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Combining powerpoint files using the reuse slides option, copying and pasting powerpoint slides.

It's difficult for two or more people to work on a PowerPoint presentation simultaneously, as Office doesn't have the same collaboration features offered by Google Slides . One way around this problem is to combine PowerPoint presentations into a single file.

Merging two PowerPoints can be done by either importing the slides using the "Reuse Slides" option or by using the copy-and-paste method instead. These instructions are designed to work for the latest versions of Office , including Office 2016 and 2019, as well as Office 365 and Online. You may find the instructions vary for older versions of PowerPoint.

Related: What's the Latest Version of Microsoft Office?

The "best" method for merging PowerPoint files, or at least the method that PowerPoint officially supports, is to use the "Reuse Slides" option. This feature merges the content of one presentation file into another, matching the theme of the new presentation file in the process.

To do this, open your PowerPoint presentation file---this is the file you're looking to merge into. In the "Home" tab on the ribbon bar, select the "New Slide" button and then click the "Reuse Slides" option at the bottom of the drop-down menu that appears.

A menu will appear on the right. Click the "Browse" button to locate the PowerPoint presentation file that you want to merge into your open file.

Locate your second PowerPoint file and then click the "Open" button to insert it.

A list of slides from your second presentation will appear in the "Reuse Slides" menu on the right.

First, you'll need to decide on the formatting for your inserted slides. If you want to keep the format (including the theme) from the original presentation, make sure that the "Keep Source Formatting" checkbox is enabled at the bottom of the "Reuse Slides" menu. If you don't check this, your inserted slides will have the style of the open presentation applied to them.

To insert individual slides, right-click a slide and then select the "Insert Slide" option. Otherwise, click the "Insert All Slides" to copy all of the slides into your open PowerPoint presentation.

Your slide (or slides) will then be inserted into the open presentation, immediately underneath the currently selected slide. With your PowerPoint files combined, you can then save your merged file by clicking File > Save or Save As.

While the "Reuse Slides" method allows you to change the format of your slides before you insert them, you can also combine PowerPoint files by copying the slides from one open PowerPoint file and inserting them into another.

To do this, open a PowerPoint presentation and select the slides you want to copy from the slide selection menu on the left. From there, right-click on the selected slides and then press "Copy" to copy them to your clipboard.

Switch to the PowerPoint presentation you're looking to paste your slides into and then, in the slide selection menu on the left, right-click at the position you want to stick your slides.

To paste the slides and apply the theme of the open presentation file to them, click the "Use Destination Theme" paste option.

To keep the original theme and formatting, select the "Keep Source Formatting" paste option instead.

The slides you paste will then appear in your new presentation at the position you selected. You can then save the merged file by clicking File > Save or Save As.

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How to Merge Files in Powerpoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Merging files in PowerPoint is a handy skill to have when you’re looking to combine information from different presentations or when you’re collaborating with others on a project. It might sound like a tricky task, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. In just a few simple steps, you can have all your slides together in one impressive presentation.

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Merge Files in PowerPoint

Before we dive into the steps, let’s understand what we’re about to do. Merging files in PowerPoint is all about bringing slides from different presentations into one. This can be very useful when you’re working on a group project or need to consolidate information. So, let’s get started!

Step 1: Open Your Main PowerPoint Presentation

Open the PowerPoint presentation where you want to add slides from another presentation.

When you’ve opened your main PowerPoint file, make sure it’s the one where you want all the merged slides to end up. Think of it as the ‘mother ship’ that’s about to welcome all the ‘little ship’ slides into its deck.

Step 2: Select the Slides You Want to Merge

Go to the “Home” tab, click on “New Slide,” and then choose “Reuse Slides” from the drop-down menu.

A pane will appear on the right side of the PowerPoint window. This is where you’ll be able to browse and select the slides you want to add to your main presentation.

Step 3: Browse and Choose the Presentation File

Click on “Browse” and then “Browse File” to select the PowerPoint file you want to merge with your main presentation.

You’ll need to navigate to the location of the PowerPoint file you want to merge. Once you find it, click on it and then click “Open” to bring up the slides in the Reuse Slides pane.

Step 4: Insert the Slides

Click on each slide you want to insert into your main presentation or check “Keep source formatting” and click “Insert All.”

You can select individual slides by clicking on them or insert all the slides from the secondary presentation. If you want to maintain the original design and formatting of the inserted slides, make sure to check “Keep source formatting.”

Step 5: Save Your Merged PowerPoint

Save your newly merged PowerPoint presentation by clicking on “File” and then “Save As.”

After you’ve merged all the slides you need, don’t forget to save your presentation. You can choose to overwrite the original file or save it as a new file with a different name.

After completing these steps, you’ll have a single PowerPoint presentation with slides from different files merged together. Now, you’ll be able to present all your information seamlessly without having to switch between different files.

Tips: Making the Most of Merging Files in PowerPoint

• Ensure that the presentation you’re adding slides to is saved before you start merging, just in case something goes awry.
• Use the “Keep source formatting” option if you want to retain the original design of the slides you’re merging. This is especially helpful if they come from a presentation with a different theme or layout.
• Consider the sequence of the slides. Make sure they are in the order that best supports your presentation’s flow.
• If you’re merging files from multiple team members, check for consistency in font, size, and color to maintain a professional look.
• It’s a good idea to review the final presentation to check for any formatting issues or duplications that may have occurred during the merge.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i merge powerpoint presentations with different themes.

To merge presentations with different themes, use the “Keep source formatting” checkbox when inserting the slides. This will preserve the original theme and formatting of the slides being merged.

Can I merge multiple PowerPoint files at once?

While you can’t select multiple files to merge simultaneously, you can repeat the process of merging for each file you want to add to your main presentation.

What happens if I don’t select “Keep source formatting”?

If you don’t select “Keep source formatting,” the inserted slides will adopt the theme and formatting of your main presentation, which might change their original look.

Can I merge specific slides from a presentation?

