how to format powerpoint presentation

How-To Geek

How to change an entire presentation's formatting in powerpoint.

You don't need to change a PowerPoint presentation's formatting one slide at a time. You can do it all at once in the Master View. Here's how to use this time-saving feature.

If you’re wanting to reuse a PowerPoint presentation but would like to clear the slideshow's formatting, there’s no need to do it slide by slide---you can do it all at once. Here’s how.

First, open the PowerPoint presentation with the formatting you want to edit. To illustrate the before and after, here’s what we’ll be working with in this example.

Looking even closer, here are the formats our current slideshow is using:

• Colors: Gallery
• Headings: Gill Sans MT
• Body: Gill Sans MT
• Effects: Gallery
• Background Style: Style 10
• Background Graphics: Wooden Flooring

Once you’re ready to reformat, select the “ Slide Master ” option in the “Master Views” group of the “View” tab.

The first child slide is selected by default. Be sure to choose the parent slide above it, or the changes won’t take place for every slide.

If you want to assign a new theme to the presentation, you can do that here. Select “Themes” from the “Edit Theme” group and choose your desired theme from the drop-down menu.

Each theme comes with its own unique set of fonts, colors, effects, and so on---and there's certainly no shortage of items to choose from. If you want to stick with your current theme but change some of the individual formatting options, you can do so with the options available in the “Background” group.

Here are the different options available for reformatting:

• Colors: Changes all the colors used in your presentation, as well as the color options available in the color picker.
• Fonts: Changes all the headings and body fonts used in the presentation.
• Effects: Changes the appearance (shading, border, etc.) of objects in your presentation.
• Background Styles: Choose the background style for the selected theme.
• Hide Background Graphics: Hide (or unhide) background graphics that come with a theme. This can only be used on each slide type in the Master view.

To make changes, select the option from the menu and choose your desired change from the menu that opens. For example, if we wanted to change our colors from “Gallery” to “Green Yellow,” we’d select “Colors” from the “Background Group” and then choose “Green Yellow” from the drop-down menu.

Related: How to Change the Default Font in PowerPoint

Repeat these steps for whichever options you’d like to change. We’ll make the following changes to our slideshow in this example:

• Colors: Green Yellow
• Headings: Calibri
• Body: Calibri
• Effects: Glossy
• Background Styles: Style 10
• Hide Background Graphics: Title Slide only

Once you’ve made the desired changes, select the “Close Master View” button in the “Close” group.

Related: How to Create a Custom Template in PowerPoint

You’ll now see the changes applied throughout the entire presentation.

And a closer look shows all the finer details.

That’s all there is to it!

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to Format Presentation Slides

How to Format Presentation Slides

Learn how to give your presentation slides a facelift so they captivate your audience.

Why is Presentation Design and Formatting Important?

A well-designed presentation can help you connect with your audience and gets your message across in an easily digestible manner. Great presentation design can impart a positive first impression and is more likely to draw in and engage an audience.

Pretend you’re attending a presentation and instead of formatted PowerPoint slides, each one is plain white with a lot of dark text that’s hard to read. And even though the background and text colors are the same, none of the text is lined up and multiple fonts are used. There are no transitions or title pages that help to differentiate between topics being discussed and you’re presented with slide after slide of confusing, jumbled text.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

Formatting slides in your presentation is what enhances the look of the slides and transforms them into something that complements the content and resonates with the audience.

What Else Should a Good Presentation Include?

While formatted slides can help to connect with the audience, a good presentation should also include:

• Well-written, concise content that clearly explains the problem that you’re trying to solve and the unique solution you’ve come up with.
• A great hook or emotionally compelling introduction.
• Visuals that support your message and aren’t too busy.

Most importantly, a good presentation should be efficient and engage with the audience. And that engagement can be found in the content as well as how the slides are formatted.

Tips for Creating & Formatting Presentation Slides

Before you start creating your PowerPoint presentation, make sure that your content is solid. Making an outline can help you keep information organized, clear, and concise before you put it into a presentation. The outline can also help you break down what information is shared on each slide to keep things from being overcrowded or wordy. Take a minute to consider your audience and the best ways to connect with them and present what you’re trying to share.

Once your content is finalized, you can get to work on creating and formatting your presentation slides.

How to Make a Slide

A PowerPoint presentation is sometimes known as a deck and is composed of different slides. When you’re putting your own deck together, you’ll certainly need to add slides and format them in different ways.

In order to make a new slide appear in your presentation, first select the slide that you’d like your new slide to follow. Then click Home and choose New Slide . From there, you can choose your desired layout , and start inputting content. The layout options in PowerPoint are great for keeping your text lined up and consistent through the deck. You can also rearrange, duplicate, and delete slides as necessary.

Formatting Your Presentation Slides

Once you’ve created your content or slides, it’s time to consider design and formatting. This is where you make choices about themes, templates, color schemes, and fonts.

If you don’t feel confident about your design abilities, you might want to try applying a template . This customizable option offers a variety of artistic skins that can give your deck a professional polish. There is even a range of downloadable templates available from Microsoft to suit any kind of presentation.

Don’t feel like you must use a template, though. Many users may prefer to use or create a theme to visually tie together their presentations. PowerPoint provides a variety of themes which include color schemes, backgrounds, fonts, and placeholder slides. In the Design tab, you can choose a theme that appeals to you or matches with your content. You can even try different color variations within the theme by selecting Variants . Each variant has built in options for colors, fonts, and background colors and styles that can help you format your slides and create a cohesive look throughout the deck.

There are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to eschew the suggestions made by PowerPoint:

• Consider the colors you’re using. There are definitely a few color combinations you should avoid .
• Choose fonts that are easy to read and make sure that your text isn’t too small to be read across a large room. You’ll also want to remember to keep the text on your slides relatively sparse, with no more than three bullet points per slide.

Using Visual Aids in Your Presentation

One way to break up the monotony of an all-text presentation is to use visual aids like charts, graphs, static images, gifs, and movies.

As with all other aspects of your deck, ensure that your visuals are easy to see and understand, and aren’t too wordy. Imagine trying to read a line graph with lots of muddy colors and small text from across a conference room. The goal of a visual aid is to make the presentation you’re giving more compelling and the information you’re sharing easier to understand.

Here are a few tips for adding visuals to your presentation:

• Make sure the images you use are of high quality and that they fit in your deck. They shouldn’t be distorted or pixelated, as this will distract from the content.
• All charts should be very easy to read and understand. If someone can’t immediately glean what information is presented, you may be trying to fit too much into a single chart.
• Don’t use more than one chart per slide unless it’s necessary. Keep it simple.
• If you’re including a brand or logo in your deck, make sure you’re adhering to that brand’s style guide .

A great way to get design ideas for slides in your presentation us to use the Designer feature in PowerPoint. It automatically generates design ideas for you to choose from based on the content of your slide. Designer detects when you’re using pictures, charts, and tables and gives you suggestions for arranging them on your slides in a cohesive layout that’s easy on the eyes. Designer can also help to format your lists and timelines into easy-to-read graphics and suggests relevant graphics to pair with keywords that it finds within your content.

Create a PowerPoint deck that stands out and resonates with your audience by formatting it in a professional manner. And don’t forget to prep for your presentation !

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How to Format PowerPoint Slides: A Complete Tutorial

Complete Tutorial: How to Format PowerPoint Slides

Format PowerPoint Slides? As you know, PowerPoint is a handy tool if used properly. There is a lot to format and changes to be made in the program, and in this article, we go through the most critical formatting tips, what you will learn to format in this article are:

• Chunks of Content
• Header and Footer
• Bullet Lists

The above is a long list of areas, but that is why we have named this article exactly “Complete Tutorial: How to Format PowerPoint Slides.” Let’s dig into the content!

Format Text in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, all text is written in text boxes. Each text box can be viewed as its own miniature document which can have its own settings for, for example, indents, tabs, and another formatting.

Like different Word documents, paragraphs work in the same way in text boxes for PowerPoint. If you write a running text and end with “Enter”, a new paragraph is created for upcoming text. This makes it possible to have different settings for different pieces within the same text box.

To make different formatting in text boxes, it is crucial to keep track of what you want to format. Is it one or more words? Or a piece? Or all the text in the text box? With the right selection, this will be easy. Format text is very important when you format PowerPoint slides.

Format Words, in Running Text in PowerPoint

Select the word or text to be formatted. Double-click for a word or make a continuous selection for a coherent text.

Then do the formatting (for example, bold style), and this applies to the selected text.

Pro Tip! For single words, it works just as well just to place the cursor in the word and do its formatting. It is therefore not necessary to mark the word.

Format a Paragraph

To format a whole piece of text in the text box, it is sufficient to place the cursor in the current paragraph. However, if you have to format several parts, it is necessary to mark these pieces in advance.

Then do a paragraph formatting (for example, bulleted list or indentation). Then this change only occurs in the current paragraph.

Format Chunks of Content

You can also format the full contents of a text box at once without having to select all text. When you click on a text box, the frame becomes around a dashed line. Then you are in an edit mode and can choose or edit the text in the text box. If you click on the dashed frame, the line instead becomes solid. Now the entire text box is selected, and all formatting you make applies to the whole text in the text box.

This method is handy for quickly giving the text the same settings and formatting at once, and a great tool when you format PowerPoint slides.

Pro Tip! If the text box is in edit mode (dashed line), you can press “Esc” on the keyboard. Then the entire text box is highlighted (solid line).

Format the Header and Footer

The information displayed on each page of the PowerPoint presentation, such as a logo, address, title, or page number, should be in either the header or footer of the image. Since these are such common elements for a presentation, that is, they are visible on all pages, PowerPoint has created a function that prevents you from formatting this on every page.

Changing the contents of the footer or header is a simple process that can be applied either to individual images or across the board to all slides in the presentation. You can easily format the footer in your PowerPoint slides by following these steps:

Format Header and Footer in PowerPoint

1 Open the PowerPoint file. Then, click the “View” button in the top menu, and then navigate down to the “Normal” or “Slide Sorter” views that you see in the top left.

2. Click the “Insert” menu. Then click the “Header and Footer” option. Click on “Slide.”

3. Edit header information displayed at the top of the image or change the text in the footer field. Click “Apply” to apply the changes to one or more selected images. Click “Apply to All” to change the header and footer information of all the slides.

Format Bullet Lists

When you format PowerPoint slides, bullet lists are very important. Create bulleted lists with default points and lists with your own graphic points. You can also create numbered lists in the same way. You can easily add and format a bullet list in PowerPoint by following these steps:

1. Click on the bullets bullet button or select a bulleted image layout.

2. Enter the first entry in your list.

3. Press the Enter key. A gray dot appears on the next line.

4. Continue until the list is complete.

5. To change the row in the list but not to create a new point, press Shift + Enter.

Format the Bullet Point Appearance in Your PowerPoint Slides

1. Select the frame on the placeholder.

2. Start menu “Home”.

3. Select the Points “Bullets” button.

4. Click the Bullets and Numbering option to use a different bullet appearance.

5. Click the “Customize” button to select a character for point appearance.

6. Select Color and Size as a percentage of text.

7. You can use the “Picture” button for more alternative points.

Space Between Bullet Points and Text.

When you have selected bigger points for your text, it may become crowded between the points and the text. To increase the distance between points and writing, first show the ruler.

1. Click “View” Ribbon.

2. Check the Ruler box.

Distance Between Bullet Points and Text.

1. Click on the text. You cannot choose to mark the frame on the placeholder!

2. Drag the Hanging Indent icon. It’s the little triangle with the tip up, the “tent.”

Several Levels in the Bullet List

You can create sub-points for your bulleted list.

1. Stand with the cursor in the text at one point.

2. Click the “Increase Indent” / “Decrease button”

3. You can use the Tab key to lower the level and Shift + Tab to raise the level. Then the cursor must be placed in front of the first letter of the point.

Bullet List Spacing

You can set the spacing between rows.

1. Select the frame on the placeholder or select individual rows.

2. Start menu “Home.”

3. Select “Line Spacing.”

Poorly formatted bullet point list is a very common issue, make sure you make this right when you format PowerPoint slides.

The Format Panel

You can enable the style panel for shapes and image objects. There are formats and layout options gathered for quick changes. To activate the Format panel, right-click on the object and then select Image “Format Shape.” The style panel opens on the right side with the various useful options when formatting PowerPoint slides.

