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The PowerPoint Online Guide: How to Make and Present Slideshows Anywhere

Over the past thirty years, PowerPoint has become synonymous with presentations. Give a speech, present a new product, share finances in a board meeting—all are typically done with a PowerPoint presentation. That’s easy enough if you’re presenting from your laptop and have Microsoft Office installed.

Or it can be far more difficult. You might need to email your slide deck to the event organizer—and hope they have the same version of PowerPoint installed. Or you may carry your PowerPoint file around on a flash drive to open it on the presentation computer. Neither are great solutions, especially for all the times you need to make a last-minute change to your slides or if you don’t typically use Microsoft Office.

A Quick Guide to Office Online

It starts with Office Online . Launched in 2010 as Office Web Apps , Office Online today includes simplified, free versions of Microsoft Office’s most popular apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

If you’ve ever used the iPad or Android tablet versions of Office, Office Online will feel instantly familiar. The basics are the same. Each Office Online app includes an Office-style toolbar with Home , Insert , Design , and other tabs to organize core editing tools. Office Online apps don’t include all of their Windows features. They include instead a focused set of editing tools that, for most documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, are all you need.

The big difference is that the apps are online. Instead of emailing files back and forth, or syncing changes via OneDrive or Dropbox then sending messages to colleagues when something’s finished, changes happen automatically in Office Online. Your team can open files at the same time, make changes or add comments, and Office will save and sync it to all your OneDrive accounts automatically. Office Online apps also work everywhere. Open any browser, go to Office.com, and your work is ready to pick up where you left off.

Office Online is free for personal use—log into Office.com with a Microsoft account and fill up OneDrive’s free 5GB of storage with all your Office files. A business version is included with Office 365 for business and enterprise accounts as well.

The basics are the same. If you’ve used PowerPoint before, you’ll feel at home in PowerPoint online. Here are the things to keep in mind, the tips to help you work efficiently in your browser, and ways to work around Office Online’s limitations.

For your number crunching needs, check our Excel Online Guide to learn everything you need about Microsoft’s free Excel.

A Quick PowerPoint Online Tour

Ready to make a new presentation? Open PowerPoint Online at office.live.com/start/PowerPoint.aspx , and sign in with your Microsoft account (including Outlook.com, Xbox Live, and Office 365 accounts). You’ll then see the Office template picker with many of the presentation templates from desktop PowerPoint—with your recently opened presentations on the left sidebar.

Select a template or open an existing presentation to open it in PowerPoint Online. With a similar design to recent versions of PowerPoint for Mac and Windows, you’ll find the core text and design tools on the main Home tab, options to add images and embedded videos and tables in the Insert tab, slide and template options in the Design tab, animations in the Transitions and Animations tab, and so on. If you can’t find the feature you need, type what you need in the Tell me what you want to do box to search through PowerPoint’s features and documentation.

Need to edit a picture or tweak a SmartArt graph? Select it, and a new Format tab will appear with additional tools as in desktop PowerPoint.

You may not need to look through the toolbars for tools, though. Select text in a slide and PowerPoint shows quick formatting options in a pop-over to change the font, color, and more. Or right-click on most other elements to find their quick editing options. You can then double-click on the toolbar to hide it and increase your workspace, if you’d like, relying on the popover tools to work faster.

Add a new slide: Ctrl + M or CMD + M

Move slides up or down: Ctrl + arrow or CMD + arrow

Add a comment: Alt + N

Go to next slide in Slideshow view: N

Go to previous slide in Slideshow view: P

Go to a specific slide in Slideshow view: G , then type slide number

Exit Slideshow view: Esc

Check Microsoft PowerPoint Online keyboard shortcut list for more details.

How to Add Presentations to PowerPoint Online

PowerPoint Online is part of Microsoft’s OneDrive file storage. Open a PowerPoint file in OneDrive, and it’ll first show a preview with the option to edit it online.

But surprisingly, PowerPoint Online also works with Dropbox. That gives you another way to open your presentations online. You can save your presentations to either OneDrive or Dropbox, and then when you open PowerPoint Online, you can search through your presentations from both services. Either way, any change you make will automatically be saved to the original file.

The Dropbox integration only works for newer .pptx files. To open .ppt files, download them first, then upload them to PowerPoint Online or OneDrive. When you open them there, PowerPoint will automatically make a copy then convert the presentation to the new format so you can edit it online.

Or, if you have a PowerPoint file on your computer, open PowerPoint Online first, click the Upload a Presentation button, then select your presentation to upload it to OneDrive and open it for editing in PowerPoint Online at the same time.

How to Collaborate on PowerPoint Presentations

Want someone else to proofread your slides, or add their research to a team presentation? That’s easy in PowerPoint Online. From your presentation, click the Share button in the top right toolbar.

The default option is to email an invite link along with a message to your collaborators. You can choose to make the presentation editable or view only and can require a Microsoft account or not.

Or, you can copy a share link to send to anyone or share publicly online if you’d like. Select the Get a link tab to copy a link to your presentation—again, as a view-only presentation or with permission to edit. Here, if you make an editing link, anyone can tweak the presentation without signing into an account.

PowerPoint Online will show an icon beside the slide your collaborator is currently editing and will mark the section they’re working on in the same color. You can’t see the exact changes they make while they’re editing—changes take a few seconds to sync—so it’s best not to edit the same slide others are editing at the same time.

Want to chat with your collaborators? As long as everyone has a Skype account, you can open a Skype sidebar and talk with them in your PowerPoint presentation.

What’s Not In PowerPoint Online?

The core editing features are all here. You can add and edit text, photos, shapes, and SmartArt in PowerPoint online, add core transitions and animations to slides and elements, and present your presentation all from PowerPoint Online.

