Ampler brings selected shapes to the front or sends them to the back in one click, so the stacking order (which element sits on top of which) is exactly what the exhibit needs.
Quick answer: Select one or more shapes and click Bring to front or Send to back on the Ampler ribbon to set their stacking order.
How to use it
Select the shapes, then bring to front or send to back.
- Click to select one or more shapes.
- Click Bring to front or Send to back on the Ampler ribbon.
The selected shapes move to the top or bottom of the stacking order, so overlaps read the way you intend.
Keyboard shortcut
These functions have no default shortcut. To assign one, open the Settings dropdown on the Ampler ribbon, choose Shortcuts, click Set shortcut on the function, and press your key combination.
Why use it
When shapes overlap, the one on top wins — and getting that order right by hand (right-click, choose an option, repeat) is fiddly on a busy slide. Bring to front and Send to back set the stacking order for the whole selection in a single click, so a callout sits above its chart and a background band sits behind the content.
How consultants use it
On a dense exhibit, what sits in front of what is a deliberate design choice, not an accident. A label hidden behind a box, or a highlight that covers the number it was meant to emphasise, reads as a mistake. Three conventions apply:
- Deliberate layering: callouts and labels sit on top; shading and background bands sit behind the content they support.
- Nothing accidentally hidden: the stacking order is set on purpose so no element is lost behind another.
- Clean overlaps: where elements must overlap, the order is controlled so the result looks composed.
One-click ordering keeps that layering deliberate rather than a right-click guessing game.
Tips & best practices
- Select several shapes at once to reorder a whole group in one step.
- Send background bands and shading to the back so content always sits on top.
- Use Scan & Fix for a final pass on layout consistency.
Availability
Included in Ampler for PowerPoint and the Ampler Suite, on Windows desktop PowerPoint.
Frequently asked questions
How do you change the stacking order of shapes in PowerPoint?
Select the shapes and click Bring to front or Send to back on the Ampler ribbon. The selection moves to the top or bottom of the stacking order in one click.
How do you put a shape behind another in PowerPoint?
Select it and click Send to back on the Ampler ribbon — useful for background bands or shading that should sit behind the content.
Can you reorder several shapes at once?
Yes. Select multiple shapes and Bring to front or Send to back applies to the whole selection in a single click.
Doesn’t PowerPoint already have Bring to Front and Send to Back?
It does — Ampler puts them on its ribbon (with a shortcut) so you don’t dig through the right-click menu, and applies them to a whole multi-shape selection in one go.
How do you select a shape hidden behind another to reorder it?
Use the Selection Pane (Home → Arrange → Selection Pane) to pick the covered shape, then bring it to the front or send the shapes on top to the back.