Add & Format Tables

To create an edit Tables are a lot easier and more convenient compared to Word and Excel. This is a great way to format PowerPoint slides. In PowerPoint, the tables are formatted to look good, rather than be packed with data. The trade-off is, however, less functionality, you cannot use classic Word fields or Excel formulas. However, you can achieve this by link an Excel file to your slide, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to “Insert”

2. Click “Object”

3. Select the Word document or Excel file you want to embed in your slide.

Add a Table to a PowerPoint Slide

There are several ways to create and add tables in PowerPoint, the most convenient and comfortable method is:

2. Select “Table,” and specify how many rows and columns you need

Setting Table Options in PowerPoint

After you create a table, click anywhere in the table to select it to enable the Alternative Group table in the Table tab. Then click the options button and toggle between and format rows and columns.

The Total Rows option is just another format for the bottom line – PowerPoint has no formulas or calculations. You can see checkboxes instead of a menu if the screen is wide enough.

Select a Table Style in PowerPoint

The standard layout gets boring, pretty fast. While selecting your table, visit the Format Groups table on the Table Layout table in the ribbon to apply a new style. Click on the left and right scroll arrows at both ends of the table style gallery or click on “cute place” at the bottom to display all styles in a palette. If you want a standard table, select “Clear Table Style,” which is also the first table in the Table Style gallery and the Table Format palette.

In this article, we have presented several elements you can edit and format in PowerPoint. Furthermore, we have taken you through the process of actually format PowerPoint slides. Now, you are probably more confident when you work with:  

Of course, there are many more elements in PowerPoint that can be formatted, but it will be too long for an article. We plan to launch an article shortly focusing on how to format images and video.

Thank you for reading, and we hope you have learned something. Do you have any questions or comments? Then you are more than welcome to get in touch with us as usual. If you need help with PowerPoint or other Microsoft Office tools, you are also welcome to contact us.

You May Also Like: How to Embed: PowerPoint Video

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PowerPoint Best Practices: The Formatting Guides

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• December 16, 2014

When people see our slides, they often ask us: “What is all that stuff there on the left side of your slides and how do I get them on mine?”

“All that stuff” is what we have dubbed the “Formatting Guides” and in our opinion, is one of the cleverest PowerPoint best practices you can implement today, to save time…which is why you’ll see them across our website in our slide examples, screenshots and videos.

You might say: “But, isn’t that what creating your own custom PowerPoint theme is for in the first place?”

The answer is yes…but the formatting guides will take your formatting selections to the next level, by creating a visual guide of all the formatting that needs to be used, and give someone the bread crumbs they need to recreate your theme if they need to.

That’s why we consider it as one of the cleverest, and low tech, PowerPoint best practices that you can immediately implement today.

These breadcrumbs will also never show up when you present your presentation or convert your presentation to the PDF file format.

To learn how to convert your PowerPoint presentation into a PDF,  read my guide here .

[Watch] Setting up your formatting guides

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1. Open the Slide Master View

First off, you want to add the formatting guides in the Slide Master View of your presentation, next to the parent slide. And there are number of placement advantages for doing so (as discussed below).

But first off, if you’ve never navigated to the Slide Master View before, from the View tab in your Ribbon, select Slide Master.

2. Navigate up to the Parent Master Slide

Once in the Slide Master View, on the left hand side of your screen, select the Parent Slide, or largest slide, on the left. This is where you want to add the Formatting Guides to take advantage of the three placement advantages discussed below.

Advantage #1: They show up everywhere

Once on your Slide Master, the formatting guides will show up everywhere within your presentation, or at least in enough places (you can toggle them off for specific layouts) that there is no way to “accidentally” not see them.

Additionally, if you ever need to update the formatting guides, you can update them all at once (on your Slide Master) and have those changes carried through to all of your slides!

Now, if you feel it’s too distracting to have them show up everywhere within your presentation, you can alternatively add them to the left side of your Title Slide (or other) layout and only have them show up on that specific layout.

Advantage #2: You can’t accidentally delete them

As such, they won’t get in your way and if someone does want to change them (if they dare), they’ll have to purposefully navigate to the Slide Master view to do so.

Advantage #3: They don’t print on show onscreen

Placing the formatting guides on the outside of the slide space ensures that they will NEVER show up when presenting or printing your presentation.

So they are there when you need them, building out your presentation; but they aren’t there when you don’t need them, presenting or printing your presentation.

3. Add your Formatting Guides off the slide space

What to include in your Formatting Guides

You can include as much or as little formatting guidance as you want, but our recommendation is that you should include the font styles (spelled out), font sizes, outline weights, hard code the fill colors to match the theme colors that should be used within your presentation, and include the RGB or HSL codes for your colors (see explanation below).

If you use additional formatting elements in your presentations like drop shadows, bevels, etc., you can add those to your Formatting Guides.

Tips for adding colors to the Formatting Guides

• Within the color dialog box (hard coding the color in)
• Within the Formatting Guide rectangles themselves

Hard coding the colors in

Notice in the picture below that even though I’ve selected a new theme color, the formatting guides remain the same.

On the Custom tab, all you need to do is re-type the codes that are currently in each menu item there. So for Red, you would simply place your cursor where “31” is and type “31” on your keyboard, etc. And now it’s hard coded in.

Typing in the colors codes into the Formatting Guides

The second place you want to add your color codes, is in the Formatting Guide rectangles themselves, to act as the Hansel and Gretel bread crumbs that someone can use to rebuild your theme colors if they need to.

As you can see on the right, I simply type them in with dashes separating the numbers.

Yes, in an ideal world full of unicorns and cotton candy clouds, you would create your own customized theme, distribute it to everyone properly and everyone would actually use it.

But until we see unicorns crossing the street and edible clouds floating in the skies, the formatting guides is your best insurance policy (that we know of) to police formatting consistency across your presentations.

To learn more about PowerPoint best practices for building templates,  read our guide here .

If you enjoyed the depth of this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other free resources here .

What’s Next?

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About The Author

This Post Has 2 Comments

Genius. I need that to “force” consistency in presentation general look and feel. I wonder if that formatting guide applies to Word Doc too.

Hey Jimmy, and thanks for the comment! Yeah we’ve found that most people will take more notice of formatting with these guides. I WISH they applied to Word too! We haven’t found a way to do the same thing there, but what you could do is make page 1 a formatting guide sheet, where you put all that information, along with instructions to delete before sending or exclude from printing… not a great solution but it’s something. Let us know if you figure out something more elegant! 🙂

Comments are closed.

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6 Simple Parts for Beginners to Create a PowerPoint Presentation

Last Updated: December 19, 2022 Fact Checked

Creating a New PowerPoint

Creating the title slide, adding a new slide, adding content to slides, adding transitions, testing and saving your presentation.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,319,754 times. Learn more...

Do you want to have your data in a slide show? If you have Microsoft 365, you can use PowerPoint! PowerPoint is a program that's part of the Microsoft Office suite (which you have to pay for) and is available for both Windows and Mac computers. This wikiHow teaches you how to create your own Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on a computer.

Things You Should Know

• Templates make it easy to create vibrant presentations no matter your skill level.
• When adding photos, you can adjust their sizes by clicking and dragging in or out from their corners.
• You can add animated transitions between slides or to individual elements like bullet points and blocks of text.

• If you don't have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, you can use the website instead of the desktop app. Go to https://powerpoint.office.com/ to use the website version.
• You can also use the mobile app to make presentations, though it's easier to do this on a computer, which has a larger screen, a mouse, and a keyboard.

• If you don't want to use a template, just click the Blank option in the upper-left side of the page and skip to the next part.

• Skip this step if your selected template has no themes available.

• If you're creating a PowerPoint presentation for which an elaborate title slide has been requested, ignore this step.

• You can change the font and size of text used from the Home tab that's in the orange ribbon at the top of the window.

• You can also just leave this box blank if you like.

• You can also click and drag in or out one of a text box's corners to shrink or enlarge the text box.

• On a Mac, you'll click the Home tab instead. [1] X Research source

• Clicking the white slide-shaped box above this option will result in a new text slide being inserted.

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Content with Caption
• Picture with Caption

• Naturally, the title slide should be the first slide in your presentation, meaning that it should be the top slide in the left-hand column.

• Skip this step and the next two steps if your selected slide uses a template that doesn't have text boxes in it.

• Text boxes in PowerPoint will automatically format the bulk of your text for you (e.g., adding bullet points) based on the context of the content itself.
• You can add notes that the Presentation will not include (but you'll still be able to see them on your screen) by clicking Notes at the bottom of the slide.

• You can change the font of the selected text by clicking the current font's name and then clicking your preferred font.
• If you want to change the size of the text, click the numbered drop-down box and then click a larger or smaller number based on whether you want to enlarge or shrink the text.
• You can also change the color, bolding, italicization, underlining, and so on from here.

• Photos in particular can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging out or in one of their corners.

• Remember to keep slides uncluttered and relatively free of distractions. It's best to keep the amount of text per slide to around 33 words or less. [2] X Research source

• Slide content will animate in the order in which you assign transitions. For example, if you animate a photo on the slide and then animate the title, the photo will appear before the title.
• Make your slideshow progress automatically by setting the speed of every transition to align with your speech as well as setting each slide to Advance . [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

• If you need to exit the presentation, press Esc .

• Windows - Click File , click Save , double-click This PC , select a save location, enter a name for your presentation, and click Save .
• Mac - Click File , click Save As... , enter the presentation's name in the "Save As" field, select a save location by clicking the "Where" box and clicking a folder, and click Save .

Community Q&A

• If you save your PowerPoint presentation in .pps format instead of the default .ppt format, double-clicking your PowerPoint presentation file will prompt the presentation to open directly into the slideshow view. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• If you don't have Microsoft Office, you can still use Apple's Keynote program or Google Slides to create a PowerPoint presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Your PowerPoint presentation (or some features in it) may not open in significantly older versions of PowerPoint. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
• Great PowerPoint presentations avoid placing too much text on one slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=DBDCE00C929AA5D8!252&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AH4O9NxcbehqzIg
• ↑ https://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-the-timing-and-speed-of-a-transition-c3c3c66f-4cca-4821-b8b9-7de0f3f6ead1#:~:text=To%20make%20the%20slide%20advance,effect%20on%20the%20slide%20finishes .

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How to Structure a PowerPoint Presentation

Table of Contents

This is the main part of your presentation, which should keep the promises you made in the introduction. This is where you explain your topic and present all your information. 

Depending on the nature of your presentation, divide it into segments/points. Arrange your points in a logical order and then provide information to support each of them. There are many different ways to organize your key points, for example:

• Number your points according to their priority (1, 2, 3, …)
• Place the points in a time frame (past, present, future)
• Use narration (tell a story from beginning to end)
• Present the points with a problem-solution dynamic (state a problem, describe its impact, offer ways to solve the issue)

A good conclusion summarizes the key points you made or highlights what the audience should have learned. It clarifies the general purpose of your presentation and reinforces the reason for viewing it. Here are the slides you may want to include:

• Summary. List what goals your audience have achieved, what knowledge they got, and how this information can help them in the future.
• Conclusion. Here you can thank your audience for viewing the presentation.

Tips for Structuring a Presentation in PowerPoint

Now that you know which parts a typical presentation should consist of, let’s see how to structure it in PowerPoint. 

1. Combine slides into sections

When working with a large PowerPoint presentation (PPT), you can create sections that can be collapsed and expanded. This will help you keep presentation slides organized and facilitate navigation in editing mode. To do that, follow these steps:

• To shift a section, right-click on its name and use the Move Section Up and Move Section Down options.
• To collapse or expand a certain section, click on the collapse icon to the left of the section name. You can also minimize and maximize all sections at once by right-clicking on the section name and choosing Collapse All or Expand All .

As well, you can access these settings by choosing Slide Sorter under the VIEW tab.

This kind of segmentation is a great way to overview the logical flow of your slides all at once and see if there are any changes required. For example, you may decide to break one slide into two or three, or the other way around.

2. Use the Outline View

One other way to structure a PowerPoint presentation in the editing mode is to use Outline View . You can choose it from the VIEW tab.