One of the main differences from PowerPoint’s desktop apps are the embedding options. In desktop versions of PowerPoint, you can embed video and audio from your computer, along with data from other Office apps and macros. In PowerPoint Online, you can embed online videos from YouTube—along with graphs and data from PowerBI and other add-ins in the Office Add-ins pane.

Animations are also more limited in PowerPoint Online. It includes only eight transitions, including Fade and Push , with animations that don’t require graphics acceleration. If you add a presentation that uses other animations from PowerPoint for Windows or Mac, you’ll need to select others or present without animations.

Fonts are another core difference. PowerPoint Online includes 18 fonts, including Arial, Comic Sans, Courier New, Garamond, Georgia, Rockwell, Tahoma, Times New Roman, and Verdana. You can’t install 3rd party fonts or choose fonts you have installed on your computer.

So, to make sure your PowerPoint presentations look great everywhere, stick with the fonts included with PowerPoint Online. That’s easy as they’re the only options in PowerPoint Online, but if you use another PowerPoint app, try using the Web fonts as they’re mainly fonts that work everywhere.

If you upload a presentation that uses a font not included in PowerPoint Online, you can still view the text in the correct font in PowerPoint Online on your computer or another computer with that font installed. If you don’t have the font installed, PowerPoint Online will replace that font with another similar font.

Beyond that, though, PowerPoint Online is surprisingly full-featured. It includes everything you need for making and showing presentations online—as long as you don’t need to use custom fonts, embed non-YouTube videos, or build advanced animations.

How to Present PowerPoint Presentations From Your Browser

Once you’ve finished creating your presentation, it’s time to present it. That’s as easy in PowerPoint Online as in the desktop apps. You can start the slideshow from the slide you’re currently editing via the Slide View button in the lower right-hand corner. Or, click the View tab and select to start the slideshow from the beginning or current slide.

PowerPoint Online will switch your browser to a full-screen preview mode. Click anywhere on the screen to go to the next slide, or tap your right and left arrows on your keyboard to navigate between slides. When finished, click again at the end of the presentation or press the Esc key to exit the slideshow and switch back to the windowed editor mode.

PowerPoint also includes controls on the lower left of the slideshow view, along with options in the right-click menu to switch slides or jump to a specific slide.

PowerPoint Online doesn’t include presenter view to show lecture notes on one screen while presenting your presentation on another—but there’s a workaround. While you’re giving your presentation full-screen, your browser with the original PowerPoint Online tab won’t show your slide content (Chrome hides the original window; Safari shows a Exit Full Screen placeholder). Instead, you can open a new tab or window and open your presentation there as well.

When you switch slides, move your mouse to your projection screen and click to advance—then move your mouse back to your laptop’s screen and select the next slide in your other PowerPoint Online window. Another option is to open your presentation in PowerPoint’s mobile apps and use your phone or tablet to view lecture notes while presenting from your laptop.

How to Convert PowerPoint Presentations Online

PowerPoint Online—unlike PowerPoint for Windows or Mac—can only open .pptx presentation files made with a newer version of PowerPoint. If you open an older .ppt file or a .odp presentation from another app, PowerPoint Online can convert the file to .pptx on the fly so you can edit the presentation.

But once you’ve opened the presentation, you can export it in 3 formats: PowerPoint, ODP (used with OpenOffice), or PDF. Click the File tab in the toolbar to open the core PowerPoint menu, select Download As , then choose the file format you want. PowerPoint Online will convert your presentation and save it to your computer so that you can share the original file with others.

The best option is to share the PowerPoint presentation directly in PowerPoint Online—but when you need a traditional presentation file, that’s a handy way to get it.

How to Save All Your Presentations to PowerPoint Online

There’s one trick to make PowerPoint Online the presentation app that’s always ready when you need it is: Save all your presentations to OneDrive or Dropbox. That way, whenever you need to present something, it’ll be a few clicks away inside PowerPoint Online.

If you already use OneDrive or Dropbox to sync your files, you’re halfway there. Save every new presentation there, every time. Whenever someone sends you a presentation, save it there also.

App automation tool Zapier can do that for you automatically. One of the most common ways to share presentations is through email—so Zapier can watch your Gmail or IMAP-powered email account for new presentation files. With Gmail, you can include a search to watch for presentation files. Use has:presentation to watch for any presentation—though note that this will also include Google Slides presentations which won’t work with PowerPoint Online. Or, use filename:pptx OR filename:ppt to watch for all PowerPoint attachments.

With IMAP email—or any other app where colleagues may send you presentations— add a Filter step to your Zap to watch the filename for .pptx or .ppt extensions.

Then, Zapier can save the presentation file to online storage to open and edit it in PowerPoint Online. The simplest is OneDrive since it’s PowerPoint Online’s core storage, though you could use Dropbox instead as it only takes a few extra clicks to open your presentations there.

You can save the presentation in any folder, and add a customized file name if you’d like. Then select the attachment from Gmail or your IMAP email and have Zapier copy that file to OneDrive or Dropbox. Next time you need to present something someone emailed you, don’t open your email app—instead, open PowerPoint Online and open the presentation there directly.

Ready to save any presentation you get emailed to PowerPoint Online? These Zaps will help you get started in a few clicks—remember to set up your search or filter to watch only for PowerPoint files:

Save new Gmail attachments to OneDrive

Save new email attachments to OneDrive

Save new attachments in Gmail to Dropbox

Back up new IMAP email attachments to Dropbox

That’s PowerPoint Online. It’s a handy way to tweak and present your presentation, even if you don’t have a copy of PowerPoint installed. And it just might be the new presentation app you need for a more focused, free way to make presentations anywhere.

