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PowerPoint  - Saving Presentations

Powerpoint  -, saving presentations, powerpoint saving presentations.

PowerPoint: Saving Presentations

Lesson 4: saving presentations.

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Introduction

Whenever you create a new presentation in PowerPoint, you'll need to know how to save in order to access and edit it later. As with previous versions of PowerPoint, you can save files to your computer . If you prefer, you can also save files to the cloud using OneDrive . You can even export and share presentations directly from PowerPoint.

Watch the video below to learn more about saving and sharing PowerPoint presentations.

Save and Save As

PowerPoint offers two ways to save a file: Save and Save As . These options work in similar ways, with a few important differences.

• Save : When you create or edit a presentation, you'll use the Save command to save your changes. You'll use this command most of the time. When you save a file, you'll only need to choose a file name and location the first time. After that, you can just click the Save command to save it with the same name and location.
• Save As : You'll use this command to create a copy of a presentation while keeping the original. When you use Save As, you'll need to choose a different name and/or location for the copied version.

About OneDrive

Most features in Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint, are geared toward saving and sharing documents online . This is done with OneDrive , which is an online storage space for your documents and files. If you want to use OneDrive, make sure you’re signed in to PowerPoint with your Microsoft account. Review our lesson on Understanding OneDrive to learn more.

To save a presentation:

It's important to save your presentation whenever you start a new project or make changes to an existing one. Saving early and often can prevent your work from being lost. You'll also need to pay close attention to where you save the presentation so it will be easy to find later.

• If you're saving the file for the first time, the Save As pane will appear in Backstage view .

• The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to save the presentation.

• The presentation will be saved . You can click the Save command again to save your changes as you modify the presentation.

You can also access the Save command by pressing Ctrl+S on your keyboard.

Using Save As to make a copy

If you want to save a different version of a presentation while keeping the original, you can create a copy . For example, if you have a file named Client Presentation you could save it as Client Presentation 2 so you'll be able to edit the new file and still refer back to the original version.

To do this, you'll click the Save As command in Backstage view. Just like when saving a file for the first time, you'll need to choose where to save the file and give it a new file name .

To change the default save location:

If you don't want to use OneDrive , you may be frustrated that OneDrive is selected as the default location when saving. If you find this inconvenient, you can change the default save location so This PC is selected by default.

Using AutoRecover

PowerPoint automatically saves your presentations to a temporary folder while you are working on them. If you forget to save your changes or if PowerPoint crashes, you can restore the file using AutoRecover .

To use AutoRecover:

• Open PowerPoint. If autosaved versions of a file are found, the Document Recovery pane will appear.

By default, PowerPoint autosaves every 10 minutes. If you are editing a presentation for less than 10 minutes, PowerPoint may not create an autosaved version.

If you don't see the file you need, you can browse all autosaved files from Backstage view . Just select the File tab, click Manage Presentation , then choose Recover Unsaved Presentations .

Exporting presentations

By default, PowerPoint presentations are saved in the .pptx file type. However, there may be times when you need to use another file type , such as a PDF or PowerPoint 97-2003 presentation . It's easy to export your presentation from PowerPoint to a variety of file types.

• PDF : This saves the presentation as a PDF document instead of a PowerPoint file.
• Video : This saves the presentation as a video.
• Package for CD : This saves the presentation in a folder along with the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer, a special slide show player anyone can download.
• Handouts : This prints a handout version of your slides.
• Other file type : This saves in other file types, including PNG and PowerPoint 97-2003 .

To export a presentation:

In our example, we'll save the presentation as a PowerPoint 97-2003 file.

• Click the File tab to access Backstage view .

You can also use the Save as type drop-down menu in the Save As dialog box to save presentations in a variety of file types. Be careful to choose a file type others will be able to open.

Sharing presentations

PowerPoint makes it easy to share and collaborate on presentations using OneDrive . In the past, if you wanted to share a file with someone you could send it as an email attachment. While convenient, this system also creates multiple versions of the same file, which can be difficult to organize.

When you share a presentation from PowerPoint, you're actually giving others access to the exact same file . This lets you and the people you share with edit the same presentation without having to keep track of multiple versions.

In order to share a presentation, it must first be saved to your OneDrive .

To share a presentation:

• Open our practice presentation .
• Use Save As to create a copy of the presentation. Name the new copy Saving Challenge Practice . You can save it to a folder on your computer or to your OneDrive .
• Export the presentation as a PDF file.

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How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation? [PPT & Other Formats!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Saving a PowerPoint presentation is one of the most important things that you need to do when you are creating a presentation using PowerPoint. Unlike some of the modern web-based presentation applications, you need to make sure that you save a PowerPoint presentation when you are using an offline version!

To save a PowerPoint presentation, click on the “File” tab. Then, from the backstage view, click on the “Save” option from the left panel. Choose the location or the folder where you want to save the presentation on your computer, and click on “Save”.

In this article, we shall not only understand how to save a standard PPT or PPTx file, but we shall also take a look at how to save a PowerPoint presentation in different file formats such as a PDF, video or an image!

So, let’s get started!

1. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation?

Once you have saved a PowerPoint presentation, you can easily save it again with just one click. Furthermore, you can also save a PowerPoint presentation in other formats. However, the process of saving a PowerPoint presentation is slightly different on Windows and on Mac.

Let’s understand the process in further detail.

1a. Saving a PowerPoint Presentation on Windows

To save a PowerPoint Presentation on Windows PC, you can follow either of the 2 simple methods.

Method-1: Using the “Save” button on Quick Access Toolbar

In the Quick Access Toolbar located at the very top of the screen, click on the “Save” icon.

The “Save” icon is located on the left side in the Quick Access Toolbar and looks like a floppy disk. Clicking on the “Save” button will immediately save the PowerPoint presentation in its current location as a “.pptx” file.

If you have opened a new presentation and you are saving it for the first time, clicking on the “Save” button will open a new explorer window. Simply navigate to the folder where you wish to save the new presentation on your computer, and click on “ Save “.

Method-2: Using the “File” tab

Another, more common method is to use the “File” tab in PowerPoint to save your PowerPoint presentation.

Here’s what you need to do –

Step 1 – Click on the “File” Tab

Another way to save a PowerPoint presentation is to use the “File” menu. You have to first click on the “File” tab located at the left corner of the menu ribbon at the top of the screen.

Step 2 – Click on the “Save” option

This will open the backstage view in PowerPoint. Now, click on the “Save” option from the sidebar on the left side of the screen. This will save the Microsoft PowerPoint as a “.pptx” file in the current location.

1b. Saving a PowerPoint Presentation on Mac

On a Mac computer, you can use the “File” menu as well to save the PowerPoint presentation.