This view doesn’t display sections, but it shows the title and main text of each slide, which can give you a quick overview of the presentation contents. Here you can go through the entire text and edit it instantly. You can also work with text (on the left) and slides (on the right) simultaneously, as the latter is shown on the right side of your screen.

Note that, to be displayed in an outline, text needs to be typed in a text placeholder, not a text box . A text placeholder is a box with the words “Click to add text” or “Click to add title”, and it appears when you choose a standard layout.

You can also use Outline View to promote bullet text to titles and the other way around. To do that, right-click on a relevant title or text and select the Promote or Demote options.

Be attentive about demoting a title, as this will delete the original slide and move its title and text to the adjacent slide.

PowerPoint only allows users to promote and demote text, not entire slides. Therefore, there’s no possibility to change the hierarchical order of slides.

3. Create a table of contents

All the aforementioned tips help you organize a presentation when formatting it. However, it’s crucial that your viewers can easily navigate through entire presentation too. One sure way to provide them with this opportunity is to create an interactive and structured table of contents.

Though there’s no native automatic outline in PowerPoint, it can be created manually:

• Press Ctrl+A to select all the names, and Ctrl+C to copy them. 
• Then Press Ctrl+V to paste the copied titles on the desired slide. In case there are too many titles and they don’t fit onto a single page, you can divide the table of contents into two columns or place it on two slides.

You’ll need to repeat this procedure to link all the chapters to corresponding slides. For more information, read this step-by-step guide on how to add a hyperlink in PowerPoint .

Now all the chapters can be accessed from a single table of contents, which is very convenient. However, you will also need to link them back to that unifying page. You can do this by inserting an Action Button on every slide of your presentation in Slide Master mode:

Now there is a single page from which all the other pages can be easily accessed. As well, it’s possible to go back to the table of contents at any time with the intuitive Home button.

Depending on the size of your presentation, the time it takes to create an interactive outline may vary, as you will need to add hyperlinks to every chapter manually. Be aware that if you rename a slide or simply delete it, these changes will not be automatically registered in the table of contents. For example, if you delete a slide, its title will still be displayed in the table of contents, but clicking on it won’t lead the viewer to another point in the presentation.

This is what our sample presentation looks like:

A Better Way to Structure a PowerPoint Presentation

Creating a table of contents manually might be fine for a small presentation, but if you have 122 slides, it would require too much time and energy to do so. That’s why, instead of manually creating a table of contents, we took advantage of iSpring Suite and simply enabled the automatic outline.  

iSpring Suite

Fully-stocked eLearning authoring toolkit for PowerPoint. No training required to start!

Note: iSpring Suite turns slides into HTML5 format, so your audience can view them online, right in their browsers. 

As you can see, the new presentation has a pop-up outline and a navigation panel, which make it possible to move to any slide at any time without leaving the slide show mode. 

How to set up navigation

To create navigation in your presentation, follow these simple steps:

• Get a free trial of iSpring Suite.

• When you’ve configured the Slide Properties settings, click on Save & Close in the upper-left corner.

How to configure an outline

Whereas PowerPoint requires the outline to be designed manually, iSpring Suite has already prepared it for you. At the same time, you don’t have to stick with the standard outline template, as you can easily customize the player’s final look and feel:

We recommend leaving Enable Search marked, as this will allow viewers to search for any content at any time, including the texts on the slides. This is especially useful for large presentations with a lot of text.

If you have previously arranged slides into multiple levels in the Slide Properties, then leave Multilevel outline marked. That way, the outline will display the nesting structure of the presentation, facilitating navigation. You can learn more about the other outline options here .

• When you have finished configuring the player, click on Apply & Close in the upper-left corner.
• Now you can publish your enhanced presentation either to HTML5, to make it easily accessible via browser on any device, or MP4 video format. If you’re going to upload your presentation to an LMS, you can publish it to any eLearning format: SCORM, AICC, Tin Can, or cmi5. 

While a standard PowerPoint slideshow is straightforward and limited, iSpring Suite saves viewers from having to follow a strict slide order. An interactive and searchable outline allows non-linear navigation, where any information can be accessed at any time at a glance.

Also read : → How to Convert PowerPoint to MP4 Video

Also read : →  How To Record Presentations With Audio

Another perk

iSpring Suite comes with Content Library , which provides a great collection of presentation templates and allows you to create professional-looking presentations in a matter of minutes. Each template includes basic course elements: a title slide, a table of contents, chapters, a timeline, and info slides. Organize them in the order you prefer, populate them with your texts and images, and your presentation is ready to go.

We hope this article will help you develop an ideal structure for your PowerPoint presentation and do this quickly and easily. Captivate your audience with a powerful and persuasive presentation!

Do you have any other insights on how to simplify PowerPoint slides design? Please share them in the comment section. We’d like to hear from you. 

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Content creator:

Helen Colman

She enjoys combining in-depth research with expert knowledge of the industry. If you have eLearning insights that you’d like to share, please get in touch .

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How to Format Text in PowerPoint? [A Complete Tutorial!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

When you have to create presentations using PowerPoint, knowing how to format text in PowerPoint the correct way can actually save you a ton of time! It is one of the most important tasks that we invariably need to perform on any presentation i.e. formatting text in PowerPoint!

To format the text in PowerPoint, select the text first. Then, on the home tab, you can use the various formatting options such as Font Type, Font Size, Font Styles, Line Spacing, Font Color, Text Highlight, etc.

Formatting text correctly in PowerPoint can add emphasis and grab the attention of the audience where needed. This can not only make your presentation look good, but also help you deliver it effectively!

So, in this article, we shall take a deep dive and understand all the nuances of formatting the text correctly in PowerPoint. I shall try my best to provide information about everything you need to know when it comes to editing and formatting the text!

So, let’s get started!

A Quick Note Before We Begin – if you want to make jaw-dropping presentations, I would recommend using one of these Presentation Designs . The best part is – it is only $16.5 a month, but you get to download and use as many presentation designs as you like! I personally use it from time-to-time, and it makes my task of making beautiful presentations really quick and easy!

1. How to Add Text to a Slide in PowerPoint? 

You probably may already know this, but let’s just start with the basics to make sure we are all on the same page!

You can add text to the slide in PowerPoint using a text box. Click on the “Insert” tab. Then, select the “Text Box” option. Next, click and drag on any part of your slide to add the text box. Finally, start typing to add text as soon as you have created the text box in PowerPoint.

Here’s a step by step process described in detail:

Step 1:  Click on the “Insert” tab

The first step to adding text to a slide in PowerPoint is to click on the “Insert” tab which is the third tab in the ribbon and located at the top left of the PowerPoint window.

Step 2: Select the “Text Box” option

Click on the “Text Box” option which in on the right side of the “Insert” tab in the “Text” section. After clicking on the “Text Box” option, your cursor will change on the slide.

Now to add the text box to the slide, simply click and drag your cursor to draw the text box with your preferred size.

Step 3: Add text to your presentation

To add text, you can directly start typing as soon as you create the text box. Click outside the box when you are done, and your text will be added to the slide.

If you want to edit the text again, then click inside the text box anywhere on the text. Alternatively, you can select the text box and right-click on it, and from the menu, click on “Edit Text”.

In case you are new to PowerPoint and want to know more about the nuances of adding text such as adding text over an image, shape, or even a video, check my other article on how to add text in PowerPoint that goes in-depth on this topic.

2. How to Change the Font of the Text? 

There are at least two methods you should know on how to change the font of your text in PowerPoint. However, make sure to check out our detailed guide on how to change fonts in PowerPoint where I’ve added even more relevant information explained in a step-by-step manner.

Nevertheless, the two methods are described below –

Method 1 – Using the “Home” Ribbon

The first method is by using the “Home” tab in PowerPoint . Here’s the detailed process explained –

Step 1: Select the Text

The first step is to select the text inside the text box for which you want to change the font. If you want to change the font of all the text inside the text box, you can also click on the text box itself!

Step 2: Change the Font

The next step is simply to change the font! To do that, make sure the “ Home ” ribbon is selected. (as shown in the image above). Then, under the “ Fonts ” section, click on the “ Font ” dropdown and choose the font as per your desire.

Method 2 – Using the Right-Click Option

The whole process is described through three simple steps below:  

Step 1: Select the text

The first step is to select the text located in text boxes. You can do that by double-clicking on a word in the “Text box” or dragging your cursor over the texts while holding the “left mouse button”

Step 2: “Right-click” on your selected text.

“Right-click ” on the text which you have selected. This will open a drop-down menu. The drop-down menu has the “Font” section of the “Home” tab which you can use to edit the font style, color, and size.

Step 3: Click on the “Font” drop-down menu.

Click on the “Font” option to open its drop-down menu. The drop-down menu has a variety of fonts that will appear in the middle of the screen.

Click on your preferred font style and it will change accordingly.

3. How to Change Font Size of Text in PowerPoint? 

The steps of changing the font size are very similar to that of changing the font of the text. The process is described in simple steps below:

Step 1: Select the text.

Select the text in which you want to increase or decrease the size of the font and then “Right-click” on it. A drop-down menu with the “Font” section of the “Home” tab will appear.

Step 2: Click on the “Font size” option.

Right beside the current font style, a number is showing the size of the font, that is the “Font size” option.

To change the size of the text, click on the “Font size” dropdown menu and different numbers will show up. Click on the size you want, and the font size will be changed immediately.

You can also type in the exact font size that you want if it is not present in the dropdown list.

4. How to Add Styles to Text in PowerPoint?

You can also take advantage of the Font Styles in PowerPoint to emphasize the text! There are primarily 4 text styles available in PowerPoint. These are –

• Strikethrough

There are also superscript and subscript text options, which we shall cover in detail later in this article.

To change the font style to bold, italics, underline, or strikethrough in your slide, first you have to select the texts you want to change the style of and then follow the instructions below:

How to Bold the Text in PowerPoint?

At first, select the text you want to bold. The “Home” tab has a “Font” section. On the bottom left of the “Font” section, there is a “B” button which will turn your text to a “Bold” style text. Click on the “B” button and your text will turn bold.

Alternatively, you can also use the shortcut i.e. “Ctrl + B” buttons on your keyboard after selecting the text to get the job done faster.

How to Make the Text Italics in PowerPoint?

Click on the button that looks like an “ I” which is the “Italic” style font option after selecting the text. It is located on the right side of “Bold” option. The selected text will be changed to an “ Italic ” style font immediately.

Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut for italicizing the text in PowerPoint. Just press the “Ctrl + I” buttons on your keyboard after selecting the text to get the job done.

How to Underline Text in PowerPoint?

Underlining texts can be done by selecting the text and clicking on the button that looks like a “ U ” . This is the “underline” option in the “Font” section. The “ U ” button is right beside the “ I” button in the Home tab.

Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut to underline text by pressing the “Ctrl + U” buttons on your keyboard after selecting the text.

How to Strikethrough Text in PowerPoint?

The strikethrough text is used when you want to cross out the text.

The “Strikethrough” button is beside the “Underline” button in the “Font” section and the icon has a line going through lower case “ ab ” .

After selecting the text, click on the “Strikethrough” option and it will cross out the text.

5. How to Highlight the Text in PowerPoint?

You can use the “Text Highlight Color” button to highlight the text in PowerPoint. However, this button is only available for the Office 365 version of PowerPoint .

If you are using an older version of PowerPoint, check out my other article on how to highlight text in PowerPoint . It provides you with multiple other ways to make your text stand out on a slide in PowerPoint.

That said, here’s a step-by-step process on how to highlight text in PowerPoint using the text highlight color option!

Step 1: Select the Text and Click the “Text Highlight Color” button

At first, you have to click on the text you want to highlight and select it. Then, you have to click the “Text Highlight Colour” button.

This button has a pen in the icon with a yellow line underneath it and it is located at the “Font” section of the “Home” tab. Doing so will instantly highlight your text.

If you want to highlight text across multiple text boxes, you can also first click on the “Text Highlight Colour” button on the “Home” tab. This will turn the cursor into a pen from the “Arrow” icon.

Now, simply click on the text box for the text you want to highlight. The text will be highlighted instantly.

6. How to Change Font Color in PowerPoint?

There are multiple ways in which you can change the color of your font in PowerPoint. I’ve listed the easiest method to change the font color below.

