Flip Shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac

When you insert a shape within a PowerPoint slide, you can manipulate it in many ways. First, you can resize and rotate it. However, rotation just lets you turn the shape in another direction without mirroring it. If you want to mirror your shape in another direction, you need to use PowerPoint's flip options that create a reverse or mirror image of any selected shape.

Follow these steps to apply these flip options in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac:

1. Select the shape. You know your shape is selected when blueish-white handles, and a green rotation handle appear on the shape, as shown in Figure 1, below. In some shapes, you may see one or more yellow diamond handles too. However, if your shape shows no such yellow handles, do not worry.
2. 
   Figure 1: Selected shapes show handles
2. Select any of the blueish-white side handles (side handles are square, unlike the corner handles which are round), and drag towards the other end of the shape, as shown in Figures 2, and 3.
3. 
   Figure 2: Drag the side handle towards the other end of the shape
3. Keep dragging beyond the shape on the other side to flip the selected shape, as shown in Figure 3, below.
4. 
   Figure 3: Drag beyond to the other side to flip a shape
4. Alternatively, hold the Alt (Option) key and drag any of the side handles towards the other end of the shape, as shown in Figure 4, below. This action will flip the shape from the center (but not proportionately), as shown in Figure 4 on the right side.
5. 
   Figure 4: Hold the Alt (Option) key to flip the shape from the center
5. To get more exact control over the flip, select the shape and double-click it to activate the Format tab on the Ribbon. In this tab, locate the Arrange group and within this group, click the Rotate button to access the Rotate gallery, as shown in Figure 5, below. Choose either Flip Vertical or Flip Horizontal, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 5.
6. 
   Figure 5: Flip options within Rotate gallery
6. Figure 6, below, displays the selected shape (refer to Figure 1) flipped horizontally.
7. 
   Figure 6: Shape flipped horizontally
7. You can make the copies of your selected shape, and then flip them differently to create some pattern, as shown in Figure 7, below.
8. 
   Figure 7: A pattern created by flipping four Pie shapes