The first step is to click on the “File” menu in the menu bar located at the top of the screen (above the PowerPoint window). This will open a dropdown menu. Click on the “Save” option from the dropdown menu to save the presentation as a “.pptx” file which is the standard format for presentations.

1c. Shortcut Keys to Save a PowerPoint Presentation

Microsoft PowerPoint also allows you to save a presentation with keyboard shortcuts. All you have to do is press the “Ctrl+S” keys on your keyboard in an open PowerPoint file. This will save the PowerPoint presentation.

1d. Best Format to Save a PowerPoint Presentation?

PowerPoint allows you to save a presentation in various different file formats! For instance, you can use the .ppt format if you wish to open the presentation file using PowerPoint 2007 or earlier. You can use .ppsx to open presentation directly as a PowerPoint Show file that opens it in the presentation mode.

In fact, there are several other formats you can save a presentation in. We shall explore how to save a PowerPoint presentation in several different formats later in the article.

However, the best format to save a PowerPoint Presentation is a “.pptx” file. This type can support all the latest as well as the older features of the PowerPoint presentation.

If you will be opening the presentation using a different software other than Microsoft PowerPoint, “.odp” is the best format. For printing, make sure to save the PowerPoint presentation as a PDF. That said, .pptx file format can help serve these purposes too.

2. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation as PDF

Saving a PowerPoint presentation in PDF format is the suitable method for printing out your presentation. To save the PowerPoint presentation as a PDF file, follow the 4 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “File” Tab

First, click on the “ File ” tab in PowerPoint to open the back stage view of PowerPoint.

Step 2 – Click on the “Save As” option

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “File” tab. In the “File” menu, click on the “Save As” option from the sidebar on the left side of the screen.

Step-3: Click on the “PDF (*.pdf)” option

In the “Save As” screen, click on the box that shows “PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx)” . This will open a dropdown menu. Click on the “PDF (*.pdf)” option from the dropdown menu.

Step-4: Click on the “Save” button

Now all you have to do is click on the “Save” button beside the box to save the PowerPoint presentation as a PDF file (as shown in the image in step 2).

3. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation as a Video?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can also save a presentation as a video. This allows you to play the presentation slides as a video rather than a slide show.

3a. On Windows

To save a PowerPoint presentation as a video on a Windows PC, follow the 3 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “File” tab

The first step is to open the “Save As” screen. To do so, click on the “File” tab in the menu ribbon. In the “File” menu, click on the “Save As” option.

Step-2: Choose the “.mp4” file format from the “Save As” tab

The next step is to click on the “Save As Options” box. It is the second box on the right side of the “Save As” screen. In the dropdown menu, click on either the “MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4)” option or the “Windows Media Video (*.wmv)” option.

Step-3: Click on the “Save” button

The final step is to click on the “Save” button (as indicated in step 2 above). It is located on the right side of the “Save As Options” box. This will save your PowerPoint presentation as a video.

To save a PowerPoint presentation as a video on a Mac device, follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Export” option

In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on the “File” option. In the “File” dropdown menu, click on the “Export” option. This will open a dialog box.

Step-2: Click on the “File Format” box

In the dialog box, click on the “File Format” box. This will open a dropdown menu. You can click on either the “MP4” option or the “MOV” option as you prefer.

Step-3: Click on the “Export” button

In the dialog box, you can also click on the “Quality” option to select the quality of the video. Once you are satisfied with the selections in the dialog box, click on the “Export” button at the bottom (as shown in the image in the previous step). This will save the presentation as a video.

4. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation to Open in Slideshow Mode?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to save the PowerPoint presentation as a “PowerPoint Show” file. This opens directly as a slideshow. To save a PowerPoint presentation to open in slideshow mode, follow the 2 easy steps.

In the open PowerPoint file, click on the “File” tab from the menu ribbon which is located at the top of the screen. In the “File” menu, click on the “Save As” option.

Step-2: Click on the “PowerPoint Show (*.ppsx)” option

In the “Save As” screen, click on the “Save As Options” box which shows “PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx)” . This will open a dropdown menu. Click on the “PowerPoint Show (*.ppsx)” option.

Now all you have to do is click on the “Save” button to save the PowerPoint presentation to open as a slideshow.

5. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation as an Image?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can save the presentation as an image in five different formats: “Animated GIF Format (*.gif)” , “JPEG File Interchange Format (*.jpeg)” , “PNG Portable Network Graphics Format (*.png)” , “TIFF Tag Image File Format (*.tif)”, and “Scalable Vector Graphics Format (*.svg)” .

To save your presentation as an image, follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Save As” option from the “File” tab

The first step is to click on the “File” tab in the menu ribbon. Then click on the “Save As” option from the “File” menu.

Step-2: Select your preferred image format

In the “Save As” screen, click on the “Save As Type” box which is the second box in the right column. From the dropdown menu, click on your preferred image format from the five available formats.

Now all you have to do is click on the “Save” button (as shown in the image in step 2) beside the “Save As Type” box. This will save your presentation in a folder containing each slide as a separate image file.

6. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation as a Template?

A PowerPoint template is a predesigned presentation that you can edit to add your own content. To save a presentation as a template, follow the 3 easy steps.

The first step is to click on the “File” tab in the menu ribbon. Then click on the “Export” option from the sidebar in the “File” menu.

Step-2: Click on “Change File Type”

Now you have to click on the “Change File Type” option. Under the “Presentation File Types” group in the right column, click on the “Templates” option. Then click on the “Save As” button at the bottom of the screen.

In the “Save As” dialog box, you will see that the “Save as type” box shows the “PowerPoint Template” format. Now all you have to do is click on the “Save” button.

7. How to Save PowerPoint Presentation as Google Slides?

Microsoft PowerPoint does not offer any feature to upload a presentation to Google Slides directly. However, Google Slides does offer you an option to upload your PowerPoint presentation and save it in Google Slides!

Step-1: Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

The first step is to save your PowerPoint presentation using any method described in the section 1 of this article.

Make sure that you note down the location of the folder in which you have save the PowerPoint file.

Step-2: Click on the “Open file picker” option in Google Slides

Now, the next thing you need to do is open your Google Slides account by visiting slides.google.com . If you aren’t logged in, make sure you sign in with your account credentials.

Next, you will be presented with Google Slides home screen (as shown in the image above). In Google Slides, click on the “Open file picker” icon which looks like a folder. This will open the “Open a file” dialog box.

Step-2: Click on “Upload”

In the “Open a file” dialog box, click on the “Upload” tab.

From your “File Explorer” window, drag and drop the PowerPoint presentation in the dialog box. Now the presentation will automatically open in Google Slides.