If you want to know ninja tips on how to change the font color for all text in PowerPoint, check out my other article. (by clicking on the link)

Follow the step-by-step guide to change your font color in PowerPoint:

Step 1: Click on the “Font Color” drop-down menu button

To change the color of your text, the first step is to select the text using your cursor. Then click on the “dropdown” button beside the “Font Color” button.

This button is located at the right of the “Font” section in your “Home” tab. It is an icon with a capitalized “A” and a red underline.

Step 2: Choose new font color

When you click on the dropdown menu, a color palette appears. Hover your cursor to the color you want, and you will see the text changing its color. Now, click to alter the text font color.

7. How to Clear Text Formatting in PowerPoint? 

Sometimes, you don’t particularly like the changes that you’ve made to the text and perhaps you want to start over from scratch. This is when the clear text formatting option in PowerPoint comes in handy!

To clear the text formatting in your PowerPoint presentation, select the text you want to remove the formatting from and click on the icon with the red eraser called the “Clear All Formatting” button.

This icon is located in the “Font” section of the “Home” tab and clicking it will erase all formats such as bold, italics, underline, highlight, etc. from the text. The text will then revert to the default text of the theme.

If you want to learn how to clear formatting in PowerPoint on all slides, make sure you click on the link and check out the other article where I have gone into detail on this topic and provided tips on how to do so quickly!

8. How to Add Text Outline in PowerPoint? 

You can outline text in PowerPoint to create emphasis on certain text that you want the audience to look at.

Here’s how you can outline text in PowerPoint –

Step 1: “Right-click” on the text and select “Format Text Effects”

Select the text you want to outline and “Right-click” on it. A drop-down menu will appear with different options. Click on the “Format Text Effects” option from the menu.

Step 2: Click on the “Text Fill & Outline” button

After you click on the “Format Text Effects” option, the “Format Shape” sidebar will pop up on the right of the slide.

It usually automatically displays the “Texts Effects” option which is the icon in the middle that looks like an “A” . In case it doesn’t, click on “ Text Options ” first.

Click on the “A” icon beside it and then click on the “Text Outline” option. A menu will appear with the options like, “No line” , “Solid line” , and “Gradient line” .

Step 3: Select your desired Text Outline

Choose the text outline you want to apply to the slide text. Gradient line will create a transparent border around your text, and a solid line will fill up your text border.

Choose a color as per preference to add the outline to text in PowerPoint.

9. Using WordArt in PowerPoint 

I’ve written a detailed article on how to use WordArt in PowerPoint along with steps to customize your WordArt. So, make sure you click on the link and check out that article to learn more about WordArt. But, here’s a quick highlight on using WordArt –

To use WordArt in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to go to the “WordArt” option in the “Insert” tab. The whole process is described in easy steps below:

Step 1: Go to the “Insert” tab

The third tab from the right in the ribbon is the “ Insert” tab. Click on the “ Insert” tab to access the “ WordArt” option.

Step 2: Click on the “WordArt” button

Now, on the “Text” section of the “Insert” tab is a leaning “A” icon which is the “WordArt” button. Click on that button to access WordArt.

Step 3: Choose your WordArt style

Different styles of WordArt appear in a drop-down menu after you click on the “WordArt” button. Now select your preferred WordArt style to place it on the slide.

Step 4: Insert the WordArt into your presentation.

A “Text box” with the chosen style will be displayed in the middle of the slide. Select the “Your text here” texts and erase it.

Now, you can write any text with WordArt you want and then place it in your preferred location.

10. How to Change Text Direction in PowerPoint? 

The method to change the text direction in PowerPoint is similar to that of changing the text outline in that it needs the user to open the format settings.

Follow the steps mentioned below to change the direction of the text in PowerPoint –

Step 1: Click on the “Format Shape” button

The first step to changing text direction is to select the text you want to change and “ Right-clicking” on it. A drop-down menu with many options will be displayed on the screen. Click on the “Format Shape” option which is located right below the “Formatting Text Effects” button.

Step 2: Click on the “Size and Properties” option

A sidebar with the title “Format Shape” will appear on the right of the screen. Click the square icon on the right side called the “Size & Properties” option.

Step 3: Click on the “Text Direction” dropdown menu

Below the “Text Box” button is the “Text Direction” option.

Every text is horizontal by default so if you want to change it, you will have to click on the arrow-mark besides the “Horizontal” option to open a dropdown menu. This will show you different text direction options. Click on the direction you want your text to move in.

You can also rotate text in PowerPoint. There are actually multiple different ways in which you can rotate the text Check out our detailed guide on how to rotate text in PowerPoint !

11. How to Cut, Copy, Paste and Duplicate Text in PowerPoint?

Copy and paste in PowerPoint are perhaps one of the most important functions in PowerPoint! Furthermore, knowing how to cut and duplicate can also help you move your text around quickly.

I’ve written a detailed guide on how to copy and paste in PowerPoint with visual references. So, make sure you check that article out for the details. For brevity, I’m just sharing the basics here –

• How to Copy Text in PowerPoint – Copying text allows you to create a photocopy of the selected text. To copy the text in PowerPoint, select the text. Then, use the keyboard shortcut by pressing the “Ctrl + C” keys simultaneously. Alternatively, “Right-click” on the text that you want to copy and press the “Copy” button from the dropdown menu.
• How to Cut Text in PowerPoint – The “Cut” function allows you to remove a text and then place it again in a different location. It is almost the same as the copy function but copying creates a photocopy while the cut function deletes the object from its original location and places it on the location where you paste it. The keyboard shortcut to cut text in PowerPoint is “Ctrl + X” . Or alternatively, “Right-click” on the object that you want to cut and hit the “Cut” button from the drop-down menu.
• Paste Text in PowerPoint – The “Paste” function allows you to place the text to a preferred location that has been copied or cut. Hence, it is done after the cut or copy function. You need to paste the text after copying or cutting it to finish the process. The keyboard shortcut of pasting text is “Ctrl + V” . Or alternatively, “Right-click” on the location that you want to paste the object and hit the “Paste” button from the dropdown menu.
• Duplicate Text in PowerPoint – Duplicating texts is a combination of the copy and paste function. After selecting your texts, if you press “Ctrl + D” then it creates a duplicate of the original. It is, however, not an alternative to the cut function. But, it can be used instead of copy and paste. One drawback, though, of this function is that it can’t duplicate elements across slides. For that, you will need to use copy and paste functions.

12. Using Format Painter to Apply Text Formatting 

Format painter is a tool that allows the user to easily copy the font style, size, and color of a certain text and apply it to another text.

Actually, the format painter has the capability to do much more than just copying the formatting of the text! It can be used to apply the formatting of shapes, text boxes, images, etc. It is a super helpful tool!

In fact, I covered the use of format painter in PowerPoint in a detailed manner in another article. Make sure you check out that article too as it will save you a ton of time while editing your presentation!

Meanwhile, I’ve covered the basics of using the format painter below –

Step 1: Select the text and go to the “Format Painter” option

At first, you have to select the text you like the font of. This should not be the text you want to paint over. Now below the “Home” tab, and in the “Clipboard” section, there is a paintbrush icon called the “Format Painter” button. Click on it.

Step 2: Format paint the text.

Your cursor will change into a paintbrush after you click on the “Format painter” button. Now, move the cursor to the text you want to apply the formatting on and click it. It will change to the font of your choice.

This is a single-use format painting because your cursor will change back to normal after one use.

Step 3: Format painting multiple words at a time (optional)

If you want to change the font of multiple texts using the “Format Painter” option, then instead of clicking the icon once, “Double click” on the “Format painter” button.

This time, the cursor will not change back and allow you to format the font of several texts.

Once you are done using the format painter, simply click on the icon again or press the “Esc” key on the keyboard.

13. How to Align Text in PowerPoint?

In this section, I will be describing the different alignments options for text in PowerPoint. I’ve written a detailed article on how to align in PowerPoint where I also talk about aligning objects and shapes with respect to each other and provide tips to save time! So, make sure you check out that article for further details.

Meanwhile, below are step-by-step guides to align text in PowerPoint horizontally or vertically.

Horizontal Align – left, right, centre, justify

The horizontal alignment allows the text to be aligned in the text box on a horizontal axis.

The process of aligning texts in different horizontal styles is described in the simple steps given below:

To change the alignment of text, the first step is to select all the texts inside a “Text box” using your cursor.

Step 2: Choose your desired horizontal alignment

There are four icons made up of lines in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab. From the left, they are “Align Left” , “Centre” , “Align Right” , and “Justify” .

Click on your preferred horizontal alignment to change the text position inside the text box.

Vertical align – Top, bottom, middle

The vertical text alignment will allow you to align the text in the box in a vertical axis with respect to the text box.

The process of aligning texts in different vertical styles is described in the following steps:

The first step is to simply select the text that you want to change the vertical alignment of.

Step 2: Change the Vertical Alignment

Next, simply go to the “ Home ” ribbon. Then, click on the “Align” Tool as indicated in the image above. From the dropdown, choose the vertical alignment options from “ Top “, “ Middle “, or “ Bottom “.

14. How to Add Superscript and Subscript to Text in PowerPoint?

Using superscript or subscript text style can be especially helpful when creating a presentation for students or when adding an equation.

I wrote a detailed post explaining the steps to superscript or subscript text in PowerPoint (with images). Make sure you check out that article for full details. I’ll share the brief steps below –

• To subscript text in PowerPoint, first, select the text. Then, click on the “ home ” tab, and click on the “ arrow ” button at the bottom right corner under the “ Fonts ” section of the Home ribbon.
• This will open a “ Fonts ” window dialog box. In the window select the “Subscript” text option. Make sure that the box is checked.
• You can also add the “Superscript” using the same process. Just make sure that the box before the superscript text is checked.

15. How to Add Bullet Points or Numbering to Text in PowerPoint?

Here’s how you can add bullet points or numbered list to your text in PowerPoint –

Step 1 – Select the Text

To add bullet points or numbering to text in your PowerPoint presentation, first, you have to select the text or navigate the blinking cursor in the place where you want the bullet point or numbering to be

Step 2 – Add Bullets from the “Home” Ribbon

Next, click on the “ Home ” tab. From the “ Paragraph ” section on the home tab, you can choose to add either bullets or numbering in PowerPoint.

You can choose to customize the bullet points if you don’t like the default design. Alternatively, you can also change the bullet style in PowerPoint to create your own design style.

16. How to Add Indent to Text in PowerPoint?

You can also indent text in PowerPoint – meaning you can add some space before the text starts in a new paragraph or a new line. (And no, you don’t need to keep pressing the space bar for that!)

Add or Increase Indent in PowerPoint

The first step is to move your cursor to the beginning of the paragraph you want to add indent to. It is important to note that the sentence that you want to indent should not be in the middle of the paragraph. Alternatively, you can bring the cursor to the start of a sentence and press “Enter” .

Now, click the icon with lines and an arrow pointing towards the right. This is called the “Increase Indent” button and is used to add or increase an indent level. You can find it in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab. (check the image above for reference)

How to Decrease Indent in PowerPoint? 

To decrease indent in a paragraph text, click on the button called “Decrease List Level.” The icon will have lines and a left-pointing arrow. It is to the left of the “Increase List Level” icon. Clicking it once will decrease one indent level.

17. Choosing Line Spacing of Text in PowerPoint

Line spacing can help increase or decrease the space between the line of text. You can add a line spacing between lines or between paragraphs. This explanation perhaps requires a detailed article.

[Edit – I’ve written a detailed article on Line Spacing in PowerPoint that highlights the nuances and explains everything in a beginner-friendly manner. Make sure you check it out by click on the hyperlink]

Nevertheless, the basic steps to choosing the line spacing in PowerPoint is described below:

If you want to modify the line space in a single paragraph, at first you have to select the paragraph you want to change the line spacing of using your cursor.

Step 2: Click on the “Line Spacing” button.

You can find the “ Line Spacing ” button in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab (as showcased in the image above).

After selecting the text, click on the “Line spacing” button to display a drop-down menu. Choose your preferred line spacing and the paragraph will change accordingly.

Step 3: Click on the “Line Spacing Options” button for Advanced Options

If you want more options to choose from, click on the “Line Spacing Options” button from the drop-down menu. It will open a dialogue box in the middle of the slide. Here, if you want to increase the space above your paragraph, you have to increase the “Before” option.

Or, if you want space after a paragraph, increase the “After” option. These work vice-versa. To change the space between lines, click on the dropdown menu button next to the “Line Spacing” option.

