Need to create and share a presentation? If so, you in all probability flip to the most well-liked presentation software on the earth, Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows.Microsoft sells Office underneath two fashions: Individuals and companies pays for the software program license up entrance and personal it eternally (what the corporate calls the “perpetual” model of the suite), or they will buy a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, which implies they’ve entry to the software program for under so long as they maintain paying the subscription payment.When you buy a perpetual model of the suite — say, Office 2016 or Office 2019 — its purposes won’t ever get new options, whereas apps within the “365” subscriptions are frequently up to date with new options. For extra particulars, see “Microsoft Office 2019 vs. Office 365: How to pick the best one for you” Confusing issues much more, Microsoft has not too long ago renamed most, however not all, of its Office 365 subscriptions underneath the “Microsoft 365” moniker, which usually means the plan consists of all the things from the previous Office 365 plans plus some further options and apps.This cheat sheet will get you on top of things on the options which were launched within the Windows desktop consumer for PowerPoint in Office 365 and Microsoft 365 since 2015. We’ll periodically replace this story as new options roll out. (If you’re utilizing the perpetual-license PowerPoint 2016 or 2019, see our separate PowerPoint 2016 and 2019 cheat sheet.)Share this story: IT of us, we hope you’ll move this information on to your customers to assist them be taught to get probably the most from PowerPoint for Microsoft 365/Office 365 in Windows.Use the RibbonThe Ribbon interface that you simply got here to know and love (or maybe hate) in earlier variations of PowerPoint hasn’t modified a lot in Microsoft 365/Office 365. Because the Ribbon has been included in Office suite purposes since Office 2007, we assume you’re accustomed to the way it works. If you want a refresher, see our PowerPoint 2010 cheat sheet.In September 2018, Microsoft overhauled the best way the Ribbon appears to be like. It has a flattened look that’s cleaner and fewer cluttered than in earlier variations of PowerPoint, and its high-contrast colours make the icons and textual content simpler to see. The crimson bar on the high has additionally been lowered, with the tab names now showing on a grey background. But it nonetheless works in the identical method, and also you’ll discover many of the instructions in the identical places as in earlier variations. IDG
The Ribbon in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365/Office 365 has been cleaned up, with textual content and icons which are simpler to see. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
One minor change to the Ribbon format is that there’s now a Help tab to the fitting of the View tab. To discover out which instructions stay on which tabs on the Ribbon, obtain our PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 Ribbon fast reference. Also word that you should utilize the search bar on the Ribbon to seek out instructions.As in earlier variations of PowerPoint, in order for you the Ribbon instructions to go away, press Ctrl-F1. (Note that the tabs above the Ribbon — File, Home, Insert, and so forth — keep seen.) To make them seem once more, press Ctrl-F1.You’ve bought different choices for displaying the Ribbon as effectively. To get to them, click on the Ribbon Display Options icon on the high proper of the display screen, simply to the left of the icons for minimizing and maximizing PowerPoint. A drop-down menu seems with these three choices:Auto-hide Ribbon: This hides your complete Ribbon, each the tabs and instructions beneath them. To present the Ribbon once more, click on on the high of PowerPoint.
Show Tabs: This reveals the tabs however hides the instructions beneath them. It’s the identical as urgent Ctrl-F1. To show the instructions beneath the tabs after they’re hidden, press Ctrl-F1, click on a tab, or click on the Ribbon show icon and choose Show Tabs and Commands.
Show Tabs and Commands: Selecting this reveals each the tabs and the instructions.