Need more presentation tips and tools? Check out these other Zapier guides:

Want a different presentation app? Check out our roundup of the best PowerPoint alternatives for a dozen new ways to present your ideas.

Can’t figure out what to say? Here are tips to make every word count and nail your next presentation .

Once you’ve made a slide deck, here are the best ways to share your presentation online .

Then, get ready to present it with these 5 tips to overcome the fear of public speaking .

Auditorium photo by Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash .

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Matthew Guay

Matthew Guay is an editor and writer in Bangkok. When he's not writing, he's likely reading a new book or exploring random streets in a new city. Follow Matthew at @maguay.

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How To Run PowerPoint Presentations Online

How To Run PowerPoint Presentations Online

UPDATE 2020: This post was adapted to the times of Coronavirus 2020, where online presentations are increasingly used in the business environment and becoming the norm.

Nowadays, with more and more globalized companies, quarantine restrictions in many countries due to COVID19, working remotely through different time zones, through different continents and engaging customers from different locations around the world, conference calls and online presentations have become two undeniable tools in the belt of every professional.

PowerPoint Presentations are an amazing tool to help communicate clear messages through remote conversations visually assisted. Today, PowerPoint presentations are not only created to follow an agenda, but to clarify concepts that can be misunderstood across the distance of a conference call. Remote presentations are becoming more and more popular not only for corporate presentations but also for sales, marketing, online education and tutoring.

Presenters have a wide set of helper tools to improve the remote presentations experience, and generate the experience of real-life presentations. Some of those tools include video conference tools, desktop sharing software and video-recorded presentations. All of them are incredible tools and have been improving over the years.

But the reality is always harder when talking about business. At SlideModel.com we receive several requests from our business customers to help them improve their remote presentation experience without the overhead of additional tooling. In most of the cases, additional tools require the installation of software or plugins that slow down the presentation startup, awaiting for every guest to be able to see the presentations, while consuming the time scheduled for the meeting. The increase of multi-device across the business is challenging the decision of the tools to use, and is very difficult to predict before the meetings start.

One of Microsoft’s PowerPoint gems is the ability to broadcast your presentation through the web, in real-time , and for free (for an audience less than 50 guests), with little effort and with the only requirement of owning a Microsoft Live Id. This tool is the Slide Show Broadcast , and can be triggered directly from PowerPoint (versions 2010 onwards). Every PowerPoint feature is supported (animations, transitions, etc), It allows your guests to follow your presentation from any internet location, just sharing a URL . No additional software is required. Almost all versions of major internet browsers are supported, bandwidth consumption is really optimized and the most important is that your audience is ready to follow your presentation on a click.

How to run a PowerPoint presentation online? The following instructions show you how to setup step-by-step the Microsoft PowerPoint Slide Show Broadcast, a very useful feature in times of Coronavirus that allows you to continue working from home and run your presentations online:

1. Present Online

Navigate to the Slide Show menu on top of the screen and within the “Start Slide Show” section select the “Present Online Option”:

2. Read Services Agreement

Always read Service Agreement of any software service you consume. Your data is an asset that needs to be guarded like gold. Make sure you, your company and the target audience are comfortable with Microsoft Services Agreement. In this step, you will be able to select if the presentation will be available for download to the audience. Make sure you always verify that this option complies with your needs. By default the checkbox is unchecked.

3. Log In with your Microsoft Live ID

In order to be able to use Microsoft Presentation Services the user has two options:

• Log in to Microsoft Present Online Services with a Microsoft Live ID
• Log in to a private Sharepoint Online Services hosted by your company or service provider.

For the sake of the example, we will continue with Microsoft free Present Online service through our Microsoft Live ID.

4. Share your presentation URL

After you Login to the services, Microsoft Presentation Services will upload your presentation to the cloud, and will give you an URL so users can start viewing while you present. Share this URL with your audience so they can connect to the slideshow. Note that this URL can be accessed through every device and does not require the installation of any software product or browser plugin.

The presentation will not start until you click in the Start Presentation Button.

5. Voilà! Start Presenting Online

Once you start the presentation two things happen in parallel:

• The presenter enters into Presentation Mode , with the regular tools a presenter has with PowerPoint.
• The Guest starts visualizing the presentation template in the browser.  This presentation is synced with the presenter’s actions, so if the presenter moves forward, the guest will perceive this action remotely. The guest has the ability to follow the presenter slides or navigate the presentation forward or backward.

The following images show the presentation in the presenter view (right) and the browser guests view (left)

6. Ending Your presentation

You can end your presentation any time, pause it and restart it. The functionalities are almost the same as real-life presentations. If you leave PowerPoint, the presentation ends by itself, so there is no risk of sharing something unwanted. Also, you can continue using other windows without the need of changing any sharing options, as your desktop and applications are isolated from the presentation.

As every technology solution in today’s environments, there is always some disadvantage to overcome. From our point of view the only criticisms to make to these amazing tools are:

• The feature doesn’t have a feature to speak to the audience, but readily you can combine this with other tools available in the market, e.g. Skype.
• The lack of control over the audience that can access the presentation. If any of the guests invited, shares the URL of the presentation with an external guest, the presenter will not be able to control who can view the presentation. So be sure you share the URL with the appropriate audience, and make sure you close the presentation when you’re done.

Conclusions

In times where Working from Work is becoming the norm, face-to-face presentations are being switched to online meetings and presentations online. Aligned with this new behavior in businesses, Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation Services can be used as a tool to run your PowerPoint presentations online. We have been using it for webinars and demo sessions and our experience (and our audiences feedback) has been more than satisfactory.

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Broadcast, Conference, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Live ID, Microsoft, Online, PowerPoint Online, Presentation, Slide Show Broadcast, URL, WFH, Work from Home Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

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One Response to “How To Run PowerPoint Presentations Online”

Enjoyed the topics and the instructional material on leadership and Online PowerPoint presentations. Thank you. Very useful!!!

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How to Give a Great Online Presentation: 11 Pro Tips

Giving a presentation online is much more difficult than presenting in front of a live audience.

People get distracted easily. You can’t read the room. Often, you can’t even see your audience.

Because of this, it’s hard to engage and captivate your participants.

Hard, indeed. But not impossible.

I put together these 11 tips that will help you turn your online presentation from good to great.

And don’t just take my word for it.

Among these tips, you’ll also find the wisdom of  Nathan Gold , high-stakes presentation coach, and seasoned keynote speaker, and Gibson Biddle , former VP of Product at Netflix, now a teacher, speaker, and workshop host.

Ready to take your online presentation to the next level?

#1. Cut the number of your slides and simplify them

Don’t overwhelm your online audience with too many slides or they may easily zone out. In case you have more material, consider splitting the presentation into two sessions.

Also, make your slides minimalistic. One idea, one quote, or one number per slide is ideal. This will make the information more digestible and draw attention to what you’re saying instead of forcing people to read.

#2. Use the rule of three

A good structure helps people follow your story and understand your presented content better. Gibson Biddle recommends following the rule of three because:

• 3 items are easy to remember
• They help you minimize your text
• 3 chapters provide guideposts for the content of your presentation

The rule of three will help you hold the message of your talk together nicely.

Apply it in the design of your slides (3 bullet points a slide), or use it to structure your whole presentation (three main takeaways).

#3. Fail to rehearse at your own peril

Improvisation has a certain appeal, for sure. But don’t leave your online presentation to a chance. Take your time and rehearse your talk well. Otherwise, your online gig might come across as unprofessional and messy.

I usually give as much as one hour of rehearsal time for every minute of my talk before any large presentation that I give.

Nathan Gold goes even beyond that. In this webinar, he says that whenever he trains TED and TEDx speakers, he asks them to commit to around two hours of out-loud practice for every minute of their talk.

Of course, the length and intensity of your preparation is entirely up to you. What’s important is that you’re confident about how you’re prepared. At least, though, run through your slides and content about an hour before your talk and rehearse your opening well so that you start strong.

#4. Start with a strong hook

Speaking of starting strong. Captivate your audience right from the start of your presentation. Open your talk with a powerful statement, story, thought-provoking question, or an eye-opening number.

See our new vlog below where I share 5 types of hooks to open your presentation with.

Another great practice is to actively involve your audience in your talk right from the beginning. Let the tech aid you there.

In his webinar on how to captivate an online audience, Nathan Gold kicked things off with an interactive word cloud : Using one word, describe how you feel about presenting online.

This way, he learned something more about his audience and was able to address their concerns throughout his presentation.

To make it more impactful, he repeated the same word cloud at the end of his webinar to see how his participants’ feelings changed after his presentation. The result was remarkable. Watch it here at 31:30 .

#5. Quiz your audience

A quiz is another brilliant way to start (or finish) your online presentation. Running a quiz is fun for your participants and allows you to connect and “talk” with your audience even if you can’t see them.

Prepare a short, four to six-question quiz on the topic of your presentation and let your participants guess away. You can even motivate your audience to participate by giving away some small treats for the winners.

Tools such as Slido allow you to create your online quiz in a couple of minutes and run it during your online speech, webinar, or workshop.

Read also: Step-by-Step Guide for Hosting a Great Online Quiz

#6. Use a backdrop or a virtual background

Even if the situation forces you to give your presentation from your home, avoid letting your audience peek into your kitchen or living room. You will appear much more professional against a plain wall or a special backdrop that you can install easily in your room.

If your video conferencing tool allows you to set up a virtual background (such as Zoom ), choose one that’s pleasing but not disturbing for your audience to look at.

Canva put together an awesome virtual background library, you can pick one from here .

#7. Position your web camera at eye-level

Even if you can’t always see your audience, that doesn’t mean you can’t be looking them in the eyes.

Nathan Gold advises moving your laptop/phone camera up so it’s approximately your eye level. This way, it will appear as if you’re looking right at your audience which feels much more natural.

You can also play around with tripods and stands to achieve the most comfortable position for you. For example, Nathan has his web camera mounted on a tripod in front of his computer screen which allows him to look at his slides while still being glued to the camera.

#8. Prepare secret notes

Here’s another great hack from Nathan Gold that will help you keep an eye-contact with your online audience.

If you want to keep notes to remind you about some important things you want to mention during your presentation, write them down on sticky notes and stick them behind your camera, close enough for you to read through them comfortably.

This way, your audience won’t even notice that you’re glancing at your notes (as opposed to looking down when reading from your notebook).

#9. Keep engaging with your participants

Throughout your presentation, space out several interaction points that will bring your attendees back in case they tuned out. Take inspiration from Gibson Biddle who likes to break the dynamic of his webinars and workshops by asking his audience questions through live polls .

Live polls offer you a great chance to open a conversation with your audience, get their instant feedback on your presented material, and collect their opinions.

Since people tend to lose attention when attending a presentation online, re-engaging them throughout your talk is even more important. When I present online, I space out live polls every about 5-7 minutes, as opposed to every 7-10 minutes in the live setting.

Another great way to interact with your audience is to let them ask you questions. Collect your participants’ questions using Slido Q&A and then answer their questions at the end of your online presentation.

#10. Have a wrap-up slide to summarize your points

By the end of your presentation, conclude your talk by summing up all the important messages and key lessons on a separate slide. You’ll draw the full circle and your audience will get a nice overview of what they learned.

Or, end your presentation with a call to action or a tangible next step for your audience to do. Encourage your participants to try practices that you shared, provide actionable steps they should follow, and share ways for them to keep in touch with you.

