Rotating the Ruler in PowerPoint
Here's another simple tip for PowerPoint that you may not be aware of, which can save you a good deal of time when doing graphics editing.
It's fairly well-known that the Ruler tool on the Draw ribbon can be used to freehand draw a straight line on a slide with your mouse.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/af7fa4_8771e1fd5d6f4456b8c785d30afd4d97~mv2.gif/v1/fill/w_147,h_82,al_c,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,pstr/af7fa4_8771e1fd5d6f4456b8c785d30afd4d97~mv2.gif)
It may not be immediately apparent how the ruler can be rotated, so a line can be drawn at a different angle.
- There's no option to do this on the Draw ribbon;
- The angle degree listed in the middle can't be edited;
- Right clicking on the ruler doesn't give you the option to turn it;
- If you try to find the ends of the ruler, it will simply extend endlessly off the slide;
- There are no handles to rotate it as there would be for a shape in PowerPoint.
The trick is to use the scroll wheel on your mouse. This will let you turn the ruler in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/af7fa4_eef9b3221d524cccbc3c7b3631c03731~mv2.gif/v1/fill/w_147,h_79,al_c,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,pstr/af7fa4_eef9b3221d524cccbc3c7b3631c03731~mv2.gif)