And if for some cause that good crimson shade on the title bar is simply an excessive amount of for you, you’ll be able to flip it white, grey or black. To do it, choose File > Options > General. In the “Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office” part, click on the down arrow subsequent to Office Theme, and choose Dark Gray, Black or White from the drop-down menu. To make the title bar crimson once more, as an alternative select the Colorful possibility from the drop-down record. Just above the Office Theme menu is an Office Background drop-down menu — right here you’ll be able to select to show a sample resembling circles and stripes or a circuit board within the title bar.When you click on File on the Ribbon, you get despatched to a helpful part that Microsoft calls the backstage space. If you click on Open or Save a Copy from the menu on the left, you’ll be able to see the cloud-based providers you’ve related to your Office account, resembling ShareLevel and OneDrive. Each location now shows its related e-mail tackle beneath it. This is kind of useful for those who use a cloud service with multiple account, resembling in case you have one OneDrive account for private use and one other one for enterprise. You’ll be capable to see at a look which is which. IDG
The backstage space (underneath the File tab) reveals which cloud-based providers you’ve related to your Office account and allows you to connect with further ones. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
You can even simply add new cloud-based providers. From the display screen that reveals you your on-line places, click on Add a Place and select which service so as to add. Note, although, that you simply’re restricted to ShareLevel and OneDrive.In the works: A simplified RibbonMicrosoft can also be engaged on a simplified model of the Ribbon for all Office purposes. Like the present Ribbon, it should have tabs throughout the highest, and every tab may have instructions on it. But it’s extra streamlined and makes use of much less area than the present Ribbon.For now, solely Outlook for Windows makes use of the simplified Ribbon in Microsoft 365/Office 365. However, you will get a preview of what it should appear to be in PowerPoint by going to the web model of PowerPoint. Use the slider subsequent to Simplified Ribbon on the high proper of the display screen to toggle the simplified Ribbon on and off. If you don’t see the slider on the high of the display screen, go to the Ribbon’s View tab and test the field subsequent to Simplified Ribbon. To revert to the common Ribbon, uncheck the field. IDG
A cleaner, less complicated Ribbon will likely be out there in PowerPoint sooner or later. To strive it now, head to the web model of PowerPoint, pictured right here. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
In the simplified Ribbon, all of the instructions are nonetheless there for every tab, however solely probably the most generally used are seen. Click the three-dot icon on the far proper finish of the Ribbon to point out the remainder of the instructions in a drop-down menu.In the Outlook desktop consumer, you’ll be able to toggle between the streamlined and conventional Ribbon by clicking a small caret icon on the proper fringe of the Ribbon. We assume this can work the identical method in PowerPoint, however at this level we’ve no particulars. We’ll replace this part when the simplified Ribbon rolls out to PowerPoint for Windows.Use the Search bar to perform duties quicklyPowerPoint is so chock-full of highly effective options that it may be robust to recollect the place to seek out all of them. Microsoft 365/Office 365 has made it simpler through the Search bar, which may put even buried instruments or these you hardly ever use in straightforward attain. (Note that at one level, the function was known as Tell Me.)To use it, click on within the Search bar — for some subscribers, it’s situated on the Ribbon to the fitting of all of the tab headers; for others, it’s above the Ribbon within the crimson title space. (Keyboard followers can as an alternative press Alt-Q to go to the Search field.) Type in a activity you wish to do, resembling change handout orientation. You’ll get a menu displaying potential matches for the duty.In this occasion, the highest result’s a Handout Orientation itemizing that when clicked offers you two choices — one to set the orientation to horizontal and the opposite to vertical. Just click on the one you wish to use. If you’d like extra details about your activity, the final two gadgets that seem within the menu let you choose from associated Help subjects or seek for your phrase utilizing Smart Lookup. (More on Smart Lookup beneath.) IDG
The Search bar offers recommendation on altering the handout orientation (or some other activity you question). (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Even for those who take into account your self a PowerPoint professional, give Search a strive. It’ll prevent a number of time and is far more environment friendly than looking by the Ribbon to discover a command. It additionally remembers the options you’ve beforehand clicked on within the field, so if you click on in it, you first see a listing of earlier duties you’ve looked for. That makes positive that duties that you simply regularly carry out are at all times inside straightforward attain, whereas on the identical time making duties you hardly ever do simply accessible.Search is gaining extra capabilities, too. Some customers of enterprise and schooling editions of the subscription model of Office are actually in a position to make use of the Search field to seek out individuals of their group, ShareLevel assets, and different personalised outcomes from inside PowerPoint. (These options are being rolled out in levels, so that you may not have them but.)Get a jump-start in your presentationsQuickStarter is a superb device for anybody who hates being confronted with a clean slate when beginning a presentation. It jump-starts your presentation by serving to you with analysis and description creation.To use it, if you create a brand new presentation, choose QuickStarter, kind within the subject of your presentation, after which select from a listing of subtopics. QuickStarter suggests a set of slides you would possibly wish to use, primarily based on Bing searches and knowledge from Wikipedia. Choose which slide(s) to maintain, after which choose a search for your slides, together with a theme full with background graphics. You’ve now bought a great begin in your presentation. IDG