#11. Ask for feedback

Feedback is the best gift your attendees can give you in return for the learnings that you shared throughout your talk. Without it, you don’t know what your audience liked or disliked. In other words, you can’t improve.

Create a simple feedback survey and ask your participants to fill it out at the end of your talk.

Make it easy for your audience to participate in the survey. For example, during his webinar, Gibson had a QR code displayed on the screen and described in detail how the participants should scan the code and take the survey.

The feedback form can be really simple – three questions will do.

Try something like:

• On a scale of 1-10, how did you like this presentation? (Rating)
• What is the one thing that you liked about today’s talk? (Open text)
• What’s the one thing that could have been better? (Open text)

To sum it all up

I hope that by now you’re more confident about presenting online and that the above tips will make you a better online speaker.

See how Slido can help you make your next online talk more engaging for your audience. Try live polls, quizzes, or Q&A and take your online presentation from good to truly great.

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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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Using presentations can be an effective way to teach lessons and ensure that your audience can retain new facts. With visual aids, video and animated clips, and even interactive quizzes, you can use presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint to dazzle your students.

The advantages of PowerPoint presentations in education

Students have different learning styles : some are visual learners, who retain images and videos more effectively than speech. Some take to audio and sound more easily. Others prefer to interact with their lessons—which usually refers to holding physical objects but can also be directly related to guessing answers and responding to questions.

Fortunately, PowerPoint’s versatility means that it can appeal to all of these diverse learning styles. You can embed multimedia elements such as videos, audio clips, and interactive graphics, creating a multi-sensory experience. PowerPoint can also be helpful when considering any visual impairments that your audience members may have so that you can present with different forms of media to cater to all learning styles.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

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

Before diving into PowerPoint, consider the following factors to help your audience retain as much information as possible:

• Define lesson objectives: Set a goal for what kind of lesson you want to impart to your audience. What do you want students to learn? You can answer this question by outlining your lesson objectives and clearly defining your goals, which will also guide the structure and content of your presentation.
• Organize your content: Divide your lesson into key points and organize them into a logical sequence that builds in complexity. Start with basic points or even a review of previous concepts before diving into more intricate or complicated aspects of your lesson. Each point should be presented on a separate slide to maintain clarity and focus.
• Use visuals effectively: Enhance your presentation with relevant visuals such as images, videos, audio clips, or interactive simulations to cater to different learning preferences and keep the presentation engaging. These can convey complex information more efficiently than text alone. At the same time, it can be easy to be carried away by inundating your audience with too many visual elements, so ensuring smooth flow and transitions is key.
• Encourage interaction: Foster active participation by including interactive elements like quizzes, polls, or discussion prompts to prompt student engagement. After you introduce a new concept in your lesson, these interactive elements can reinforce them and make them stick.
• Practice delivery: Public speaking isn’t always easy. One of the most effective ways to sound confident is to practice delivering your presentation before the day of your lesson. Familiarize yourself with the content and also the way that it’s presented: pacing, transitions, and interactive elements. This preparation will boost your confidence, ensure a smooth flow, and help you address any potential challenges during the actual presentation.

Staid lessons can be livened up thanks to the power of presentation! No matter what you’re teaching—the ABCs to a kindergarten class, or nuclear physics to a graduate department—you can check out more tips for effective presenting such as how to create compelling presentation designs , using the 10-20-30 rule for presenting, or discovering the history of PowerPoint .

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How To Get Free Access To Microsoft PowerPoint

E very time you need to present an overview of a plan or a report to a whole room of people, chances are you turn to Microsoft PowerPoint. And who doesn't? It's popular for its wide array of features that make creating effective presentations a walk in the park. PowerPoint comes with a host of keyboard shortcuts for easy navigation, subtitles and video recordings for your audience's benefit, and a variety of transitions, animations, and designs for better engagement.

But with these nifty features comes a hefty price tag. At the moment, the personal plan — which includes other Office apps — is at $69.99 a year. This might be the most budget-friendly option, especially if you plan to use the other Microsoft Office apps, too. Unfortunately, you can't buy PowerPoint alone, but there are a few workarounds you can use to get access to PowerPoint at no cost to you at all.

Read more: The 20 Best Mac Apps That Will Improve Your Apple Experience

Method #1: Sign Up For A Free Microsoft Account On The Office Website

Microsoft offers a web-based version of PowerPoint completely free of charge to all users. Here's how you can access it:

• Visit the Microsoft 365 page .
• If you already have a free account with Microsoft, click Sign in. Otherwise, press "Sign up for the free version of Microsoft 365" to create a new account at no cost.
• On the Office home page, select PowerPoint from the side panel on the left.
• Click on "Blank presentation" to create your presentation from scratch, or pick your preferred free PowerPoint template from the options at the top (there's also a host of editable templates you can find on the Microsoft 365 Create site ).
• Create your presentation as normal. Your edits will be saved automatically to your Microsoft OneDrive as long as you're connected to the internet.

It's important to keep in mind, though, that while you're free to use this web version of PowerPoint to create your slides and edit templates, there are certain features it doesn't have that you can find on the paid version. For instance, you can access only a handful of font styles and stock elements like images, videos, icons, and stickers. Designer is also available for use on up to three presentations per month only (it's unlimited for premium subscribers). When presenting, you won't find the Present Live and Always Use Subtitles options present in the paid plans. The biggest caveat of the free version is that it won't get any newly released features, unlike its premium counterparts.

