. For a portrait poster or document, set the slide orientation to Portrait and confirm the width is the shorter measurement. For landscape, use Landscape and make the width 23.39 inches (59.4 cm) and height 16.54 inches (42 cm). Depending on the dialog, changing orientation may swap the measurements automatically. Check the width and height after choosing it, and correct them if necessary.
Apply the size to the presentation. Select OK to apply the custom dimensions. PowerPoint may show a prompt with options such as Maximize and Ensure Fit. These options affect how existing objects are handled, not the A2 dimensions themselves. The equivalent wording or prompt can differ slightly on Mac.
Choose how to scale existing content. For most existing decks, select Ensure Fit. This scales slide objects down as needed to reduce the risk of content falling beyond the new slide edges. Select Maximize only when enlarging the content is more important and you are prepared to inspect for items that no longer fit. If you are starting with blank slides, either option has little or no effect.
Inspect the slides and layouts. Check the title slide, a typical content slide, the most crowded slide, and any slides with pictures, tables, charts, or footers. Look for text wrapping, shifted objects, cropped pictures, and elements near the edges. If the deck uses a theme or Slide Master, review its layouts as well; a title or logo placed on a master can need adjustment even when ordinary slide objects look correct.
Save and prepare the output. Save the presentation, then export or print a test page. Before printing, choose A2 as the paper size in the printer settings and check the preview. For a PDF, confirm that the resulting page is A2 and that artwork is not being shrunk to a different paper size. If the output will be professionally printed, ask the print provider about bleed, safe margins, and preferred PDF settings.

Common Mistakes

Entering the dimensions backwards. A2 portrait is 42 cm wide and 59.4 cm high; landscape reverses those values. Selecting landscape does not always make it obvious whether the numbers in the fields have changed, so verify both.
Assuming slide size changes the text layout intelligently. PowerPoint changes the canvas and scales content according to your selection. It does not redesign every slide to suit a poster. Text boxes may still wrap differently, and visual balance may need manual adjustment.
Choosing Maximize without checking the edges. Enlarging objects can push titles, logos, or footers beyond the slide boundary. A slide may look fine at normal zoom but still have objects clipped in print or export.
Confusing an A2 slide with A2 printer paper. The slide size and the printer’s paper-size selection are separate. If the printer is set to A4, it may shrink the slide, tile it, or crop it depending on the print options.
Expecting low-resolution pictures to become sharper. Increasing the canvas does not add detail to an image. A small web graphic can look pixelated when enlarged for an A2 poster.

Tips

Design at the final size where possible. If the presentation is intended to be an A2 poster, set the custom size before placing and formatting content. That reduces later reflow and gives you a realistic view of spacing.
Leave a safe margin. Keep important text, logos, and other essential elements away from the outer edge. Printers can have non-printable areas, and a print service may trim the sheet. Ask the provider for its exact margin and bleed requirements rather than assuming PowerPoint will add them.
Use a test PDF or print. A PDF is useful for checking page dimensions and visual quality before sending a large job. Review it at fit-to-page size and zoom in on small text, fine lines, and images.
Check image quality at intended viewing distance. A2 artwork is often viewed from farther away than a handout, but small labels still need to be readable. Use original or high-resolution images when available; resizing a low-quality image in PowerPoint will not restore lost detail.
Keep orientation consistent across the deck. PowerPoint uses one slide size and orientation for the presentation. If you need both A2 portrait and A2 landscape pages, consider making separate presentations or exporting separate files, rather than expecting individual slides in one deck to have different orientations.

Troubleshooting

The slide size list does not show A2. That is not a blocker. Choose the custom-size option and enter A2’s measurements directly. If you cannot see the option, widen the PowerPoint window or look in the Design tab’s Slide Size menu; on Mac, open Page Setup from that menu.

The dimensions seem to change when you choose orientation. PowerPoint may swap width and height to match the selected orientation. Recheck the fields after selecting portrait or landscape. For portrait, the height should be larger; for landscape, the width should be larger. If the displayed unit differs from the one you expected, convert using 42 cm = 16.54 inches and 59.4 cm = 23.39 inches.

Objects look misplaced after applying the size. Undo immediately if the change was just made and you want to return to the prior layout, or reopen the saved copy and choose the other scaling option. Then inspect each slide, adjusting text boxes, images, and shapes individually. Avoid repeatedly switching between sizes without checking: each change can require another round of layout corrections.

The print preview is not A2 or the page is cropped. Open the print dialog and select A2 in the printer’s paper-size settings. Check whether the preview uses a fit, fill, or actual-size option and whether the selected printer supports A2. If it does not, export a PDF at the slide dimensions and send it to a service that can print A2. Ask the service whether it wants bleed or crop marks; do not add them unless requested.

The PDF looks blurry or text is cut off. Check the source image resolution, font availability, and the exported page size. Reopen the PDF and inspect it at high zoom. If the issue is only on one slide, return to PowerPoint and correct that slide’s text box or image position, then export again and review the new file.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the exact dimensions of A2 in PowerPoint?
A2 is 420 × 594 mm, or 42 × 59.4 cm. That is approximately 16.54 × 23.39 inches. Use the shorter width for portrait and the longer width for landscape.

Can I make only one slide A2 in a presentation?
No. PowerPoint applies the slide dimensions to the presentation as a whole; you cannot give one slide a different page size within the same deck. Create a separate presentation for slides that need a different size or orientation.

Will changing the size automatically make my slides print-ready?
No. It sets the slide canvas, but you still need to check the printer or PDF output settings, content margins, and image quality. A print provider may also require bleed or other specifications.

Should I choose Maximize or Ensure Fit?
For an existing presentation, start with Ensure Fit to reduce the chance that objects extend beyond the slide. Use Maximize only if you want larger content and can review and repair every affected slide.

Can I enter A2 dimensions in inches instead of centimeters?
Yes. Enter 16.54 × 23.39 inches for portrait, or reverse the numbers for landscape. The dialog may display inches or centimeters depending on your system settings.

Does A2 size guarantee high-quality printing?
No. The slide dimensions define the page, not the resolution of pictures placed on it. Use sufficiently detailed source images and review a PDF or proof at the intended output size.

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