1. Getting Started With PowerPoint

1.1. Getting to know PowerPoint

PowerPoint 2016 is similar to PowerPoint 2013 and PowerPoint 2010. If you've previously used these versions, PowerPoint 2016 should feel familiar. But if you are new to PowerPoint or have more experience with older versions, you should first take some time to become familiar with the PowerPoint 2016 interface.

The PowerPoint interface

When you open PowerPoint for the first time, the Start Screen will appear. From here, you'll be able to create a new presentation, choose a template, and access your recently edited presentations. From the Start Screen, locate and select Blank Presentation to access the PowerPoint interface.

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1.2. Working with the PowerPoint environment

The Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar are where you will find the commands to perform common tasks in PowerPoint. Backstage view gives you various options for saving, opening a file, printing, and sharing your document.
The Ribbon

PowerPoint uses a tabbed Ribbon system instead of traditional menus. The Ribboncontains multiple tabs, each with several groups of commands. For example, the Font group on the Home tab contains commands for formatting text in your document.

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Some groups also have a small arrow in the bottom-right corner that you can click for even more options.

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Showing and hiding the Ribbon

The Ribbon is designed to respond to your current task, but you can choose to minimize it if you find that it takes up too much screen space. Click the Ribbon Display Options arrow in the upper-right corner of the Ribbon to display the drop-down menu.

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Auto-hide Ribbon: Auto-hide displays your workbook in full-screen mode and completely hides the Ribbon. To show the Ribbon, click the Expand Ribbon command at the top of screen.
Show Tabs: This option hides all command groups when they're not in use, but tabs will remain visible. To show the Ribbon, simply click a tab.
Show Tabs and Commands: This option maximizes the Ribbon. All of the tabs and commands will be visible. This option is selected by default when you open PowerPoint for the first time.

Using the Tell me feature

If you're having trouble finding command you want, the Tell Me feature can help. It works just like a regular search bar: Type what you're looking for, and a list of options will appear. You can then use the command directly from the menu without having to find it on the Ribbon.

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1.3. The Quick Access Toolbar

Located just above the Ribbon, the Quick Access Toolbar lets you access common commands no matter which tab is selected. By default, it includes the Save, Undo, Redo, and Start From Beginning commands. You can add other commands depending on your preference.

To add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar:

Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Quick Access Toolbar.

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Select the command you want to add from the drop-down menu. To choose from more commands, select More Commands.

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The command will be added to the Quick Access Toolbar.

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1.4. The Ruler, guides, and gridlines

PowerPoint includes several tools to help organize and arrange content on your slides, including the Ruler, guides, and gridlines. These tools make it easier to alignobjects on your slides. Simply click the check boxes in the Show group on the Viewtab to show and hide these tools.

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1.5. Zoom and other view options

PowerPoint has a variety of viewing options that change how your presentation is displayed. You can choose to view your presentation in Normal view, Slide Sorterview, Reading view, or Slide Show view. You can also zoom in and out to make your presentation easier to read.
Switching slide views

Switching between different slide views is easy. Just locate and select the desired slide view command in the bottom-right corner of the PowerPoint window.

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To learn more about slide views, see our Managing Slides lesson.

Zooming in and out

To zoom in or out, click and drag the zoom control slider in the bottom-right corner of the PowerPoint window. You can also select the + or - commands to zoom in or out by smaller increments. The number next to the slider displays the current zoom percentage, also called the zoom level.

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Backstage view

Backstage view gives you various options for saving, opening, printing, and sharing your presentations. To access Backstage view, click the File tab on the Ribbon.

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Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using Backstage view.

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You can review our lesson on Understanding OneDrive to learn more about

Challenge!

1. Open PowerPoint 2016, and create a blank presentation.
2. Change the Ribbon Display Options to Show Tabs.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Quick Access Toolbar and add New, Quick Print, and Spelling.
4. In the Tell me bar, type Shape and press Enter.
5. Choose a shape from the menu, and double-click somewhere on your slide.
6. Show the Ruler if it is not already visible.
7. Zoom the presentation to 120%.
8. When you're finished, your presentation should look something like this:

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10. Change the Ribbon Display Options back to Show Tabs and Commands.

2. Understanding OneDrive

Introduction

Many of the features in Office are geared toward saving and sharing files online. OneDrive is Microsoft’s online storage space that you can use to save, edit, and share your presentations and other files. You can access OneDrive from your computer, smartphone, or any of the devices you use.

To get started with OneDrive, all you need to do is set up a free Microsoft account if you don’t already have one.

If you don't already have a Microsoft account, you can go to the Creating a Microsoft Account lesson in our Microsoft Account tutorial.

Once you have a Microsoft account, you'll be able to sign in to Office. Just click Sign inin the upper-right corner of the PowerPoint window.

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Benefits of using OneDrive

Once you’re signed in to your Microsoft account, here are a few of the things you’ll be able to do with OneDrive:

Access your files anywhere: When you save your files to OneDrive, you’ll be able to access them from any computer, tablet, or smartphone that has an Internet connection. You'll also be able to create new presentations from OneDrive.

Back up your files: Saving files to OneDrive gives them an extra layer of protection. Even if something happens to your computer, OneDrive will keep your files safe and accessible.

Share files: It’s easy to share your OneDrive files with friends and coworkers. You can choose whether they can edit or simply read files. This option is great for collaboration because multiple people can edit a presentation at the same time (also known as co-authoring).