Yes, you can choose individual slides to merge by clicking on them in the “Reuse Slides” pane instead of selecting “Insert All.”

Will animations and transitions be preserved when merging slides?

Yes, if you check “Keep source formatting,” animations and transitions should be preserved. However, it’s always good to double-check the final presentation.

• Open your main PowerPoint presentation.
• Select “Reuse Slides” from the “New Slide” drop-down menu.
• Browse and choose the PowerPoint file you want to merge.
• Click on individual slides or “Insert All” to merge.
• Save your newly merged presentation.

Merging files in PowerPoint is a straightforward process that can save you a ton of time and hassle. Whether you’re pulling together a group project or consolidating your work, knowing how to merge presentations effectively can make you the PowerPoint guru among your peers. Remember to save your work frequently, check for consistency, and review your final presentation for any mishaps that might have occurred during the merging process. With this new skill in your back pocket, you’re ready to tackle any presentation challenge that comes your way. Happy merging!

Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.

His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.

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How to Combine Multiple PowerPoints into One

PowerPoint is one of the most widespread and widely used Microsoft tools in the world, allowing you to make high quality presentations in a simple, fast and super visual way. Maybe that's why presentations have triumphed in the world of business and education! 

Whether you're a professional or a student, you surely must have had to make more than one presentation throughout your career. That's a piece of cake when you have Slidesgo and its templates! In this post we want to lend you a hand and help you become a true master of this program: today you will learn how to combine different PowerPoint presentations .

How to merge PowerPoint presentations

If you want to join two or more different presentations in the same file, you want to add some extra slides or you need to merge the collaborative work of different teams, all you have to do is follow these steps: 

• Open the first presentation. For this example we are going to use the template Minimalist Grayscale Pitch Deck .
• Go to the Start menu > New Slide. Click on the drop-down, not on the button. A menu will open with different options, select "Reuse slides".
• A menu will open on the right with recommended presentations. To add yours, click on Browse. We are going to add slides from the presentation Investment Business Plan .
• Go to the place in the presentation where you want the new content to appear.
• Choose which slides you want to add and add them one by one by clicking Insert Slide. You can also add the whole presentation by clicking on Insert All.

Pro tip : We recommend that you keep the "Use source formatting" checkbox checked. This feature makes the presentation you are adding keep its original style instead of adapting to the layout of the new one. 

Simple, isn't it? There is also another method, just as quick and easy, using the ancient technique known as "copy and paste". It consists of the following:

• Open the presentation where you want the new slides to appear.
• Open the other presentation and choose the slides you want to add. You can select more than one by pressing Control and clicking on them or you can select all of them by pressing Control + E. For this example we are going to add three slides from the Business Plan with Elegant Backgrounds template.
• Right click and press copy or press Control + C.
• Now go to the first presentation, choose the location and right click > Paste or press Control + V. Remember to select "Keep source formatting", this will keep the slides from losing their layout.

Now that you know how to put together your favorite presentations and slides, take a look at our website and download the ones that best suit your needs. You can choose resources from different designs and put them together to create the perfect presentation. 

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How to Combine PowerPoints on Mac or Windows

Last Updated: June 20, 2022

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been viewed 8,768 times.

Do you want to use the slides from your other presentation in this one? The "Reuse Slides" function in Microsoft PowerPoint makes it easy to reuse slides from other presentations. It's also a helpful tool that will help you merge your presentations into one PowerPoint. If the "Reuse Slides" feature isn't available for your version of PowerPoint, you can also copy and paste slides, use the "Insert Object" menu, or drag and drop slides. This wikiHow article teaches you multiple ways you can combine PowerPoint presentations on your Windows or Mac computer.

Reusing Slides

• These imported slides will change to copy the theme and design of the other slides. If you don't want it to change, you can select Keep source formatting before you import them.

• If you want the slide(s) to maintain the original design theme and formatting, check the box next to Keep source formatting . [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
• Once you've selected the slides from the original source, they will appear in the new PowerPoint immediately.

Copy and Paste

• Use this option if "Reuse slides" isn't available since this will allow you the same options.

• If you want to select more than one slide, press and hold Shift as you click multiple sides.

Insert Object

• Use this if there are animations with the slide that you want to preserve. You won't be able to fine-tune the slide like you would if you used "Reuse Slide," but it will have all the animations and slide transitions from the previous slideshow.

• If you don't see the "New Slide" option, make sure the Home tab is selected.

• Stretch the image to fill the entire slide to prevent it from changing sizes randomly.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/reuse-import-slides-from-another-presentation-c67671cd-386b-45dd-a1b4-1e656458bb86#OfficeVersion=Windows
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/copy-and-paste-your-slides-1fe39ace-4df6-4346-b724-30a6e2c0aeab#OfficeVersion=Windows

About this article

1. Open the presentation that you want to add slides to. 2. Click where you want to add your slide. 3. Click the Home tab. 4. Click the arrow next to "New Slide" and select Reuse Slides . 5. Click Open a PowerPoint File and double-click the file you want to use. 6. Click a slide to add to your PowerPoint. 7. Save your presentation. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Combine PowerPoint Files

How to Combine PowerPoint Files

When making a PowerPoint presentation consisting of different reports, charts, and analyses, there might be a need to combine slides from other PowerPoint templates and presentations. There are different ways by which you can combine PowerPoints into one slide deck, including reusing slides from another presentation and copying them with or without the source formatting.

Method 1: Reuse Slides to Merge PowerPoint Presentations

To reuse slides from another PowerPoint presentation, go to Home -> New Slides -> Reuse Slides . Depending on your Ribbon menu settings, you might also be able to go directly to Home -> Reuse Slides .

Open Browse to select the PowerPoint presentation that you wish to merge.

Select the PowerPoint presentation to combine PowerPoints by selecting the required slides.

