New Presentations

Learning Objectives

  • Create and save a new presentation.

When you open PowerPoint, some versions of PowerPoint may take you straight to a new blank presentation. Newer versions such as PowerPoint 2016 will take you to a menu called the backstage view to choose to open a new blank presentation or open a new presentation from a template.

The backstage view of a Microsoft Powerpoint.

Note that the backstage view on a Macintosh computer is a little different.

The backstage view of Microsoft Powerpoint from a Mac user.

To open a blank presentation, double-click the blank presentation option. You can also choose to select a theme for a new presentation, but remember: themes can be changed at any time.

A blank Microsoft Powerpoint is open.

If you already have a file open in PowerPoint, you can create a new presentation by clicking File>New. You can also use the shortcut Ctrl+N (Command+N for Mac).

Once you have a new presentation open, you save it the same way you would a Word or an Excel file. Refer to the Word lesson if you need a refresher.

Practice Question

Practice Question