Share via

PowerPoint for the web

  • Article

PowerPoint for the web (formerly PowerPoint Web App) extends your Microsoft PowerPoint experience to the web browser, where you can work with presentations directly on the website where the presentation is stored. Microsoft 365 customers with Microsoft 365 for the web can view, create, and edit files on the go.

The PowerPoint Editor is a web front-end component that creates a browser-based editing surface, which lets users work on documents without losing fidelity.

If you select the Open in PowerPoint button on the PowerPoint for the web toolbar, the presentation opens in the PowerPoint desktop app (if Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 or later is installed on the computer).

Learn how to download and install Office using Microsoft 365 for business on a PC.

Alignment, bullets, numbers

With PowerPoint for the web, you can change paragraph alignment, apply bullets or numbering, and change the level of bulleted or numbered text. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Apply basic transitions and animations

Choose from a gallery of animation and transition effects. PowerPoint for the web supports eight transitions and 37 animations. Additional animations and transitions not supported by PowerPoint for the web are preserved in the presentation and displayed in the slide show, but they can't be modified in PowerPoint for the web. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Apply rich formatting to text, shapes, and pictures

Not available in PowerPoint for the web. Advanced formatting features, such as more colors, gradients, eyedropper, effects, and styles, are available in the PowerPoint desktop app. With PowerPoint for the web, you can add a text box or choose from a gallery of shapes and apply styles, which define fill, outline, and shadow effects.

Apply themes and theme variants

Choose from a gallery of built-in themes and variants when you add a new slide to the presentation. Themes not supported by PowerPoint for the web are preserved in the presentation, but the ability to modify themes is not available in PowerPoint for the web. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Office add-ins

PowerPoint for the web only supports content add-ins for Office. Content add-ins integrate web-based features as content that can be shown in line with a presentation. Learn more about types of add-ins for Office.

Arrange objects

Move, resize, rotate, or order shapes and text boxes in layers, back-to-front in PowerPoint for the web. Ungroup shapes to work with them individually. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Broadcast slide show

The PowerPoint desktop app is required to broadcast a slide show to a remote audience through PowerPoint for the web. Viewers can watch lives presentations through PowerPoint for the web, regardless of whether they have the PowerPoint desktop app installed. Learn more about broadcast slide show.

Clipboard

With PowerPoint for the web, you can cut, copy, and paste content in a presentation. A user can copy and paste text between Microsoft 365 for the web programs, as well as between Microsoft 365 for the web and the Microsoft Office desktop apps on the computer. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Create and manage slides

Add, reorder, duplicate, hide, and delete slides in PowerPoint for the web. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Create custom animation

PowerPoint for the web includes a gallery of animation effects. Animations not supported by PowerPoint for the web are preserved in the presentation and displayed in the slide show, but they can't be modified in PowerPoint for the web. To create custom animations, you'll need the PowerPoint desktop app installed on your computer. Learn more about creating custom animations with PowerPoint 2013 desktop app.

Design tools, advanced

Not available in PowerPoint for the web. Advanced design features, such creating slide masters and modifying layouts, are only available in the PowerPoint desktop app. With PowerPoint for the web, you can use your own template file as the basis for creating new files or choose from a predefined list of themes.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a file hosting service that offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and client software.

Embed presentation on web or blog page

With PowerPoint for the web, you can embed presentations on websites or blogs so that anyone can view your information even if they don't have the Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app. Embedded viewers show animations, transitions, and audio/video—the same as full fidelity reading view. Learn more about embedding presentations on a web or blog page.

Font downloading and formatting

The font service is a CDN based solution to ensure Office applications are able to render documents and presentations in full fidelity by downloading the required fonts to the local machine.

When sharing PowerPoint presentations with recipients via PowerPoint for the web, only use the fonts detailed in the cloud fonts list here. Why? These fonts are available in the cloud and are downloaded as needed and installed on our servers. Other fonts, including locally installed fonts not on this list and embedded fonts, will not be installed on our servers and will be replaced with fallback fonts, resulting in content reflow and formatting issues.

PowerPoint for the web lets you apply bold, italics, underline, font, size, and color to text. You can also use the Format Painter to copy the format of entire shapes.

Note

To use your organization’s custom font on PowerPoint for the web, upload your font as an Organization Asset Library.

Full fidelity reading view

View presentations as they were intended to be seen—showing animations, transitions, and audio/video.

Full ink support

Ink can't be inserted in PowerPoint for the web, but PowerPoint for the web displays them as expected.

Full selection of animations and transitions

PowerPoint for the web supports eight transitions and 37 animations. For a larger selection, use the PowerPoint desktop app.

Headers and footers

Headers and footers, including date and slide numbers, can't be inserted, edited, or deleted in PowerPoint for the web, but PowerPoint for the web displays them as expected. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Insert, edit, and follow hyperlinks. Bookmark links work, but can't be edited in PowerPoint for the web.

Insert online video

Video and audio content plays in Reading view and Slide Show, with a file size limit of 100 MB. Online video can be inserted from YouTube, and media controls can be resized, moved, and deleted in PowerPoint for the web. But to insert audio and video other than YouTube, you need the Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app.

Integration with Excel for charts

Not available in PowerPoint for the web. With PowerPoint for the web, you can view Excel charts in an existing presentation, but you can't edit or insert an Excel chart in a presentation using PowerPoint for the web. Learn more about copying an Excel chart to PowerPoint.

Navigation - slide sorter

Slide sorter view, which gives you a view of your slides in thumbnail form, makes it easy to sort and organize your slides. You can use slide sorter view to organize your slides, add sections, and sort slides into different categories.

Offline viewing and authoring

PowerPoint for the web is launched from a web browser and relies on an internet connection. To access presentations offline, Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app must be installed on your computer and used to view and edit slides.

Picture cropping

Improve the framing of a subject in a picture with the cropping tool. Simply click one of the cropping handles at the edge of the picture and drag it until you achieve the picture you want.

Pictures

With PowerPoint for the web, you can insert pictures stored on your computer, or insert pictures from Bing Images. You can move, resize, and crop pictures, and apply a number of picture styles. More sophisticated features for working with pictures, such as applying effects, are not available in PowerPoint for the web. You can't create screenshots in PowerPoint for the web, but screenshots that are in a presentation display as pictures in PowerPoint for the web. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Present online through Skype for Business or the Office Presentation Service

Not available in PowerPoint for the web. Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app lets you deliver your presentations using the Office Presentation Service, a free, public service that allows others to follow along in their web browser. Learn more about Office Presentation Service.

Presenter view

Not available in PowerPoint for the web. Only Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app allows a presenter a behind-the-scene control of the presentation flow, notes, annotations, and zooming tools. PowerPoint for the web does not support these features.

With PowerPoint for the web, you can print your presentation to a PDF reader, where all the layout and formatting of your slides will print the way you expect. Learn more about basic tasks you can do using PowerPoint for the web.

Proofing tools

You can check spelling and set the proofing language, using the built-in dictionary with PowerPoint for the web. But PowerPoint for the web does not use a custom dictionary and does not include translation or a thesaurus.

Real-time co-authoring

Multiple authors can work simultaneously in PowerPoint for the web and PowerPoint 2016. Real-time presence helps you see where your co-authors are working in the presentation so that you don't create conflicts as you edit, and you can see changes as they're being made. PowerPoint 2013 supports simultaneous editing, but there is no presence indication, and changes can't be seen by multiple authors until the document is saved. For more information about real-time co-authoring in PowerPoint, see Work together on PowerPoint presentations.

Reviewer tools, advanced

Not available in PowerPoint for the web. Advanced reviewer features, such as merge conflicts and compare presentations, are only available in the PowerPoint desktop app. With PowerPoint for the web, you can view, add, edit, or delete comments.

Rights management: Apply and consume IRM and password protection

Not available in PowerPoint for the web. PowerPoint for the web displays presentations that are protected with Information Rights Management (IRM). However, these presentations can't be edited in the browser, and you can't create IRM-protected presentations in PowerPoint for the web. PowerPoint for the web can't open presentations that are digitally signed or encrypted with a password.

Run slide show

With PowerPoint for the web, you can run your presentation with just a web browser and an internet connection. Learn more about basic tasks you can do using PowerPoint for the web.

Save as or Download a copy

PowerPoint for the web saves your work every time you make a change. There is no Save command. You can download a copy, but you must have the Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app to edit a local copy.

Shapes

Word Art and charts can't be inserted in PowerPoint for the web, but PowerPoint for the web displays them as expected. In Editing view, edit and format text. If you want to apply text effects to Word Art, you'll need the Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app.

Share

If your presentation is saved in a SharePoint document library, then your presentation is online and you can share it by sending a link instead of an email attachment. People with proper permissions can view it in their web browser or mobile device. Learn more about sharing a presentation.

Slide show

PowerPoint for the web plays slide shows in a full-screen window. Press the spacebar to advance the slides. Slide animations play, but only Fade and Wipe transitions between slides are supported. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

SmartArt

You can insert SmartArt, switch to a different layout or color scheme, apply SmartArt styles, and edit text with PowerPoint for the web. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Table creation, editing, and formatting

Tables can be created and edited in PowerPoint for the web, and PowerPoint for the web supports most table functions. For advanced functions, such as merging and splitting cells, use the PowerPoint desktop app. Learn more about the differences between using a presentation in the browser versus the PowerPoint desktop app.

Tell Me

When you need to accomplish something in PowerPoint for the web but don't know how, you can use the Tell Me search feature to quickly find what you're looking for. Tell Me understands what you're trying to accomplish and helps you do it faster by making suggestions.

Undo and redo

Undo (Ctrl + Z) and redo (Ctrl + Y) an infinite number of recent actions during the current editing session in the active presentation. If the editing session times out or if you switch to Reading View for more than 30 seconds, the undo history is reset. Learn more about keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint for the web.

View and add comments

If your files are stored on SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business, you can add, edit, or delete comments.

If your files are stored on OneDrive, you can add, edit, or delete comments while in Editing View, and you can view and update comments while in Reading View.

View and edit slide notes

With PowerPoint for the web, notes for each slide can be displayed or hidden. You can also add notes in Edit mode.

WYSIWYG viewing

Edit your presentation in a form closely resembling its appearance when printed or displayed as a finished product.

Feature availability

To view feature availability across plans, standalone options, and on-premises solutions, see Microsoft 365 for the web service description.