You can click on the slides to add to your existing presentation or add them individually or simultaneously via the right-click context menu.  To ensure the formatting of your slides doesn’t inherit the current presentation, check the Keep source formatting option. However, if you wish to use the formatting of the current slide deck, you can skip this option so that the imported slides adopt the theme of your current presentation.

By reusing slides from one or more PowerPoint presentations, you can merge different slides from multiple PowerPoints into one slide deck.

Method 2: Copy Slides to Insert in a PowerPoint Presentation

Similar to how you copy Google Slides templates and slides in most other presentation applications, you can also copy your slides from one or more PowerPoint presentations to combine slides in PowerPoint.

Go to the PowerPoint presentation from which you wish to copy slides, hold the CTRL key, and select the slides to copy by clicking on them. Once all required slides are selected, use CTRL+C or the right-click context menu to copy the slides.

Go to the PowerPoint presentation where you wish to merge the copied slides and paste the slides using CTRL+V or via right-click menu. If you’re using the latter, you can paste slides with source formatting, without source formatting, and as standalone images.

There are two main methods to combine PowerPoint files: – Reuse Slides: This allows you to import slides from another presentation. – Copy and Paste Slides: Involves copying slides from one presentation and pasting them into another.

To reuse slides: – Go to Home > New Slides > Reuse Slides. – Click Browse to select the presentation from which you want to reuse slides. – Select the slides you want to add to your current presentation. – Right-click on the slides to insert them individually or all at once. – Check the Keep source formatting option if you want to retain the original formatting of the slides.

The Keep Source Formatting option allows the slides you import retain their original design and formatting rather than adopting the theme of the current presentation.

Yes, you can select multiple slides to reuse at once. After browsing the presentation and selecting the slides, you can insert them individually or simultaneously using the right-click context menu.

To copy slides: – Open the presentation from which you want to copy slides. – Hold the CTRL key and select the slides you want to copy. – Use CTRL+C or right-click and select Copy. – Open the presentation where you want to paste the slides. – Use CTRL+V or right-click and select the desired paste option to insert the slides.

When pasting slides, you can choose from: – Use Destination Theme: Adopts the theme of the current presentation. – Keep Source Formatting: Retains the original formatting of the copied slides. – Picture: Pastes the slides as standalone images.

Follow these steps to maximize slide compatibility: – Use the Reuse Slides feature with the Keep source formatting option if you want to maintain the original design. – Manually adjust the design and layout of pasted slides if you use the destination theme to ensure consistency.

While PowerPoint does not provide a direct feature to merge entire presentations at once, you can use the Reuse Slides or Copy and Paste methods to add all slides from one presentation to another incrementally.

Combining PowerPoint files can help streamline the creation of presentations by: – Merging different reports, charts, and analyses into one cohesive slide deck. – Using frequently needed slides from existing presentations, such as introductory or portfolio slides, without recreating them. – Collaborating with team members by consolidating slides from multiple sources.

Yes, you can undo the merge by: – Pressing CTRL+Z immediately after pasting or importing slides to undo the last action. – Clicking on the Undo arrow at the top menu. – Manually deleting the inserted slides if the mistake is noticed later.

Yes, you can combine slides with different aspect ratios, but be aware that the formatting might need adjustment. When importing slides with a different aspect ratio, PowerPoint will prompt you to choose how to fit the content.

Final Words

Now that you know how to combine PPT files, you can choose different slides from PowerPoint presentations and templates to include in a single presentation deck. Merging PowerPoint slides and even entire presentations by using the methods mentioned above can also save you time in reproducing frequently used slides, such as introductory slides for your organization or portfolio slides to showcase your work.

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3 Ways to Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentation Files

So you made two different PowerPoint presentations and are stuck with merging them together? Don’t worry. You want to match their themes or keep them original? Covered. You want to drop/keep transitions? Cool.PowerPoint got it all covered for you. However you want to merge slides, you can do it all in PowerPoint itself. This article will take you through different methods and options that will let you combine multiple PowerPoint Presentation files the way you please.

Table of Contents

Method 1: Reuse Slides

When to use:

• If you do not want to keep the transitions and animations of the inserted presentation after merging it into the main presentation.
• If you want to merge only a few slides of inserted presentation and not the whole presentation.

How to use:

1.Open the main presentation in which you want to insert another presentation.

2.Decide the two slides between which you want to insert the new slides and click between them.

3. A red line will appear.

4.Click on the ‘ Insert ’ menu.

5.Open the drop-down menu by clicking on ‘ New Slide ’.

6.At the bottom of the menu, click on ‘ Reuse Slides ’.

7.On the right-hand side, the Reuse Slides tab will appear.

8.If you want to keep the theme of the inserted presentation, check the ‘ Keep source formatting ’ checkbox at the bottom of the tab. Else, if you want it to take the theme of the main presentation, uncheck the box.

9.Now, browse the file you want to insert and click on OK.

10.You can now see all the slides of the presentation to be inserted.

11.If you want a few particular slides from this presentation to appear in the main presentation, simply click on the thumbnail . Else, right-click on any thumbnail and click on ‘ Insert all slides ’.

12.Adding a slide while having ‘ Keep source formatting ’ checked you will get something like this.

And unchecking ‘Keep source formatting’ will give you.

13.If you want the whole presentation with the theme of the inserted presentation, right-click on any thumbnail in the ‘ Reuse Slides ’ tab and click on ‘ Apply theme to all slides ’ and you will then get:

14.If you want to insert the new slides at different positions in the main presentation, then before clicking on any particular slide to be inserted in the ‘Reuse Slides’ tab, just click on that main slide thumbnail (on the left-hand side of the window), below which you want your inserted slide. You can do this for every inserted slide to get this:

Method 2: Insert Object

• If you want to keep the transitions and animations of the inserted presentation after merging it into the main presentation.
• If you want to merge the whole presentation into the main presentation.

2. Add a blank slide at the position you want your inserted slide to be. You can do this by clicking on ‘ New Slide ’ in the insert menu and then clicking on ‘ Blank ’.