Method #2: Install Microsoft 365 (Office) To Your Windows

Don't fancy working on your presentation in a browser? If you have a Windows computer with the Office 365 apps pre-installed or downloaded from a previous Office 365 trial, you can use the Microsoft 365 (Office) app instead. Unlike the individual Microsoft apps that you need to buy from the Microsoft Store, this one is free to download and use. Here's how to get free PowerPoint on the Microsoft 365 (Office) app:

• Search for Microsoft 365 (Office) on the Microsoft Store app.
• Install and open it.
• Sign in with your Microsoft account. Alternatively, press "Create free account" if you don't have one yet.
• Click on Create on the left side panel.
• Select Presentation.
• In the PowerPoint window that opens, log in using your account.
• Press Accept on the "Free 5-day pass" section. This lets you use PowerPoint (and Word and Excel) for five days — free of charge and without having to input any payment information.
• Create your presentation as usual. As you're using the desktop version, you can access the full features of PowerPoint, including the ability to present in Teams, export the presentation as a video file, translate the slides' content to a different language, and even work offline.

The only downside of this method is the time limit. Once the five days are up, you can no longer open the PowerPoint desktop app. However, all your files will still be accessible to you. If you saved them to OneDrive, you can continue editing them on the web app. If you saved them to your computer, you can upload them to OneDrive and edit them from there.

Method #3: Download The Microsoft PowerPoint App On Your Android Or iOS Device

If you're always on the move and need the flexibility of creating and editing presentations on your Android or iOS device, you'll be glad to know that PowerPoint is free and available for offline use on your mobile phones. But — of course, there's a but — you can only access the free version if your device is under 10.1 inches. Anything bigger than that requires a premium subscription. If your phone fits the bill, then follow these steps to get free PowerPoint on your device:

• Install Microsoft PowerPoint from the App Store or Google Play Store .
• Log in using your existing Microsoft email or enter a new email address to create one if you don't already have an account.
• On the "Get Microsoft 365 Personal Plan" screen, press Skip For Now.
• If you're offered a free trial, select Try later (or enjoy the free 30-day trial if you're interested).
• To make a new presentation, tap the plus sign in the upper right corner.
• Change the "Create in" option from OneDrive - Personal to a folder on your device. This allows you to save the presentation to your local storage and make offline edits.
• Press "Set as default" to set your local folder as the default file storage location.
• Choose your template from the selection or use a blank presentation.
• Edit your presentation as needed.

Do note that PowerPoint mobile comes with some restrictions. There's no option to insert stock elements, change the slide size to a custom size, use the Designer feature, or display the presentation in Immersive Reader mode. However, you can use font styles considered premium on the web app.

Method #4: Use Your School Email Address

Office 365 Education is free for students and teachers, provided they have an email address from an eligible school. To check for your eligibility, here's what you need to do:

• Go to the Office 365 Education page .
• Type in your school email address in the empty text field.
• Press "Get Started."
• On the next screen, verify your eligibility. If you're eligible, you'll be asked to select whether you're a student or a teacher. If your school isn't recognized, however, you'll get a message telling you so.
• For those who are eligible, proceed with creating your Office 365 Education account. Make sure your school email can receive external mail, as Microsoft will send you a verification code for your account.
• Once you're done filling out the form, press "Start." This will open your Office 365 account page.

You can then start making your PowerPoint presentation using the web app. If your school's plan supports it, you can also install the Office 365 apps to your computer by clicking the "Install Office" button on your Office 365 account page and running the downloaded installation file. What sets the Office 365 Education account apart from the regular free account is that you have unlimited personal cloud storage and access to other Office apps like Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Read the original article on SlashGear .

Search for: Search Button

• Share a link to a specific PowerPoint slide

There’s a way to link someone to view a specific slide in a PowerPoint presentaion which is a lot faster than hunting through a big slide deck.

Requirements

Link to this slide, check the share permissions, sharing settings, edit / view only / no download, or there’s another way ….

Providing a direct link to a specific part of your slideshow not only streamlines the process of receiving feedback but also enables them to locate the content you want them to review more efficiently.

PowerPoint simplifies the process with its “Link to This Slide” feature, generating a direct link that opens the file at the specific slide in your presentation.

The presentation has to be saved in cloud storage that the receiver/s can also access it.  If the presentation isn’t already saved online, modern Office will help you do that.

Launch PowerPoint presentation stored on your local drive. Next, navigate to the specific slide you wish to share. Then, right-click on the desired slide and a shortcut menu pops up. From this menu, select the option “Link To This Slide” to generate a direct link to the chosen slide within your presentation.

Selecting “Share Link To This Slide,” will prompt you to upload your presentation to OneDrive to allow sharing.

Office just dumps the file into your OneDrive account, you’ll probably want to choose a specific folder instead.

Once the presentation is saved in a cloud location, you can share it or a slide. Do that from PowerPoint on the web or modern PowerPoint for Windows/Mac. Click on the slide in the slide navigator and select the “Link To This Slide” option.

The system generates a direct link that is ready to be shared but before you copy , check what permissions you’re giving to access the presentation and to whom.

Under the link is a short note to indicate the sharing settings for the current link.  Click on Settings to change or verify the sharing. Or select the copy option, and you’ll receive a notification confirming that the link has been copied.

For more specific access privileges, go to the Settings option to customize permissions for reviewers or audience. You can choose with whom you want to share your files. This typically involves setting access permissions or sharing settings with user or user groups.

The sharing settings can include any of the following options, depending on the type of account (personal, business etc).

“Anyone With The Link Can Edit.” – permits anyone with access to the link to edit the slide’s content. This functionality facilitates effective collaboration and sharing among teams or groups. Opting for this setting grants editing privileges to anyone possessing the link.

“People in the Organization – accessible by the organization with the privileges to access the link.

“People you choose – selectively available.

Customize the access privileges more from the More Settings option, where you can define specific permissions, such as editing, viewing, and downloading for reviewers or audience.

