Have to create and share a presentation? In that case, you in all probability flip to the preferred presentation utility on this planet, Microsoft PowerPoint for Home windows.
Microsoft sells Workplace underneath two fashions: People and companies pays for the software program license up entrance and personal it endlessly (what the corporate calls the “perpetual” model of the suite), or they’ll buy a Microsoft 365 or Workplace 365 subscription, which suggests they’ve entry to the software program for less than so long as they preserve paying the subscription charge.
If you buy a perpetual model of the suite — say, Workplace 2016 or Workplace 2019 — its functions 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 Workplace 2019 vs. Workplace 365: choose one of the best one for you” Complicated issues much more, Microsoft has not too long ago renamed most, however not all, of its Workplace 365 subscriptions underneath the “Microsoft 365” moniker, which typically means the plan contains every thing from the previous Workplace 365 plans plus some further options and apps.
This cheat sheet will get you in control on the options which were launched within the Home windows desktop consumer for PowerPoint in Workplace 365 and Microsoft 365 since 2015. We’ll periodically replace this story as new options roll out. (For those who’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 go this information on to your customers to assist them be taught to get probably the most from PowerPoint for Microsoft 365/Workplace 365 in Home windows.
Use the Ribbon
The Ribbon interface that you just got here to know and love (or maybe hate) in earlier variations of PowerPoint hasn’t modified a lot in Microsoft 365/Workplace 365. As a result of the Ribbon has been included in Workplace suite functions since Workplace 2007, we assume you’re aware of the way it works. For those who want a refresher, see our PowerPoint 2010 cheat sheet.
In September 2018, Microsoft overhauled the way in which 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 pink bar on the high has additionally been lowered, with the tab names now showing on a grey background. But it surely nonetheless works in the identical means, and also you’ll discover a lot of the instructions in the identical places as in earlier variations.
IDGThe Ribbon in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365/Workplace 365 has been cleaned up, with textual content and icons which might be simpler to see. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
One minor change to the Ribbon format is that there’s now a Assist tab to the correct of the View tab. To seek out out which instructions dwell on which tabs on the Ribbon, obtain our PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 Ribbon fast reference. Additionally word which you can use 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. (Be aware that the tabs above the Ribbon — File, Residence, Insert, and so forth — keep seen.) To make them seem once more, press Ctrl-F1.
You’ve acquired different choices for displaying the Ribbon as effectively. To get to them, click on the Ribbon Show Choices 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 entire Ribbon, each the tabs and instructions beneath them. To point out the Ribbon once more, click on on the high of PowerPoint.
- Present 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 Present Tabs and Instructions.
- Present Tabs and Instructions: Deciding on this reveals each the tabs and the instructions.
And if for some cause that good pink coloration on the title bar is simply an excessive amount of for you, you possibly can flip it white, grey or black. To do it, choose File > Choices > Basic. Within the “Personalize your copy of Microsoft Workplace” part, click on the down arrow subsequent to Workplace Theme, and choose Darkish Grey, Black or White from the drop-down menu. To make the title bar pink once more, as an alternative select the Colourful choice from the drop-down checklist. Simply above the Workplace Theme menu is an Workplace Background drop-down menu — right here you possibly can select to show a sample resembling circles and stripes or a circuit board within the title bar.
If you click on File on the Ribbon, you get despatched to a helpful part that Microsoft calls the backstage space. For those who click on Open or Save a Copy from the menu on the left, you possibly can see the cloud-based companies you’ve related to your Workplace account, resembling SharePoint and OneDrive. Every location now shows its related electronic mail deal with beneath it. That is fairly useful in case you use a cloud service with a couple of account, resembling if in case you have one OneDrive account for private use and one other one for enterprise. You’ll have the ability to see at a look which is which.
IDGThe backstage space (underneath the File tab) reveals which cloud-based companies you’ve related to your Workplace account and allows you to hook up with further ones. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
You can too simply add new cloud-based companies. From the display screen that reveals you your on-line places, click on Add a Place and select which service so as to add. Be aware, although, that you just’re restricted to SharePoint and OneDrive.