3.Click on ‘ Object ’ in the insert menu.

4.Select ‘ Create from file ’ radio button and browse the presentation you want to be inserted and click on OK.

5.You will see the first slide of the inserted presentation in the center of the blank slide you had inserted.

6. Resize the inserted slide to fit the main slide completely by dragging the corners of the inserted slide.

7.Click on the Object.

8.Go to the Animations menu and click on ‘ Add Animation ’.

9.Click on ‘ OLE action verbs ’ at the bottom of the drop-down menu.

11.In the dialog box, select ‘ Show ’ and click on OK.

13.Go to the ‘ Animations ’ menu and click on ‘ Animation Pane ’.

14.On the right-hand side, a tab will open. You can see the inserted object in the tab.

15.Click on the downward pointer beside the object name and a list will open.

16.Select ‘ Start With Previous ’.

17.Now, s elect the object in the tab and click on the downward pointer again.

18.Select ‘ Effect Options ’. A dialog box will open.

19.In the ‘After Animation’ drop-down list, click on ‘ Hide After Animation ’.

20.Now insert some object like a text box or an image on the main slide containing the inserted presentation object.

21.Right-click on it and select ‘ Send to Back ’.

22. You now have your presentations merged.

Method 3: Copy-Paste

If you want to keep animations of the inserted presentation and want to keep/change the theme and transitions.

1.Open the presentation you want to insert and select the slides that you want to insert into the main presentation.

2.Press ‘ Ctrl+C ’ to copy them.

3.Open the main presentation.

4.Right-click in the left pane wherever you want to insert the slides.

5.Here you get two paste options:

1.USE DESTINATION THEME:

Selecting this will cause the inserted slides to adopt the theme and transitions of the main presentation while keeping the animations of inserted slides intact.

2.KEEP SOURCE FORMATTING:

Selecting this will keep the theme, transitions, and animations of inserted file itself.

6. Select the option you want and you are done.

There you go! You can now merge your presentations with any possible combinations.

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I hope the above steps were helpful and now you can easily Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentation Files, but if you still have any questions regarding this tutorial then feel free to ask them in the comment section.

About The Author

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How to Merge PowerPoints

It’s easy to merge your PowerPoint presentations

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What to Know

• In your primary PowerPoint: Home > New Slide > Reuse Slides > Browse .
• In your secondary PowerPoint: Open . Right-click individual slides and choose Insert Slide , or select Insert All Slides .

This article explains how to combine two or more PowerPoint presentations into one presentation. Whether you’re using Mac or PC versions of PowerPoint, it’s easy to combine PowerPoint presentations.

Method 1: Reuse Slides

Microsoft PowerPoint provides the option to Reuse Slides . This method doesn’t require you to open all of your PowerPoint presentations, so it’s the fastest and easiest way to combine presentations.

Open your main PowerPoint presentation. You can choose the largest presentation, or whichever one has formatting you want to keep.

When you insert slides, they’ll be inserted after the slide you have currently selected. Keep this in mind before inserting slides.

Go to the Home tab in the upper-left corner.

Click New Slide . A drop-down menu will open.

Newer versions of PowerPoint have a dedicated Reuse Slides button.

Select Reuse Slides , located at the bottom of the menu.

Click Browse .

Find your second PowerPoint file and click Open . The slides from your second presentation will appear in the Reuse Slides menu.

Make sure Keep source formatting is checked if you want your slides to keep their formatting. If it isn’t checked, the formatting of your main PowerPoint will be applied to the slides when you insert them.

If you want to insert individual slides, select them and click Insert Slide .

If you want to reuse all slides in the PowerPoint presentation, click Insert All . If you don't see this, right-click one slide and choose Insert All Slides .

After your slides are merged into your presentation, Save your work.

Method 2: Copy slides

If you need to combine slides from several different PowerPoint presentations, copying PowerPoint Sides is another quick method. It’s easy to choose where each batch of slides ends up in your final presentation.

Open the PowerPoint presentation with slides you want to move.

Select the slides you want to copy from the slide viewer on the left.

Right-click the selected slides and copy them.

Open your main PowerPoint presentation.

Right-click where you want your slides to be inserted. The Paste Options menu will appear.

You can also use CTRL + V to paste the slides. On Mac, use command + V . The Paste Options menu will still appear.

If you want your inserted slides to match your main PowerPoint, click Use Destination Theme on the left. This will adapt the copied slides to your main presentation.

If you want your inserted slides to maintain their theme, click Keep Source Formatting . Your slides will keep their original appearance.

After moving all of your slides, save your project.

First, combine PowerPoint presentations by copying and pasting slides into the primary presentation or using the  Reuse Slide  option. After combining slides into one merged document,  save your PowerPoint as a PDF . Go to  File  >  Save as  >  PDF  or  File  >  Save & Send  >  Create PDF/XPS Document  >  Publish .

To merge multiple locked PowerPoints, you need to know the passwords to unlock them. Once you have password access, open the PowerPoints and select  File  >  Info  >  Protect Presentation  >  Encrypt with Password  > delete the content in the  Password  field > and select  OK . Now you can reuse or copy slides into one main presentation.

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How to Combine PowerPoints: A Step-by-Step Guide

Table of Contents

If you’re in sales, customer service, or work independently, you probably use similar slides in different presentations. But redoing them every time can be a hassle. That’s why learning to merge PowerPoint slides can be super useful.

When you merge slides in PowerPoint, you can take slides from other presentations and put them into one new presentation. This helps you update content, reinforce ideas, or include important information from previous presentations.

It’s pretty easy to do. Let us show you how to merge multiple PowerPoint presentations into one.

How to Combine Powerpoints ?

