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Import and export PowerPoint and PDF

Bring a PowerPoint .pptx file into PlexiiSlides, and save a deck as a .pptx file or a PDF to send, print or open elsewhere.

All plansUpdated

PlexiiSlides reads PowerPoint .pptx files and saves decks as .pptx files or PDFs. Import a deck someone sent you to work on it here, export a .pptx for someone who presents with other tools, or export a PDF to send, print or hand out.

Before you start

  • Importing and exporting are on every plan.
  • PlexiiSlides imports .pptx files, and exports .pptx and .pdf files.
  • Open a deck in PlexiiSlides, or click inside a Slides widget on a desk. See PlexiiSlides overview.

Start a new deck from a PowerPoint file

To keep the file as a deck of its own, start a new one from it on a desk:

  1. Open the desk, click Add widget in the header and click Slides.
  2. In the Add slides window, click Import a file.
  3. In the Import PowerPoint window, choose the .pptx file and open it.

PlexiDesk makes a new deck named after the file and puts it on the desk. It is in Office too, so you can open it in PlexiiSlides. See Slides widget.

Import into the deck you have open

  1. Choose File > Import (.pptx), or click the folder button in the toolbar and choose Import .pptx.
  2. In the Import PowerPoint window, choose the file and open it.

The slides from the file replace every slide in the deck, and a line above the slide confirms the import. If you did not mean to replace them, click Undo in the toolbar, or press ⌘ Z on a Mac or Ctrl Z on Windows.

What comes in

For every slide in the file:

  • Its text. The first paragraph becomes the slide's title, and the rest becomes a bulleted list under it.
  • Its speaker notes.
  • Its pictures, in .png, .jpg, .gif, .webp or .svg form, where they sit on the slide.
  • Its tables, with their cell text.
  • Its charts, with the figures saved in the file.

The deck is set out in the Plexii theme rather than the file's own design, so backgrounds, fonts and decorative shapes from the file do not come across. Choose a theme and adjust the layouts afterwards. See Themes and backgrounds.

Export as PowerPoint or PDF

  1. Choose File > Download > PowerPoint (.pptx) or PDF document (.pdf). The folder button in the toolbar has the same choices as Export .pptx and Export PDF.
  2. In the save window, choose where to save the file. The deck's name is filled in as the file name.
  3. Click Save.

A line above the slide says Saved and where the file went. Click × on the line to clear it.

What goes into a .pptx file

  • Every slide, at 16:9 widescreen, with its background colour.
  • Text with its bold, italic, underline, colour, size, alignment, bullets and numbering, and font name.
  • Pictures, shapes with their fill and border, and lines with their arrowheads.
  • Tables you can edit, with the header row in bold.
  • Charts you can edit, with the figures from the chart's last refresh. A scatter chart is saved as a line chart.
  • Rotation and drop shadows.
  • Each slide's speaker notes.

What goes into a PDF

One page for each slide, the same shape as the slide, with its background, text, pictures, shapes, lines, tables and charts. Speaker notes are not part of the PDF.

What stays in PlexiiSlides

  • Transitions and entrance animations.
  • Widgets from a desk, which are live. In both files each becomes a labelled box that says Embedded desk widget.
  • Gradient fills, picture crops and opacity. Give a shape a solid fill, and check cropped pictures, before you export a deck that relies on them.

Common questions

Does importing keep my PowerPoint design? It keeps the content: text, speaker notes, pictures, tables and chart figures. The slides are set out again in a PlexiiSlides layout and the Plexii theme.

The import says no slides were found, or it could not read the file. Check that the file is a .pptx file that opens in the app that made it. An older .ppt file needs saving as .pptx first.

Where did my exported file go? To the folder you chose in the save window. The line above the slide shows the full location.

My linked chart shows old figures in the file. Exports use the figures from the chart's last refresh. Select the chart, click Refresh from sheet, and export again. See Charts linked to a spreadsheet.

Can I print a deck? Export it as a PDF and print the PDF. See Export to PDF and print.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].