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Creating, Saving, and Opening an Existing Presentation

🧩 1. Creating a New Presentation

There are several ways to create a new presentation in PowerPoint:

Method 1: Using a Blank Presentation

  1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint.
  2. Click on File → New.
  3. Choose Blank Presentation.
  4. A new slide appears (usually a title slide).
  5. You can add new slides using Home → New Slide or by pressing Ctrl + M.
  6. Choose different slide layouts (Title Slide, Content, Comparison, etc.) from the Layout option.

Method 2: Using a Template or Theme

  1. Go to File → New.
  2. Select a ready-made template or theme from the gallery.
  3. PowerPoint applies predefined colors, fonts, and background designs.
  4. Enter your content (text, images, charts, etc.) into the placeholders.

Method 3: From an Existing File

  1. Open an existing presentation that you want to modify.
  2. Save it with a new name using File → Save As to create a new version.

💾 2. Saving a Presentation

Steps to Save a New Presentation

  1. Click on File → Save As.
  2. Choose the location (e.g., This PC, OneDrive, Desktop, etc.).
  3. Enter a file name for your presentation.
  4. Select the file type (by default: .pptx).
  5. Click Save.

Save Shortcut:

  • Press Ctrl + S (Windows) or Command + S (Mac).
  • PowerPoint will save the current version of your file.

Save Options:

  • Save As PDF: Useful for sharing or printing (File → Export → Create PDF/XPS Document).
  • AutoSave (Microsoft 365): Automatically saves your work to the cloud in real-time.
  • Versions: You can view or restore previous versions using File → Info → Version History.

📂 3. Opening an Existing Presentation

You can open a presentation you previously created and saved.

Steps to Open an Existing File

  1. Click on File → Open.
  2. Choose from one of the options:
    • Recent: Shows recently used presentations.
    • Browse: Lets you search manually from folders.
    • OneDrive: Opens files stored on your Microsoft cloud account.
  3. Select the desired PowerPoint file (e.g., MyPresentation.pptx).
  4. Click Open.

Shortcut to Open File:

  • Press Ctrl + O (Windows) or Command + O (Mac).

🔄 4. Opening and Editing from Email or USB

  • If someone shares a presentation via email or a USB drive:
    1. Download or copy the file to your computer.
    2. Right-click → Open with → Microsoft PowerPoint.
    3. You can then edit, save, or rename it.