Here are five ways to combine PowerPoint slides:

• Copy and Paste Slides
• Reuse PowerPoint Slides
• Use Insert Object to Merge PowerPoint Files (Limited Functionality)
• Drag and Drop Slides
• Merge with Compare Function

Method 1: Copy and Paste Slides

The easiest way to put together multiple PowerPoint slides is by copying and pasting. Here’s how you can merge two PowerPoint presentations using this method:

1. Open both presentations:  Launch Microsoft PowerPoint and open the two presentations you want to merge.

2. Navigate to the slides to copy:  In the presentation containing the slides you want to transfer, go to the slide thumbnail pane on the left side of the window.

3. Select slides:  Click on the desired slide(s) to copy. You can hold down the Ctrl key to choose multiple non-consecutive slides or Shift for consecutive slides.

4. Copy slides:  Right-click on the selected slides and choose “Copy” from the context menu. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C.

5. Navigate to the destination presentation:  Switch to the other presentation where you want to insert the copied slides.

6. Choose insertion location:  Click on the slide thumbnail where you want the copied slides to appear after. This will determine their order in the final presentation.

7. Paste slides:  Right-click on the chosen location and select “Paste” from the context menu. You can also use Ctrl+V.

8. Adjust formatting (optional):  If the pasted slides don’t match the formatting of your destination presentation, you can manually adjust them using the options in the “Home” and “Format” tabs.

Method 2: Reuse PowerPoint Slides

You can also combine PowerPoint slides using the “Reuse” option. It’s straightforward and lets you choose which slides you want to add and where you want them. Here’s how you do it:

1. Open the target presentation:  Launch PowerPoint and open the presentation where you want to include slides from another presentation.

2. Access the “Reuse Slides” pane:  Go to the “Home” tab in the ribbon. Click on the “New Slide” button and select “Reuse Slides” from the dropdown menu.

3. Browse for the source presentation:  In the “Reuse Slides” pane on the right, click on “Browse” and locate the presentation containing the slides you want to reuse. Select the file and click “Open.”

4. Choose slides to reuse:  In the “Reuse Slides” pane, you’ll see thumbnails of all slides from the source presentation. Click on the checkbox(es) next to the slides you want to include.

5. Insert the slides:  Click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the “Reuse Slides” pane. The selected slides will be inserted at the current location in your target presentation.

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Method 3: Use Insert Object to Merge PowerPoint Files

Note:  This method has limitations. It inserts the entire source presentation as an object within the target presentation. You cannot edit the content of the inserted slides directly, only their position and size.

2. Go to the “Insert” tab:  Click on the “Insert” tab in the ribbon.

3. Navigate to “Object”:  In the “Insert” tab, click on the “Object” button.

4. Select “Create from File”:  In the “Insert Object” window, choose the “Create from File” option.

5. Browse for the source presentation:  Click on “Browse” and navigate to the presentation containing the slides you want to insert. Select the file and click “Open.”

6. Insert the presentation (as an object):  Click “OK” in the “Insert Object” window. The entire source presentation will be inserted as an object on the current slide of your target presentation.

Method 4: Drag and Drop Slides

Another simple way to merge PowerPoint presentations is by dragging and dropping slides. This is handy if you’re working on different presentations or collaborating on a project. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Both Presentations:  Launch the presentations containing the slides you want to merge.

2. Arrange Side-by-Side:  Resize and position the presentation windows so you can view both presentations simultaneously.

3. Select and Drag:  In the presentation you’re copying from, click and hold the thumbnail of the desired slide in the left-side navigation pane.

4. Drop into New Location:  Drag the selected slide thumbnail and release it onto the preferred position within the other presentation’s navigation pane. The slide will be copied to the new location.

5. Repeat for Additional Slides:  Continue dragging and dropping any other slides you want to transfer between presentations.

Method 5: Merge with Compare Function

This feature helps you merge your slides while keeping the formatting consistent. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open Destination Presentation:  Open the presentation where you want to merge all the slides from another presentation.

2. Access Compare Function:  Click on the “Review” tab from the top menu bar. Locate the “Compare” button within the “Compare” section and click on it.

3. Browse for Source Presentation:  A new window will appear. Click the “Browse” button and navigate to select the presentation containing the slides you want to merge.

4. Choose Merge Option:  From the “Compare” dropdown menu, select the “Merge” option.

5. Review and Select Slides (Optional):  A new pane will appear on the right, displaying slides from both presentations. You can choose to include or exclude specific slides from the merge process using the checkboxes beside each slide.

6. Complete the Merge:  Click the “Merge” button at the bottom of the pane. This will combine all selected slides from the second presentation into the first presentation.

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Closing Thoughts

Learning to merge PowerPoint slides is a useful skill that can save you time and effort. With the different methods we covered, you can easily combine content from various presentations, keep formatting consistent, and create strong presentations that get your point across. So, the next time you’re putting together a presentation, remember that merging slides can be a valuable tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the overall look change if i put ppt slides together.

Usually, the look stays the same. But you can choose to keep the style or not when you merge them.

How can I put many locked PowerPoints into one?

To do this, you need to unlock the PowerPoints first. Then, open each one and go to File > Info > Protect Presentation > Encrypt with Password. Delete the password, click OK, and now you can mix the slides into one presentation.

Can I make one PDF from several PowerPoints?

Yes! Just copy and paste the slides from each PowerPoint into one big presentation or use the Reuse Slide option. After that, save it as a PDF by going to File > Save as > PDF or File > Save & Send > Create PDF/XPS Document > Publish .

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How to Merge PowerPoint Files into a Single File

Dominic Anderson As a content marketer by day and tech enthusiast by night (and some of the day too), I share my thoughts about new platforms and fixes for the problems I’ve encountered with the technology I use. Read more July 21, 2023

PowerPoint presentations are commonplace for many lines of work, and often times there’s a need to combine slides and files. If you need to use slides from two or more PowerPoint presentations for your school assignment or an office presentation, there are several ways to go about it. You can insert individual slides, import whole presentations, or simply merge two presentations.

We’ll cover everything you need to know about merging PowerPoint files in this article.

Reuse PowerPoint Slides

Reusing slides is the easiest way to include slides from one presentation in another presentation. With this method, you can control what slides you are adding and choose where to insert them. Here is how the reuse slides method works.

