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Actions and Techniques in PowerPoint

Click on the green titles below, or the down arrow to see more information about the topic listed. We’ve also included links to helpful Microsoft Support articles further below.

Create a New Presentation

Open PowerPoint by clicking the program icon on the Task Bar. This will open up the PowerPoint start page. This page is a Launchpad that will display templates and themes you can use to build a presentation. You can click on “Blank Presentation” and start creating a presentation. If you choose a Blank Presentation, you can add Theme Design, Color, or Background Styles to the slides. You also have the option of clicking on one of the other themes or templates offered in the start page, each of which will already have colors and background styles. You can search for additional templates and themes by typing keywords into the search box at the top.

To create a new presentation at any time, click on File, then New. You can then select a blank presentation or a theme or a template.

Name and Save Your Presentation

Click the Save icon on the Quick Access toolbar to save your presentation. Your presentation will be saved as a 2019 PowerPoint presentation that can be opened using only the 2019 version of PowerPoint.

To access other options when saving your presentation:
Click File. Then click Save As. Click Browse. This will open up the Save As dialog box. At this point you can change where you save the document on your computer by using the navigation pane or the Address Bar at the top of the Save As dialog box.

You can also give your file a name, or a new name by typing a name in the box next to File name. In order to save your presentation in a compatible mode so that it can be opened using either Office PowerPoint 2013 or earlier versions of PowerPoint, click PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation. (Note: Microsoft did not update this title.)

To save your presentation so that it always opens in the slide show view click on PowerPoint Show.

Click on PDF or XPS to save your presentation in that file format.

Add or Delete a Slide

On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click New Slide. Click on a slide thumbnail from the layout gallery and it will be inserted into your presentation.

*The new slide will be inserted after the slide that is currently selected. To insert a new slide in between two existing slides, select the first of the two from the navigation pane on the left, then use the New Slide tool.

To delete a slide, select the slide from the navigation pane on the left. Click Delete on your keyboard, or right-click and select Delete from the menu.

Moving from Slide to Slide

In the left navigation pane, in Normal View, click on the thumbnail icon of the slide that you wish to view or on which you wish to work.

Slide Layout

In order to change the layout of a slide that you have already inserted, here’s what you do:

Click the slide to which you want to change the layout.

Then from the Home tab, in the Slides group, click Layout, and click on the layout you want.

Apply a Theme

Format an entire presentation by applying a Theme and changing the color/design and the fonts of your slides.

From the Design tab, in the Themes group, click the document theme that you want. Click More to see gallery of available document themes.

Click the document theme from the gallery that you want, and it will be inserted on your slide.

You can apply a document theme to all slides or to selected slides only. Right-click the document theme and then click the option that you want.

Modify a Theme

You can modify elements of the theme: Colors, Fonts, Effects, and Background Styles.

Go to the Design tab, Variants group. Click More, then select the category you want to modify.

The selections you make will apply to all the slides in your presentation. If you wish to modify only specific slides:

1. Click on the slides in the navigation pane while holding down the Ctrl key.
2. When making your Variants selection, right-click it, then select “Apply to Selected Slides.”

Change the Order of Your Slides

In the left navigation pane, click on the slide that you want to move, and then drag it to its new location.

OR

From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click on Slide Sorter. Here you can view all your slides. Click and drag the slide you want to move.

Add or Delete a Text Box

You cannot type in a blank slide. First you must insert a text box.

From the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Text Box. Hold the left mouse button down and draw and drag to create a text box.

The text box will expand as you type your data, so you don’t have to resize it before you begin typing.

To move a text box, click to select the text box. Position your pointer on the outline of the text box until you see a 4-way arrow.

Then just click-and-drag the text box.

To remove a text box, click the border of the text box, and then press DELETE on your keyboard.

Add or Delete Text

To add text, click inside a text placeholder, or a text box and then type or paste the text.

If your text exceeds the size of the placeholder, PowerPoint reduces the font size and line spacing as you type, to make the text fit.

To delete text, select or highlight the text and use the delete key on your keyboard.

Format text

Select the text you wish to modify. From the Home tab, click on any of the formatting icons in the Font group and make the desired changes.

Insert Pictures from Online

Click the slide to which you want to add pictures.

From the Insert tab, in the Images group, click the drop-down arrow for Pictures. In the drop-down menu, select Online Pictures. This will open a dialog box which allows you to search for pictures through Bing Image Search. Type a search term in the box, then select the picture(s) that you want. Insert the picture(s) onto your slide by clicking on insert.

Insert Pictures from a File

First save your picture in your hard drive’s Pictures folder. On your PowerPoint slide, click where you want to insert the picture.

On the Insert tab, in the Images group, click the drop-down arrow for Pictures. From the drop-down menu, select Pictures or This Device. This will take you to your Pictures folder.

Locate the picture that you want to insert, and then double-click it to insert the picture on your slide.

Insert a Stock Image

A newer feature for Microsoft Office, inserting a “stock image,” saves you a trip to the Internet. A number of images have been saved and are available by selected categories. On the Insert tab, in the Images group, click the drop-down arrow for Pictures. From the drop-down menu, select Stock Images. Select a category from the menu bar. Scroll across to see more. Select your picture then click the Insert button to insert the picture into your slide.

Resize Images

Click and select the picture. Once selected, the image can be resized, moved, deleted, or aligned (center, right, left).

Use the corner handles to resize the image while keeping it in proportion.

Use the green circle on the top of the picture to rotate it.

Once the image is selected, the Picture Tools tab becomes visible and provides a variety of tools to modify the image.

Click on the Picture Format tab, then use the available tools to lighten or darken the image, add a border or different styles to the image. The option to crop the image is also available.

WordArt

Click on the Insert tab and then click on the WordArt command in the Text group. Choose a WordArt style. Type the word(s) you want. Click on OK. Use the image handles to resize. To move WordArt, click on it and drag.

Add an Image to the Background

You can insert an image to make up the entire background of a slide.

1. Choose the slide you want from the navigation pane on the left.
2. In the Design tab, Customize group, click on Format Background.
3. The Format Background pane opens on the right. Select Picture or texture fill and Hide background graphics. Click Insert, select Online.
4. This will open the Bing image search box. You insert the picture the same way described in #12.
5. Adjust the background using the Artistic Effects and Picture Corrections categories at the top of the Format Background pane.

Add or Remove Animation

Select the words, or graphic that you wish to animate. On the Animations tab, in the Animation group, select the animation that you want from the Animate list by clicking on the drop-down arrow.

To remove animation:
Click the words, or the graphic with the animation that you want to remove. Click the number of the animation.
In the Animation group, select None.

Add Slide Transitions

From Normal view, in the navigation pane on the left, click on a slide.

On the Transitions tab, in the Transition to This Slide group, click a slide transition.

To see more transitions, click the More button. Some transitions will have “Effect Options” that allow you to customize them.

In the Timing group, you can add other features to your transitions. Sound allows you to choose a sound to accompany the transition. Duration will adjust the length of time it takes for the entire transition to take place. In Advance Slide, you can choose to have your slides advance automatically.

*All of these settings will apply only to the slide that is currently selected. To apply them to all slides, you must click on Apply to All in the Timing group.

Add a Hyperlink

Create a hyperlink using text, image, or a shape. Then in the slide show mode, click on the hyperlink and move to another slide within the same presentation or to a website.

To create a link to another slide within the same presentation:

From Normal view, select the text or the image that you want to use as a hyperlink. From the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link, then Insert Link. Under Link to, click Place in This Document. Under Select a place in this document, click the slide that you want to use as the hyperlink destination.

To create a hyperlink to a website:

From Normal view, select the text or image that you want to use as a hyperlink.

From the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link, then Insert Link. Under Link to, click Existing File or Webpage. In the Address box type in the complete website address and then click OK.

Note: The hyperlink will only work when the presentation is in the Slide Show mode.

Views

Click on the View tab on your Ribbon. Choose the view you want from the following options: Normal, Outline, Slide Sorter, Notes Page, Reading View, and Master Views – Slide, Handout and Notes.

Normal view: the default view, where you create, edit, and design your presentation.

Outline View: instead of showing a thumbnail of each slide in the slides pane, it shows the text of each slide in outline form.

Slide Sorter view: view your slides in thumbnail form and modify the order of the slides.

Notes Page view: type your notes in the Notes pane, which is located just below the Slide pane in Normal view.

You can also use the short-cut buttons on the bottom right side of the window in the Status Bar. The views offered are the icons for: Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, and Slide Show.

View Your Presentation

Click on the Slide Show tab then choose one of the following: From Beginning, From Current Slide, Present Online, or Custom Slide Show.

Move to the next slide with a left click of your mouse or use the Enter key. To go back to the previous slide, use the Backspace key on your keyboard. You can also use the right and left arrow keys on your keyboard to go backwards and forwards in your presentation.

To exit the view mode without viewing the remaining slides, use the Escape(Esc) key on your keyboard.

To start your slide show, you can also click on the fourth icon from the left, which is situated on the right end of your Status Bar. You can start your slide show at the beginning by clicking the 4th icon in your Quick Access Toolbar.

Print

Click on File then Print. Under settings you have a number of choices for printing. Under the first option you can choose to print the entire presentation or just sections of it. Under the second option you can print full page slides, notes pages, or outline. Under the other options you can print your presentation on one or both sides of the page. You can collate your presentation in several different ways. You can also print in color or grayscale.

Help

Click on the Microsoft Office PowerPoint Help tab, then click the Help icon. This will open a Help pane on the right, where you can click on links or use keywords to search.

Additional Support Articles from Microsoft