powerpoint presentation save

How to Save a Copy of a PowerPoint? [Step-by-Step Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

When creating a presentation using PowerPoint, you may be used to saving the presentation from time to time in order to prevent any data loss. But, what if you want to create another copy of your presentation? How do you save a copy of your PowerPoint presentation?

In this article, we shall understand the process of saving a copy of any PowerPoint presentation in a step-by-step manner. Plus, we shall also take a look at how to save a presentation as a read-only file! That, and much more!

So, let’s get started!

1. How to Save a Copy of a PowerPoint Presentation?

Let’s address the elephant in the room straight away! How do you create a copy of a PowerPoint presentation?

Microsoft PowerPoint offers a “Save A Copy” feature which allows you to save the changes in your PowerPoint presentation in a separate copied file rather than the original file.

In some versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, the “Save A Copy” option is replaced by the “Save As” option. However, the features available through both options are fully identical.

Let’s understand the process of saving a copy of a PowerPoint presentation in further detail –

1a. How to Save a Copy of PowerPoint to Desktop?

To save a copy of a PowerPoint presentation on your desktop, follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “File” tab

The first step is to click on the “File” tab. It is located on the left corner of the menu ribbon at the top of the screen. This will open the “File” menu.

Step-2: Click on the “Save A Copy” option

Depending on the version of your Microsoft PowerPoint, you have to click on the “Save A Copy” or the “Save As” option from the sidebar located on the left side in the “File” menu.

Step-3: Click on the “Save” button

In the “Save A Copy” screen, you can click on the “Save As Options” box and save a copy of your presentation in several different formats. Then all you have to do is click on the “Save” button beside the “Save As Options” box to save a copy of your presentation.

1b. Shortcut to Save a Copy of a PowerPoint Presentation

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can also save a copy of your presentation using the keyboard shortcuts. All you have to do is press the “Alt+F2” keys (Cmd+Shift+S on Mac) on your keyboard.

This will directly open the “Save As” dialog box where you can click on the “Save as type” box to change the file format.

Make sure that you choose the correct location for saving the file from the navigation pane. Give an appropriate name to the file. Finally, click on the “Save” button.

2. How to Save a Copy of a Read-Only PowerPoint Presentation?

By saving the “Read-Only” version of a PowerPoint presentation , you can avoid any accidental edits in the original presentation file. A “Read-Only” PowerPoint file will force the user to create a copy of the presentation if any changes are made.

Thus, the original file is maintained as-in. To save a PowerPoint presentation as a read-only copy, follow the easy steps mentioned below –

Step-1: Click on the “File” Tab

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “File” tab. In the sidebar located on the left side of the “File” menu, click on the “Info” option.

Step-2: Click on the “Alway Open Read-Only” option

In the “Info” screen, click on the “Protect Presentation” button which is the first button in the left column. In the dropdown menu under “Protect Presentation” , click on the “Always Open Read-Only” option.

Also Read – 7 Ways to Protect Your PowerPoint Presentation from Editing!

Finally, you have to click on the “Save A Copy” option in the sidebar on the left side of the “File” screen. Then click on the “Save” button to save a read-only copy of the PowerPoint presentation.

3. How to Save a Copy of a Shared PowerPoint Presentation?

If your colleague or client has shared a copy of a PowerPoint presentation using PowerPoint for the web or Shared Drive, you can easily download and save a copy of the shared presentation to your device.

Here’s what you need to do –

Step-1: Click on the “Save as” option

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “File” tab. Then click on the “Save as” option from the “File” menu. Under the “Save As” option, click on the “Download a Copy” option.

Step-2: Click on “Download”

Now all you have to do is click on the “Download” button in the dialog box prompted by Microsoft PowerPoint.

4. How to Save a Copy of PowerPoint Without Notes?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can save a copy of the file without the notes.

To do so, you have to first remove the speaker notes, and then use the “Save A Copy” option. Here are 5 quick and easy steps that you can follow in order to save a copy of your PowerPoint file without notes –

In the menu ribbon, click on the “File” tab. Then click on the “Info” option from the “File” menu.

Step-2: Click on “Check for Issues”

In the “Info” screen, click on the “Check for Issues” button. Then click on the “Inspect Document” option from the dropdown menu. This will prompt a dialog box.

Step-3: Click on the “Inspect” option

In the “Document Inspector” dialog box, scroll all the way to the bottom and make sure the “Presentation Notes” option is selected. Then click on the “Inspect” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Step-4: Click on the “Remove All” option

Once the inspection results are shown in the “Document Inspector” dialog, scroll to the bottom again to find the “Presentation Notes” option.

Then click on the “Remove All” button at the right side of the “Presentation Notes” option. Now all you have to do is click on the “Close” button at the bottom of the dialog box to finish the process.

Step-5: Click on the “Save” option

The final step is to click on the “Save A Copy” option in the sidebar of the “File” menu. In the “Save A Copy” screen, click on the “Save” button to save the presentation without notes.

5. How to Create a Copy of an Existing Presentation in a New PowerPoint File?

To create a copy of an existing presentation, you have to first open a new Microsoft PowerPoint file.

Then you can use the “Reuse Slides” feature to copy the existing presentation. The detailed process is explained in the following steps –

Step-1: Click on the “Reuse Slides” button

In the new PowerPoint presentation, click on the “Reuse Slides” button. It is located in the “Slides” group of the “Home” menu. This will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen.

Step-2: Click on “Choose Content”

In the “Reuse Slides” sidebar, click on the “Search” box.

Then type in the file name of the presentation which you want to copy. Under the thumbnail of the PowerPoint presentation, click on the “Choose Content” option.

Step-3: Click on the “Insert All” option

Now all you have to do is click on the “Insert All” option to copy the entire PowerPoint presentation into the new file.

You can also click on the “Insert Slide” option under each slide thumbnail to copy a few selected slides.

6. How to Save a Copy of PowerPoint Presentation in Other Formats?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to save a copy of your presentation in multiple file formats. I’ve written an entire article detailing the various formats in which you can save a PowerPoint presentation.

Make sure you check out the other article on “How to Save a PowerPoint Presentation in Multiple Formats” for all the details!

However, in a nutshell, to save a copy of your presentation in other formats, click on the “Save A Copy” option in the “File” menu. In the “Save A Copy” screen, click on the “Save As Type” box which is the second box in the right column.

Now all you have to do is click on your preferred file format from the dropdown menu. For complete details, make sure you check out the article.

Credit to drobotdean (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)