• If you want to discard the theme of your main presentation in favor of the theme in the external presentation, you should select the Apply Theme to All Slides option when selecting the slides you want to insert.

This method is great if you want to add a slide or two to your main presentation. Also, if you want to add bits and pieces from various presentations to your main presentation, this is the way to go. Though you can insert all slides from an external presentation via this method, it is better to take the Insert Object route for that.

Use Insert Object to Merge PowerPoint Files

The insert object method is your best option if you want to insert all slides from an external presentation and keep the animations and transitions between them.

Keep in mind that once you insert the slides into your new presentation, they won’t be linked to the original file. As such, any changes you make to the original file will not affect the slides you inserted into your main presentation. Conversely, if you edit the slides in your main presentation, the external file from which you copied those slides will remain unchanged.

With that out of the way, let us see how the insert object method works.

 After you have successfully inserted the entire object into your main presentation, you can adjust and tweak it to make sure it runs smoothly.

Merge PowerPoint Documents

Finally, you can opt to completely merge two PowerPoint presentations into one. Here’s how this method works:

• Once the merging is complete, you will see the Revisions pane right of the merged presentations.

• The Slide Changes portion displays the differences between the individual slides of the two presentations. Choose the settings you want to keep for the final version.

Drag and Drop PowerPoint Slides

One of the simpler ways to merge two presentations is using a drag-and-drop method. If you have two separate presentations and would like to make them into one, or if you are working on a group project, you can merge them using this function.

• Open both presentations on your PC or Mac, and make sure you minimize the PowerPoint program so that you can see both at the same time.

To make things even simpler, your final presentation will automatically update to the design of the receiving document. Of course, you can always update the design of the entire document by using the Design function at the top of your presentation.

Final Thoughts

The methods explained in this article will help you take your PowerPoint skills to the next level. You will be able to combine and merge your presentations like a pro in mere minutes. Now that you know these PowerPoint tricks, you can better spend your time elsewhere.

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How To Merge Two PowerPoint Presentations? Detailed Guide On How To Combine PowerPoints

If you work in sales, customer service, or as an independent consultant, you may need to utilize the same templates in many of your presentations. Of course, you don’t want to keep making the same slides for different presentations. That’s why you should consider learning how to combine PowerPoints slides.

That’s where merging slides in PowerPoint comes in handy when creating presentations from previously generated slideshows. In your current presentation, you can reuse slides from prior presentations to modify content, strengthen concepts, debunk ideas, or reference facts.

It’s all quite simple. Allow us to demonstrate how to combine multiple powerpoints into one.

How To Merge PowerPoints?

Consider the following five approaches and their associated stages to know how to combine powerpoints:

• Copy and Paste slides
• Reuse PowerPoint Slides
• Use Insert Object to Merge PowerPoint Files
• Drag and Drop PowerPoint Slides
• Merge with Compare Function

1. Copy and Paste Slides

The easiest option to combine multiple slides is the copy-and-paste option. Follow the below steps to learn how to merge two PowerPoint presentations:

• Open both the slides that you want to combine.
• Right-click on a slide and select “copy.” You can also copy it by using the Ctrl+C command.
• Now, open the slide on which you want to combine this slide.
• Choose a location in between your slides where you want to add the slide. You can do this from the left-side navigation pane. 
• Right-click and choose “Paste”. Or you can use the “Ctrl+V” command. You can select “Use Destination Theme” or “Keep Source Formatting” to meet your needs.
• Repeat this step for multiple slides.

2. Reuse PowerPoint Slides

Let’s learn how to combine powerpoints using the Reuse option. Reusing slides is the simplest technique for incorporating slides from one presentation into another. This strategy allows you to manage what slides you add and where you place them. The reuse slides approach appears in this example. Follow the below steps to understand how to merge powerpoints:

• Open PowerPoint, then open the document to which you wish to add slides.
• Select where you wish to add a slide or slides. Then, click between two existing slides.
• In the ‘Main Menu,’ click the ‘Insert’ tab.
• Then, on the left side of the menu, click the ‘New Slide’ option.
• Then choose ‘Reuse Slides.’
• Click the ‘Browse’ button to access the ‘Reuse Slides’ dialog box. If you click the option next to ‘Keep source formatting,’ the newly added slides will keep their original formatting. When you uncheck the box, their formatting will match the main presentation.
• Insert your slide here. Browse the presentations, choose the one from which you wish to add the slides, and then click ‘Open.’
• You will see the thumbnails of the available slides. Browse and pick the ones you want to include in your main document. You can import all slides from the external presentation by clicking ‘Insert All Slides.’
• When choosing the slides to include, click the ‘Apply Theme to All Slides’ option to replace the theme of the primary presentation with that of the secondary presentation.

This strategy is perfect if you want to merge ppt slides. Use it for adding a slide or two to your PowerPoint presentation. It is also the best approach for including bits and pieces from other presentations in your primary presentation. Although you can use this approach to insert all slides from an external presentation, using the ‘Insert Object’ option is preferable.

3. how to combine powerpoints using Insert Object Methods?

The insert object method is best if you wish to insert all slides from an external presentation while keeping the animations and transitions between them.

Remember that after you include the slides in your new presentation, they will no longer be connected to the original file. As a result, any modifications you make to the original file will not affect the slides you include in your primary presentation.

Now that we’ve addressed that let’s examine how to merge powerpoints using the insert object technique. Follow the below steps to learn how to combine multiple powerpoints into one:

• Open MS PowerPoint and the main presentation.
• Go to the slide where you want to add another slide
• In the Main Menu, choose the ‘Insert’ tab.
• In the “Text” group, Select the ‘Object’ option.
• The ‘Insert Object’ dialog box will appear. Choose the ‘Create from file’ option there.
• Click “Browse” and select the slide you want to add.
• Following that, you will only view the first slide of the imported presentation. The remaining slides are below, though you can’t see them now.
• To prevent changes in the size of the slides after the presentation is played, stretch the added object to suit the size of the slide of your main presentation. After inserting the complete item into your main presentation, you can alter and tweak it to ensure its good performance.

