2. Create and manage presentations

PowerPoint makes it easy to efficiently create effective presentations for a wide variety of audiences. PowerPoint presentations are no longer used solely by business executives to present information at board meetings. They’re commonly used in business and educational settings to share information, not only in group presentations, but also in electronic communications and online settings. Even primary school students are assigned PowerPoint presentations as homework projects. Whether you need to give a report about a research study, present a budget to a board of directors, or convince management to invest in a new piece of equipment, PowerPoint helps you get the job done in a professional, visually appealing way.

The sophisticated presentation features of PowerPoint are easy to find and use, so even novice users can work productively with PowerPoint after only a brief introduction. Many of the processes you perform with slide content are similar to processes you use in Microsoft Word documents and Microsoft Excel workbooks, so if you already use another Microsoft Office app, you might be familiar with them. Processes that are specific to the creation and management of slides are unique to PowerPoint.

This chapter guides you through procedures related to creating presentations, opening and navigating presentations, displaying different views of presentations, displaying and editing presentation properties, and saving and closing presentations.

When you start PowerPoint, the app displays a Start screen that gives you options for opening an existing presentation or creating a new one.

There are a few different ways to start a new presentation. If you press the Esc key when this screen appears, PowerPoint starts a blank presentation for you. You can also select from among the presentation thumbnails and links to create presentations based on the following sources:

Blank presentation If you want to build and format a presentation from scratch, you can start with a presentation based on the Blank Presentation template. A new, blank presentation contains only a blank title page; it’s up to you to add slides and slide content, apply a theme, and make any necessary custom configuration changes. Creating attractive, functional presentations from scratch can be time-consuming and requires quite a bit of knowledge about PowerPoint. You’ll learn the skills you need while you work through this book.

Design template You can save time by basing your presentation on one of the many design templates that come with PowerPoint. A design template is a blank presentation with a theme already applied to it. Sometimes it includes background graphic elements and specialized slide layouts. Some templates supply only a title slide and leave it to you to add the other slides you need; other templates supply an example of each of the available slide layouts.

Content template You can preview and download many prepopulated presentation templates from the Office website. These templates provide not only the design elements but also suggestions for content that is appropriate for different types of presentations, such as reports or product launches. After you download a template, you simply customize the content provided in the template to meet your needs.

An important thing to be aware of when you create a presentation in PowerPoint is that you have the choice of two slide aspect ratios, which are referred to (slightly inaccurately) as slide sizes. The default slide size is Widescreen (16:9), which is optimized for displays such as those found on many laptop screens and desktop monitors these days.

The alternative slide size is Standard (4:3), which is optimized for wide rectangular screens such as that of the iPad.

The actual size (dimensions) of the slide aren’t as important as its aspect ratio. By default, the slides in presentations you create based on the Blank Presentation template are set to Widescreen size.

When you display the built-in templates on the New page of the Backstage view, the default slide size of each template is apparent from its thumbnail. Most of the templates are 16:9, but you can easily filter the templates to display only those that are formatted specifically for 4:3 slides.

Before you begin adding content to a new presentation, you should consider how the presentation will be viewed and choose the most appropriate slide size. It’s advisable to select the slide size before you select the presentation template. You can change the slide size after you create the slide deck, but doing so might cause graphic elements (especially those on master slides) to look different, and text and other slide elements to not fit on slides as intended.

Whether you create a blank presentation or a presentation that is based on a design template, the presentation exists only in your computer’s memory until you save it.

To create a new blank presentation

1. Start PowerPoint.

2. When the Start screen appears, press the Esc key.

Or

1. If PowerPoint is already running, click the File tab to display the Backstage view.

2. In the left pane of the Backstage view, click New to display the New page.

3. On the New page of the Backstage view, click the Blank Presentation thumbnail.

To preview presentation design templates

1. Display the Backstage view, and then, in the left pane, click New.

2. On the New page, scroll the pane to view the presentation design templates that were installed with PowerPoint.

3. Click any thumbnail to open a preview window that displays the title slide of the selected design with alternative color schemes and graphic backgrounds.

4. Do any of the following:

• Click the More Images arrows to display other slide layouts for the template.

• Click any of the thumbnails in the right half of the preview window to apply that color scheme to the slide layouts of the selected template.

• Click the arrows to the left and right of the preview window to preview other design templates.

• Click the Create button to create a presentation based on the template that is active in the preview window.

• In the upper-right corner of the preview window, click the Close button to close the preview window without creating a presentation.

To display only presentation templates that are optimized at the 4:3 slide size

1. On the New page of the Backstage view, below the Search box, click 4:3.

To create a presentation based on a default design template

1. Display the New page of the Backstage view.

2. Scroll the pane to locate the design you want to use.

3. Do either of the following:

• Double-click the thumbnail to create the presentation.

