Combine PowerPoint Files Quickly

Learn how to combine multiple PowerPoints into one presentation with these time-saving techniques.

Combining PPTs gives you the best of several presentations.

Ever find yourself working with many slide decks at once? Chances are, you may want to use content from one slide deck in another presentation. But you don’t want to recreate your work. That’s why it helps to learn how to combine multiple PowerPoints into one.

Believe it or not, there are a variety of ways to combine PPT files. Some help you keep your slide styles separate, while other methods merge styles. You will learn all these combining PPT techniques in this tutorial!

We also have a helpful complement to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. Grab it now before you read on.

Quickstart Video on Combining PowerPoints

If you want to learn how to merge PowerPoints with a screencast, we’ve got you covered. The video below covers how to combine PPT files in a variety of ways. You’ll learn that combining PPT files saves you time and avoids re-work.

If you’d prefer to learn how to combine multiple PowerPoints into one through a written guide, read on. You’ll see how to combine PPT files using other methods below.

Methods to Combine PPT Presentation Files

Microsoft PowerPoint offers several ways to merge slides from multiple decks into one. This saves time and effort, allowing you to be creative without getting lost in the details. It lets you share content from across your presentation library.

Keep in mind the goal of combining PowerPoint files: you’re trying to save time by avoiding building slides from scratch. When you merge PowerPoint decks, you can use slides you already have to craft brand-new presentations. It’s a powerful way to pull in content from various sources to build a winning slide deck.

Let’s dive in and learn how to merge PowerPoints quickly. To illustrate this, we’ll use the premium Aura PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements. With two presentations built using the template, we’ll explore various ways to combine them into one.

Method 1: Copy and Paste Slides

One of the simplest ways to combine PPT slide decks is to copy and paste slides from one presentation to another.

To get started, open both presentations in PowerPoint. If possible, it’s beneficial to use two displays to streamline the merging process.

Navigate to the PowerPoint deck from which you want to paste slides. In the slide preview sidebar on the left, click on the first slide that you want to copy.

You have three options as you learn how to combine PowerPoints:

1. To copy a single slide: Right-click and choose Copy.
2. To copy several slides in a row: Click on the first slide thumbnail, hold down Shift, and select the last slide you want to copy. Right-click and choose Copy.
3. To copy non-adjacent slides: Click on the first thumbnail, hold down Control, and select other thumbnails. Right-click and choose Copy when done.

After selecting the slides, open the destination PPT deck. Navigate to the sidebar with the slide previews and scroll to where you want to insert the selected slides.

Click into the space between the thumbnails for the slides where you want to paste. An orange line will appear, indicating your selection. Right-click here, and choose from the first two key options in the Paste Options group:

1. Use Destination Theme: This option converts the slides you’re pasting to match the theme of your destination presentation.
2. Keep Source Formatting: This pastes slides into the deck while maintaining their original appearance.

Both options are great; however, I prefer Use Destination Theme for consistency.

Note: The third option (Keep Text Only) pastes the slide as a picture, which loses all editability. It’s best to skip this option.

Once pasted, scroll through the slides to ensure their layouts converted correctly. You may need to rearrange some slides for optimal content placement.

Copying and pasting slides offers several key advantages, including the ability to be selective about what gets merged into your new slide deck.

Method 2: Use the Reuse Slides Menu

The Reuse Slides menu in PowerPoint allows you to merge PPT presentation decks quickly without needing to open another file. Start by ensuring you’re working in the presentation where you want to add slides.

Select a position for new slides in the sidebar, for example, between slides 8 and 9.

Now, navigate to the Home tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon. Click on the New Slide dropdown arrow.

In the dropdown, choose Reuse Slides. This opens the Reuse Slides sidebar menu on the right. Click on Browse, navigate to the stored PPT file on your computer, select it, and choose Open.

You will see thumbnail previews of each slide in the other deck. To add them into your combined PPT, simply click on the thumbnails of the slides you want. By default, their formatting will merge to match your new design. If you prefer to keep the original formatting, check the Keep Source Formatting box at the bottom of the sidebar menu.

This is how to combine PowerPoints using the Reuse Slides feature—an efficient choice for 2023 and beyond.

Method 3: Compare and Combine Presentations

Another way to merge PowerPoint decks is through the Compare and Combine feature. This powerful tool enables you to merge two presentations while highlighting the differences between the original presentations.

To use Compare and Combine, open the presentation into which you want to merge slides. Find the Review tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon. In the Compare group, click on the Compare button.

When you click Compare, a browser will open to select the PPT deck to merge with your current presentation. After selecting the file, PowerPoint merges the two presentations and opens a new sidebar labeled Revisions.

This sidebar displays any changes made during the merge process, grouped into Slide Changes and Presentation Changes.

You can review these changes, clicking Accept on the ribbon to approve changes, or reject them as necessary. When you’re finished, choose End Review to finalize the merge.

Conclusion

In summary, combining PowerPoint presentations is a valuable skill that can save you time and enhance your workflow. By using methods like copy and paste, the Reuse Slides menu, and the Compare and Combine feature, you can easily create cohesive presentations without starting from scratch.

Explore the flexibility of combining presentations and maximize your productivity in PowerPoint!