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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

Create a basic PowerPoint presentation to share information

By Amanda Derrick Amanda Derrick Freelance Contributor University of Utah Florida Tech Amanda Derrick is a mechanical engineer, business strategist, and former Lifewire writer who has also written for USAF Civil Service, ATK, and Boeing. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 18, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Create a PowerPoint Presentation Add Text and Images to a PowerPoint Presentation Save and Share PowerPoint Presentation

What to Know

Select File > New > Blank Presentation or choose preset theme.
Next, select Home tab > New Slide. Or right-click Slide Sorter bar > select New Slide.Select Insert tab > Text Box > select spot in slide for text box > enter text. Select Insert > add images. This article details how to put together a PowerPoint presentation using PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2019, 2016, and 2013.

Create a PowerPoint Presentation

Here are the steps to create a basic PowerPoint presentation. Open PowerPoint. The program may open a blank presentation. If so, select File > New to see the options for creating a new slideshow. If you'd like to take a tour of the most popular PowerPoint features, go to File > New, then choose the Welcome to PowerPoint template. Select either a Blank Presentation or choose one of the Microsoft-supplied design themes to create your presentation. When you choose a blank presentation, PowerPoint creates a one-slide presentation that starts with a title slide. You can then select the text boxes on the Title Slide to add your text. Themes include matching color palettes and fonts to help you create a document with a cohesive look. Add more slides to your presentation. Go to the Home tab and select New Slide. Or, right-click the Slide Sorter bar in the left pane and select New Slide. Change the slide layout, if desired. Go to the Home tab and select Layout. Then, choose options for content layout in your slides, which you can resize or delete as needed. Repeat these steps until you have enough slides to finish your presentation.

Add Text and Images to a PowerPoint Presentation

Now that you've created the framework of your presentation, you can use some basic operations to make it more interesting. If you selected a pre-determined layout for a slide that includes text or image elements, click any element. Selecting a text box opens it for editing. You can then type or paste your content into the text box. General content boxes have icons to click to insert objects, including tables, charts, SmartArt, pictures, and video. Add a text box to a slide. Go to the Insert tab and choose Text Box. Click any place in the slide to place the box. When you begin typing, the Home tab opens with text formatting options such as font, size, bold, italics, color, and alignment. The text editing buttons are only available when a text box is selected. To resize a text box, drag (click and hold with a mouse) one of the adjustment handles on the outside of the text box until the text box is the desired size. Add an image. Go to the Insert tab and find the options in the Images group. Choose from these options: Picture opens a file browser. Navigate to the photo on your computer you wish to use.Online Picture opens a search window. Search Bing for an image online or use OneDrive to access your photos.Screenshot captures part of your screen and adds it to your presentation.Photo Album accesses a group of photos on your computer. Adding other objects is also done through the Insert tab. You can drag and create shapes, SmartArt, and charts.

Save and Share a PowerPoint Presentation

Don't leave your new presentation without saving it. Also, you may want to share it with someone or put it where you can access it easily. Save your presentation by selecting File > Save As. You can also select Save as Adobe PDF to convert the presentation to a PDF file. If you use OneDrive, save your presentation to OneDrive for easy access and sharing. Select File > Share to see options to share your presentation quickly. Depending on your other software, PowerPoint allows you to share through OneDrive, email, and other options. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Make a Brochure in Microsoft Word How to Make a Timeline on Google Slides How to Copy a PowerPoint Design Template to Another Presentation Slide Layouts in PowerPoint How to Find and Use Excel's Free Flowchart Templates Tips for Solving Common PowerPoint Problems Microsoft Publisher Tutorial for Beginners How to Insert a Copyright Symbol or Emoji on a PowerPoint Slide How to Add Page Numbers in PowerPoint Simple Quizzes in PowerPoint An Introduction to PowerPoint How to Save PowerPoint Presentations as PDF Files How to Make an Image Background Transparent in PowerPoint How to Make a Poster in PowerPoint How to Make a Word Cloud in PowerPoint Change Font Colors and Styles on PowerPoint Slides Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies