Every slide has two modes. By default a slide uses a layout: the slide layout in the template decides where each block goes. On a free canvas, blocks stay where you put them.
How they differ
| Layout | Free canvas | |
|---|---|---|
| Where blocks go | into the places of the slide layout | wherever you put them, with the mouse or by numbers |
| Text size | set by the template; long text shrinks to fit | set by you |
| Changing the template | blocks move into the new template's places | your arrangement stays; colors and fonts change |
| Block order | arrows in the “Blocks” list | layers: up, down, lock, hide |
| “Rewrite the slide” | available | not available: the model leaves your arrangement alone |
The canvas adds tools a layout doesn't have: “Text box”, “Shapes”, groups and a snap grid. Hold Ctrl while dragging to turn snapping off; Alt-drag makes a copy of the block.
Switch to the canvas
- Turn on “Free canvas” in the “Slide” tab.
- Or hover over a block and drag the small handle at its top left corner. The slide becomes a canvas and the block lands where you drop it.
The other blocks don't move: they stay exactly where they were in the layout.
Go back to the layout
Turn “Free canvas” off. The blocks return to the places of the slide layout and your arrangement is gone — Ctrl+Z brings it back if you change your mind.
What both modes share
The slide keeps its slide layout on the canvas too: the template's background, decor and logo stay in place, so the slide can always return to the layout. Shortening, changing the tone and translating work in both modes — they only change the words. On a phone a slide never rearranges in either mode: viewers see it whole, scaled down.