Also Read – How to “ Make a Copy of a Google Slides Presentation ” and how to “ Share a Google Slides Presentation Correctly ” with others!

You can also click on the “ Select a file from your device ” button (blue button in the center of the screen). This will open the file explorer window. Navigate to the folder in which you have saved your PowerPoint presentation, and click on “OK”. This will open and save the presentation file in Google Slides.

8. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation to a Flash Drive?

To save a PowerPoint presentation on a flash drive or any external device, follow the 3 simple steps.

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “File” tab. In the “File” menu, click on the “Save As” option.

Step-2: Click on “Browse”

In the “Save As” screen, click on the “Browse” option which is the last option in the left column. This will open the “Save As” dialog box. In the sidebar on the left of the dialog box, click on the external disc.

Now all you have to do is click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the dialog box to save the PowerPoint presentation on the flash drive (as shown in the image in step 2).

9. How to Save a Copy of a PowerPoint Presentation?

The “Save A Copy” feature of Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to save changes in your presentation in a copied file without changing the original file.

Check out my article to learn detailed steps on how to save a copy of a PowerPoint presentation .

10. How to Save a Read-Only PowerPoint Presentation?

The “Read-Only” feature of Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to protect your PowerPoint presentation .

Using this feature, you can share your presentation with others without giving them the access to change your presentation. To save a read-only PowerPoint presentation, follow the steps mentioned below –

The first step is to click on the “File” tab in the menu ribbon. From the sidebar in the “File” menu, click on the “Info” option.

Step-2: Click on the “Protect Presentation” button

The next step is to click on the “Protect Presentation” option in the “Info” screen. This will open a dropdown menu. Click on the “Always Open Read-Only” option from the dropdown menu.

Step-3: Click on the “Save” option

Now all you have to do is save the presentation. To do so, click on the “Save” option in the sidebar right under the “Info” option. Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+S” keys on your keyboard.

If you have received a presentation that opens only in the read-only mode, but you don’t know how to work with it, check out my other article on “ How to Edit a Presentation in Read-Only Mode “.

11. How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation Without Notes?

When saving a PowerPoint presentation, you might want to remove the speaker notes. To do so, all you have to do is follow the 5 quick steps.

In the menu ribbon, click on the “File” tab. Then click on the “Info” option from the “File” menu.

Step-2: Click on “Check for Issues” on the “Info” tab

In the “Info” option, click on the “Check for Issues” button. Then click on the “Inspect Document” option from the dropdown menu. This will prompt a dialog box.

Step-3: Click on the “Inspect” option

In the “Document Inspector” dialog box, scroll all the way to the bottom and make sure the “Presentation Notes” option is selected. Then click on the “Inspect” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Step-4: Click on the “Remove All” option

Once the inspection results are shown in the “Document Inspector” dialog, scroll to the bottom again to find the “Presentation Notes” option. Then click on the “Remove All” button at the right side of the “Presentation Notes” option.

Now all you have to do is click on the “Close” button at the bottom of the dialog box to finish the process.

Step-5: Click on the “Save” option

The final step is to click on the “ Save ” option in the sidebar of the “File” menu to save the presentation without notes. You can alternatively press the “Ctrl+S” keys on your keyboard.

12. How to Save PowerPoint Presentation Directly in Microsoft Teams?

If you are delivering a PowerPoint presentation to an audience using Microsoft teams, you can easily share a PowerPoint deck with your audience in the following steps –

• First, open the Microsoft Teams application and login to the meeting.

• On the “ Meeting Controls ” menu available in the top part of your meeting screen, locate the “ Share Content ” option.
• Click on the share content button. This will show the most recent PowerPoint files that you opened. You can either choose to click on one of the files visible. Alternatively, scroll down on the right panel and click on the “ Browse my computer ” option.

• This will open a new file browser window. Navigate to the respective location where your PowerPoint presentation is saved, click on it to select it. Then, click on “Open” to open the presentation in Microsoft Teams.
• The presentation will open by default in the presenter mode and shared with the audience of the meeting.

13. How to Enable Autosave in PowerPoint Presentation?

The autosave option is only available if you are using the Microsoft Office 365 version of PowerPoint . Other than that, you will have to manually save the PowerPoint file in all other versions.

You can autosave the PowerPoint presentation to the OneDrive cloud, and also autosave recovery files. To enable autosave in PowerPoint presentation, follow the 4 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “AutoSave” button

To simply turn on autosave in the OneDrive cloud for the PowerPoint presentation, all you have to do is click on the slider beside the “Autosave” option.

It is located in the left corner of the Quick Access Toolbar at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on “Options”

To access more autosave options, click on the “File” tab in the menu ribbon. Then click on the “Options” option which is the last option in the sidebar in the “File” menu. It will open a dialog box.

In the “PowerPoint Options” dialog, click on the “Save” option from the sidebar located on the left side. Now you can enable your preferred autosave options in the “Save presentations” section.

Click on the “Autosave OneDrive and SharePoint Online files by default on PowerPoint” for auto-saving on the cloud. You can also select how often the auto-recovery copy is saved by clicking on the box at the right side of the “Save Autorecover information” option.

Step-4: Click on the “OK” button

Now all you have to do is click on the “OK” button at the bottom of the “PowerPoint Options” dialog box to enable your autosave preference (as shown in the image in step 2).

Credit to Cookie_studio (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited).

Tutorial: Save your PowerPoint as a Video

It pays to know how to save PowerPoint as video. Whether you are preparing a PowerPoint presentation for work, school , non-profit, staff training or investor relations. Content marketing is one of the biggest trends of the past couple of years and knowing how to distribute your content via various media is critical to business success. This article will guide and show you, step by step, how to save your PowerPoint presentation in video format. Next, we discuss the advantages of PowerPoint to video conversion and how you can put a single presentation to greater use. This guide is written by 24Slides’ Powerpoint experts and includes instruction on using PowerPoint for Mac.

6 Reasons to save PowerPoint as video

So you are considering saving your PowerPoint presentation as video? Before we show you how to do it, let’s talk about why it’s a great idea to convert your PowerPoint to video.

• You can show your presentation to a wider audience by sharing the video on YouTube and other video platforms.
• Your audience do not need to have a copy of Microsoft PowerPoint to view your presentation.
• Burn your presentation video on CD or DVD and giveaway as promotional material to clients or potential customers.
• Leverage your presentation and increase the return on investment (ROI) of your presentations by distributing them as video.
• The technical ability of your audience will not become a barrier to delivering your message. Your video becomes easy to access without the knowledge and understanding of powerpoint.
• Your audience will see your presentation exactly as you have intended it to be seen. Unlike sharing it as a presentation, some slides may get deleted or changed.