18. How to Add Text in Columns in PowerPoint?

The process of adding text in columns in your PowerPoint presentation is described in 2 easy steps below:

Step 1: Select the text or the text box

At first, select the text where you want to add the columns.

Step 2: Click on the “Add Column” button

Click on the “ Home Tab “. Then, under the “ Paragraph ” section, click on the “ Add or Remove Column ” button (check out the image above for references). You can usually locate it next to the indent or line spacing buttons. You can also hover over the button and wait for the name of the function to pop-up if you are unsure.

Once the button is clicked, a dropdown menu will appear. From the dropdown, choose the number of columns you would like to add.

You will notice that the columns have been added to the text immediately!

More PowerPoint Related Topics

• How to Use a Presentation Clicker to Deliver Presentations Effectively!
• How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint? [Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial!]
• How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? A Helpful Resource!
• How to Convert a PowerPoint to PDF? [A Simple Guide!]
• PowerPoint vs Google Slides: Which is Better? [ULTIMATE Test!]
• How to Change Bullet Style in PowerPoint? A Complete Guide

Credit to Nakaridore (on Freepik) for the Featured Image (further edited) of this Article

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Remove Notes from PowerPoint

How to Remove Notes from PowerPoint

Presenters commonly use speaker notes to help remember what to say during a presentation. However, one may need to remove speaker notes to add new ones or to avoid distraction when presenting a slideshow in Presenter view. Similarly, some PowerPoint templates also come with slide descriptions within speaker notes that might need to be removed.

What are Speaker Notes in PowerPoint?

Speaker notes in PowerPoint help presenters remember key points during a presentation. These notes, visible only to the presenter, help present a slideshow, acting as virtual cue cards. Presenters also use speaker notes as a script, as they can read through the information in the Presenter’s view as a visual aid. 

Learn more about using speaker notes from our tutorials on adding speaker notes in PowerPoint and printing PowerPoint slides with notes .

Removing Notes from Individual Slides

You can remove speaker notes in PowerPoint by deleting them from the notes pane.

Accessing the Notes Pane

To access the Notes pane, click the Notes option from the bottom or go to View -> Notes . This will open the Notes pane in PowerPoint, where you can add and delete notes.

Deleting Notes on a Single Slide

Once the Notes pane is open, you can select to edit text or delete it by hitting Delete or Backspace .

Once the notes have been edited or deleted, click the Notes pane again from the button or View tab to close the Notes pane.

Deleting All Notes in a Presentation

There might be a time when you need to delete all notes in a PowerPoint presentation. For example, you might have a PowerPoint template with dozens of slides with notes, or you might be looking to repurpose an old slide deck for another presentation and need to remove the notes. In such a case, follow the instructions below to remove all notes simultaneously.

To remove all speaker notes from a PowerPoint presentation, go to File -> Info -> Check for Issues -> Inspect Document .

In the dialog box that appears, make sure that Presentation Notes is checked and click Inspect . This will show you whether there are speaker notes present in the PowerPoint file. This is also an excellent way to check if a slide deck contains notes. You might need to do this if a presentation has several slides and you don’t want to go through each to see if there are any speaker notes.

If the PowerPoint file has any speaker notes, you will get a prompt showing that notes are present. Click Remove All next to Presentation Notes to remove notes from the file.

Once the notes are removed, the dialog box will show no notes in the file.

Saving a PowerPoint Presentation Without Notes 

Why save without notes.

Consider separately saving a PowerPoint presentation without notes. There are several reasons for this to enhance productivity through copying your slide decks or removing confidential information.

To Create a Copy of a PowerPoint Presentation

One of the most common reasons for saving presentations without speaker notes is to create a new copy of the presentation for separate use.

To Remove All Notes to Create New Ones

When presenters want to tailor their notes for different audiences, they might want to create different versions of a file with separate speaker notes to adjust the context slightly for each audience. This might also include adjusting the speaker notes in different languages.

To Remove Outdated Information

If you have just picked an old presentation to repurpose for a recent event, there might be a need to remove old speaker notes to update the information.

To Remove Confidential Information 

When sharing a PowerPoint file, you should remove confidential information that is present in speaker notes.

When Sharing PowerPoint Slides and Handouts

A presenter might want notes removed when you want to share slides or handouts with an audience. In such a case, one would like to share their slide deck with speaker notes since those are exclusive notes meant only for the presenter.

Create a PowerPoint Template

If you are converting a presentation into a PowerPoint template, remove speaker notes to make a generic version of the file for reuse.

Methods to Save Without Speaker Notes

To remove speaker notes from your presentation, see the different methods mentioned below.

Save the File in a Different Format

PowerPoint provides a wide range of options for saving your files. You can save your file as a PDF, PNG, JPEG, BMP, or in a number of other formats without speaker notes. Just go to File -> Save as and choose a file format that suits your needs.

Export Your Slides

By going to File -> Export , you can explore several options to save your presentation without notes, such as in PDF, XPS, video, GIF, and other formats. Of course, not all formats will be suitable for use. Hence, you must pick the format that best suits you.

Export Your Slide Outline Only

By creating handouts without notes, you can save a copy of your slides to share without speaker notes. To do this, go to File -> Export -> Create Handouts and click the Create Handouts button. From the dialog box that pops up, select Outline Only . This will open the outline of your presentation as a Word document.

Choosing the Right File Format

When saving your PowerPoint file without speaker notes, it is essential to save it in the correct format. If you want to create a template, you can use POTX or POT format. You can also choose to save the file as a PPT or PPTX file. The most common file format to use is PDF to save it in a format that will not be editable. Similarly, you can save one or more files as an image file in JPEG, PNG, BMP, or other image formats.

Troubleshooting and Tips

Common issues and solutions.

Now that you know how to save PowerPoint without notes, let’s look at some common issues and their solutions that might prevent you from keeping your PowerPoint file without notes.

Unable to Edit Speaker Notes

You might be unable to edit notes in PowerPoint, and the Notes Pane , though visible, might appear grey, preventing you from doing so.

You likely cannot edit notes in PowerPoint because the file is read-only. When files are downloaded, the Enable Editing prompt appears at the top; click this prompt to make the file editable.

Unable to Save PowerPoint Files without Notes

If you encounter an issue where you cannot save your file after removing speaker notes, see if you can save it in a different location if you have sufficient disk space or if the file needs repair. Below are a few solutions to this common issue.

Check File Permissions: There can be issues with file permissions. For example, the file might be used by a cloud storage app, saving a copy online, or another program might be using it, not allowing you to change it. Try closing these programs to avoid the issue. There can also be other file permission-related issues, such as the locked file or restricted user privileges. To check the latter, right-click the file and see permissions via Properties -> Security . If the author has specified the file, request a file without limitations to edit it.

Check Disk Space: Sometimes, you might be unable to save a file because there isn’t sufficient disk space.

Save File Separately: If a file is causing issues without any apparent reason and you cannot save changes, consider saving it as a separate file and making a copy in a different location to resolve the issue.

Repair PowerPoint File: Sometimes, the PowerPoint file can become corrupt. You can try repairing the file using file repair software or opening it in Safe Mode to inspect it further.

Repair or Reinstall Office: If you have multiple Office application issues, run a Windows repair by going to Settings -> Applications -> Microsoft 365 -> Advanced Options -> Repair. You can also consider reinstalling Microsoft Office on your device. The latter might be especially suitable for non-Windows-based PowerPoint devices, such as Mac, iOS, and Android. 

Update Office: You can update a Microsoft 365 app like PowerPoint by going to File -> Account -> Update Options -> Update Now . Updating your copy of PowerPoint might help resolve various issues related to your inability to save and manage files.

Efficient Notes Management Tips

While speaker notes can be great for presenters, you should ensure that your note management is efficient.

Avoid Lengthy Notes

Whether you frequently use notes or occasionally use them for cues, short notes are the best way to avoid information overload and maintain a good presentation flow. This might also be helpful when removing notes individually since you won’t have to sift through several paragraphs to remove them.

Use Concise Information

Use concise information to keep your notes short and to the point. Consider using just a few words to remind you of vital topics or a single line of text to keep you on track.

Use Visual Cues

I suggest adding animations to reveal parts of your slide on click. This can help you focus on one topic at a time and also make your speaker notes more straightforward to read through.

Practice with Notes

It might be best to practice your entire presentation, including using speaker notes in Presenter View, to ensure smooth delivery at the time of the presentation. This might also help you refine your notes. 

Practice Active Listening

Focus on active listening and feedback from your audience to improve the use of speaker notes. You can also seek input from friends or colleagues to seek feedback or record yourself presenting to view and learn from how you deliver a presentation with speaker notes.

Speaker notes in PowerPoint can help you deliver your presentation smoothly, with key points laid out in front of you onscreen. While speaker notes are a good resource, sometimes you might need to remove them. You can use the methods mentioned above to remove notes.

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Microsoft PowerPoint, PowerPoint Tools, Speaker Notes Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

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How to Create Slides That Suit Your Superiors: 11 Tips

When you’re pitching ideas or budgets to execs in your organization, you need to deliver slides that fit those particular people just right. This checklist identifies the key considerations.

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I recently interviewed 20 of my customers, all in senior roles at Fortune 100 companies, and asked them their biggest pain point in presenting to higher-ups and even colleagues. What I heard consistently was that it can feel like Goldilocks bouncing from one option to the next, testing to figure out what’s “just right.” Does the audience want deep reports? Sparse slides? Something in between? Like … what?

Teams often come to presentation meetings with vast amounts of backup content just in case an exec wants to take a deep dive on any given point. There’s often a struggle to anticipate every direction attendees might want to go. It’s frustrating, and it’s not efficient.

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There are many ways to build slides. I’m not just talking about crafting them well versus poorly. I’m talking about all of the important decisions regarding how to organize them, how much text to use, when to lean into a chart, the best ways to use bullets and color, and whether to include an appendix with additional information. Before you make your next proposal or request of the executive team, use this list of 11 tips for your next set of slides as a guide.

Four Things You Must Have in Every Exec’s Slides

Before we drill down into the harder aspects, the ones where your executives’ tastes may vary widely, let’s quickly cover four aspects that you can consider the building blocks — the basics you should never proceed without.

Start with an executive summary. Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure. First, start with stating the current realities. Second, clearly state the problem or opportunity your idea addresses and its potential impact. Third, explain how your recommendation solves the problem or exploits the opportunity and the next steps you’re proposing.

Have a logical organization. The arc of the deck — the package from beginning to end — should make sense. If your audience reads only the headline of every slide, the order should be coherent and make most of the case for you. The content below each slide’s headline must support the statement made in the title. Remove everything that doesn’t support your point; as writers will tell you, you sometimes need to “kill your darlings” when you’re editing.

Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure.

Make it skimmable. Help your audience to quickly grasp the point without getting bogged down in details. Create a clear visual hierarchy. Guide the reader’s eye through the content: Use bold headings, bullet points, and numbered lists to break down information into digestible pieces. Highlight key takeaways or conclusions in a different color or font size to draw attention to these critical points.

Focus on concise insights. Succinct statements with clear insights are everyone’s jam. Every slide should serve a purpose and contribute directly to the decision-making process. Distill complex information. Don’t use 100 words when 20 words will nail it. If you’re having difficulty trimming, consider using company-approved AI tools to help you take out the fluff.

Five Preferences to Confirm With the Person You Want to Reach

Now we’ll delve into what your particular audience does and does not want. If you haven’t yet, start by asking the person you’re presenting to what they generally prefer. They probably know themselves well but have not been asked to articulate how they like to receive information.

Ask how dense is too dense. Some executives prefer detailed slides with comprehensive data. Others favor a more high-level approach. You’re weighing how to balance informative content with readability, ensuring that slides are not overloaded yet are sufficiently detailed to support decision-making.

Confirm the delivery format and timing. Some execs like information presented to them. Others prefer a pre-read of the material followed by a discussion. I always recommend our tool Slidedocs (I’ve written a free e-book on them), which are visual documents using both words and images. The templates help presenters organize their thoughts into a document for a pre-read or a read-along. They are designed to be skimmable and able to travel through your organization without the help of a presenter.

I’m a huge fan of pre-reads and prefer to use my time in meetings to ask questions and build alignment. If your audience didn’t review your material in advance, ask at the top of the meeting whether they would like you to present it or would prefer to read through it and then discuss it.