• Click the thumbnail to preview the design template, and then click the Create button in the preview window to create the presentation.

PowerPoint displays the new presentation in Normal view. The title slide is visible in the Thumbnails pane and in the Slide pane.

To create a presentation based on an online template

1. Display the New page of the Backstage view.

2. In the search box at the top of the page, enter a term related to the template content or design you’re looking for, and then click the Search button.

Or

Below the search box, click one of the suggested searches.

3. In the Category list, click any category or categories to further filter the templates.

4. Scroll the pane to locate a design that fit your needs.

5. Click any thumbnail to preview the design template, and click the More Images arrows to see the content defined as part of the template. Then click the Create button in the preview window to create the presentation.

Or

Double-click any thumbnail to create a presentation based on the template.

To disable the display of the Start screen

1. In the Backstage view, click Options to open the PowerPoint Options dialog box.

2. On the General page of the dialog box, clear the Show the Start screen when this application starts check box.

3. Close the PowerPoint Options dialog box.

When a presentation is open, you can move among slides by clicking or tapping elements in several areas of the app window, including the Thumbnails pane in Normal view and the Slide pane in Normal view or Slide Sorter view. You can also move among slides by rotating the wheel button on a mouse.

To open a recent presentation

1. Start PowerPoint.

2. On the Start screen, in the Recent list, click the file name of the presentation you want to open.

Or

1. With PowerPoint running, click the File tab to display the Backstage view.

2. In the left pane of the Backstage view, click Open to display the Open page.

3. In the right pane of the Open page, scroll the presentation list if necessary to locate the presentation you want to open, and then click the presentation file name to open it.

To open any existing presentation

1. Start PowerPoint.

2. On the Start screen, at the bottom of the left pane, click Open Other Presentations to display the Open page of the Backstage view.

Or

With PowerPoint running, display the Backstage view, and then click Open to display the Open page.

3. In the Places list, click the local or network storage location where the presentation is stored.

4. Navigate to the presentation storage folder by using one of the following methods:

• In the right pane, click a recent folder. Then click any subfolders until you reach the folder you want.

• In the left pane, click Browse to open the Open dialog box. Then click folders in the Navigation pane, double-click folders in the file pane, or enter the folder location in the Address bar.

5. Double-click the presentation you want to open.

To move back or forward one slide while working in a presentation

1. Use any of the following techniques

• In the Slide pane, on the scroll bar, click above or below the scroll box.

• Below the Slide pane scroll bar, click the Previous Slide or Next Slide button.

• Press the Page Up or Page Down key.

To move among slides while working in a presentation

1. Use any of the following techniques:

• In the Thumbnails pane, click the slide you want to display.

• In the Slide pane, drag the scroll bar up or down.

• Press the Home key to move to the first slide.

• Press the End key to move to the last slide.

Normal view This view includes the Thumbnails pane on the left side of the app window, the Slide pane on the right side of the window, and an optional Notes pane at the bottom of the window. You insert, cut, copy, paste, duplicate, and delete slides in the Thumbnails pane, create slide content in the Slide pane, and record slide notes in the Notes pane.

Notes Page view This is the only view in which you can create speaker notes that contain elements other than text. Although you can add speaker notes in the Notes pane in Normal view, you must be in Notes Page view to add graphics, tables, diagrams, or charts to your notes.

Outline view This view displays a text outline of the presentation in the Outline pane and the active slide in the Slide pane. You can enter text either directly on the slide or in the outline.

Reading view In this view, which is ideal for previewing the presentation, each slide fills the screen. You can click buttons on the navigation bar to move through or jump to specific slides.

Slide Show view This view displays the presentation as a full-screen slide show, beginning with the current slide. It displays only the slides and not the presenter tools.

Slide Sorter view This view displays thumbnails of all the slides in the presentation. In this view, you manage the slides, rather than the slide content. You can easily reorganize the slides, group them into sections, and apply transitions to one or multiple slides. You can also apply transitions from one slide to another, and specify how long each slide should remain on the screen.

The views you’ll use most frequently when developing presentations are Normal view and Slide Sorter view.

View options are available from the View Shortcuts toolbar near the right end of the status bar and from the View tab of the ribbon.

To review a presentation (or deliver it to an audience), you display it in Slide Show view. In this view, each slide fills the screen, and PowerPoint implements transitions, animations, and media effects the way you have specified. You can start the slide show from the first slide or from the currently active slide.

To switch among development views of a presentation

1. Do either of the following:

• On the View Shortcuts toolbar, click the Normal or Slide Sorter button.