Saving and opening files

When you’re signed in to your Microsoft account, OneDrive will appear as an option whenever you save or open a file. You still have the option of saving files to your computer. However, saving files to your OneDrive allows you to access them from any other computer, and it also allows you to share files with friends and coworkers.

For example, when you click Save As, you can select either OneDrive or This PC as the save location.

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3. Creating and Opening Presentations

3.1. Introduction

PowerPoint files are called presentations. Whenever you start a new project in PowerPoint, you'll need to create a new presentation, which can either be blank or from a template. You'll also need to know how to open an existing presentation.

To create a new presentation:

When beginning a new project in PowerPoint, you'll often want to start with a new blank presentation.

+ Select the File tab to go to Backstage view.

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+ Select New on the left side of the window, then click Blank Presentation.

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+ A new presentation will appear.

To create a new presentation from a template:

A template is a predesigned presentation you can use to create a new slide show quickly. Templates often include custom formatting and designs, so they can save you a lot of time and effort when starting a new project.

+ Click the File tab to access Backstage view, then select New.

+ You can click a suggested search to find templates or use the search bar to find something more specific. In our example, we'll search for the keyword chalkboard.

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+ Select a template to review it.

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+ A preview of the template will appear, along with additional information on how the template can be used.

+ Click Create to use the selected template.

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+ A new presentation will appear with the selected template.

It's important to note that not all templates are created by Microsoft. Many are created by third-party providers and even individual users, so some templates may work better than others

3.2. To open an existing presentation:

In addition to creating new presentations, you'll often need to open a presentation that was previously saved. To learn more about saving presentations, visit our lesson on Saving Presentations.

+ Select the File tab to go to Backstage view, then click Open.

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+ Click Browse. Alternatively, you can choose OneDrive to open files stored on your OneDrive.

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+ The Open dialog box will appear. Locate and select your presentation, then click Open.

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

To pin a presentation:

If you frequently work with the same presentation, you can pin it to Backstage view for easy access.

+ Select the File tab to go to Backstage view, then click Open. Your Recent Presentations will appear.

+ Hover the mouse over the presentation you want to pin, then click the pushpin icon.

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+ The presentation will stay in the Recent presentations list until it is unpinned. To unpin a presentation, click the pushpin icon again.

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3.3. Compatibility Mode

Sometimes you may need to work with presentations that were created in earlier versions of PowerPoint, like PowerPoint 2003 or PowerPoint 2000. When you open these types of presentations, they will appear in Compatibility Mode.

Compatibility Mode disables certain features, so you'll only be able to access commands found in the program that was used to create the presentation. For example, if you open a presentation created in PowerPoint 2003, you can only use tabs and commands found in PowerPoint 2003.

In the image below, you can see at the top of the window that the presentation is in Compatibility Mode. This will disable some PowerPoint 2016 features, including newer types of slide transitions.

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To exit Compatibility Mode, you'll need to convert the presentation to the current version type. However, if you're collaborating with others who only have access to an earlier version of PowerPoint, it's best to leave the presentation in Compatibility Mode so the format will not change.

You can review this support page from Microsoft to learn more about which features are disabled in Compatibility Mode.

To convert a presentation:

If you want access to all PowerPoint 2016 features, you can convert the presentation to the 2016 file format.

Note that converting a file may cause some changes to the original layout of the presentation.

+ Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

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+ Locate and select the Convert command.

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+ The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to save the presentation, enter a file name, and click Save.

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+ The presentation will be converted to the newest file type.

Challenge!

1. Open our practice presentation.
2. Notice that the presentation opens in Compatibility Mode. Convert it to the 2016 file format. If a dialog box appears asking if you would like to close and reopen the file in order to see the new features, choose Yes.
3. In Backstage view, pin a file or folder.

4. Saving Presentations

4.1. Introduction

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


Save and Save As

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

Save: When you create or edit a presentation, you'll use the Save command to save your changes. You'll use this command most of the time. When you save a file, you'll only need to choose a file name and location the first time. After that, you can just click the Save command to save it with the same name and location.

Save As: You'll use this command to create a copy of a presentation while keeping the original. When you use Save As, you'll need to choose a different name and/or location for the copied version.

About OneDrive

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

To save a presentation:

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

+ Locate and select the Save command on the Quick Access Toolbar.

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

+ You'll then need to choose where to save the file and give it a file name. Click Browse to select a location on your computer. Alternatively, you can click OneDrive to save the file to your OneDrive.

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

+ Enter a file name for the presentation, then click Save.

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

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

Using Save As to make a copy

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

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

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To change the default save location:

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

+ Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

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+ Click Options.

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+ The PowerPoint Options dialog box will appear. Select Save, check the boxnext to Save to Computer by default, then click OK. The default save location will be changed.

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4.2. Using AutoRecover

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

To use AutoRecover:

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

Click to open an available file. The presentation will be recovered.

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

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

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4.3. Exporting presentations

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

PDF: Saves the presentation as a PDF document instead of a PowerPoint file

Video: Saves the presentation as a video

Package for CD: Saves the presentation in a folder along with the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer, a special slide show player anyone can download

Handouts: Prints a handout version of your slides

Other file type: Saves in other file types, including PNG and PowerPoint 97-2003

To export a presentation:

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

+ Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

+ Click Export, then choose the desired option. In our example, we'll select Change File Type.

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+ Select a file type, then click Save As.

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+ The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to export the presentation, type a file name, then click Save.

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

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4.4. Sharing presentations

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

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

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

To share a presentation:

+ Click the File tab to access Backstage view, then click Share.

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+ The Share pane will appear.


Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about different ways to share a presentation.

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Challenge!

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