Find out how much data visualization they prefer. Charts, graphs, photos, and illustrations often communicate complex data more clearly than words alone. When execs can see what you’re saying, they often can better understand the impact of your idea. Does the exec want to understand exact numbers? Bar charts allow them to move their eyes across a series of specifics. Does the exec want to know the shape of a trend over time? Line charts can show the pattern. (See “Classic Charts Communicate Data Quickly.”) Some prefer charts with annotations that draw attention to what you think is the most important point. Others want to make their own conclusions from the data.

One of my clients, the CEO of a massive commercial real estate company, doesn’t want anything visualized. He prefers numbers, only in a table, and only in two colors — black and red. You might think this is archaic. But the fact that he’s clear to his teams about what he wants takes all the mystery out of how to communicate with him.

When the stakes are high, have a conceptual thinker help with diagrams and concepts. If you don’t have one on your team, and when it’s high stakes, find an internal designer to help you or hire one. You can’t afford to have the baby (your idea) thrown out with the bathwater (terrible slides).

Identify which details need spelling out. How well do the people you’re presenting to know the landscape and function of the company and products you’re talking about? For example, if your engineering team threw a slide into a deck about an issue that requires executive approval, do the execs all speak geek? Or do you need to explain the technology so that they will really understand the ask? Either eliminate internal jargon and acronyms or unpack those bits, especially if your proposal deeply involves expertise outside of the executives’ domain.

Ask whether appendices will be useful. When you’re organizing a presentation, you often troll data, read through complicated reports, and even hire external experts to figure out what’s best for the company. Do your execs want access to that supporting data? You can add a document to the end of the presentation as an appendix to show all of the data and source material. This allows the main content of the slides to remain focused and accessible while still providing comprehensive background information for those who want more.

Two Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Getting materials in place is the biggest step. They will be your best tools for selling your ideas. But there are two extra areas to pay attention to as a presenter: how you handle questions and how you use every experience to improve.

Anticipate questions, and practice your answers. Before you have your meeting, gather a small team to challenge every point you make. Invite colleagues you trust to role-play as “a rapidly inquisitive exec” or “the doubting naysayer exec” so you are prepared to present your idea well. They’re gonna grill you, and practicing will help you remain unruffled when it happens.

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Ask for feedback after the presentation. Establish a feedback loop with those you presented to. Ask what worked well and how you can improve. If attendees don’t have the time, find people who have had their ideas funded and talk to them about what they did that worked. Advice and some perspective will help you nail your performance even better next time.

Empathetically understanding your audience members and how they process information, whether it’s executives or peers, sets up your ideas for success. Clarity creates efficiency. When a presentation fits just right, you’ve given your great thinking the best chance of moving through your organization and having maximum impact.

About the Author

Nancy Duarte is CEO of Duarte Inc. , a communication company in the Silicon Valley. She’s the author of six books, including DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story (Ideapress Publishing, 2019).

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April 4, 2024

11 Best Websites for Making a Presentation (And How to Choose One For Your Needs) 

Here are 11 of the best websites and programs to create free presentations online

Co-founder, CEO

The best websites for making presentations equip you with all the tools needed to build a professional, attractive, and informative slide deck quickly and efficiently. But with dozens of slide makers claiming to be the best, it’s hard to choose an app that suits your needs best. 

We’ve done the legwork for you and scoured the web for the best presentation websites. We based our evaluation on factors such as functionality, ease of use, AI sophistication, collaboration tools, and value for money. Below is the result — a comprehensive overview of the 11 best web-based slide creation apps based on our findings.  

Short on time? Summary of the best sites for making a presentation

1. plus ai — best all-round presentation maker.

Key Features

• Adds easy-to-use AI to Google Slides
• Affords customization options for slide templates, colors, and logos 
• Allows slide deck generation via different methods 
• Facilitates collaboration within teams on Google Workspace 
• Features a setting-rich but straightforward user interface
• $10/month for Basic and $20 for Pro versions when billed annually ($15 and $30, respectively, with monthly billing)

Plus AI is a powerful and user-friendly presentation maker that’s suitable for any purpose, whether you’re a professional, student, or amateur user.  

Plus AI gives you a robust selection of AI slide creation methods. You can generate presentations straight from text, work on them slide-by-slide, design them from scratch, or use existing templates. Regardless of the method, the tool’s AI technology does all the heavy lifting design-wise and the interface is a breeze to navigate, so you can sit back and focus on the content. 

Meanwhile, the customization options allow you to tailor the slides to your desired aesthetic, content type, and audience, and you can create your presentation in 80 languages. The resulting slide decks are elegant, professional, and appropriate for any use case. 

Plus AI is an affordable presentation maker, with pricing that starts at $10 per month with annual billing, or $15 when billed monthly. Each of the plans includes an AI extension for Google Docs; this feature helps you compose and edit text. If you’d rather not spend money without taking the tool for a test drive, Plus AI offers you a 7-day free trial.  

Here are the key pros and cons of Plus AI — they should help you decide if this presentation maker is right for you: 

• Generates professional and visually appealing presentations in minutes — no design skills needed
• AI function allows you to edit and format slides without manual effort
• Lots of ways to customize the presentation
• Vast selection of templates and example presentations  
• Text-to-slide and from-scratch creation
• Allows team collaboration in Google Workspace 
• Integrates with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• Budget-friendly plans and a 7-day free trial 
• Plus creates presentations in Google Slides or PowerPoint format, which may be harder for newer users to edit

2. Canva — Best free presentation site 

• Offers mobile presentation templates 
• Web- or mobile-based Canva app supports collaboration 
• Remote Control feature lets you run the presentation from your smartphone
• Canva live feature allows viewers to join QA sessions during a presentation  
• Presenter mode lets you see your speaking notes and upcoming slides while you present 
• AI assists in slide creation and can present on your behalf
• Individual Free Plan: $0 per month
• Individual Pro Plan: $14.99 per month
• Teams Plan: $29.99 per month

Canva is a web-based template editor with graphics creation tools and a powerful presentation builder in its free plan. Canva offers you an array of slide templates designed for virtually any purpose, along with a suite of customization tools to tailor the presentation to your topic and setting. 

Canva has made a noticeable effort to optimize presentations for the smartphone. The app’s most striking feature is its selection of mobile presentation templates, which don’t lag their desktop-based peers in either aesthetics or utility. But whether or not your presentation is designed for a mobile screen, Canva lets you run it right from your smartphone, with a presenter view that shows your notes and upcoming slides. The audience can likewise engage with your presentation from their mobile devices during Q&A sessions.     

Depending on your use case, you may be able to get away with Canva’s comprehensive free plan. The free Canva has presentation creation and editing tools and gives you access to a huge selection of professional templates. However, it’s the $14/month Pro plan that lets you unlock all the premium tools and graphic assets. And if you need Canva to collaborate with teams, you’re looking at $29.99 per month for the first 5 users. 

To help you decide whether Canva is worth trying out, we’ve made this quick summary of the app’s pros and cons: 

• Solid free plan with basic features and a large selection of graphic assets 
• Optimized for mobile presentations 
• Elegant templates for any use case 
• Intermediate design skills required 
• No direct integration with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 (possible through third-party apps)

3. Prezi — Best slide tool for creative users

• Web-based tool for creating presentations, videos, and infographics 
• Asset library includes templates, ready-to-use story blocks, and stock images from Unsplash and GIFs from 
• Integrates with Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other video conferencing apps to show presentations and the presenter on the same screen 
• Lets you convert PowerPoint presentations to Prezi

Pricing (all plans are billed annually)

• For students/educators: $3-8 per month
• For individuals: $7-19 per month
• For businesses: $15-29 per month

Prezi is a web-based tool for creating presentations, videos, and infographics that are suitable for business and educational settings. The tool offers a wealth of image and icon assets, as well as templates to get you started on your slide deck. The templates do not constrain your creativity with linear slides the way PowerPoint does — you can create your presentations on an open canvas. Prezi even lets you import and customize PowerPoint presentations in its app. And, with the help of Prezi’s new AI tool, you can create and edit entire presentations quickly. 

One of Prezi’s most defining features is its integration with popular video conferencing apps, such as Webex, Zoom, Teams, and Meet. Crucially, Prezi lets your slides appear on the same screen as your own video feed while you’re presenting. 

Prezi offers three pricing tiers. Students and educators get the least expensive options, with plans that range between $3 and $8 per month. For individual users, plans cost $7-19 per month, while business users pay between $15 and $29 per month. All of Prezi’s plans are billed annually, but you can try the tool for 14 days without committing to a subscription. 

If you’re not sure whether this presentation tool is right for you, consider Prezi’s pros and cons below: 

• Design freedom and for creating unique and attractive slides
• Graphic assets are readily available
• Integrates with video conferencing apps 
• AI assistant generates and edits presentations 
• Inexpensive plans for students and educators 
• Video and infographic creation part of each plan
• 14-day free trial 
• Design skills required to create quality presentations 
• Lack of integration with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint
• No monthly billing options 

4. Visme — Best for graphics and special effects

• Tools for creating special effects and animating graphics 
• Ability to import and edit Microsoft PowerPoint presentations 
• AI designer helps create a presentation draft 
• Integration with Google Drive, DropBox, Mailchimp, Slack, and other apps 
• Presentation analytics tools 
• Basic package: $0/month 
• Starter package (individual): $12.25/month 
• Pro package (individual or team): $24.75-$79+/month

Visme is a web-based app for producing various types of visual content, including presentations. The app’s most distinct feature is its suite of special effects you can use to make the slides’ content and graphics more engaging. The app also lets you animate the images and insert video and audio features into the slides. 

Visme integrates with a whole host of other platforms and apps. These integration options are largely designed to let you import content seamlessly into Visme. For example, you have the option of importing your PowerPoint files into Visme, enhancing them there, and exporting them back in the .ppt format if you like. That said, Visme does not work as an extension in popular slide makers, like Google Slides or PowerPoint. 

You have three main pricing options with Visme. The Basic plan is free, but you’re limited in access to collaboration tools, assets, interactive, and AI features. The more comprehensive Starter plan costs $12.25 per month (billed annually), and equips you with Visme’s more premium tools. Finally, the Pro team plan sets you back $79/month for a team of 5 and lets you use Visme’s entire suite of interactivity and collaboration functions.     

Here are a few vital pros and cons if you need help deciding whether Visme is right for you: 

• Vast selection of special effects 
• Ability to animate graphics on the slides 
• Simple file movement between different web-based apps
• Free plan available 
• Free plans extremely limiting 
• No direct integration with Google or Microsoft slide tools 

5. Powtoon — Best for slides with animation

• Templates with configurable graphics and animation
• Customizable fonts, colors, and logos
• Access to stock images, videos, and soundtracks 
• Lite plan: $50/month ($15/month when billed annually) 
• Professional plan: $190/month ($40/month when billed annually) 
• Agency: $117/month (annual billing only) 

Powtoon is a visual web-based content creation platform with tools for making videos, animations, and presentations. The app’s presentation function lets you build slides using professional templates, in which you’re free to customize the fonts, colors, logos, and graphics. You can even animate the graphics and build custom avatars to present on your behalf — it’s one of Powtoon’s unique selling features. 

Powtoon’s suite of slide tools includes a database of royalty-free stock images, video footage, and music. You can use all of these assets in your slides, or upload your own as you see fit. However, how much of these shiny tools you can use in your slide decks depends on the chosen plan. 

There are three pricing plans available, and the discrepancy between monthly and annual payments is striking. Most presentation sites charge a few dollars more if you opt for monthly instead of annual billing, but Powtoon’s monthly prices easily triple and quadruple. For example, the Lite plan costs $15/month with annual billing, but $50 if you wish to pay every month instead. You get very basic features with this plan, especially as far as animation and interactivity are concerned. Likewise, the Professional plan jumps from $40 to $190 if you choose monthly payments. You get a bit more for your buck, but some rudimentary features are still absent (like font uploads). Meanwhile, the Agency plan costs a whopping $1400 annually (no monthly option), and this plan gets you all of the app’s bells and whistles. 