4. Drag And Drop PowerPoint Slides

Let’s understand how to combine powerpoints using the drag & drop method. A drag-and-drop approach is one of the simplest methods of integrating two presentations. This feature is useful if you have two different presentations that you want to combine with PowerPoint or are working on a collective project. Follow the below steps to learn how to combine two powerpoints into one:

• Open both presentations on your PC or Mac, and minimize the PowerPoint software so that you can view both simultaneously.
• Long-press the slide you want to relocate and drag it to its new location with your mouse. You should do this for each slide; luckily, you can select all of them by clicking on the first slide, holding down the ‘Shift’ key, and then clicking on the final slide.
• The slide’s position will be highlighted with a red line. Your final presentation will be updated to match the design of the receiving document. Of course, you can always change the document’s overall look by clicking the ‘Design’ button at the top of your presentation.

5. how to combine powerpoints with compare function

This compare function combines your multiple slides with uniform formatting. Follow the below steps to learn how to merge PowerPoint presentations:

• Open the presentation in which you want to add another slide.
• Select the “Review” Tab from the Top Menu.
• Click on the “Compare” function.
• Browse the presentation you want to combine and select “Merge.” It will combine all the slides from both presentations.

It’s great to learn how to combine powerpoints into one slide to increase the usability of slides and save time in creating new slides from scratch. The techniques described in this blog will assist you in taking your PowerPoint abilities to the next level. In minutes, you can combine and merge PowerPoint presentations like an expert.

Does the formatting change if I combine ppt slides?

The formatting isn’t usually affected. However, you can choose to keep formatting or not while merging.

What are some tips for effectively merging slides?

Organize your slides beforehand, ensure consistent formatting and styling across all slides, remove duplicate content, and thoroughly review the merged presentation to ensure accuracy and coherence.

Is there a limit to the number of presentations I can merge?

Usually, there is no limit to the number of presentations to merge.

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How can I merge multiple PowerPoint presentations into one?

Combining multiple PowerPoint presentations into one can be a straightforward process if you follow the correct steps. Here’s a detailed guide to help you accomplish this task:

Step 1: Open your main PowerPoint presentation

Start by launching PowerPoint and opening the presentation that you want to add other presentations into. This will serve as your main presentation.

Step 2: Navigate to the slide where you want to insert another presentation

Scroll through your main presentation and stop at the slide after which you’d like to insert another presentation.

Step 3: Import other presentations

Select “New Slide” from the “Home” tab, then click on “Reuse Slides” from the drop-down menu. In the “Reuse Slides” panel that opens on the right side of the window, click on “Browse,” then select “Browse File.” Locate and select the PowerPoint presentation you wish to merge. Check the box that says “Keep source formatting” if you want to maintain the formatting of the original slides.

Step 4: Insert all slides

Click on “Insert All Slides” to add all slides from the selected presentation to your main presentation. Alternatively, you can click on individual slides in the “Reuse Slides” panel to add them one by one.

Step 5: Repeat for all presentations

Repeat Steps 2 to 4 for each PowerPoint presentation you wish to merge into your main presentation.

Step 6: Save your combined presentation

Once you’ve imported all the slides you want, click on “File,” then “Save As” to save your newly combined presentation.

Please note that this guide is intended for PowerPoint 2016 and later. If you’re using an older version of PowerPoint, the steps may vary slightly.

At SlideGenius, we understand that merging PowerPoint presentations can sometimes be complex, especially when dealing with a large number of slides or presentations. If you need professional assistance with your PowerPoint needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our team of PowerPoint experts is ready to help streamline your presentation process and deliver effective, visually stunning presentations.

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How to combine and merge PowerPoint-presentations

In my work as an AV-technician on conference and events, I receive Powerpoint presentations from speakers that represents different companies. My job is to make sure that these are displayed on the projector/screen at the right moment exactly as they were made. To simplify this task, we made Auto Presentation Switcher (APS) which lets you open and display new presentations using keyboard-shortcuts and network-commands. But you may ask, isn’t this something that can be done from within PowerPoint? How can we merge and switch PowerPoint presentations without using third-party software?

And yes, as it turns out, Powerpoint has methods for combining slides and linking presentations. Today we will show different ways to work with multiple PowerPoint presentations for live events, and focus on 3 methods:

• Paste and reuse slides
• Switch presentations with APS
• Use hyperlinks

After reading this blogpost, you should be a master of combining and merging PowerPoint-presentations. This can solve a lot of problems if you work as an event-producer or AV-technician on live events.

1. Paste and reuse Powerpoint slides

Some event-organizers want to have all the slides from the different speakers in one master-presentation. Then they can control everything from one presentation-clicker, and never exit the presentation during the show.

To create this presentation, you can paste the slides you need into one master-presentation. Or you can use the Reuse Slides method, which is an option in Powerpoint to import multiple slides. When pasting and reusing slides, there is one pitfall that you should be aware of, which can easily be overlooked: By default, if you bring slides from one presentation into another, PowerPoint can automatically make those slides look like the new presentation, by applying the destination theme to them. If you want the pasted slides to look identical to the original, you need to apply the option “Keep Source Formatting”

Pasting and reusing slides on Mac

This video shows how to paste slides and keep source formatting when using Mac:

There is an easier way to import multiple slides: using the “Reuse Slides” method. However, when I tested this for Mac, I couldn’t find a way to keep the source formatting. Notice in the video below that the popup-square for the theme-options doesn’t appear after reusing the slides. So, unless I did something fundamentally wrong here, the “reuse slides” method on Mac can´t be used in my workflow. The reused slides wont be identical to the originals.