Finalize the process by clicking on the “Apply” button ensuring that the changes take effect according to your preferences.

Once you’ve configured the access privileges and applied the changes, you can proceed to share the link via email to the intended audience. Simply copy the link generated by the sharing feature and paste it into your email or other message.

At risk of stating the obvious, there’s another way to share a single slide with ‘read only’ access.

Take a screen shot of the slide and paste it into an email or message.

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Mayurakshi Mohapatra

Office 2021  - all you need to know . Facts & prices for the new Microsoft Office. Do you need it? Office LTSC is the enterprise licence version of Office 2021.

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Apr 4, 2024

Trim videos in PowerPoint for the web

Aparna Jethani

Rishabh Singh

• Add our blog to your RSS feed reader" href="/rss/blog.xml" data-bi-name="RSS Subscription" data-bi-id="rss_feed" data-bi-bhvr="120" data-bi-socchn="RSSSubscription" title="Microsoft 365 Insider Blog RSS" target="blank" class="d-inline-block">

Hey there, Microsoft 365 Insiders! We are Aparna Jethani, a Product Manager, and Rishabh Singh, a Product Designer, on the PowerPoint team. We are excited to let you know that you can now trim videos you inserted in your presentations in PowerPoint for the web.

Trim video in PowerPoint for the web

Using the new Trim Video command, you can edit the videos you inserted in your presentation to show only the most important and engaging parts, and keep your audience focused on what is relevant. You can trim videos using frame or timestamp level accuracy, and preview them and fine-tune them until you achieve the perfect and precise outcome.

To make it easier to access the feature, we have also added a dedicated Video tab in the   ribbon. Th e tab contains all the commands related to adjusting and formatting your videos, such as changing the video style, arrangement and more.

How it works

• Open an existing presentation or create a new one, and then insert a video.
• To begin trimming, select the video,  and then either select Video > Trim Video on the new Video tab or right-click the video and select Trim Video .

      3. To trim a video, drag and slide the end markers to set the start and end point for trimmed video segment marked by colored frames.

      4. To preview the trimmed video, click the Play button.

      5. When you’re done, click the Trim button to apply the trim selections.

Tips and Tricks

• Use a mouse cursor or keyboard shortcuts, to easily set the trim start and end points within the video frame timeline.
• Once you have dragged the markers to the desired frame, use the arrow keys to adjust timestamps (with standard HH:MM:SS:FF format) to trim and fine tune at precise points. Trimmed range duration is also displayed on the dialog for assistance.
• Use Play, Pause and Seek Bar time stamps to preview while you iterate. Additionally, use the Forward and Backward buttons for playback and forward. 

Availability

The Trim Video feature is available to all PowerPoint for the web users.

NOTE: The Trim Video feature is only available for local and stock videos.  

Feedback 

We want to hear from you! Please click  Help  >  Feedback  to submit your thoughts about this feature. 

Sorry, JavaScript must be enabled to use this app.

How To Print A PowerPoint With Speaker Notes

Speaker notes are the text/talking points that appear below the slides in your PowerPoint presentation. Find out how to print your presentation with speaker notes below.

Printing a PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes can be a useful way to share your presentation with others or to have a physical copy for your presentation to refer to while you present.

Below we will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to print your PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes.

How To Print PowerPoint With Notes 🖨️

How to print powerpoint with notes using online powerpoint 🌍, powerpoint faq: printing with notes 🤔.

Important disclosure: we're proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra). For more information, read our affiliate disclosure .

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Click on the "File" menu in the top left corner of the screen.
• Click on "Print" in the left-hand menu.
• In the "Settings" section, select "Full Page Slides" .
• In the "Print Layout" section, click on the drop-down menu and select "Notes Pages" .
• Select any other printing options you would like, such as color or the number of copies.
• Click on the "Print" button to print your presentation with the speaker notes.
• Once your PowerPoint presentation is open, click on "File" in the top menu options.
• Expand the three-dot menu and select "Print".

3. In the Print menu options, select "Prints Notes Pages" to print your slides with notes.

4. In the "Print Layout" section, select any other printing options you would like, such as the number of copies or the page layout. Once you’re ready, select “Save” .

5. Click on the "Print" button to print your presentation with the speaker notes.

Why would I want to print a PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes? Printing a PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes can be useful if you want to have a physical copy of your presentation to refer to while you present or if you want to share the presentation with someone who doesn't have access to the digital version.

Can I customize the layout of the speaker notes when printing a PowerPoint presentation? Of course, you can! Select the "Notes Pages" option in the "Print Layout" section of the print menu. This will print each slide with its corresponding speaker notes below it.

Can I print only the speaker notes without the slides? Sure, select the "Notes Pages" option in the "Print Layout" section of the print menu, and then select the "Print One Sided" option in the "Settings" section.

How do I ensure that the speaker notes are legible when printing a PowerPoint presentation? When printing a PowerPoint presentation, you can increase the font size of the notes in the "Notes" pane of the PowerPoint slide or adjust the "Notes Master" settings to increase the size of the notes.

Can I print a PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes in black and white? Yes, select the "Grayscale" option in the "Settings" section of the print menu. This will print the presentation and speaker notes in black and white.

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Basic tasks for creating a PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint presentations work like slide shows. To convey a message or a story, you break it down into slides. Think of each slide as a blank canvas for the pictures and words that help you tell your story.

Choose a theme

When you open PowerPoint, you’ll see some built-in themes and templates . A theme is a slide design that contains matching colors, fonts, and special effects like shadows, reflections, and more.

On the File tab of the Ribbon, select New , and then choose a theme.

PowerPoint shows you a preview of the theme, with four color variations to choose from on the right side.

Click Create , or pick a color variation and then click Create .