Within the works: A simplified Ribbon
Microsoft can be engaged on a simplified model of the Ribbon for all Workplace functions. Like the prevailing Ribbon, it would have tabs throughout the highest, and every tab may have instructions on it. But it surely’s extra streamlined and makes use of much less house than the prevailing Ribbon.
For now, solely Outlook for Home windows makes use of the simplified Ribbon in Microsoft 365/Workplace 365. Nevertheless, you may get a preview of what it would appear like 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. For those who don’t see the slider on the high of the display screen, go to the Ribbon’s View tab and verify the field subsequent to Simplified Ribbon. To revert to the common Ribbon, uncheck the field.
IDGA cleaner, easier Ribbon shall be accessible in PowerPoint sooner or later. To strive it now, head to the web model of PowerPoint, pictured right here. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Within the simplified Ribbon, all of the instructions are nonetheless there for every tab, however solely probably the most generally used are seen. Click on the three-dot icon on the far proper finish of the Ribbon to indicate the remainder of the instructions in a drop-down menu.
Within the Outlook desktop consumer, you possibly can 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 means in PowerPoint, however at this level now we have no particulars. We’ll replace this part when the simplified Ribbon rolls out to PowerPoint for Home windows.
Use the Search bar to perform duties shortly
PowerPoint 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/Workplace 365 has made it simpler through the Search bar, which might put even buried instruments or these you not often use in simple attain. (Be aware that at one level, the characteristic was known as Inform Me.)
To make use of it, click on within the Search bar — for some subscribers, it’s situated on the Ribbon to the correct of all of the tab headers; for others, it’s above the Ribbon within the pink title space. (Keyboard followers can as an alternative press Alt-Q to go to the Search field.) Sort in a process you wish to do, resembling change handout orientation. You’ll get a menu exhibiting potential matches for the duty.
On this occasion, the highest result’s a Handout Orientation itemizing that when clicked provides you two choices — one to set the orientation to horizontal and the opposite to vertical. Simply click on the one you wish to use. For those who’d like extra details about your process, the final two objects that seem within the menu let you choose from associated Assist matters or seek for your phrase utilizing Good Lookup. (Extra on Good Lookup under.)
IDGThe Search bar provides recommendation on altering the handout orientation (or every other process you question). (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Even in case you take into account your self a PowerPoint professional, give Search a strive. It’ll prevent a number of time and is way more environment friendly than looking via the Ribbon to discover a command. It additionally remembers the options you’ve beforehand clicked on within the field, so whenever you click on in it, you first see an inventory of earlier duties you’ve looked for. That makes certain that duties that you just steadily carry out are at all times inside simple attain, whereas on the similar time making duties you not often do simply accessible.
Search is gaining extra capabilities, too. Some customers of enterprise and training editions of the subscription model of Workplace at the moment are ready to make use of the Search field to seek out folks of their group, SharePoint assets, and different customized 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 displays
QuickStarter is a superb software 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 make use of it, whenever you create a brand new presentation, choose QuickStarter, sort within the matter of your presentation, after which select from an inventory of subtopics. QuickStarter suggests a set of slides you would possibly wish to use, primarily based on Bing searches and knowledge from Wikipedia. Select which slide(s) to maintain, after which choose a search for your slides, together with a theme full with background graphics. You’ve now acquired a very good begin in your presentation.
IDGQuickStarter recommends slides you would possibly wish to use on your presentation, primarily based on Bing searches and knowledge from Wikipedia. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Strive Good Lookup for on-line analysis
For those who do analysis to collect info for displays, you’ll wish to take a look at one other new characteristic, Good Lookup. It allows you to do on-line analysis from proper inside PowerPoint when you’re engaged on a presentation, so there’s no want to fireside up your browser, search the net, after which copy the knowledge to your presentation.