QuickStarter recommends slides you would possibly wish to use to your presentation, primarily based on Bing searches and knowledge from Wikipedia. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Try Smart Lookup for on-line analysisIf you do analysis to assemble info for shows, you’ll wish to take a look at one other new function, Smart Lookup. It allows you to do on-line analysis from proper inside PowerPoint whilst you’re engaged on a presentation, so there’s no want to fireplace up your browser, search the net, after which copy the knowledge to your presentation.To use Smart Lookup, right-click a phrase or group of phrases and choose Smart Lookup from the menu that seems. PowerPoint then makes use of Bing to do an internet search on the phrase or phrase and shows definitions, any associated Wikipedia entries, and different outcomes from the net underneath the Explore tab within the Smart Lookup pane that seems on the fitting. If you simply need a definition of the phrase, click on the Define tab within the pane. IDG
Smart Lookup allows you to do net analysis from proper inside PowerPoint. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Smart Lookup has been getting smarter over time. When the function first launched, it wasn’t superb at discovering particular, well timed info resembling the present inflation charge within the United States. It was a lot better at discovering extra basic info, resembling a biography of the bogus intelligence pioneer Arthur Samuel. But Microsoft has finished plenty of work on it, and it now works effectively when discovering granular info as effectively.Keep in thoughts that so as to use Smart Lookup in PowerPoint or some other Microsoft 365/Office 365 app, you would possibly first must allow Microsoft’s clever providers function, which collects your search phrases and a few content material out of your shows and different paperwork. (If you’re involved about privateness, you’ll must resolve whether or not the privateness hit is definitely worth the comfort of doing analysis from proper throughout the app.) If you haven’t enabled it, you’ll see a display screen if you click on Smart Lookup asking you to show it on. Once you accomplish that, it will likely be turned on throughout all of your Microsoft 365/Office 365 purposes.Tap Designer for slide design conceptsDesigner makes it straightforward to shortly create high-quality slides with out you doing a lot work. When you insert a picture right into a slide, the Design Ideas panel opens on the fitting aspect of the display screen, providing you a selection of a number of layouts for the slide. Choose the format you need and take it from there.Microsoft claims the function was constructed with the assistance of graphic designers and takes into consideration the content material of the picture. A Microsoft weblog put up about Designer claims that “if the visual contains a natural scene, Designer can zoom, crop and frame it. But if the image contains a chart, it focuses in on the relevant region to ensure the important data is highlighted.” IDG
When you insert a picture right into a slide, the Design Ideas panel affords options for one of the best layouts to make use of. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Note that like Smart Lookup, Designer requires you to allow Microsoft’s clever providers function. If you haven’t already enabled it to make use of Smart Lookup or one other function, you’ll be able to allow it by going to the Design tab on the Ribbon, clicking the Design Ideas button all the best way to the fitting, and, when requested to your permission to activate “connected experiences,” deciding on Turn On.Add new varieties of chartsIn PowerPoint (in addition to Excel and Word) for Microsoft 365/Office 365, you get eight new varieties of charts you’ll be able to add to paperwork: Treemap, Sunburst, Waterfall, Histogram, Pareto, Box & Whisker, Funnel and Map. Each gives a novel approach to show knowledge visually. See our Excel for Office 365 cheat sheet for particulars concerning the new chart sorts, together with what every one appears to be like like and what kind of information it’s finest suited to.To insert any of the brand new chart sorts (or some other chart) in a doc, choose Insert > Chart from the Ribbon or click on the chart icon within the space that seems if you create a brand new slide — it’s within the field that additionally allows you to add textual content, tables, graphics, and different content material. Either method, you’ll be proven the complete gallery of charts you’ll be able to insert. Make a range and click on OK, and it seems in your doc with placeholder knowledge; on the identical time a pop-up window seems that appears like a mini Excel spreadsheet. Enter or edit the information, or else click on the Edit in Excel button to open it up in Excel and edit it there. IDG
When you insert a chart, a window the place you’ll be able to edit the information pops up. (Click picture to enlarge it.)
Note that the Pareto chart doesn’t present up in the primary record of chart sorts. To insert one, you’ll need to first choose Histogram from the record of chart sorts, and on the high of the display screen that seems, choose the choice to the fitting, Pareto.Morph from one slide to the subsequentThis function allows you to present movement in transitions and inside slides, however with out having to make use of the Animations tab. To use it, duplicate an current slide: Select the slide, then, on the Home tab, click on the down arrow subsequent to New Slide and choose Duplicate Selected Slides.Then make modifications to that duplicate, resembling shrinking a component or components in it, making them greater, transferring them to new places, and/or rotating them. Now choose Morph from the Transitions tab, and PowerPoint robotically creates an animated transition between the slides. Onscreen, they appear to be a single slide morphing.
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