Even if your PowerPoint presentation is not about math, you might need to include one or more fractions in a text box. Fractions are commonly used in presentations about cooking, construction, or sewing. PowerPoint can be configured to automatically format certain fractions as a single character. These are: 1/2, 1/4, and 3/4. However, to format other fractions so that they look like the ones that have been automatically formatted, you need to apply formatting to each character.

  • Even if your PowerPoint presentation is not about math, you might need to include one or more fractions in a text box.

Click the "Start" menu and choose "Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007" to launch PowerPoint and create a new blank presentation.

Click the "Office Button" in the left-hand corner.

Click the "PowerPoint Options" button in the bottom-right side of the menu.

Select "Proofing" in the left-hand pane of the "PowerPoint Options" dialogue.

Click the "AutoCorrect Options" button.

Check the "Fractions (1/2) with fraction character (1/2)" option in the "AutoCorrect" dialogue.

Click the "OK" button to close the "AutoCorrect" dialogue.

Click the "OK" button to close the "PowerPoint Options" dialogue.

  • Click the "PowerPoint Options" button in the bottom-right side of the menu.
  • Click the "OK" button to close the "PowerPoint Options" dialogue.

Click the "New Slide" button on the "Home" ribbon to create a new slide.

Click in the content text box.

Type "1/2" and press the "Enter" key. The fraction is formatted as a single character.

Type "1/4" and press the "Enter" key. The fraction is formatted as a single character.

Type "3/4" and press the "Enter" key. The fraction is formatted as a single character.

  • Click in the content text box.
  • Type "3/4" and press the "Enter" key.

Type "1/3" and press the "Enter" key. The fraction is not formatted automatically.

Select the "1". Right-click the "1" and choose the "Font" menu item from the pop-up menu.

  • Type "1/3" and press the "Enter" key.
  • Right-click the "1" and choose the "Font" menu item from the pop-up menu.

Check the "Superscript" option and click the "OK" button.

Select the "3". Right-click the "3" and choose the "Font" menu item from the pop-up menu.

Choose the "Subscript" option and click the "OK" button.

Select "1/3". Click the "Decrease font size" button in the "Font" toolbar of the "Home" ribbon twice.

Expand the "Character Spacing" menu in the "Font" toolbar of the "Home" ribbon and choose "Very Tight".

TIP

The "Character Spacing" button shows the characters "A Z" on top of a double-sided arrow. You can also press the Ctrl+Shift+< key combination to decrease the font size.

WARNING

These steps are based on the default font size for the Normal style. You will need to decrease the font size of the fraction by a different number of points if you are formatting a fraction in a different font size.