OfficeOne Shape Locker

One common problem that occurs when working with complex PowerPoint presentations that contain numerous objects is the fact that the shapes can be accidentally modified. If the shapes also include additional content, such as text or other shapes, just a few mistakes can turn a structured layout into a chaotic presentation. OfficeOne Shape Locker was created to help overcome such problems and it will allow users to protect the shapes from their presentations against changes, with options for locking the shapes’ attributes.

OfficeOne Shape Locker comes as a separate add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint and after its straightforward installation process, users will be able to easily access it by entering the Design Tools tab.

Once installed, it will remain silent within PowerPoint and it will not require any additional setup procedures. After selecting the required shapes, users can open the add-in’s settings menu and easily lock different shape attributes.

Users are able to select different shape attributes for locking: position, shape, rotation, text editing, shape type, point editing, arrowheads and handles. However, after applying the lock, the add-in will re-open the presentation, which might bother some users, because they will lose visual contact with their content.

One additional feature OfficeOne Shape Locker offers is the locking of shape selection, therefore making the chosen shapes “unselectable”. This major drawback might annoy many users, because, once this locking feature has been applied, they will no longer be able to unlock that shape or do any adjustments of any kind to it.

OfficeOne Shape Locker will be a good software for users who require an efficient solution for protecting the objects / shapes from their PowerPoint presentations. It will allow users to selectively lock independent or single shape attributes. However, its selection lock feature will irreversibly lock shapes and users will not be able to unlock those shapes or do any changes to them. A specific hotkey combination for unlocking the selection of features would have been a much welcomed addition, together with a better graphical confirmation for the locked features.