Not sure if investing in a product like Powtoon is worth it? Consider its pros and cons below: 

• Comprehensive animation and video creation features 
• Graphic and audio assets available with subscription 
• Fonts and logos can be uploaded
• Most customization, animation, and AI features only come with the expensive Agency package
• Monthly payment options are not reasonable 

6. Haiku Deck — Best site for image editing options 

• Minimalistic interface 
• Graphic design tools for improving slide aesthetics 
• Pre-loaded templates and image assets 
• Cloud-based file sharing for team collaboration 
• AI presentation builder (Haiku Deck Zuru)
• Pro plan: $9.99 per month billed annually, or $19.99 monthly
• Premium plan: $29.99 per month, billed annually

Haiku Deck is a web, desktop, and mobile-based presentation builder with a significant focus on design aesthetics. The app’s design tools allow you to refine the graphics in the preloaded templates and images you’re using in the slides. You can source the images right from Haiku’s repository, which boasts over 40 million assets. 

To help you create your slide decks, Haiku offers its AI assistant. The AI feature can create new presentations from your outline, or enhance your existing drafts. Since the AI learns from other Haiku users, its algorithms are now trained to outfit slides with contextually relevant imagery and graphics.    

Haiku Deck’s pricing has two tiers: Pro and Premium. The Pro plan costs $9.99/month when billed annually and affords full access to the slide creation tools. Meanwhile, the Premium plan will set you back $29.99/month (again, billed annually), and equips you with features such as analytics, live web tracking, and priority support. 

Here’s a summary of Haiku Deck’s most prominent pros and cons: 

• Visually appealing slides 
• Large database of graphic assets 
• Advanced tools for editing images 
• Capable AI-powered slide builder
• No free plan
• No integration with Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint 

7. Zoho Show — Best presentation site for budget-minded users  

• Clean interface with tools changing depending on the task 
• Library for templates, slides, and fonts to facilitate team collaboration 
• Over 100 templates 
• Imports/exports PowerPoint files 
• Presentations can be controlled from smartphone or smart watch
• For individuals: Free
• Professional Plan: $2.50/month and up (billed annually)
• With Zoho Workplace Standard: $3.00/month (billed annually) 

Zoho is a web-based suite of business tools, and Zoho Show is its slide creation app. Zoho Show is a straightforward, inexpensive, yet fully functional slide maker that offers most of the same features you’ll get from pricier presentation sites. You can build your decks using over 100 preloaded templates, work on PowerPoint presentations before exporting them to their original file format, and run your slideshow from a smart device. Show’s most unique feature is its clean, contextual interface that only displays tools that are relevant to your current task (whether that’s handy or limiting depends on your preferences). 

Zoho Show’s pricing has three tiers. First, there’s the Free plan. This package lets you build basic presentations, but you miss out on key collaboration features and have limited access to graphic assets. Next, you get the more comprehensive Professional Plan, which costs $2.50; you must sign up for Zoho WorkDrive and have a team of 3 people to get this plan. Finally, you can get the entire Zoho Workplace suite for $3/month — this option unlocks the full functionality of the Show app and lets you use other Zoho tools, such as their Office Suite, Mail, and Workdrive. 

Have a look at Zoho Show’s pros and cons below to see if this presentation website is right for you: 

• Interface automatically shows tools relevant to the task
• Ability to add custom fonts and embed files into slides
• Templates, graphic assets, and collaboration tools included
• Supports PowerPoint file formats 
• Subscription to Zoho Workdrive or Workplace required to access paid plan — unnecessary if all you need is a presentation tool
• Some plans require a minimum of 3 users 
• Free individual plan limits use of graphic assets, templates, and collaboration tools 
• No direct integration with Google Slides 

8. Pitch — Best presentation site for use in business and sales 

• Lets you build presentations with AI, from a template, or from scratch 
• Supports custom fonts and colors 
• Provides team collaboration tools 
• Allows you to embed presentations on the web 
• Offers engagement analytics tools 
• Pro plan: $25/month
• Business: $100/month 

Pitch is a web-based presentation maker designed primarily for business use. The app helps streamline slide deck creation with its AI tool, which generates a first draft based on your prompts and leaves your team with the task of refining the slides to your liking. The slides have shareable links, so your entire team can collaborate on the slide deck. You can even invite consultants from outside your workplace to edit the presentations. 

Once your slide deck is complete, Pitch allows you to embed it on the web in your CMS — much like you’d do with a YouTube video. And to give you a feel for how audiences engage with your presentation, Pitch equips you with engagement and analytics performance tools.  

There are three pricing options with Pitch. The free plan comes with all the presentation creation functions, but you get no tracking and limited collaboration tools. The Pro plan costs $25/month (or $22 per month when billed annually), and gives you more freedom to use Pitch in a team environment. Finally, the Business plan costs $100/month (or $85/month with yearly billing) and gives you access to the full suite of features. 

Can’t decide if Pitch is the best presentation website for your team? Have a look at its most vital pros and cons: 

• AI slide creation feature 
• Performance analytics tools 
• Integration with various productivity and collaboration apps
• Media asset library 
• Engagement tracking only available in paid plans
• No integration with Google Slides or Microsoft 365

9. Beautiful.ai — Best site for no-frills AI-generated presentations

• AI-powered presentation maker 
• Slide creation from user’s prompts 
• Automated slide formatting 
• File sharing within the team (requires Team Plan) 
• Graphic assets database 
• Pro: $144 per year  
• Team: $40/month per user with annual billing ($50 with monthly billing)
• Enterprise: Pricing available on request 

Beautiful.ai is an AI-powered presentation builder that leverages full automation to make slide creation quick and easy. All you need to do is enter a prompt for your slide deck, and beautiful.ai will generate your first draft. These AI-generated drafts are quite simplistic in terms of both content and graphics, but they serve as a good starting point. Moreover, beautiful.ai’s presentations are formatted consistently, which should save you time as you edit each slide. 

You get three pricing options with beautiful.ai — Pro, Team, and Enterprise. The Pro package is meant for individual use, and costs $144 per year (there’s no way to pay monthly). The plan equips you with the AI slide maker but limits your use of assets and team collaboration features. The Pro plan costs $50/month for each user, or $480 annual for each license you purchase. This plan affords access to more customization and teamwork functions and lets you use graphic assets. Finally, the Enterprise plan includes all the features of the Pro plan, but with more dedicated training and support for your team. You’d have to reach out to beautiful.ai’s sales team to get a quote for the Enterprise plan. 

Beautiful.ai helps create slides quickly and with little skill. However, if you’re not sure this app is right for you, consider its most vital pros and cons below. 

• Quick way to create and format slides
• Inexpensive plan for personal use
• Elegant slide templates
• No integration with Google Slides or Microsoft 365 
• Slide content is very basic 
• Limited customization and branding options 

10. Google Slides — Best for Google Workspace Users With Basic Presentation Needs 

• Basic presentation creation tool 
• Limited selection of templates, fonts, and colors 
• Supports import/export of PowerPoint files 
• Allows collaboration within the Google Workspace
• Free with a Google account 

Slides is the web-based presentation tool you get with your Google account. This rudimentary app features a limited library of templates, fonts, and colors, along with a basic suite of tools for formatting the text and graphics in your slides. You can insert your own image, video, and audio files into the slides, but there is no access to a library of royalty-free assets. 

Despite its functional constraints, Google Slides is a useful app because it lets teams using Google Workspace collaborate easily on presentations. To get the most of Slides, though, you need to boost its functionality with a suitable extension. Google Gemini now works as an extension within the app, but for the $30 it costs you, the output is disappointing. All Gemini knows does is generate simple, low-quality images; it won’t help you produce, format, or edit presentations. 

In contrast, an app like Plus AI leverages artificial intelligence algorithms to give Google Slides powers it lacks on its own. By using the Plus AI extension, you can create entire Slides presentations from a single prompt, automate slide editing and formatting, and access a rich library of templates and ready-made slide decks. Meanwhile, Plus AI’s customization features help you brand your presentations with custom fonts, colors, and your company logo. 

Not sure if Google’s slide creation tool is right for you? Have a look at its pros and cons below. 

• Allows collaboration in the Google Workspace 
• Compatible with PowerPoint files 
• Supports AI-powered slide-creation extensions, such as Plus AI
• Free to use with a Google account 
• Limited capabilities without third-party apps 
• No library with image, video, or audio assets

11. Microsoft PowerPoint — Best For Highly Skilled Presentation Designers 

• Vast library of slide themes, variants, and layouts 
• Database of stock images and videos 
• Massive array of slide editing, formatting, and customization tools 
• Supports collaboration in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem 
• As a standalone product: $159.99 (one-time fee) 
• With Microsoft 365 apps, for home use: $6.99-$9.99/month 
• With Microsoft 365 apps, for business use: $6.00-22.00/user/month 

PowerPoint is one of the world’s oldest presentation builders that’s been part of Microsoft’s arsenal since the early 1990s. To this day, PowerPoint has been the most commonly used presentation app. But there’s a reason we’ve ranked it last on our list. Buoyed by its popularity, PowerPoint hasn’t evolved much over time; you won’t get anything beyond the most basic and uninspired presentations out of it unless you’re an advanced user with lots of time on your hands. 

The app’s user interface immediately overwhelms you with options and settings. Some of these seem similar in how they function, and you won’t know which tool to use until you’ve experimented with them all. Apart from the cluttered interface, PowerPoint disappoints with its simplistic selection of templates and designs. 

You can use Microsoft’s Copilot to forgo the tedious task of creating your own PowerPoint presentation, but beware: like Gemini, Copilot is still limited in its slide-making abilities. You can get it to create a slide deck from a single prompt, but the output will feature basic and repetitive along with lifeless images. 

PowerPoint’s pricing is a bit convoluted at a glance — you get different options whether you want the standalone product ($159.99) or the entire Microsoft 365 suite. If you choose the latter, the Home options range in price between $6.99 and $9.99 per month, while the Business plans cost between $6.00 and $22.00 per month per user. 

We don’t believe that PowerPoint is worth your time considering the vast selection of more powerful and user-friendly presentation apps on the market. However, you can review the app’s pros and cons below and decide for yourself. 

• Massive selection of design and customization tools 
• Integrates with Microsoft Copilot 
• Lets team members using Microsoft 365 work on the same presentation simultaneously  
• Overwhelming user interface 
• Very basic templates and designs
• Creating professional presentations is a challenge for novice users
• AI assistant cannot produce elegant, content-rich slide decks 

How we ranked the best presentation sites 

To make your selection process simple and effective, we ranked the best presentation websites based on these vital criteria: 

• Functionality
• Level of AI sophistication
• Ease of use
• Collaboration options

Integration with popular slide creation tools 

Value for money, functionality .

The best presentation sites are loaded with handy functions that enable you to make visually appealing, info-rich, and engaging presentations with little effort and minimal editing. These include customization tools, templates, image assets, and graphics refinement features. 

Level of AI sophistication 

AI technology is at the forefront of slide makers’ drive to create the best product for their clients. AI-powered presentation sites save you from spending long hours on writing content, digging up graphics, and then formatting every slide — AI handles these tasks for you. But not all AI slide creators are made equal. Some leave you with rudimentary decks that feature repetitive content and unrelated imagery. Others give you a solid starting point for an informative and captivating presentation. 

Ease of use 

The best presentation sites greet you with an intuitive and uncluttered interface that takes you minutes (if not seconds) to master. But usability goes beyond navigating the UI. That’s why we also assess the simplicity with which you can actually produce presentations. Simply put, how easy is it to create and edit slides? Do you need advanced design skills to manipulate the graphics and give the slide deck your desired aesthetic ? The best slide makers take these questions into account, so that their product makes presentations a breeze. You worry about the content, and let the app do the rest. 

Collaboration options 

High-quality presentation apps allow team members to create, edit, and give feedback on presentations remotely. That’s because today’s business needs, along with hybrid work arrangements, mean that more and more teams are forced to collaborate electronically. Features such as cloud-based file sharing and integration with communication platforms help different members of your team work on the presentation from wherever they are. 

Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint are the most commonly used presentation programs in the world. These two giants are the natural, go-to option for slide creation in the corporate, educational, and institutional world. Any presentation app that’s worth its salt should integrate with at least one of these tools. At the very least, a quality independent slide app should be able to import and export files that can be used in Google Slides or PowerPoint. 

The best presentation apps are usually not free, but the money you pay for them should be worth the features and benefits you get in return. That’s why we’ve evaluated each of the slide makers above based on the balance between their price point and their offerings. 

