Let’s say you created some jaw-dropping graphics in Adobe Illustrator, the industry leader in vector graphics software, but now you want to bring them to a PowerPoint slide deck. It should be an easy process, right? Fortunately, that’s the case, and in this article, we’ll teach you how to convert Illustrator to PowerPoint and end up with fully editable files.
The instructions in this article are valid for both Windows and Mac users.
Step 1 – Exporting the Illustrator file
Let’s start by opening the Ai file to PowerPoint to convert to Adobe Illustrator (*.ai is the file extension of any Adobe Illustrator file). Next, we go to File > Save As…
Select the SVG option and save the file wherever you want. We highly recommend you check our article about how to work with SVG in PowerPoint.
Step 2 – Importing the Illustrator SVG to PowerPoint
Now, open PowerPoint. On a blank slide, go to:
- Windows: Insert > Pictures > This Device…
- Mac: Insert > Pictures > Picture Browser
Select the file you exported from Illustrator and proceed to the next step.
Step 3 – Convert to Shapes
In most cases, the conversion to shape is handled automatically by PowerPoint, but in case that doesn’t happen, you have to go to the Graphics Format menu and click on Convert to Shape.
This ensures we’re now working with a fully editable vector file inside of PowerPoint, almost as if it was made with its native tools.
Step 4 – Ungroup
A common mistake that people trigger when asking how to convert ai file to PowerPoint is that they forget to ungroup the shapes. Until you do it, the illustrations won’t be editable inside PowerPoint.
Therefore, select inside the slide and right-click, then go to Group > Ungroup.
This shall make any shape available in our design editable inside PowerPoint.
FAQs
No, Illustrator does not have a direct export to PowerPoint feature. You need to use intermediary formats like images (PNG/JPG), SVG, or PDFs.
Yes, you can export vector graphics from Illustrator as SVG files, which PowerPoint can import and maintain scalability.
Go to File > Export > Export As, and choose a suitable image format like PNG or JPG. Then, import the image into PowerPoint.
No, PowerPoint doesn’t support Illustrator’s layer structure. You’ll need to manually arrange and import elements as separate images or vectors.
Yes, you can copy elements directly from Illustrator and paste them into PowerPoint. However, this may rasterize the vector content – meaning it becomes a common image and you cannot further edit it.
If PowerPoint doesn’t have the same fonts installed as used in Illustrator, you may need to substitute fonts or convert text into outlines before exporting.
Export graphics at high resolution (300 dpi) or as vector formats (SVG or EMF) to maintain quality in PowerPoint.
If not converted to outlines in Illustrator, text may change or be substituted if the fonts aren’t available in PowerPoint. Outlined text will behave like a graphic.
Ensure your color mode in Illustrator is set to RGB before exporting, as PowerPoint uses RGB color, not CMYK. Remember, RGB is for visual images, like projectors and monitors, whereas CMYK is for printed output.
Export it as PNG with a transparent background, then import it into PowerPoint, ensuring that transparency is retained. Check our articles on how to make a shape transparent in PowerPoint and how to make a picture transparent in PowerPoint for further information on handling transparency inside PowerPoint.
Some effects may not transfer well, especially if exported as raster images. It’s often better to flatten complex effects before export.
Export each artboard as a separate image file, vector, or PDF, then insert each one onto a separate PowerPoint slide manually.
Yes, if you export as SVG or EMF (vector formats), you can scale elements in PowerPoint without losing quality. EMF is the format to use in PowerPoint 2016 or older.
Gradients and transparencies can sometimes convert poorly. Exporting as high-resolution PNG is usually the safest method to preserve these effects.
