A small, free PowerPoint toolkit for Mac. Align shapes, fix spacing, match sizes, and clean up formatting from one compact native palette.
Download for Mac · Installation · Tool guide · Report a problem
- Position: align to a reference shape, selection bounds, or the slide.
- Spacing: equal or fixed gaps, grids, and two-shape swaps.
- Size: match width, height, or both, keeping centers or top-left corners fixed.
- Shape: chevron process chains, matching adjustment handles, arrow proportions, and consistent corner radii.
- Format: copy or apply fill, outline, and font independently; save local presets.
- Text: margins, wrapping, autofit, bullets, numbering, indentation, and split/merge into editable copies.
The native version runs inside PowerPoint using VBA and Swift/AppKit. It needs no web server, account, subscription, or Node.js runtime. There is no telemetry or backend. Microsoft PowerPoint is a separate requirement.
-
Download
FreeElements-0.2.2-macOS.pkgfrom Releases. -
Save your presentations and quit PowerPoint. Run the installer; it asks for administrator permission to install in Office's shared add-ins folder.
-
Open PowerPoint → Tools → PowerPoint Add-ins → +. Press ⌘⇧G in the file chooser and enter:
/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office365/User Content.localized/Add-Ins.localized/Free Elements/Program/ -
Select FreeElements.ppam, load it, then choose Home → Free Elements.
This is an unsigned, unnotarized prerelease. macOS may block the installer; see installation and troubleshooting before proceeding. Keep PowerPoint's macro protection enabled and approve only this add-in if you trust the source. Organization policy may prevent installation.
The package has passed build and integrity checks. Clean-machine installation, Intel execution, and the new window attachment mode still need live testing; see validation.
Open a copy of a presentation and select several unrotated shapes. Choose a reference, click Match width and height, Align top, then Equal horizontal gaps. Hover over an icon to see its action. Use ⌘Z with the slide focused to undo.
For an exact reference, select one shape, click Pin, then add the other shapes to the selection. The tool guide explains references, presets, and text-copy behavior.
| Support | |
|---|---|
| macOS | Native binary targets macOS 12+; your PowerPoint version may require a newer OS |
| PowerPoint | Desktop PowerPoint for Mac with VBA; locally tested with 16.113.2 (LTSC 2024) |
| Apple Silicon | Native engine tested in PowerPoint |
| Intel | Universal binary includes x86_64; live Intel testing is still needed |
| Windows / PowerPoint web | No native add-in; an experimental Office.js implementation is included in source |
| Shape support | Unrotated AutoShapes, text boxes, and text placeholders |
Early software: groups, pictures, charts, tables, rotated shapes, and rich-text format capture are outside the current native scope. Split/merge keeps the originals and creates plain-text copies. See validation for exactly what was tested, and the changelog for release differences.
The playground lets you try the tools on a sample slide without PowerPoint. Install Node.js 20+ and run:
git clone https://github.com/markperdomo/free-elements.git
cd free-elements
npm startOpen localhost:4317. There are no npm dependencies to install. Stop with Ctrl+C. This edits the sample slide; it is not a PPTX editor. See the web tool guide and Office.js development setup.
npm test
python3 -m unittest discover -s native/tests -p 'test_*.py'For native builds, you also need macOS, Xcode command-line tools, Python 3.10+, and PowerPoint to compile/export the VBA project. Start with the native build guide or contribution guide. Release instructions cover installer builds, checksums, and signing.
MIT licensed. Free Elements is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft. Microsoft PowerPoint is a separate product and is required for the native add-in.