Ampler’s Straighten lines makes selected lines perfectly horizontal or vertical, correcting the slight slant that creeps in when a line is drawn or nudged by hand.
Quick answer: Select one or more lines and click Straighten lines on the Ampler ribbon — each line is squared to the nearest horizontal or vertical.
How to use it
Select the lines, then Straighten to square them horizontally or vertically.
- Click to select one or more lines.
- Click Straighten lines on the Ampler ribbon.
Each selected line is set to true horizontal or vertical, removing any slight slant from manual drawing.
Keyboard shortcut
Straighten lines has 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
A line drawn or dragged by hand is almost never perfectly level, and a connector or rule that’s a degree or two off is glaringly obvious on a finished slide. Correcting the angle manually is fiddly. Straighten lines squares the selection to horizontal or vertical in one step, so connectors, underlines, and dividers look intentional.
How consultants use it
On a consulting slide, every visual element is expected to look deliberate, and a crooked line is the kind of small flaw that undermines an otherwise rigorous exhibit. Three habits apply:
- No crooked elements: connectors, rules, and dividers are expected to be exactly horizontal or vertical, never approximately so.
- Align to the axes: lines follow the same horizontal and vertical logic as the rest of the layout’s grid.
- Precision signals care: squared-off lines read as attention to detail, reinforcing the credibility of the content.
Straighten lines removes the slant in one click instead of a careful manual adjustment.
Tips & best practices
- Select several lines at once to straighten a set of connectors in one go.
- Use it on process-flow arrows and dividers, where a slight slant is most visible.
- Run Scan & Fix for a deck-wide check of alignment issues.
Availability
Included in Ampler for PowerPoint and the Ampler Suite, on Windows desktop PowerPoint.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a line perfectly straight in PowerPoint?
Select the line and click Straighten lines on the Ampler ribbon. Ampler squares it to true horizontal or vertical, removing any slant from drawing it by hand.
How do you fix a crooked or slanted line in PowerPoint?
Ampler’s Straighten lines sets the selected line to horizontal or vertical in one click, so connectors and dividers look intentional.
Can you straighten several lines at once?
Yes. Select multiple lines and click Straighten lines to square them all in a single step.
Is there a shortcut for straightening lines?
There is no default shortcut, but you can assign one in the Ampler Settings → Shortcuts.