Audio in PowerPoint

Question

I have a strange case. I received a PowerPoint Presentation from my boss with the task to extract the audio in the slides. The audio is there, but when I click on it and select "Save Media as..." I get the following error message:

"This linked item can't be saved because it is stored outside the presentation. Only embedded items can be saved."

When I present the PPT, the audio plays without issue.

Is there any way I can look at the properties of the audio file and find out where it is stored so that I can extract it? I have not been able to figure it out. Thanks for any assistance!

Answer 1

Yes, you can get the audio by expanding the presentation. Here are the steps:

1. Make a copy of the presentation to a new folder.
2. Change the file ending from .pptx to .zip. Choose Yes when Windows warns you about changing the file ending.
3. Expand the file.
4. Open the ppt folder, then the media folder inside that.
5. The audio files are in there, though they have been renamed from their original file names.

Answer 2

Hi John, thanks for the reply.

I've followed your steps, but when I try to extract the file in WinZip I get the following error:

"The following file could not be opened or is not a valid Zip file."

Any suggestions?

It's a .ppt file, so 1997-2003 PowerPoint Presentation.

Answer 3

I see. Please save the file in .pptx format, then follow the steps.

Answer 4

Thanks, John! That did it!