How to Align Text in Google Slides with Shortcuts
- David Pang
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Text alignment in Google Slides controls how text sits inside a text box, shape, table cell, or placeholder. These controls shape how information flows on each slide and influence how your audience reads and understands key points. Google Slides offers multiple text alignment options that are accessible through keyboard shortcuts and the menu ribbon.
This guide will explain what these alignment options are and how you can access them with shortcuts in Sheets. Additionally, we will introduce SheetWhiz as a better resource to align text or objects and streamline editing in Slides with shortcuts.
What Are the Different Text Alignment Options in Google Slides?
There are two types of alignment options based on the text dimensions, i.e., Horizontal alignment and Vertical alignment in Slides. You can learn about these alignment types and different options within them in the following sections:
Horizontal Text Alignment in Google Slides
Horizontal alignment is the positioning of text along a horizontal axis. It determines the text's placement between the left and right edges of a slide or container. These are the horizontal text alignment options in Google Slides:
Left alignment: It places text along the left edge of its container for a clear reading path. This alignment type supports long paragraphs and lists because it keeps every line starting at the same point.
Center alignment: You can use it to position text in the middle space between the left and right edges to create a stronger focus. It works well for short statements that need emphasis without adding visual clutter.
Right alignment: This horizontal alignment places text along the right edge of the container when the layout needs a balanced opposite side. It supports layouts where visuals sit on the left and text needs a clean right boundary.
Justified Alignment: This alignment option stretches text so both left and right edges form straight vertical lines. It improves block appearance for paragraphs, but can cause uneven word spacing on some lines.
Vertical Text Alignment in Google Slides
As the name suggests, vertical alignment positions text at the top, middle, or bottom of its container. Here are different vertical text alignment options in Slides:
Top alignment: It anchors text at the upper edge of its container for predictable starting points. This type of alignment works well when text must stay close to visuals or headings above it.
Middle alignment: People use it to center text between the top and bottom edges to create balanced spacing inside containers. It helps short statements look cleaner when container shapes ee bchange size.
Bottom alignment: It places text near the lower edge of the container for grounded placement. It works well when text must align closely with visuals appearing directly below it.
How to Align Text in Google Slides?
Now that we are clear about the different text alignment options in Google Slides, let's see how to utilize them. The following guides explain the step-by-step process of utilizing text alignment options in Slides:
How to Align Text in Google Slides Using Keyboard Shortcuts?
The following are the keyboard shortcuts that you can use to align text in Google Slides:
Align Text Left in Slides
On Windows: CTRL + SHIFT + L
On Mac: Cmd + Shift + L
Align Text Center in Slides:
On Windows: CTRL + SHIFT + E
On Mac: Cmd + Shift + E
Align Text Right in Slides:
On Windows: CTRL + SHIFT + R
On Mac: Cmd + Shift + R
Align Text Justified in Slides:
On Windows: CTRL + SHIFT + J
On Mac: Cmd + Shift + J
Note: It is important to note that Slides don't offer any shortcuts for vertical text alignment.
How to Align Text in Google Slides Using the Navigation Menu?
There are two ways in which you can access different text alignment options in Slides. Both these text alignment options are explained below:
Select the text that needs alignment and access the Format option in the Menu ribbon and choose the Align and Indent option. From the dropdown that appears, select any of the text alignment options that you want to use.
Otherwise, simply select the targeted text and click on the Align button in the menu ribbon. All the alignment options will appear, and you can choose whichever suits your needs.
SheetWhiz: The Best Way to Align Text in Google Slides
While there are shortcuts to align text horizontally in Slides, users have to navigate through different menu options to access vertical alignment. SheetWhiz solves this issue by providing different keyboard shortcuts to align text in Google Slides.
It offers the following shortcuts to align text in Slides:
Align Text Center - Slides: Alt + H + A + C
Align Text Left - Slides: Alt + H + A + L
Align Text Right - Slides: Alt + H + A + R
Align Text Top - Slides: Alt + H + A + T
Align Text Middle - Slides: Alt + H + A + M
Align Text Bottom - Slides: Alt + H + A + B
Apart from text alignment, users get access to multiple other shortcut keys that help them streamline their workflow in Slides. For example, you can also align objects in Slides with SheetWhiz shortcuts.
Match PowerPoint’s Quick Access Workflow with SheetWhiz
Users switching from PowerPoint to Slides often miss the Quick Access Toolbar, which lets them pin their favorite shortcuts to the top of the menu bar. The toolbar allows them to trigger these shortcuts with simple keys like Alt+1, Alt+2, or Alt+3 for Align Left, Align Center, or Align Right.
Since Slides doesn’t offer anything similar, SheetWhiz fills that gap. You can remap shortcuts to match the exact PowerPoint keys you already use. If you want Align Left on Alt+1 or Align Objects Middle on Alt+3, you can set it up the same way.
See below for how you can customize shortcuts in SheetWhiz to mimic the Quick Access Toolbar feature in PowerPoint:
You get your familiar workflow and additional alignment shortcuts that Slides still doesn’t support. And the best part is that you get all of these options without paying anything.
How to Use Text Alignment Shortcuts in Slides using SheetWhiz?
Now that you know what SheetWhiz can do, follow the given steps to use it to align text in Slides:
Step 1: First, you need to install the SheetWhiz extension for Chrome.
Step 2: Moving forward, open the desired Slides and hit the SheetWhiz icon in the top menu. The extension will ask you to log in using your credentials to utilize the tool's features.
Step 3: Once you have signed up, you will be able to use the keyboard shortcuts to align text in Slides (as shown in the following tutorial video):
All Google Slides Shortcuts in SheetWhiz
Other than text alignment options, here are some other SheetWhiz shortcuts that you can use in Slides:
Shortcut Name | What It Does | Keys |
Bring to Front | Moves the selected object above all other overlapping objects | Alt + H + G + R |
Send to Back | Moves the selected object behind all other overlapping objects | Alt + H + G + K |
Bring Forward | Moves the object one layer higher in the stacking order | Alt + H + G + F |
Send Backward | Moves the object one layer lower in the stacking order | Alt + H + G + B |
Increase Font Size | Makes text larger one step at a time | Alt + H + F + G |
Decrease Font Size | Shrinks text one step at a time | Alt + H + F + K |
Set Font Size | Opens the font size field to enter a specific size | Alt + H + F + S |
Set Font | Opens the font menu to choose a font family | Alt + H + F + F |
Group | Combines multiple objects into a single group | Alt + A + G + G |
Ungroup | Breaks a group back into individual objects | Alt + A + G + U |
SheetWhiz not only provides shortcuts for Slides but also for Google Sheets. You can get Excel-like convenience directly within Sheets with this useful Chrome extension. For example, you can trace precedents, use Goal Seek, merge & unmerge cells, or even use Clear All shortcuts in Sheets.
P.S. If you are new to Sheets, we recommend checking our Google Sheets all shortcuts list. Save it somewhere close so you can master all shortcuts.
Concluding Remarks
You can align text in Google Slides either through the navigation menu or by using the dedicated keyboard shortcuts. However, the built-in shortcuts like Ctrl + Shift + L or Ctrl + Shift + E are limited to horizontal alignment only. On the other hand, SheeWhiz is a recommended option due to its versatile yet customizable shortcuts for Slides and Sheets.
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