Now that you know why you’re on the right track by learning how to save PowerPoint presentations as video, let’s get into the process of exactly how to do it.

How to save PowerPoint 2010 as a video

If you are still using PowerPoint 2010 to create your presentations, you’ll be pleased to know you can still convert your PowerPoint to video. The process is som simple that you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing this all along.

Whether your presentation contains just text or is a multimedia presentation with sound narration, transitions and video, you will be able to convert it into video. Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to save PowerPoint as video in Windows Media Video (.wmv) file format. If you plan for sharing your presentation as a video before creating it, you can decide whether to record the narration before creating the presentation.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

• Create your PowerPoint presentation as normal and save it.
• If you’re using narration for your presentation, record the narration and add timings to the slideshow.
• Select the File menu and click on Save & Send .

• Under the Save & Send menu, find and click on Create a Video .

• Click on the Computer & HD Displays option to customise the video size and quality (small, medium and large size & quality).

• Click the Don’t Use Recorded Timings and Narrations to select if you’re using timings and narrations.

• Click Create Video and another dialogue box opens.

• Enter appropriate filename and saving location to save your newly created video.

Once your presentation to video conversion is complete, the video is ready to share via Facebook, Youtube, Vimeo or email.

How to save a PowerPoint 2007 presentation as video

There are many users still running Microsoft Office 2007, hence PowerPoint 2007 on their computers. If you are one of them, don’t worry, there are ways to convert your PowerPoint to video using a bundled Microsoft product, Windows Movie Maker.

If you want to convert a PowerPoint 2007 presentation to video and you are running a newer version of the program, you can open the file within PowerPoint 2013. You can then use the Create a Video feature to convert your PowerPoint to video.

Alternatively, if you only have access to PowerPoint 2007 and have a copy of Windows Movie Maker installed, you can save your presentation as image files (.jpg). Once you’ve saved each slide, fire up Windows Movie Maker and start a new project.

Next, import all the slides you saved as images into the new project and create your video.

Note: You can include transitions in Windows Movie Maker. However, animations will not convert when you save the slides as image (.jpg) files. Make sure you modify your slides to remove any animations and ensure you do not lose vital parts of your message before saving as images.

If your presentation has narration, you can import the the sound file directly into Windows Movie Maker. If you do not have the source audio file, you can save the presentation as a web page (a separate .wav file is created). You can then import the .wav file into your Windows Movie Maker video.

How to convert your PowerPoint to video in PowerPoint 2013 in 7 Steps

Turning your PowerPoint 2013 presentation slides into a video is easier than you think. In seven simple steps, you can turn your presentation into a video you can share with viewers wherever they are. Here’s how you do it.

• Access Powerpoint’s Backstage View by clicking on File.

• Select Export and click on Create a Video to access the video export menu.

• Click on the Create a Video option and expand the Computer and HD Displays option to select output video size and quality settings.

• Click on the drop down arrow to expand the Use Recorded Timings and Narrations menu. Use this to select whether you’re using recorded timings or not. If not using recorded timings and narrations, set the duration of each slide using the timings option at the bottom.

• Click the Create Video button to show the Save As dialogue box.

• Select the location where you want to save your video and choose a suitable filename for the video file. Also choose the video file type.

• Click Save and PowerPoint will begin converting your presentation to video. This may take a couple of seconds or a few minutes depending on the size of your presentation.

When the video creation is complete, the video is ready to view, upload to your website, Facebook, YouTube or sharing by email.

How to save a presentation as a movie file in PowerPoint For Mac

If you have an Apple computer running a Mac version of PowerPoint, you can convert your presentation into a movie for easier and wider distribution. The process is similar to Windows system with the inevitable differences between the operating systems. In just a few simple steps, you will be able to turn your powerful presentation into a movie file. The following limitations apply:

• The output is a .mov file compatible with only the Quicktime player or 3rd party converting programs.
• You will lose transitions and animations within the presentation and so make sure you modify your presentation prior to converting it.
• You will also lose narration during the conversion process, you may wish to add the narration as an audio soundtrack to the movie.

The steps are as follows:

• Click on File and choose Save as Movie .

• Click Movie Options to add a background soundtrack (music or your narration) or credits.

• Click Movie Settings to adjust the output quality and video size settings. You can also choose the slide durations, to create a looping video and slide transitions under this option.

• Click OK to close the Movie Options dialogue box.

• Click Save to start creating your video. The process will take a couple of seconds or longer depending on the size and quality options you select.

Once the process is complete, your movie is ready for playback or to convert into other file formats and share via Social Media or other outlets. If you’re using PowerPoint for Mac 2008 and 2011, these steps will work for either.

How to create a video from PowerPoint 2016

You can create a full-fidelity video from your presentation in PowerPoint 2016 in MPEG-4 (.mp4) or Windows Media Video (.wmv) format. In just six steps, you can turn your presentation into a video you can share and distribute on Facebook, YouTube, burn to DVD or via email. Here’s how you go about it:

• Click on the File tab to show file options.

• Scroll down and select Export and navigate to Create a Video.

• Select your video settings preference (video quality, timings and narration, video size).

• Click on Create a Video.

• Choose a filename, saving location and video type (.mp4 or .wmv).

• Click on Save to start video creation process.

This article has shown you how to convert and save PowerPoint as video. Once you’ve delivered a powerful presentation to an audience, making it available afterwards is always a great idea, especially for training presentations. To maintain the presentation in its entirety, saving it as a video and distributing it is the best option. By converting a presentation to video, you are able to reach a wider audience through YouTube, Facebook and other video hosting and sharing sites. We hope you’ve gained some useful insights on how you can achieve that following the simple, step by step guides for the version of PowerPoint you are running.

Did you know?

At 24slides, we provide stunning Powerpoint presentation services and are able to help you and your team have an incredible presentation to film. Take a look at some examples of our work and let’s get in touch . Alternatively, feel free to browse and download hundreds of free Powerpoint templates from our library.

You might also find this interesting: How to Create Social Media Videos With PowerPoint

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How to save or convert a powerpoint presentation to a video.

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Most people know that you can create PowerPoint presentations with pictures, music, images, web content, and text, but one little known trick is the ability to save PowerPoint presentations as videos.

PowerPoint presentations have been a long time favorite for use in business and academic presentations all over the world. They are highly versatile and offer a wide variety of features that you can use to enhance them.

In order to save your PowerPoint as a video you will first need to create a presentation or download the sample  we used for this tutorial.  Once you have the document open, you will need to save it as a video.  Begin by pressing “File.”

Instead of following the logical train of thought and opening the “Save” section, you will need to click on “Export,” then click on “Create a video.”

Once you do this, you will see the “Create a Video” option.  This will offer a few options in the form of two drop-down menus and a time value box.