Read more: Use or create themes in PowerPoint

Insert a new slide

On the Home tab, click the bottom half of  New Slide , and pick a slide layout.

Read more: Add, rearrange, and delete slides .

Save your presentation

On the File tab, choose Save .

Pick or browse to a folder.

In the File name box, type a name for your presentation, and then choose Save .

Note:  If you frequently save files to a certain folder, you can ‘pin’ the path so that it is always available (as shown below).

Tip:  Save your work as you go. Press Ctrl+S often or save the file to OneDrive and let AutoSave take care of it for you. 

Read more: Save your presentation file

Select a text placeholder, and begin typing.

Format your text

Select the text.

Under Drawing Tools , choose Format .

Do one of the following:

To change the color of your text, choose Text Fill , and then choose a color.

To change the outline color of your text, choose Text Outline , and then choose a color.

To apply a shadow, reflection, glow, bevel, 3-D rotation, a transform, choose Text Effects , and then choose the effect you want.

Change the fonts

Change the color of text on a slide

Add bullets or numbers to text

Format text as superscript or subscript

Add pictures

On the Insert tab, select Pictures , then do one of the following:

To insert a picture that is saved on your local drive or an internal server, choose This Device , browse for the picture, and then choose Insert .

(For Microsoft 365 subscribers) To insert a picture from our library, choose Stock Images , browse for a picture, select it and choose Insert .

To insert a picture from the web, choose Online Pictures , and use the search box to find a picture. Choose a picture, and then click Insert .

You can add shapes to illustrate your slide. 

On the Insert tab, select Shapes , and then select a shape from the menu that appears.

In the slide area, click and drag to draw the shape.

Select the Format or Shape Format tab on the ribbon. Open the Shape Styles gallery to quickly add a color and style (including shading) to the selected shape.

Add speaker notes

Slides are best when you don’t cram in too much information. You can put helpful facts and notes in the speaker notes, and refer to them as you present.

Click inside the Notes pane below the slide, and begin typing your notes.

Add speaker notes to your slides

Print slides with or without speaker notes

Give your presentation

On the Slide Show tab, do one of the following:

To start the presentation at the first slide, in the Start Slide Show group, click From Beginning .

If you’re not at the first slide and want to start from where you are, click From Current Slide .

If you need to present to people who are not where you are, click Present Online to set up a presentation on the web, and then choose one of the following options:

Broadcast your PowerPoint presentation online to a remote audience

View your speaker notes as you deliver your slide show.

Get out of Slide Show view

To get out of Slide Show view at any time, on the keyboard, press Esc .

You can quickly apply a theme when you're starting a new presentation:

On the File tab, click New .

Select a theme.

Read more:  Apply a design theme to your presentation

In the slide thumbnail pane on the left, select the slide that you want your new slide to follow.

On the Home tab, select the lower half of  New Slide .

From the menu, select the layout that you want for your new slide.

Your new slide is inserted, and you can click inside a placeholder to begin adding content.

Learn more about slide layouts

Read more: Add, rearrange, and delete slides

PowerPoint for the web automatically saves your work to your OneDrive, in the cloud.

To change the name of the automatically saved file:

In the title bar, click the file name.

In the File Name box, enter the name you want to apply to the file.

If you want to change the cloud storage location, at the right end of the Location box, click the arrow symbol, then navigate to the folder you want, then select Move here .

On the Home tab, use the Font options:

Select from other formatting options such as Bold , Italic , Underline , Strikethrough , Subscript , and Superscript .

On the  Insert  tab, select  Pictures .

From the menu, select where you want to insert the picture from:

Browse to the image you want, select it, then select Insert . 

After the image is inserted on the slide, you can select it and drag to reposition it, and you can select and drag a corner handle to resize the image. 

On the slide canvas, click and drag to draw the shape.

Select the Shape tab on the ribbon. Open the Shape Styles gallery to quickly add a color and style (including shading) to the selected shape.

A horizontal Notes pane appears at the bottom of the window, below the slide.

Click in the pane, then enter text. 

On the  Slide Show  tab, select  Play From Beginning .

To navigate through the slides, simply click the mouse or press the spacebar.

Tip:  You can also use the forward and back arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through the slide show.

Read more:  Present your slide show

Stop a slide show

To get out of Slide Show view at any time, on the keyboard, press Esc.

The full-screen slide show will close, and you will be returned to the editing view of the file.

Tips for creating an effective presentation

Consider the following tips to keep your audience interested.

Minimize the number of slides

To maintain a clear message and to keep your audience attentive and interested, keep the number of slides in your presentation to a minimum.

Choose an audience-friendly font size

The audience must be able to read your slides from a distance. Generally speaking, a font size smaller than 30 might be too difficult for the audience to see.

Keep your slide text simple

You want your audience to listen to you present your information, instead of reading the screen. Use bullets or short sentences, and try to keep each item to one line.

Some projectors crop slides at the edges, so that long sentences might be cropped.

Use visuals to help express your message

Pictures, charts, graphs, and SmartArt graphics provide visual cues for your audience to remember. Add meaningful art to complement the text and messaging on your slides.

As with text, however, avoid including too many visual aids on your slide.

Make labels for charts and graphs understandable

Use only enough text to make label elements in a chart or graph comprehensible.

Apply subtle, consistent slide backgrounds

Choose an appealing, consistent template or theme that is not too eye-catching. You don't want the background or design to detract from your message.

However, you also want to provide a contrast between the background color and text color. The built-in themes in PowerPoint set the contrast between a light background with dark colored text or dark background with light colored text.

For more information about how to use themes, see Apply a theme to add color and style to your presentation .

Check the spelling and grammar

To earn and maintain the respect of your audience, always check the spelling and grammar in your presentation .

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