Use object styles

A quick way to change an object’s appearance is to apply an object style to it. Every template includes object styles—combinations of colors, borders, shadows, and other attributes—that match the template.

If you customize the appearance of an object (a text box, shape, image, or movie) and want to apply these same changes to other objects in your document, you can create a new object style. The new style is saved along with the object styles that come with the template.

Apply an object style

  1. Select an object.

  2. Click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see the sidebar, or it doesn’t have a Style tab, click Format inspector button in the toolbar.

  3. Click a style at the top of the sidebar (click the left or right arrows to see more styles).

    If the object includes text but you want to apply just the shape style to it (the color and border, for example), Control-click the style thumbnail, then choose Apply Shape Style Only.

Create a new object style

  1. Select the object with the changes you want to save.

  2. Click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see the sidebar, or it doesn’t have a Style tab, click Format inspector button in the toolbar.

  3. Click the triangle on the right side of the chart style thumbnails to go to the last group of styles.

  4. Click New Style button to add your style.

    Text Box Styles list with the a text box selected and the add button visible

The style appears last, but you can drag it to another location.

Organize and delete object styles

You can change the order of the object styles shown at the top of the sidebar and delete any you don’t want.

  1. Press the style you want to move until a gray box appears around it then disappears.

  2. Drag the style to a new location.

  3. To delete a style, Control-click it, then select Delete Style.

To move a style from one group to another, drag it over an arrow to move to the next group, then drag it where you want it.

Replace styles

To quickly change the appearance of all objects that have the same style applied, redefine the style and then apply it to all the objects.

  1. Select one of the objects whose style you want to change, then modify its appearance so it looks the way you want.

  2. Select the object you just modified (if you deselected it).

  3. Click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see the sidebar, or it doesn’t have a Style tab, click Format inspector button in the toolbar.

  4. Control-click the currently applied style, then choose Redefine Style from Selection.

  5. Click OK.

    All objects that use the style are updated.

See also
Change the transparency of an object
Add text
Add images
Add shapes
Use table styles
Save and organize chart styles