How to combine PowerPoints

Do you have slides in one PowerPoint presentation that you’d like to use in another? Or maybe you have separate PowerPoint files that you’d like to merge into one.

We’ll walk you through six methods for combining PowerPoint presentations. Depending on whether you want to simply reuse slides from different PowerPoints or transform multiple slideshows into a single presentation, there’s an option here for you.

Method 1: Reuse slides

This first method works well if you want to reuse certain slides from another PowerPoint presentation. You can pick and choose the slides you want and then edit them for the current slideshow as needed.

1. Open the presentation that you want to add the slides to and go to the Home tab.
2. Select Reuse Slides or open the New Slide menu and pick Reuse Slides.

3. In the Search sidebar that displays, either choose the presentation or use Browse files from your machine to locate it.

4. When the slides for the presentation appear, optionally check the box near the top for Use Source Formatting to keep the slides you insert exactly as they are.
5. Then, select each slide you want to insert or use the Insert All button at the top for all of them.

You should see the slides you pick pop into the current presentation. From there, you can rearrange or edit them independently of the originating slideshow.

Method 2: Copy and paste slides

If you want to insert slides from multiple different PowerPoint presentations, you may want to use the quick copy and paste method. This allows you to copy the slide(s) you want from other slideshows and paste them into the current one with or without the source formatting.

1. Open the presentation that you want to add the slides to along with the slideshows you want to copy the slides from.
2. Right-click a slide you want to add to the other presentation and pick Copy.

3. Right-click a spot in the current presentation’s Thumbnails section on the left.
4. Move to Paste Options and pick either Use Destination Theme or Keep Source Formatting per your preference.

Continue this process to copy additional slides from the same presentation or other slideshows you have open.

Method 3: Drag and drop slides

Similar to the copy and paste method above, you can also use drag-and-drop to combine PowerPoint slideshows. This is a fast way to go if you want to reuse slides with the source formatting and have the presentations handy.

1. Open the presentation that you want to add the slides to along with the slideshows you want to drag the slides from. It’s easiest if you place the presentations side-by-side on your screen.
2. Drag a slide from the Thumbnails section of one presentation to the same section in another presentation.

This copies and pastes the slide with the source formatting by default.

Method 4: Insert a slide object

Different from combining PowerPoints by reusing, copying, or dragging slides is the option to insert another presentation as a slide object. With this method, you can open the second slideshow while you’re presenting the first.

1. Select a slide where you want to add the object and go to the Insert tab.
2. Choose Object in the Text section of the ribbon.

3. In the pop-up window, mark Create from file on the left and then use the Browse button to locate the presentation.
4. By default, the object displays as a picture, but you can display it as an icon or link using one of those checkboxes instead.
5. Click OK to add the object to the slide.

You can then open the object by clicking it on the slide during your presentation.

Method 5: Merge presentations

If you want to combine two versions of a PowerPoint presentation, this is another option. You can compare the differences between the two, merge them into one presentation, and save it.

1. Open one of the slideshows, go to the Review tab, and choose Compare.

2. Browse for and select the second presentation. Then, click Merge.

3. When the sidebar opens, do one or both of the following:some text
   • To view the changes, open the Details tab, select the change, and you’ll see the information on the slide.

• To accept the change, open the Slides tab, select the change, and you’ll see the slide update.

4. Continue this process for each slide or use the arrow to the right of any change to pick Accept All Changes by this Reviewer.
5. When you finish reviewing and accepting the changes you want, select Compare > End Review and save the combined presentation using the File menu.

Tip: Need a smaller file size to send or share? Look at how to compress a PowerPoint presentation.

Method 6: Use an online merge tool

One more method for combining PowerPoints worth mentioning is the use of an online merge tool. You can find a few good options if you search the web, but one that works well is GroupDocs.

1. To use this tool, visit the GroupDocs PowerPoint Merger.
2. Either drag and drop or choose the PowerPoint files you want to combine.
3. Optionally rearrange the files by dragging them and click Merge Now when you’re ready.

4. When the process completes, click Download Now to obtain the merged PowerPoint file.

Insert slides with Plus AI for PowerPoint

Once you create a PowerPoint presentation, you may want to add more slides as you gather additional information. Using Plus AI for PowerPoint, you can insert slides with your own content or automatically generated text and then choose a layout to match your theme or something completely different. This flexibility is what makes Plus AI the ideal PowerPoint companion.

Along with inserting new slides, you can remix the current ones for a different appearance and rewrite content to add more detail. Visit the Plus AI website to see the entire feature set and to start your free trial.

Conclusion

You may want to combine PowerPoint presentations to save time, merge ideas, or blend two slideshows for a different audience. These methods should help you accomplish exactly what you need.

For adding more slides, updating content, or trying out new layouts, remember that Plus AI works with both PowerPoint and Google Slides giving you flexible features and useful tools no matter where you use it.

FAQs

How do I view PowerPoint history?

To see previous versions of your PowerPoint slideshow, click the arrow next to its name in the title bar and pick Version History. When the sidebar opens, you’ll see each version by date, time, and modifier. Choose one to open it.

Can you link PowerPoints together?

You can create a hyperlink to a PowerPoint presentation using text, an image, or other slide element. Select the item you want to link and go to Insert > Link > Insert Link. Pick Existing Files or Web Page on the left, use the options to the right to locate and select the file, and click OK to insert a link to it.

How do I make another copy of a PowerPoint presentation?

To create a copy of an open PowerPoint presentation, go to File > Save a Copy. Choose a location, optionally adjust the file name, and click Save.

To create a copy of a closed presentation, open the containing folder, right-click the file, and pick Copy. Go to the location where you want to save the copy, right-click, and pick Paste.