How to Show, Hide, or Resize Slide Thumbnails in PowerPoint

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Slide thumbnails are the small preview images displayed on the left side of the PowerPoint window that show each slide in your presentation. They provide an easy way to navigate between slides and rearrange their order.

However, some users may find the slide thumbnails distracting or want more room to view and edit their slides. PowerPoint allows you to easily show, hide, or resize the slide thumbnails to customize your workspace.

Showing Hidden Slide Thumbnails

If you’ve previously hidden the slide thumbnails, bringing them back is simple:

  1. Click the View tab.
  2. In the Presentation Views group, click Normal.
  3. Point your mouse at the right edge of where the thumbnail pane was. Your mouse pointer will change to a double-headed arrow.
  4. Click and drag the mouse to the right to reveal and widen the thumbnail pane.

The slide thumbnails will now be displayed again on the left side of the window.

Hiding Slide Thumbnails

To hide slide thumbnails and maximize space for editing:

  1. Ensure you are in Normal view by clicking the Normal button on the View tab.
  2. Point your mouse at the right edge of the thumbnail pane.
  3. When your mouse pointer changes to a double-headed arrow, click and drag it all the way to the left until the pane disappears.

The thumbnails are now hidden from view. Repeat the first step in the “Showing Hidden Slide Thumbnails” section above to bring them back.

Resizing Slide Thumbnails

If you want the slide thumbnails visible but need more or less space, resizing them is easy:

  1. Make sure you are in Normal view.
  2. Point your mouse at the right edge of the thumbnail pane.
  3. When the mouse pointer changes, click and drag left or right to decrease or increase the width of the pane.

Dragging further left makes the thumbnails smaller, while dragging to the right enlarges them.

Changing the Default Thumbnail View

You can also set PowerPoint to always start with the slide thumbnails hidden or visible:

  1. Go to the File tab > Options > Advanced.
  2. Under Display, click the dropdown next to Open all documents using this view and select your preferred default view:
    • Normal shows thumbnails
    • Slide Sorter hides thumbnails
  3. Click OK.

Now PowerPoint will always open with that view by default until you change it back here.

Additional Slide Thumbnail Tips

Here are some additional tips for working with slide thumbnails in PowerPoint:

  • Hover over a thumbnail to preview that slide in a popup, allowing you to quickly scan through slides.
  • Drag and drop thumbnails to rearrange the slide order.
  • Ctrl + click thumbnails to select multiple slides at once.
  • Use the zoom slider at the bottom right of the pane to increase or decrease thumbnail size on the fly.

Conclusion

Learning to show, hide, and resize PowerPoint’s slide thumbnails gives you more control over your workspace. Maximize the room for editing slides by hiding thumbnails, or bring them back when you need to navigate your presentation.

With a few simple clicks, you can customize the thumbnail pane to best suit your working style and PowerPoint presentation needs.

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