Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at info@designtoolbars.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Slide Master set-up

Master Layout must include equal width Title, Text placeholders and formatted bullets. Please ensure the width of the slide Title spans the page with a little white space each side. See our Slide Master Set-up video on the FEATURES | TUTORIAL page.

Best practice is to then include a New Layout and call this Title Only to use with Design Toolbars. The new layout should be a slide with just a title, no content placeholders.

Contact us for a custom branding Design Template service, so that we can get you up and running fast!

Theme Fonts and Colors with Default Text and Shape

While in the Slide Master , Customize Colors and Fonts in the Background grouping. Additionally update your Default Text Box and Default Shape for Design Toolbars details:

Default Text Box

Draw a text box with internal Right & Left margins set to 0
Choose style of font
Right-click and then Set as Default Text Box

Default Shape

Draw a shape and fill with your desired color and font
Choose no outline
Right-click and then Set as Default Shape

To change the Highlight Color of Design Toolbars Details – go to your Custom Color Scheme and change Followed Hyperlink color.

Contact us for a custom branding Design Template service, so that we can get you up and running fast!

Quick Access Toolbar

Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) customization is included; opt-out on install. Keep your current QAT on file 'Export all customizations' before installing Design Toolbars!

Important for PC: after installation, right-click on the QAT and Show Quick Access Toolbar Below the Ribbon. See our Quick Access Toolbar video on the FEATURES | TUTORIAL page.

Important for Microsoft 365: Quick Access Toolbar ‘Command Labels’ can be turned off/on through ‘Customize Quick Access Toolbars…’ > Uncheck ‘Always Show Command Labels’.

If you are missing the QAT toolbar customization: on PC you can run the 'Repair' tool from Control Panel. To do this, type 'Control Panel' in your search bar > then go to 'Programs and Features'. Click Design Toolbars > then Repair.

PowerPoint for Macintosh Ribbon Labels

When in PowerPoint you will need to activate the Ribbon group titles in Preferences first. If you don’t have the Ribbon Group Names showing (like ‘Insert Objects’ or ‘Insert Slide Elements’ on the Design Toolbars toolbar): Select the PowerPoint menu at the top > Preferences > View > and tick ‘Show group titles’ .

Uninstall a previous Design Toolbars Free Trial for Mac before installing Full Sub

To uninstall, please follow these steps for Mac:

In PowerPoint, on the main toolbar select Tools -> PowerPoint Add-Ins…
If Design Toolbars is in the list, then select it and hit the ‘–‘ (minus) button. If Design Toolbars isn’t there, then don’t worry about this step!
Then open Finder, and go to the folder [your user name]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Add-Ins Note: if the Library folder is hidden by default, right-click and select ‘Show View Options’ and then check the box to show library folder OR click ‘Go’ on the Finder menu bar, hold down the ‘Option’ key for ‘Library’ became visible in the dropdown menu > click to go to the Library
Select the Design Toolbars folder, right-click it and select Move to Bin
With PowerPoint closed, download Design and Install any future version when needed

Instructions to uninstall Design Toolbars in Windows

To uninstall, please follow these steps for PC:

In the search box on the taskbar, type Control Panel and select it from the results.
Select Programs > Uninstall a Program.
Press and hold (or right-click) on Design Toolbars and select Uninstall or Uninstall/Change.

Display Settings on Windows PCs

Select Start > Settings > System > Display.

If you want to change the size of your text and apps, choose an option from the drop-down menu under Scale and layout. We recommend 125% for Design Toolbars.

Which page size should I use with Design Toolbars?

You may use any default or custom page size. We love the width of widescreen for projected presentations!

Do you have a blank widescreen template for me to start from?

Yes, you will find templates to download and get you up and running instantly. We have included a Widescreen and A4 version under Assets on the toolbar.

Where can my Default Theme.potx be saved?

For PC templates: C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Document Themes

For Mac templates: '/Users/[their username]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Themes/Default Theme.potx

My bullet points look similar, is it possible to tab for a smaller, indented sub-bullet point?

Formatted main bullet points and sub-bullets work seamlessly with Design Toolbars. Please see the first question on Slide Master set-up. See our Slide Master Set-up video on the FEATURES | TUTORIAL page .

Can I change the highlight color on detail like Sticky Note and Percentage Circle?

Yes! Go to the Slide Master and change the Theme Color for 'Followed Hyperlink'. Works best with a value that matches your branding.

Design Toolbars Titles above third party charting software

Insert Objects works seamlessly when placing Titles above charts from third party software such as Mekko Graphics and ThinkCell – as well as Master Layout Placeholders for content in PowerPoint!

Do all chart features work in any Microsoft or Design Toolbars-created chart?

Yes! Also, chart data can be edited in an Excel worksheet, and all chart data is editable even if you no longer have a Design Toolbars subscription.

Edit chart data in Microsoft Excel is great to have, are there any watch-outs with numbers not updating?

Edit data opens a linked Excel worksheet, so it's faster if you already have Excel open – but Microsoft doesn’t like it if you’re mid-edit in a cell when trying to edit data!

Tip: After copying cells, hit ‘Enter’ in Excel to halt the ‘marching ants’ before going back to your Design Toolbars chart.

Sometimes data may need to be opened in PowerPoint to update changes. Open the data worksheet in PowerPoint. Go to 'Chart Design' menu > 'Edit Data' and select the whole range by extending boundary blue box.

Data rows and data columns BDP (best demonstrated practice)!

We have created the ‘Data row’ as a table and the ‘Data column’ as separate text boxes, so that they are easy to edit in PowerPoint, without having to link to a spreadsheet.

Tip: Finalize chart formatting before adding the data row and/or data column.

½ page charts are the bomb, and there's room for 'other' details!

½ page charts default to having no Legend due to space for Data columns. Legends are fully editable and can be re-sized to fit.

Tip: To move a ½ page chart to right half of the slide, SHIFT+click to select Y-axis title and the chart, drag right with the mouse whilst holding down the SHIFT key (use dynamic master guides for the correct placement under a title!

Can I paste data from Excel into any Tables from Design Toolbars?

Pasting data from Excel into Tables can be annoying, using one-click ‘Paste from XL’, inserts your data perfectly, matching your current table’s formatting.

Tip: Harvey ball position can be changed to Align Bottom in Tables.

How do the Mekko and Hekko work?

Design Toolbars’s one-click 'Insert Mekko chart/Hekko chart' creates a beautiful mekko representation of your chart data. Your chart data always remains accessible to you, even without Design Toolbars.

To change your series colors in a mekko and hekko chart, you will need to change them in the chart attached. Easy steps: ‘Change type’ > ‘Stacked bar’ > then change your colors as normal > ‘Create mekko/hekko’.

Ctrl+Z (undo) and the mekko/hekko: multiple undo's are required to get back to your original state.

Tip:

Undo / Redo DON’T DO. We recommend creating new charts always for optimal performance!

Four Mekko/Hekko steps for success

1. Edit data in XL

2. Re-color in 'Stacked chart' version

3. Change type to Mekko or Hekko > then add Sorts > then Add labels

4. Add Data column and/or Data row last

Does the current Java vulnerability affect Design Toolbars?

Design Toolbars is not exposed in any way to this as we do not use any Java code in creating the toolbars. It is also worth noting that Design Toolbars does not collect any data on you or your company (except in terms of purchase details), nor does Design Toolbars ever connect to the internet.

The software is coded entirely within Microsoft Office, and saved locally on each person’s machine without ever sending data back to Design Toolbars nor any third party.

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