How to choose the best presentation website for your needs? 

You can’t really go wrong by opting for any of the 10 presentation sites above; however, to get a tool that’s tailored to your use-case, you’ll have to do a bit more research and analysis. The four steps below should help you zero in on the optimal presentation maker for your needs.   

• Consider the purpose of the presentation. Some slide tools cater to sales teams (think Pitch), others to graphic-minded users (Haiku Deck comes to mind), while others, like Plus AI, are excellent all-rounders. 
• Decide on the level of customization you need. How concerned are you with personalizing and branding your slide decks? If a generic, templated presentation is all you need for a school project, investing in a feature-rich, customizable tool may be overkill. But if you need your slide decks to feature custom colors, fonts, and convey your brand identity, opt for a tool (and pricing package) that has this functionality. 
• Decide if you want AI help. Unless you’re a skilled designer with a passion for creating and formatting slides, AI can be incredibly useful. Consider this: would you rather spend hours on refining your slides and ensuring consistency, or have the AI tool produce a uniformly formatted first draft? Check out the best AI presentation makers here.
• Factor in your budget. Most presentation sites have similar pricing, with monthly plans ranging between $0 and $40. However, some charge more — much more. Of course, the higher price points generally translate into richer offerings that may include other apps for visual content creation. Consider whether you need these extras or if a capable slide creation tool will suffice. 

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How an AI Powerpoint Generator Transforms Ordinary Presentations into Extraordinary Experiences

How to create high quality power point presentations - quickly - with AI

Say goodbye to dull and monotonous presentations and hello to extraordinary experiences that will leave a lasting impact!

AI PowerPoint Generators are revolutionizing the way ordinary slideshows captivate audiences. Whether you're a professional speaker, a student, or simply someone who wants to impress with their slides, an AI PowerPoint generator is here to take your presentations to the next level.

But what is the best free AI PowerPoint generator? How can you choose the best tool to use, and how can AI voiceovers bring your PowerPoint presentation to the next level using text-to-presentation processes?

Whether you're using Powerpoint or Google Slides, this article will delve into all you need to know about using AI to generate your next presentation. Let's dive in!

What is an AI PowerPoint Generator?

An AI PowerPoint Generator is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to automatically create presentations.

The tool takes input in the form of data, text, or images and generates slides with relevant content and visual elements. This eliminates the need for manual slide creation and saves time for users, making it a convenient solution for creating engaging presentations.

What is the best tool for generating AI presentations? In our opinion, Canva or ChatGPT are both fantastic options that you can try out.

5 Steps to Incorporating an AI PowerPoint Generator in Your Presentation

So, how can we use AI to generate a great presentation?

Step 1: Choose an Appropriate AI PowerPoint Generator

To start using AI in your presentations, you need to pick the right AI PowerPoint tool. It's important to choose one that works well for you, matches your needs, and has the features you want.

This initial decision sets the stage for a presentation that smoothly includes AI, fitting your style and needs.

Our favorite options include ChatGPT and Canva. With accessible price points and easy-to-use interfaces, these two options stand out as great tools. Whether you need a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or an AI presentation maker for Google Slides, both these options are standouts.

Step 2: Get to Know the AI Tool Inside Out

After picking your AI tool, it's crucial to really understand how it works.

Take the time to learn about the algorithms it uses to create content, its design tips, and any special things it can do. This deep understanding helps you make the most of the AI tool so you can improve your presentation's content and visuals for a better experience.

When you're learning a new tool, our recommendation is to browse YouTube for tutorials and get acquainted with experts in that niche. There are hundreds of great creators out there who have fantastic tutorials, so get exploring!

Step 3: Pick the Right Presentation Style

Now, it's time to get started on the actual content generation.

At this step, it's critical to choose a presentation style that fits your content's theme and your audience's expectations.

But don't panic - AI PowerPoint tools usually offer various templates for different themes and purposes; whether you're looking for a corporate feel, a fun-friendly presentation, or even a video template, then your AI tool should have you covered.

Remember: Selecting the right template makes the creative process smoother, resulting in a polished and professional look.

Step 4: Customize Your Content with AI-Powered Suggestions

Now, you're ready to get to the meat of the presentation - the content. While you may already have a load of content that's ready to be slotted into your presentation, you may also take this time to get writing.

Remember, it's always possible to incorporate AI into your content creation process at this stage.

Content creation tools like ChatGPT can help refine your language, ensuring accuracy and impact and generating scripts and images.

Step 5: Add AI-Enhanced Visuals and Effects to Your Presentation

In the final step, use AI-generated visuals and effects to enhance your presentation.

Explore the AI tool's capabilities to create impactful visuals, sophisticated graphics, or interactive elements that grab your audience's attention. From data visualization to smooth transitions, AI elevates the visual appeal of your presentation, leaving a memorable impression on your audience.

As well as this, now's the time to add an AI voiceover to your presentation to allow your content to be shared and rewatched over and over again or even translated into multiple languages. Plus, having an AI voiceover makes a presentation more accessible to those with visual impairments or who use a screen reader.

ElevenLabs  is a great tool for you to use here. With high-quality, human-like narration and an accessible, easy-to-use platform, ElevenLabs is the perfect tool for generating fantastic audio for your AI-generated presentations.

Ultimately, by following these five steps carefully, integrating AI into your presentation workflow becomes an efficient process that results in a professional and sophisticated presentation that resonates with your audience.

The Future of Presentations Using AI

Using AI in presentations has a bright future with lots of exciting possibilities. AI technology is changing the way we do presentations, making them more interactive and engaging. These AI tools can create cool visuals, understand data in real time, and even help with understanding what people say and translating languages. So, when people make presentations, they can use AI to make them more powerful and grab the audience's attention.

In the future, AI in presentations is likely to keep getting better. Experts think that AI will become even smarter, allowing for more advanced and personalized presentations. This means that presentations can be customized to fit what each person likes and how they learn best.

For businesses, using AI in presentations is increasingly important. It helps companies in many industries communicate better and engage employees and clients alike. These AI tools make it easier to create convincing presentations that engage clients, partners, and audiences and make content accessible to those with visual impairments or different learning abilities. Plus, AI can quickly and accurately analyze data and make it easier for businesses to make smart decisions.

In a nutshell, AI is changing the presentation game, making a Google Slide or PowerPoint presentation more exciting and personalized. As AI keeps improving, businesses are set to benefit from better communication and smarter decisions. It's an exciting future for presentations in the business world.

Final Thoughts

To sum it all up, we're on the brink of a big change in how we do presentations, thanks to the increasing use of an AI PowerPoint generator. AI is making presentations more engaging, interactive, and tailored to individual preferences, and the future holds even more exciting possibilities, with AI getting smarter and making presentations even more customized.

For businesses, using AI in presentations is not just a trend; it's a smart move. It helps companies communicate better and make informed decisions with data, reaching their employees and their clients with more curated content. For individuals, an AI PowerPoint generator saves time and makes creating engaging presentation content simple.

So, as we look ahead, embracing AI in presentations is more than just an option—it's an opportunity to excel in communication, engagement, and data-driven decision-making.

The combination of human creativity and AI innovation promises to redefine how we present information, creating a world where presentations are not only informative but also captivating and personalized.

Try ElevenLabs today

PowerPoint: How to Add Audio to Powerpoint on Windows 10 and Mac

Last Updated Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 5:00 am

Known Issue (August 14, 2023): 

Some Windows 11 users are experiencing issues with PowerPoint exports when they are turned into .mp4 files. Visuals within the exported PowerPoint are appearing as flipped, or upside down. We are working with Microsoft to find a solution. 

As a workaround, please convert the file as a .WMV file option and save it in My Media.  The following are directions on how to convert a PowerPoint Presentation with audio to a .WMV file . For more support or to help troubleshoot issues, please reach out to the LTS Help Desk at [email protected] . 

Microsoft PowerPoint offers features to record audio narration and export it as a video. PowerPoint records audio slide-by-slide rather than in one continuous file, allowing creators to easily re-record a slide if they make a mistake or need to change something later. Exporting as a video and uploading to Kaltura or Canvas for streaming is advantageous since it standardizes file types, doesn't require a download to view, is in a format that can be captioned, and allows viewers to navigate more efficiently. 

A recent update has made the process comparable on a Mac, but the specifics vary. Windows 10 instructions follow; Mac users can click the link below to jump to the appropriate instructions.

• Instructions for Mac users

Windows 10 Instructions:

The following instructions explain how to add audio to your PowerPoint presentation on Windows 10 and export that PowerPoint as an MP4. The text instructions cover the same information as the embedded video below.

NOTE: If you have an older version of PowerPoint, you may need to update it to access the features described below. If you do not have PowerPoint, you can download it and other Microsoft Office products for free by going to office365.uwec.edu. If you have questions about updating or installing PowerPoint, contact the LTS Help Desk at [email protected] or 715-836-5711. 

• Design your PowerPoint TIP: Use images and limit text to better engage viewers/listeners.  

• Click Record Slide Show NOTE:  Audio may start recording automatically if you have an older version of PowerPoint. It will still work, but this version offers reduced functionality. 

• Record narration and avoid reading text on the slide out loud to viewers. Click the blue Replay button to listen to the recorded audio and ensure it was recording. 

• Press [Escape] or the ‘X’ button located in the top right of the screen when the audio recordings are finished. You will see a speaker icon on slides that have audio.

• Select Export  (steps 10-14 are shown in screenshot below).
• Select Create a Video .  
• Optional: Select Full HD (1080p) for the video quality; it is unlikely a higher quality is needed.  
• Select Use Recorded Timings and Narrations.  

• Follow prompt/pop-up window to save the video in a memorable location. 

• How to upload and share with Kaltura (Instructors should use Kaltura. Students will need to use it if the file is over 500 MB, which a PowerPoint probably won't be and they can use Canvas.)
• How to upload and share in a Canvas assignment (students)
• How to upload and share in a Canvas discussion (students) - the instructions refer to the "rich content editor" which is just the features in the top of the discussion post reply. 

Elaboration on the Recording Features:

• Timing Feature – there is a rolling time feature for the individual slide and the overall presentation. Allows the speaker/presenter to monitor how long they are talking.
• Microphone Feature - Click on Settings  and select Microphone  and then the specific device to set up before recording.
• Replay Feature - Use to check that the audio is recording properly before starting additional slides.
• Clear Feature - Select Clear  to delete/re-record audio.
• Don’t set the camera to record - Make sure this button has a diagonal slash through it to avoid the problem.

Mac Instructions:

The following instructions will teach you how to add audio to your PowerPoint presentation on a Mac and export that PowerPoint as an MP4. The text instructions cover the same information as the video embedded below.

NOTE: It is essential to have the Office 365 version of PowerPoint or you will not be able to save your PowerPoint as a video. If necessary, you can download it and other Microsoft Office products for free by going to office365.uwec.edu. If you have questions about updating or installing PowerPoint, contact the LTS Help Desk at [email protected] or 715-836-5711. 

• TIP: Use images and limit text to better engage viewers/listeners.  

• Click Record Slide  Show
• TIP: Before you begin recording your full presentation, do a practice recording to verify your microphone and other settings are correct.

• NOTE: Avoid reading the text written directly on the slide; use the slide to elaborate on the material being presented.
•  Stop speaking for a second to prevent the audio from cutting out as slides change. Resume speaking when the time starts moving again under the Current slide timing feature to the left of the recording button.
• Click Stop or Pause  at the top of the screen and then End Show  in the top left corner   when all the audio recordings have been finished.
• Check the audio by clicking on Play from Start  under the Slide Show tab or the presenter mode icon at the bottom of the screen.

• Edit the name of the file and where you would like to save the video following PowerPoint's prompts.  

• Click Export 

• Upload your mp4 video to Kaltura or Canvas to share it:
• How to upload and share to My Media (Instructors should use My Media. Students will need to use it if the file is over 500 MB, which a PowerPoint probably won't be and they can use Canvas.)
• How to upload and share in a Canvas discussion (students) - the instructions refer to the "rich content editor" which is the tool at the top of the discussion post reply.

Additional Video Tool Options

For more information about recording options available, click here to view a comparison of each tool's features.

Tips for creating and delivering an effective presentation

In this article.

Creating an effective presentation

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