The first drop-down box is where you will choose the quality of your exported video.  These three options will also determine the size of your exported video file.  For the purposes of this example, we will choose the second option to reduce the size of the video without compromising too much video quality.

The second drop-down menu allows you to include or exclude any timings or narrations that you inserted on your PowerPoint presentation.  Since the sample document has no timings or narrations, we will leave this as is.  The “Use Recorded Timings and Narrations” will be unavailable if you don’t have any of them in your presentation.

The time value box is where you can edit the amount of time that your slides will appear in the video.  The default time is set at 5 seconds.  For this tutorial, we will set it to 3 seconds.  Lastly, you need to click on the “Create Video” button.

You will now be taken to the “Save” dialog box.  Browse to the location where you want to save the file and give it a name then press “Save.”

While the video is being created, you will see the small progress bar at the bottom of your PowerPoint window.  Wait till this is done and then go to your video.

Now you can double-click your video file and it will automatically play with your video player. Remember that the more slides you have and the more time you allot to each slide, the more space the video will take up in the end. This handy export tool is great for automating presentations or for uploading them as videos to online video sharing services like Facebook or YouTube.

• Microsoft PowerPoint

• Start using PowerPoint Video
• Save a PowerPoint presentation Video
• Insert items Video
• Finalize and review Video
• Prepare and run Video

Save a PowerPoint presentation

Save your presentation, so you don't lose all your hard work. Then, print it to share it with others.

Save your presentation

Click FILE > Save , pick or browse to a folder, type a name for your presentation in the File name box, and click Save .

Save your work as you go. Hit Ctrl+S often.

Basic tasks for creating a PowerPoint 2013 presentation

What's new in PowerPoint 2013

Probably the most important part of creating a presentation, other than writing it is, of course, saving it.

For example, if the power were to go out right now, all of our hard work would be gone, unless we'd saved it to a file.

Here is an easy way to do that. Move up here to this set of commands called the Quick Access Toolbar , and click Save .

The first time you save a presentation, you come to this area, called the backstage.

You won’t find any formatting commands here.

The backstage is all about opening, saving, printing, sharing, exporting, and modifying PowerPoint options.

In other words, all that behind-the-scene stuff.

Save As is selected when you first save a presentation.

Here, you choose whether you want to save it to your Computer , or to the cloud using Microsoft 365 or OneDrive .

I have already signed in to my online account, so now I can click here, and browse for a location on my OneDrive.

Enter a filename and click Save .

It is just like saving to a computer, except that now I can access the file on any computer connected to the Internet.

Or, I can share it with others by sending an email message containing a link to the online file.

After you save your presentation, you can keep working on it, if you want.

But, remember to save it often, so you don’t lose any new work.

If you want to print your presentation, click the FILE tab to go to the backstage, and click Print .

You can see a preview of how it will look after it is printed. Select a printer here. Then, click Print .

However, before we do any printing, we need to finish the slides.

Up next, we’ll insert some things in the presentation.

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Save presentations

Save an opened presentation with the same name.

To save the opened presentation with the same name in the opened location, do one of the following:

• On the File tab, click Save .
• Press Ctrl+S .

Save the opened presentation with a different name in the local PC

On the File tab, click Save As to open the Save As pane:

• On the left side of the Save As pane, select the This PC option.
• If needed, change the location by clicking the More options... option to open the Save As dialog box,
• Type the name of your document and click the Save button.

Save the opened presentation in a different location

To save the presentation in any other location, do the following:

   1.   On the File tab, click Save As , then on the Save As pane, click the Browse button:

   2.   In the Save As dialog box, choose the location you need:

Optionally, you can change the name of the file and the file format.

Save a presentation in a different format

PowerPoint allows saving a presentation in different formats. To save a presentation in another format, do one of the following:

Some of the most popular:

• PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx) - the default format, can open only in PowerPoint 2007 and higher or on an earlier version with a compatibility pack installed. See more about Compatibility mode .
• PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation (*.pptm) - the format open in PowerPoint 2007 and higher that supports the storage of VBA or macro code.
• PowerPoint 97-2003 (*.ppt) - format supported by PowerPoint 97, 2000, 2002 (XP) and 2003. See more about Compatibility mode .
• PDF (*.pdf) - see more about how to save a presentation in PDF format .
• PowerPoint Template (*.potx) is a template file compatible with PowerPoint 2007 and higher.
• PowerPoint 97-2003 Template (*.pot) - a template file supported by PowerPoint 97, 2000, 2002 (XP) and 2003.
• Office Theme (*.thmx) - see more about Office Themes .
• PowerPoint Show (*.ppsx) - see more about how to save a presentation as Presentation Show .
• MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4) - A video version of the presentation using MPEG-4 format.
• Windows Media Video (*.wmv) - A video version of the presentation using WMV format.
• Graphics formats (*.gif, *.jpg, *.png, *.tif, *.bmp) - see more about how to save a presentation as pictures .
• Strict Open XML Presentation (*.pptx) - a variant of XML that fully supports the Open XML standard.
• OpenDocument Presentation (*.odp) - a presentation that conforms to the new OpenDocument standard for exchanging data between applications.

Automatically save presentations

Saving a document periodically as you work is crucial to prevent information loss. Making PowerPoint save automatically will reduce the chance of losing data in case of a power failure or other interruption.

   1.   On the File tab, click Options :

   2.   In the PowerPoint Options dialog box, on the Save tab, under Save presentations :

• Click the Save AutoRecover information every checkbox,

By default, the location is C:\Users\<user_name>\ AppData\ Roaming\ Microsoft\ PowerPoint , where <user_name> is your logged Windows name.

   3.   Click OK to close the dialog box.

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PowerPoint Tips: Over 25 Ways to Save a Presentation

by getmygraphics | PowerPoint Tips | 1 comment

PowerPoint, and frankly lots of other programs, allow you to save out, export, publish, etc. in numerous ways. Many of the ways will have complete relevance to you and some of them won’t. But most of them will have perfect relevance to you and you didn’t even know! Get ready for the # ways to Export/Save/Publish in PowerPoint 2016.

• PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx): This format is the default PowerPoint file. It will always automatically save out in this file type. All features and elements are the same.
• PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation (.pptm): This format allows for VBA coding (Visual Basic Applications). This allows for coding variables and tracking elements that PowerPoint doesn’t normally handle on its own.
• PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (.ppt): This format allows your presentation to be compatible with the older versions of PowerPoint. Be aware that you may lose the functionality of most features that are present in the current version.
• PDF (.pdf): Saving as a PDF will allow you to keep the format of the PowerPoint (not necessarily the functionality) and permits it to be shared across platforms.
• XPS Document (.xps): XPS is a similar and less used version of a PDF. The difference comes in how you view the document. You don’t need a viewer to view the file, similar to how a PDF is viewed.
• PowerPoint Template (.potx): This allows you to save out a project as a template (kind of self explanatory). You can then used the saved project (template) to create other projects with the same project skeleton.
• PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Template (.potm): This format allows you to make a project and save it out as a template, but it allows for basic coding to push your template further than PowerPoint can on its own.
• PowerPoint 97-2003 Template (.pot): This is like the other template format files, but this one is able to function in the older versions of PowerPoint.
• Office Theme (.thmx): This format allows you to save out themes (such as the built-in themes that PowerPoint contains) that you have created while in the project.
• PowerPoint Show (.ppsx): This format is actually very helpful when you are wanting to look as professional as possible. When you sent this file over to your boss or someone like that, it will automatically open up in the Slide Show View. The ability to edit and modify the presentation will be disabled.
• PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Show (.ppsm): Similar to the PowerPoint Show file, this will allow a presentation to have Macros (a basic coding language, otherwise known as VBA coding) built into it that will run in a slide show setting.
• PowerPoint 97-2003 Show (.pps): This is simply a slideshow that will pop open as it is clicked on. It is compatible with the older versions of PowerPoint.
• PowerPoint Add-In (.ppam): This format allows you to save out your project as an add-in. Meaning that you can modify the project with VBA coding and special add-in commands that you can then insert into other PowerPoint software systems (on other computers).
• PowerPoint 97-2003 Add-In (.ppa): This format will save your project in a way that an add-in can be inserted into an older version of PowerPoint.
• PowerPoint XML Presentation (.xml): This format lets you save out your presentation with text and binary information only. This is helpful for some people who are coding and dabbling in VBA.
• MPEG-4 Video (.mp4): This saves the project as a video, allowing you to present it on systems don’t have PowerPoint installed. Every computer will play a video file. The only thing that you need to do before hand is set a time for each slide, so you can modify the video to meet your needs.
• Windows Media Video (.wmv): This format is very similar to the other video file that you can save it out as. There is hardly any differences worth mentioning.
• GIF Graphics Interchange Format (.gif): This is format that converts your project into images that will show in the order that they are created. It will repeat over and over as long as it is specified. It is very good for web sources and minimal graphic projects.
• JPEG File Interchange Format (.jpg): This is similar to the GIF, only that it supports around 16 million colors. This format is best when you desire an interchanging graphic of complex photos and assets.
• PNG Portable Network Graphics Format (.png): This format converts all the slides within your project into photos. This is a versatile format, allowing you to use the photos in any manner that you may need them for. Such as web images, or just print them off on a piece of paper. You can even put images of your presentation into another presentation!
• TIFF Tag Image File Format (.tif): This format allows you to skew and blow up the images of your slides as much as is needed. It is similar to the PNG format.
• Device Independent Bitmap (.bmp): This converts your project into bitmaps. Which is a multitude of little dots that make a photo of each of your slides. This can also be blown up to the desired size.
• Window Metafile (.wmf): This is a file that converts your project into a 16 bit graphic. It is only used on very old versions of Windows.
• Enhanced Windows Metafile (.emf): This file format converts your project into a 32 bit graphic. Also only to be used on very old versions of Windows.
• Outline/RTF (.rtf): This format is a text only format that allows you to easily share information with people who may not have the same version of PowerPoint as you. It is macro, and note free.
• PowerPoint Picture Presentation (.pptx): This format turns every slide into a photograph. It is similar to the PNG formats. No editing can occur after your project has been saved out in this format. Be careful, because the extension for this format is the same as the default format, you need to change the name of this file to avoid making your project uneditable.
• Strict Open XML Presentation (.pptx): This format is similar to the other XML format. It has a few changes that will disable you from seeing some features when crossing your project over to an XML processor.
• OpenDocument Presentation (.odp): Saving out your project in this format will allow you to open the presentation in Google Docs and Open Office Impress. It can also be opened in the default PowerPoint software.

In almost every software program, there is a Save feature that can make or break your project/game. PowerPoint allows you to save your projects in a variety of different ways to meet all the needs and specifications that you require. Let me know in the comment section below how these 28 awesome PowerPoint tips have helped you in discovering new ways to create an amazing presentation.

PowertPoint tips: 1.Saving as MPEG-4video (.mp4) Saves projects as video; make sure to set time for each slide before hand to be able to modify video to meet needs.

2. Powerpoint Show (.ppsx) for professional presentations. When sharing the file with other, it will automatically open up as a slide show. I like the ideas of sharing with other and know that they will not be able to make any changes or modification for my file.

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Unit 1 Use a Theme Template and Slide Layouts to Create a Presentation

4 View and Save Presentations

 view and save presentations, topics include:, open an existing presentation, correct text, view a presentation, save vs save as, view options, quit powerpoint, print a presentation.

To view an existing presentation, start PowerPoint, click on the File tab, select Open . Your Windows Explorer will open and allow you to choose an existing presentation. Note: This section is information only, you can work along exploring this feature. Later in this lesson you will use this PowerPoint open in the hands on practice activities.

In the first learning activity we learned that there are four buttons located in the View area that are used to view a presentation.

A useful way to view your presentations is in black and white or Grayscale . If you need to use a projector that can only handle Black & White or Grayscale you should view your presentation with a black and white command applied to be sure your text and layout is still readable.

To see how your slides would look in black and white, click the View tab, select Grayscale or Black and White in the Color/Grayscale group and scroll through your slides.

A new tab will then display. From the Black and White tab, select one of the various black and white settings.

A presentation can be printed in many formats. You can print the slides of your presentation, handouts for the audience, the notes page, or the outline view. Prior to printing the desired material, you may want to specify the page Orientation; select Slide Orientation located in the Page Setup group in the Design tab. The dialogue box will appear; this allows you to set the orientation either Portrait or Landscape.

The next step to printing your presentation is to display the print dialogue box. Click on the File tab, then Print . At the Print screen you have the the option to print all of the slides, or you can specify the slides that you would like to print.

The drop list beside Full Page Slides : displays a list of printing options such as print slides, handouts, notes pages and outline view.

The Color drop list includes the options to have your presentation print in Color, Grayscale and Pure Black and White.

Once you have determined how you want your presentation to print, you can then select the number of copies and click OK.

While viewing your presentation, you need to proofread your presentation for any errors. PowerPoint is equipped with a spell checking feature to check for and correct misspelled words. Keep in mind that the spell check only recognizes misspelled words not misused words. To check your presentation for any spelling mistakes, click on the Spelling button located in the Review tab. When PowerPoint recognizes a misspelled word it offers suggestions, you then have the option to choose the correct spelling or ignore the misspelled word.