To make use of Good Lookup, right-click a phrase or group of phrases and choose Good Lookup from the menu that seems. PowerPoint then makes use of Bing to do an online search on the phrase or phrase and shows definitions, any associated Wikipedia entries, and different outcomes from the net underneath the Discover tab within the Good Lookup pane that seems on the correct. For those who simply desire a definition of the phrase, click on the Outline tab within the pane.
IDGGood Lookup allows you to do net analysis from proper inside PowerPoint. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Good Lookup has been getting smarter over time. When the characteristic first launched, it wasn’t excellent at discovering particular, well timed info resembling the present inflation charge in the USA. It was significantly better at discovering extra basic info, resembling a biography of the factitious intelligence pioneer Arthur Samuel. However Microsoft has achieved loads of work on it, and it now works effectively when discovering granular info as effectively.
Remember the fact that with the intention to use Good Lookup in PowerPoint or every other Microsoft 365/Workplace 365 app, you would possibly first must allow Microsoft’s clever companies characteristic, which collects your search phrases and a few content material out of your displays and different paperwork. (For those who’re involved about privateness, you’ll must resolve whether or not the privateness hit is definitely worth the comfort of doing analysis from proper inside the app.) For those who haven’t enabled it, you’ll see a display screen whenever you click on Good Lookup asking you to show it on. When you achieve this, it is going to be turned on throughout all of your Microsoft 365/Workplace 365 functions.
Faucet Designer for slide design concepts
Designer makes it simple to shortly create high-quality slides with out you doing a lot work. If you insert a picture right into a slide, the Design Concepts panel opens on the correct aspect of the display screen, providing you a alternative of a number of layouts for the slide. Select the format you need and take it from there.
Microsoft claims the characteristic was constructed with the assistance of graphic designers and takes into consideration the content material of the picture. A Microsoft weblog publish about Designer claims that “if the visible incorporates a pure scene, Designer can zoom, crop and body it. But when the picture incorporates a chart, it focuses in on the related area to make sure the essential knowledge is highlighted.”
IDGIf you insert a picture right into a slide, the Design Concepts panel provides options for one of the best layouts to make use of. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Be aware that like Good Lookup, Designer requires you to allow Microsoft’s clever companies characteristic. For those who haven’t already enabled it to make use of Good Lookup or one other characteristic, you possibly can allow it by going to the Design tab on the Ribbon, clicking the Design Concepts button all the way in which to the correct, and, when requested on your permission to activate “related experiences,” choosing Flip On.
Add new kinds of charts
In PowerPoint (in addition to Excel and Phrase) for Microsoft 365/Workplace 365, you get eight new kinds of charts you possibly can add to paperwork: Treemap, Sunburst, Waterfall, Histogram, Pareto, Field & Whisker, Funnel and Map. Every gives a novel technique to show knowledge visually. See our Excel for Workplace 365 cheat sheet for particulars in regards to the new chart sorts, together with what each appears to be like like and what sort of information it’s greatest fitted to.
To insert any of the brand new chart sorts (or every other chart) in a doc, choose Insert > Chart from the Ribbon or click on the chart icon within the space that seems whenever 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. Both means, you’ll be proven the complete gallery of charts you possibly can insert. Choose and click on OK, and it seems in your doc with placeholder knowledge; on the similar 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.
IDGIf you insert a chart, a window the place you possibly can edit the information pops up. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Be aware that the Pareto chart doesn’t present up in the principle checklist of chart sorts. To insert one, you’ll must first choose Histogram from the checklist of chart sorts, and on the high of the display screen that seems, choose the choice to the correct, Pareto.
Morph from one slide to the following
This characteristic allows you to present movement in transitions and inside slides, however with out having to make use of the Animations tab. To make use of it, duplicate an current slide: Choose the slide, then, on the Residence tab, click on the down arrow subsequent to New Slide and choose Duplicate Chosen Slides.
Then make adjustments to that duplicate, resembling shrinking a component or components in it, making them larger, 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 like a single slide morphing.