Paste and reuse slides on PC

It seems that these things work better on Windows: When I paste slides, the formatting-options appear as an option before the slide is inserted, making it harder to miss: 

And when re-using slides, the “keep original formatting” is chosen as the default option: 

This is one example where the PC version of PowerPoint is more developed than the Mac counterpart. If your workflow relies heavily on combining slides from different presentations, I recommend using the Windows version.

2. Use APS to switch between different PowerPoint presentations

The method of pasting and reusing slides takes time, and it’s easy to screw up the formatting. And, if the presentations have different aspect-ratio of let’s say 16:9 and 4:3, then combining the slides becomes more difficult. For these reasons, I think its a good idea to have alternative solutions for working with multiple Powerpoint presentations. One of the reasons we made APS was to solve this problem of quickly and seamlessly displaying content from different presentations. With APS, you don’t need to edit the presentations at all, instead you get shortcuts and network-commands to open and display new presentations. And with the seamless switching method , the audience wont notice the switch: The transitions will look the same as if you progress to the next slide.

3. Link PowerPoint presentations with internal hyperlinks

If you don’t want to use a third-party program like APS to switch presentations, you can try the internal solution presented by Powerpoint: Hyperlinks. This lets you create buttons in a slide that jumps to another presentation. This video shows how it’s done: 

The Hyperlink-button switches seamlessly to the next presentation. When pushing “escape”, you go back to the presentation with the hyperlink. I recently had a discussion on Reddit where the user u/SteveRindsberg explained how he used Hyperlinks to display different Powerpoint presentations: He has one presentation which only consists of one slide with hyperlinks to all the other speaker-presentations. The hyperlink-slide acts as a remote control. To exit the speaker-presentations and return to the hyperlink-slide, he push “escape”. In this setup, the presentation with the hyperlink is always in slideshow-mode but hidden behind the speaker-presentations started from the hyperlink. I think this is a sound method, and a viable alternative to APS. However, in my biased opinion, being the founder of APS, I do want to point out some advantages of using APS compared to using hyperlinks:

• Easier preparation. With APS you just need to sort the presentations in a folder. Creating a master-slide with the hyperlinks can be more intimidating if you don’t know Powerpoint very well.
• You get more ways to trigger the command to switch presentations. The commands can be controlled from Companion and Stream Deck, making APS compatible with professional A/V networks. With Hyperlinks you can only start the presentations by pushing the links with the mouse
• Switching presentations with APS are seamless, whereas with the Hyperlink-method there is no way to avoid displaying the slide with all the hyperlinks. Arguably, you can use a video-switcher to smooth out the transitions, but with APS these things are taken care of within the computer.

Summary: The best way to combine and merge Powerpoint presentations for professional live A/V

In this blogtext we have shown different ways you can merge slides and switch presentations, and if you are a professional A/V technician working with presentations, I think its useful to know all of them:

• Pasting and reusing slides can be a good solution if you have time to prepare this, and the organizer wants to have all the slides in one presentation
• APS works great to quickly and seamlessly switch between different presentations with a minimum of preparation
• Hyperlinks works well if you are experienced with Powerpoint, you like to have a page with links to all your presentations, and you don’t need the seamless transitions between the presentations.

As always, bring different tools to your arsenal, and be prepared for any request the client might have. But before we finish this text I want to repeat one thing: If you decide to paste slides or reuse slides, remember to turn on the setting for Keep Source Formatting. Otherwise the speakers can be in for a surprise when they see the presentation on the projector. 

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Delete Slides PPT

Quickly remove unwanted slides from your presentation

Combining PowerPoints from different sources is a common task in modern workplaces. However, merging presentations can be time-consuming and complex, often risking your carefully crafted designs. Our innovative online tool solves this challenge. It helps you merge PowerPoint files quickly and securely, while maintaining your original formatting; all within your web browser – no software installation required.

Introducing Our Free PowerPoint Merger Tool

Our PPT merger is a powerful, free online tool that can merge PowerPoints quickly and easily. It works right in your web browser, processing files locally on your device. This means it’s fast, secure, and efficient, unlike many other online options.

Key Features:

• 100% Free: No hidden costs or premium versions
• Local processing: No need to upload files to external servers
• One-click merging: Instantly combines your PowerPoint files
• Secure: Your files never leave your device
• Efficient: Ability to merge PowerPoint files in one go
• No file size limits: Combine even your largest presentations
• Format maintenance: Keeps original slide layouts and designs intact
• Multi-device access: Use on your computer, tablet, or smartphone

Key Takeaway: Our free online PPT merger offers local processing on any device, ensuring fast, secure, and efficient combination of your PowerPoint files.

Why Choose Our PowerPoint Merger?

When it comes to merging PowerPoints, our tool stands out from the crowd:

Benefits of Our Online Merger Tool:

• Streamline Presentations: Easily combine multiple PowerPoints into one cohesive presentation
• Save Time: Quickly merge files without the need to manually copy and paste slides
• Preserve Formatting: Maintain the original layout and design of each presentation during merging
• Collaborate Efficiently: Combine work from multiple team members into a single file
• Organize Content: Arrange slides from different presentations in your preferred order
• Reduce File Clutter: Consolidate related presentations into one comprehensive file

Key Takeaway: Our free, local PowerPoint merger offers a faster, more secure, and more efficient way to merge PowerPoint files compared to online alternatives.

How to Merge PowerPoint Presentations Using Our Tool?

Follow these simple steps to combine PowerPoint files:

• Upload Files: Drag and drop or choose the PowerPoint files you want to merge
• Set Order: Arrange the files in the desired order
• Click Merge files: Our tool immediately begins processing
• Download: Once complete, download your merged PowerPoint file

Pro Tip: Before merging, ensure all presentations have a consistent theme or design for a more cohesive final product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Try our free online PowerPoint merger today and experience effortless file combination that maintains your original formatting. Whether you need to merge PowerPoint files for a big presentation or combine PowerPoints from your team, our tool makes it simple, secure, and visually consistent – all from the convenience of your web browser.