• On the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click the Normal or Slide Sorter button.

To display a presentation in Slide Show view from the first slide

1. Do either of the following:

• On the Slide Show tab, in the Start Slide Show group, click the From Beginning button. (When you point to this button, the ScreenTip that appears says Start From Beginning.)

• Press F5.

To display a presentation in Slide Show view from the current slide

1. Do any of the following:

• On the View Shortcuts toolbar, click the Slide Show button.

• On the Slide Show tab, in the Start Slide Show group, click the From Current Slide button. (When you point to this button, the ScreenTip that appears says Start from This Slide.)

• Press Shift+F5.

To navigate a presentation in Slide Show view

1. Do any of the following:

• Move the mouse to display the Slide Show toolbar. Then click the Previous or Next button on the toolbar.

• Press the N (for next), Enter, Right Arrow, Down Arrow, or Page Down key to move forward one slide.

• Press the P (for previous), Backspace, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Page Up key to move back one slide.

• Press the Home key to display the first slide.

• Press the End key to display the last slide.

• Press the Esc key to return to Normal or Slide Sorter view.

To display a presentation in Reading view

1. Do either of the following:

• On the View Shortcuts toolbar, click the Reading View button.

• On the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click the Reading View button.

To navigate a presentation in Reading view

1. Do any of the following:

• Press the N (for next), Enter, Right Arrow, Down Arrow, or Page Down key to move forward one slide.

• Press the P (for previous), Backspace, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Page Up key to move back one slide.

• Press the Home key to display the first slide.

• Press the End key to display the last slide.

• Press the Esc key or click the Normal or Slide Sorter button on the View Shortcuts toolbar to return to Normal or Slide Sorter view.

To adjust the size of the Thumbnails pane in Normal view

1. Do either of the following:

• Point to the right border of the Thumbnails pane, and drag right or left to resize or hide the Thumbnails pane.

• When the Thumbnails pane is hidden, click the Thumbnails button at the top of the bar to redisplay it.

To show or hide the Notes pane in Normal view

1. On the status bar, click the Notes button.

To adjust the size of the Notes pane in Normal view

1. Point to the border between the Slide pane and the Notes pane, and when the pointer changes to a bar with opposing arrows, drag up or down to resize or hide the Notes pane.

To hide the ribbon in Normal, Outline, or Slide Sorter views

1. Do any of the following:

• At the right end of the ribbon, click the Collapse the Ribbon button, which resembles an upward-pointing arrow.

• Press Ctrl+F1.

Collapsing the ribbon hides the groups and buttons but leaves the tab names visible.

To temporarily redisplay the ribbon

1. Click any tab name.

The ribbon remains visible until you click a button on it or click away from it.

To permanently redisplay the ribbon

1. Do any of the following:

• Double-click any tab name.

• Click any tab name and then click the Pin the ribbon button, which resembles a pushpin.

• Press Ctrl+F1.

To help you to more precisely position and align slide elements, you can display rulers, gridlines, and guides in the Slide pane, and change the magnification of the current slide.

Gridlines are faint dotted lines that mark off specific units of measure on a slide. You can adjust the spacing of gridlines in the Grid And Guides dialog box, but you can’t move them on the slide. Guides are a set of vertical and horizontal alignment tools that you can drag to any location in the Slide pane.

To display a different open presentation

1. Do either of the following:

• On the View tab, in the Window group, click the Switch Windows button, and then click the presentation you want to view.

• Point to the PowerPoint button on the Windows taskbar, and then click the thumbnail of the presentation you want to display.

To display multiple open presentations at the same time

1. On the View tab, in the Window group, click the Arrange All button.

To display or hide the ruler, gridlines, and guides

1. On the View tab, in the Show group, select or clear the Ruler, Gridlines, or Guides check boxes.

To modify the spacing of gridlines

1. On the View tab, click the Show dialog box launcher to open the Grid and Guides dialog box.

2. In the Grid settings area, change either the fractional or unit measurement of the Spacing setting. Then click OK.

To change the magnification of content in the app window

1. On the View tab, in the Zoom group, click the Zoom button to open the Zoom dialog box.

2. In the Zoom dialog box, select a Zoom to option or enter a specific percentage in the Percent box, and then click OK.

Or

1. In the zoom controls at the right end of the status bar, do any of the following:

• At the left end of the slider, click the Zoom Out button to decrease the zoom percentage.

• At the right end of the slider, click the Zoom In button to increase the zoom percentage.

• At the right end of the status bar, click the Fit slide to current window button.

You can examine the properties that are attached to a presentation from the Info page of the Backstage view.