When creating a presentation, you must save your files to a disk. When saving the presentation for the first time, you will use the Save As command located under the File tab.

You will then name your presentation and save it either on your hard drive or on a disk. When naming a PowerPoint presentation, you will notice that the new file will be named with the extension .pptx.

Once you have saved your presentation with a new name, when you make any additional changes you can use the Save command. The Save command saves any changes you make to the file in the same location you specified when you used the Save As command. Be sure to save your files frequently.

Once you have saved your PowerPoint Presentation, click on the X located to the right of the Title bar. This command will close the PowerPoint program.

Presentation Software Copyright © 2013 by bpayne is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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File Formats and Export Options in PowerPoint – Part 1

The export function.

PowerPoint offers several formatting options for exporting presentations. You can display your presentations on many different devices or share them with colleagues, employees or other interested individuals. You can also control what content is accessible to the viewer. In this article, you will learn how to access the four primary export options in PowerPoint, what their specific features are and how they are used.

Here is how to find the export function in PowerPoint:

1. Click on File .

2. From the menu on the left, select Save & Send .

3. Under File Types , there are various export options.

Export Options in PowerPoint:

Saving as pdf or xps document.

PDF is a universal format for text and image documents that is compatible with many different programs and systems. It looks the same whether it is viewed on a device running iOS or Windows. XPS is a format developed by Microsoft that is similar to PDF but is less common and works mainly with Microsoft. PDF exports are highly recommended for presentations. The format can be displayed on almost all devices and preserves your layout and visual design. You can even use a PDF document instead of a PowerPoint file (.ppt or .pptx), no longer requiring PowerPoint nor PowerPoint Viewer to be on the device.

Creating a Video

A presentation can also be exported to a video. The default setting for slide duration is stored, and the slides automatically transition when the video plays. The video is saved as a Windows Media Video (WMV) file (with PowerPoint 2013 or later, videos can also be saved as an MPEG4 file) that can be played on many different devices. With additional software applications (except for HandBrake), you can convert the file to another format when needed. Another useful option is Record Slide Show under Slide Show. With this, you can manually set slide duration, animation timing and triggers. You can also incorporate an audio track (your computer must be equipped with a microphone and speakers) to narrate the slide show.

Package Presentation for CD

This option allows you to export the presentation along with all custom views, linked files and fonts onto a CD or USB stick. This function is helpful for complex presentations that rely on customized fonts, graphics, video or sound files – it supports everything. The exported files are designed to play automatically from the disk once loaded. However, PowerPoint Viewer must be installed on the presentation device for it to work properly.

Create Handouts

This option allows you to transfer a presentation to Microsoft Word and later adjust and optimize it for printing. Before exporting to Word, you can select how many slides will be displayed on one page, how the content is formatted and whether to leave additional space for taking notes. The presenter can provide handouts to help prepare the audience or enable them to follow along during the presentation. In Word, contents can be adapted, reduced or expanded quickly without having to change the original presentation. Handouts can also be made available in digital form by saving them as Word or PDF documents.

In parts two and three of this blog series, find out which file formats are available in PowerPoint as well as the best-suited applications for each file type.

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PowerPoint Presentation (PPTX) Conversion

Absorb Create allows for Courses to be created using different file types. In this article we will explain how to convert standard presentation files (PPTX) into Create Courses .

PowerPoint File Prerequisites

Before converting your PowerPoint into a Create Course , please confirm that it meets the following criteria:

• Less than 5GB.
• Not password protected.
• Less than 100 objects per slide (QR codes, maps, and similar images can be counted as 100+ objects).
• The total number of slides is less than 200 slides.
• File format is in (.pptx).

Converting a PowerPoint in Create

Creating a new Course using a PowerPoint presentation requires access to the Admin Experience and Create . Please advise the following steps to convert the presentation file in Create .

• In the Admin Experience , click on the Create tile on the left hand side of the page.

All images imported from your presentation can be found in the Media Library under the Archive section. Images can be unarchived and moved back to the All Categories images. From there the images can be moved to other Categories .

Related articles

• Additional presentation import strategies
• Design a theme with a presentation template
• How to Create a Course
• Input and Output Specifications for Create
• Additional audio tracks

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Work together on PowerPoint presentations

When you save your presentation to OneDrive or SharePoint in Microsoft 365 , you can work on it concurrently with your colleagues. 

Share your file with others

To invite other people to access your PowerPoint file and collaborate, take these steps:

Use the drop-down list to indicate whether a recipient can edit the file or only can view the file. Optionally add a note.

To proceed, select Send .

Note:  The Share dialog box offers an alternative option: Use the Copy link button and share the link. Anyone with the link can access the document with default permissions. 

Collaboration 

As others join you in working in your shared document, you can see evidence of their presence and activity. 

To enable automatic display of full names (i.e., for Accessibility purposes) go to File > Options > Advanced > Display > Show presence flags for selected items

When you’re done working, simply save your file. If there are no conflicts in the revisions, they will be automatically merged.

Reviewing changes and resolving conflicts

When you close/exit your shared PowerPoint presentation file, you can review the recent changes and resolve any difference across the team’s edits. 

Review all changes 

Upon saving your file, all non-conflicting changes are automatically merged into your presentation. You can see these in the My Changes view.

Choose either My Changes or Changes by Others .

When you are done resolving conflicts, select  Done .

More detail about conflicting changes 

Communicate in the shared file via Comments, Tasks, and Chat

In addition to seeing each other’s slide revisions in real time, PowerPoint enables various team interactions within the presentation file. 

Comments. To create, view, or respond to comments, use the Comments icon.   You can reply to, resolve, or mark comments as complete. To learn more, see Add comments . 

Tasks. A Task is a special kind of Comment that can be assigned and tracked to closure. To learn more, see add Tasks .  Chat. (Microsoft 365 only) You can instantly chat with other people who are working in a presentation stored on OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint in Microsoft 365. 

On the toolbar, at the right end, click the icon (picture or initials) of a collaborator who is currently working in the file.

Use the chat window to interact with everyone who is currently in the file. 

Note:  If another person subsequently opens the file to edit it, they can also join the chat. However, they will see only the new messages from that time forward, not the chat history. 

Notifications upon reopening a changed file 

See others’ recent revisions

Select the thumbnail to open the full-size slide.

Note:  Recently revised slides are highlighted, but all revisions may not be indicated on the slide. Non-indicated revision types include notes pane changes, deletion of shapes, comment additions, and animation changes. 

Access prior versions of a presentation

While you are working on files stored via OneDrive and OneDrive for work or school, Office preserves prior versions of them. For a specific file, you can view the list of prior versions and optionally restore a prior version. 

