Besides text edits on individual slides, you may also need to make more global changes, including adding, deleting, or moving slides within a presentation. Each of these tasks is easiest to accomplish using the slide thumbnail view. The steps for these are outlined below.

Add a Slide

1. To add a slide, simply click between two existing slides where you wish to insert a new blank slide.
2. Add a slide using the New Slide dropdown display in the Slides group of the ribbon.

The New Slide dropdown display will show you various slide layouts you may want to use.

The layout name gives you a basic idea of when to use what format. For example, you can use the Comparison slide if you wish to present two images side-by-side for direct comparison. There is space above each comparison box to provide a descriptive title, such as “Before editing” and “After editing.”

Don’t worry; it is very easy to change the slide layout if you decide you want a different one later. Note that when you add a slide, the new slide becomes the active slide in the main window.

You can also add slides using the the New slide dropdown menu in the Insert tab.

 Delete a Slide

1. To delete a slide, click on the thumbnail image of the slide you wish to delete in the thumbnail view.
2. Then use either the Backspace or Delete button on your keyboard to remove that slide. Compare the two screenshots below. In the first there are four slides visible in the thumbnail. Slide 2 is selected and deleted, so you do not see it in the second screenshot.

Note that when you delete a slide, the next slide in the presentation becomes the active slide in the main window.

Move a Slide

1. To move a slide, click on the slide you wish to move in the slide thumbnail view.
2. Drag that slide to a new position in the slide thumbnail view.

Compare the screenshots below. Slides #2 and #3 have been switched.

Note that the slide you move remains the active slide in the main window.