So you’ve created an amazing PowerPoint presentation, and now you want to be able to hand out the document to others.
If you wish to give your viewers a physical copy of your presentation, follow the instructions below to learn how to convert a Microsoft 365 PowerPoint presentation into a Word document.
In this article, we’re going to discuss how to convert a PowerPoint to Word document using nothing but the software that is already on your computer.
While there are web tools to help accomplish this conversion, we’re not going to discuss those in this article. Rather, I’m going to explain how you can accomplish this task with minimal frustration!
How to convert PowerPoint to Word
To convert a PowerPoint presentation or PPT to a Word document on both Windows and Mac, follow these steps:
- Launch PowerPoint and open the file you want to convert.
- Access Export options. For Windows, click the File tab, select Export, then choose Create Handouts. For Mac, click the File menu, select Export, and choose Rich Text Format (.rtf) as the file format.
- Select page layout (Windows only). In the "Send to Microsoft Word" dialog box, select a layout (e.g., Notes next to slides). Select Paste or Paste Link to link slides, then click OK.
- Open the file in Word. For Windows, a new Word document with your slides will open automatically. For Mac, locate the exported RTF file, open it in Word, and save it as a Word document (.docx) by clicking File > Save As.
- Review the Word document for formatting accuracy and save it as needed.
Convert PowerPoint to Word on Windows computer
The following instructions apply only to Windows devices.
1 . Create or download your presentation
The first step to converting a PowerPoint to a Word document is having the presentation downloaded and open on your computer. If you’re not done with your presentation just yet, open that back up and get to work!x
If the presentation was sent to you by someone else, make sure you open it up and download it to your device before you proceed.
2. Export the file
In the top left-hand corner of the PowerPoint window, you’ll see where it says “File.” Click on this.
Scroll down and select where it says “Export.”
3. Create handouts
Once you choose to export the file, it’ll give you the option of deciding how you want it to be formatted. You’ll want to select “create handouts,” which will add all slides to a Word document.
You can format the Word document to be one slide per page, two slides per page, six slides per page, etc. How you format the document will depend on the resources you have (ie, ink and paper) and what you think your viewers would prefer.
4. Format handout
From here, you’ll decide how you want to format the handout: notes next to slide, notes beside slide, no notes at all, etc.
Once you’re done deciding on those features, press “ok” and your work is done. The presentation will automatically open up in Word, and you can see if everything transferred over as you wish.
Convert PowerPoint to Word document on a Mac
The following instructions apply to anyone using a Mac device.
1. Create or download your presentation
The first step to converting a PowerPoint to a Word document is having the presentation downloaded and open on your computer. If you’re not done with your presentation just yet, open that back up and get to work!
If the presentation was sent to you by someone else, make sure you open it up and download it to your device before you proceed.
2. Export the file
On a Mac, the “file” button will be part of the computer’s top menu as opposed to being displayed in the PowerPoint window. Go up top, click “file,” and then click “export.”
3. Export as a rich text file
Once you hit “Export,” a window will pop up. In this window, give your document a name. In the box which says “File Format,” select “Rich Text Format.”
Select “Export,” which will save the document as a .rtf file.
4. Open the document in Word
Next, you’ll open up Word on your computer and choose to open an existing file. Search for the name you just exported your PowerPoint as, and click “open.”
This will open the file in Word, at which point you can click through and edit, re-format, and reorganize all pages.
It is worth noting that not all images will transfer over, so you may still have some work to do on the Word side of things.
Get ready to present
By converting your PowerPoint to a Word document, you’re making the presentation more accessible for those who are visually impaired or have other difficulties. Now that you know how to do it, anyone can be apart of your powerful presentations.