View the prior-versions list

With the file open, take these steps: 

Select the file name in the title bar of the app window.

Select Version History.

Open a prior version 

In the Version History pane, select a previous version.

Select Open version .

View the read-only copy now displayed in a separate window.

More information about revision highlighting 

Several factors can affect the extent to which revision highlighting occurs. 

Revision highlighting works on shared documents that are stored in OneDrive and SharePoint.

Changes are not highlighted if the file is encrypted or password protected.

Changes are not highlighted if the file is in .odp format or the older PowerPoint .ppt or .pps format.

Changes are highlighted only when the person making the change is using PowerPoint for the web, or PowerPoint for Microsoft 365. (More specifically, at least version 1707 of Current Channel or version 1803 of Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel). Here is a link to Find your Office version .

Changes are not highlighted if revision data has been turned off for the document in the Trust Center Privacy Options .  Privacy options NOT turned on  If the privacy options are not turned on, the presentation will store the user's name and the time of the most recent edits to an object. If needed, you can remove that information via Document Inspector. Learn how in this article: Remove hidden data and personal information by inspecting documents, presentations, or workbooks .  Privacy options ARE turned on  If the privacy options are turned on, the revision highlighting gets turned off. Thus, there is no storage of person-related data (usernames and their recent access timing.)

Where the data is stored

In order to make revision highlighting possible, data about the read/unread status of individual slides is stored separately by PowerPoint. Where that data is stored depends on which version and channel of PowerPoint is in use. 

Note:  We are in the process of shifting towards storing that data in an online Microsoft service designed for saving user settings. 

This table lists versions of PowerPoint and where each one stores the read/unread status data specific to each person who opens the file. Use this link to Find your Office version . 

Do you miss Slide Libraries? 

If you’d like to see Slide Libraries in PowerPoint, please send us your feedback. See How do I give feedback on Microsoft 365 . Your input will help us prioritize which features to include in future updates. 

Share your presentation with others and collaborate on it at the same time

Note:  If you'd rather not upload your presentation to your OneDrive or SharePoint, you can share it via an email attachment by selecting Send a Copy instead.

Enter the email address of the person you'd like to share the presentation with. If you already have the person's contact info stored, you can just enter the name. The control at the top lets you determine whether your invitees can edit the file or only can view the file.

Click Share . An email will be sent to your invitees.

See where others are working in your shared presentation

Open the presentation and start working in it.

If someone else is viewing or working in the presentation, their thumbnail picture appears in the top-right corner of the ribbon. PowerPoint alerts you when people enter or leave your presentation.

You'll also see the name of anyone viewing or editing the presentation in the Share pane. There's an indicator—on the thumbnail of the slide and in the actual slide—that shows where someone is working in the presentation. Hover over or select that indicator to find out who is editing.

(For accessibility, PowerPoint also allows you to turn on automatic display of the editor's name. Turn it on by selecting PowerPoint > Preferences > View > Show presence flags for selected items .)

When you’re done working, save your file.

If your updates and other authors’ updates don't conflict, they'll be merged automatically, and you don’t need to do anything else.

Notifications when you open a changed file

After other people make changes to a shared presentation file, PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac notifies you when you re-open the file. A small banner tells you who has made changes to your presentation while you were away.

Tracking changes: Revisions by others are highlighted

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac automatically keeps track of changes made in online documents.

When you re-open a changed presentation (or are in a file being actively edited by someone else), changed slides are highlighted in turquoise in the thumbnail pane. A tooltip says, "Slide has unread changes."

Select a thumbnail to look at the full-size slide. You'll see the changed portion of the slide outlined in turquoise. An accompanying notation tells you who made the change, and when. By looking at the revised slide, you clear away the turquoise highlighting and the "slide has unread changes" notation on that slide.

(There are some cases where a revised slide is highlighted, but the kind of change that has been made isn't outlined on the individual slide. Examples of such changes include: Changes in the Notes pane, deletion of a shape, addition of a comment, and animation changes.)

What determines whether changes are highlighted:

This feature works on shared documents stored in OneDrive and SharePoint.

Changes are highlighted only when the person who makes the change is using PowerPoint for the web, or PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac—at least version 16.11. Find your Office version

Changes aren't highlighted if the file is encrypted or password-protected.

Changes aren't highlighted if the file is in .odp format or the older PowerPoint .ppt or .pps format.

Communicate by using Comments

You can add a new comment or reply to or resolve existing comments.

( Microsoft 365 only ) Tag a colleague in a comment by using the @-sign followed by the person's name. That person receives an email message with a link to your comment. Clicking the link brings them into the document and into the conversation.

See previous versions of the file

Office preserves prior versions of your SharePoint, OneDrive, and OneDrive for work or school files while you’re working on them.

To open the list of the prior versions of a file, select the file name in the title bar of the app window, then select Browse Version History .

Version History is for viewing, not editing. You can see any prior version of a file.

To open a prior version:

In the Version History pane on the right, select Open Version in one of the version-history items.

A read-only copy of that version is opened in a separate PowerPoint window.

You can copy content from a prior version. You can also Save A Copy of a prior version so that you can edit it separately from the file you're currently working on.

Share a presentation with others

Add a message to your colleagues if you like.

Click Send .

When multiple people work in a file at the same time, indicators show you where they are:

Towards the top right corner of the window you'll see a badge - with their profile picture or initials - for each person who currently has the file open. Select that badge to see where in the slide deck they currently are.

On the thumbnail pane you'll see a label appear at the top right corner of the slide thumbnail with the name of the person currently on that slide.

See revisions made by other people

When you open a presentation that someone else has changed, PowerPoint tells you in two ways:

A While You Were Away message appears on the right side of the window.

In the slide thumbnail pane on the left, slides that have been revised are highlighted with a turquoise background.

When you open that slide, you'll also see a turquoise outline around the revised slide element. By looking at the revised slide, you clear away the turquoise highlighting and the "slide has unread changes" notation on that slide.

Confer by using Comments or Chat

Tag a colleague in a comment by using the @-sign followed by the person's name. That person receives an email message with a link to your comment. Clicking the link brings them into the document and into the conversation.

Use File > Info > Version History to open the list of the prior versions of a file.

Version History is for viewing, not editing. You can see any prior version of a file. You can copy content from a prior version. You can also Save A Copy of a prior version so that you can edit it separately from the file you're currently working on.

Rename a presentation file

You can rename a file in PowerPoint for the web while you're co-authoring with others.

Type a new name for the file. Or use the arrow keys to position the insertion point within the title, and then type your changes to the file name.

Press Enter when you're done.

In a moment, the name change syncs with other instances of the file that are currently open.

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