You can change or remove basic properties in the default Properties pane or expand the Properties pane to make more available, or display the Properties dialog box to access even more properties.

To display presentation properties

1. Display the Info page of the Backstage view. The standard properties associated with a presentation are displayed in the Properties area of the right pane.

2. At the bottom of the Properties pane, click Show All Properties to expand the pane.

3. At the top of the Properties pane, click Properties and then click Advanced Properties to display the Properties dialog box.

To edit presentation properties

1. In the Properties pane, click the value for the property you want to edit to activate the content box. (Note that not all properties are available to edit. Those that can be edited will display an edit box when you point to them. Nothing happens if you click one that can’t be edited.)

2. Enter or replace the property value, and then press Enter.

Or

1. In the Properties dialog box, do either of the following:

• On the Summary page, click the box to the right of the property you want to modify, and then enter or replace the property value.

• On the Custom page, select the property you want to modify in the Name list, and then enter or replace the property value in the Value box.

You can save the presentation in a folder on your computer or, if you have an Internet connection, in a folder on your Microsoft OneDrive. If your company is running Microsoft SharePoint, you can add your SharePoint OneDrive or a different SharePoint location so that it is available from the Places pane of the Save As page, just like any other folder.

Clicking Browse at the bottom of the left pane displays the Save As dialog box, in which you assign a name to the file.

After you save a presentation for the first time, you can save changes simply by clicking the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar. The new version of the presentation then overwrites the previous version.

If you want to keep both the new version and the previous version, display the Save As page, and then save a new version with a different name in the same location or with the same name in a different location. (You cannot have two files with the same name in the same folder.)

Every time you open a presentation, a new instance of PowerPoint starts. If you have more than one presentation open, clicking the Close button at the right end of a presentation’s title bar closes that presentation and exits that instance of PowerPoint. If you have only one presentation open and you want to close the presentation but leave PowerPoint running, display the Backstage view and then click Close.

To save a presentation

1. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Save button to display the Save As page of the Backstage view.

2. Select a storage location, and then in the right pane, click Browse to open the Save As dialog box.

3. Use standard Windows techniques to navigate to your file folder.

4. In the File name box, enter a name for your presentation, and then click Save to store the file in your file folder.

Or

1. Press Ctrl+S to save an existing presentation without changing the file name or location.

To close a presentation

1. Do any of the following:

• At the right end of the title bar, click the Close button to close the presentation and the app window.

• Display the Backstage view, and then click Close to close the presentation without exiting the app.

• On the Windows Taskbar, point to the PowerPoint button to display thumbnails of all open presentations, point to the thumbnail of the presentation you want to close, and then click the Close button that appears in its upper-right corner.

Create presentations

Open and navigate presentations

Display different views of presentations

Display and edit presentation properties

Save and close presentations

1. Start PowerPoint and create a new, blank presentation.

2. Display the available presentation design templates.

3. Preview a template that you like.

4. Without closing the preview window, preview the next or previous template.

5. From the preview window, create a presentation based on the currently displayed template. Notice that the unsaved blank presentation closes.

6. Leave the presentation open and continue to the next task.

1. From the Backstage view, open the NavigateSlides presentation.

2. Navigate among the slides by using the Thumbnails pane, and then by using the Previous Slide and Next Slide buttons.

3. Use a keyboard method to move to the last slide of the presentation.

4. Leave the presentations open and continue to the next task.

1. Display the NavigateSlides presentation in Slide Sorter view and select Slide 2.

2. Display the presentation in Slide Show view, beginning with Slide 2.

3. Move forward through the presentation to its end. Then return to Slide Sorter view.

4. Display the presentation in Reading view. Use any method to navigate to the fourth slide, and then use the most efficient method to return to the first slide.

5. Display the presentation in Normal view. Hide the Thumbnails pane and display the Notes pane.

6. Redisplay the Thumbnails pane and hide the ribbon.

7. Arrange the two presentations side by side on the screen.

8. In the NavigateSlides presentation, display the gridlines. Notice that they appear in both open presentations.

9. In the NavigateSlides presentation, change the spacing of the gridlines to 1”. Notice that this modification affects only the active presentation.

10. Switch to the presentation you created in the first practice task. Display the guides, and then move them so they align with the upper-left corner of the slide content area. Notice the effect of these actions in the other open presentation.

11. Set the magnification of the active presentation to 60% and notice the effect of this action in the other open presentation.

12. Leave the presentations open and continue to the next task.

1. Display all the presentation properties.

2. Edit the Subject property, entering Colors as the subject of the presentation.

3. Leave the presentations open and continue to the next task.

1. Save the NavigateSlides presentation as MyPresentation, and then close it.

2. Close the presentation you created in the first task without saving it.