PowerPoint is an easy-to-use presentation app. However, anyone who has just started using it can find it intimidating. Several basic options might need to be clarified for users new to PowerPoint. Such as when you insert a new slide, where it is placed, or how to duplicate a slide in PowerPoint.
Managing Slides in Normal, Outline, and Slide Sorter View in PowerPoint
There are different methods to add, delete, and re-arrange PowerPoint slides and the methods are similar in different viewing modes. These modes can be enabled or disabled via the View tab in PowerPoint. By default, the Normal View is active in PowerPoint. However, you can better view your slides by sorting them out via View > Slide Sorter. Similarly, the Outline View provides an easier look at the presentation outline. Other viewing options aren’t meant for making changes to the presentation, such as the Reading View for easy review of slides and the Notes Page View to see your Speaker Notes.
How to Add and Duplicate Slides in PowerPoint
Method 1: Add New Slide Menu
There are two easy ways of adding slides in PowerPoint, regardless of whether you’re using it in Normal View, Slide Sorter View, or Outline View mode. One of these options is to add a new slide from the Home tab via the New Slide drop-down menu. This menu also allows you to pick a specific layout, duplicate slides, add an outline from a Word, Text, or Rich text Format document, or select a PowerPoint file to reuse slides from.
Method 2: Add and Duplicate Slides via Right-Click Context Menu
You can also add or duplicate a new slide via right-click context menu. For the Normal and Outline views, you can right-click on the left sidebar. For Slide Sorter View, you can right-click anywhere to add a new slide.
Method 3: Hotkeys to Add or Duplicate Slides
You can also add and duplicate slides using hotkeys. If you’re using PowerPoint on a PC or PowerPoint for the web, the hotkey to add a new slide is CTRL+M, whereas Mac and iOS users can use Command+Shift+M to add a new slide.
Slides can be duplicated on Windows and PowerPoint for the web via the CTRL+D hotkey, whereas Mac users can use Command+D to do this.
How to Delete Slides in PowerPoint
Deleting slides in PowerPoint is as easy as adding new slides.
Method 1: Delete Slide via Right-Click Context Menu
You can delete any slide via right-click context menu. In the Normal or the Outline View, you can right-click the slide thumbnail from the left sidebar, whereas the slide can be deleted in the Slide Sorter View by right-clicking on the slide and selecting Delete.
Method 2: Delete Slide via Hotkey
You can also delete slides by selecting the slide and using the Delete hotkey on a Windows or Mac computer.
How to Hide Slide in PowerPoint.
It can be hidden if you don’t want a slide to show up during your presentation.
Method 1: Hide Slide Button
A simple method to hide your slide is to select the slide you want to hide and select Hide Slide via the Slide Show tab. To unhide the slide, click the button again.
Method 2: Hide Slide via Right-Click Context Menu
Slides can also be hidden by selecting the slide via right-click context menu, where like various other slide management options, the Hide Slide option is also available.
How to Re-arrange Slides in PowerPoint
You can re-arrange or move slides in PowerPoint via drag and drop to move slides up or down. This can be done regardless of whether you’re using the Normal View, Slide Sorter View, or Outline View. To move multiple slides simultaneously, use CTRL when using your mouse to drag and drop slides up or down.
Method 2: Move Slides and Outlines in PowerPoint
Another method to re-arrange slides is to move them by managing your outlines via View > Outline View by using the right-click menu to move slides up or down.
PowerPoint provides multiple methods for performing different tasks. Many options include using the Ribbon menu, hotkeys, or drag and drop. PowerPoint newbies often cling to the method they might find most accessible to remember, such as using the context menu or Ribbon menu options. However, hotkeys and drag-and-drop functionality can save a lot of time when making PowerPoint templates and performing simple tasks such as adding, duplicating, deleting, and rearranging slides.
