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Most of the world uses the Metric system, whereas the U.S. still uses the Imperial system of measurement. Depending on what you are used to, you may want to change the measurement unit in Microsoft PowerPoint. Here's how.

While there's a built-in option for changing the measurement unit in Microsoft Word, that's not the case for PowerPoint. Microsoft PowerPoint actually uses the system of measurement that the computer it's installed on uses, which means that you need to adjust your computer's system settings---not PowerPoint's.

Related: The Best Free Programs and Websites for Converting Units and Currency

Change PowerPoint's Measurement Unit on Windows 10

Go ahead and close any Microsoft Office applications currently running on your Windows 10 PC. Next, open the Control Panel by clicking the Windows icon found at the bottom of your screen, type "Control Panel" in the Search bar, and select the "Control Panel" app in the search results.

Control panel in start menu

The "All Control Panel Items" window will appear. Click "Region."

Region in Control Panel list

The Region window will appear. In the "Formats" tab, which you'll already be in, click "Additional Settings."

Additional Settings option

You'll now be in the "Numbers" tab of the "Customize Format" window. Here, click the down arrow in the box next to "Measurement System," choose the measurement system you'd like to use (the Imperial system is listed as "U.S." here), and then click "Apply."

Choose measurement system

The next time you open PowerPoint, the measurement units will have changed to the selected measurement system.

Change PowerPoint's Measurement Unit on Mac

On your Mac, quit any Office applications that are currently running. Next, click the Apple icon in the menu bar and select "System Preferences" from the drop-down menu.

System Preferences on Mac

In the "System Preferences" window, click "Language & Region."

Language and region option

Here, click "Advanced."

Advanced option button

In the "General" tab, click the up or down arrow next to the "Measurement Units" box and, from the context menu that appears, select your desired measurement system.

Measurement system options on mac

Finally, click "OK." The next time you open Microsoft PowerPoint, the measurement units will have changed to the selected measurement system.