Interface in PowerPoint 365 for Windows

Here's a quick walkthrough of the PowerPoint 365 for Windows interface. You will notice that the PowerPoint 365 interface is quite similar to the one in PowerPoint 2019 for Windows.

PowerPoint 365 for Windows opens with Backstage view, as shown in Figure 1. This view provides several ways to create your next presentation using a template or Theme. You can even open an existing file. Once you make choices in this view, you see the actual PowerPoint interface.

Figure 1: PowerPoint 365 for Windows Backstage view

Figure 2 shows a screenshot of the PowerPoint 365 for Windows interface, each part of the interface is explained later in this page.

Figure 2: PowerPoint 365 for Windows interface

A. File Menu and Backstage View

When you click the File menu, you see the Backstage view that contains all the creation, save, share, and print options for your presentations, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: File Menu leads to the Backstage View

B. Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)

The QAT is a customizable toolbar placed by default above the Ribbon. Here, you can add icons for your often used commands. The QAT can also be placed below the Ribbon.

C. Ribbon

The Ribbon has tabs which in turn contain groups of buttons for various options, some groups also contain galleries (for example galleries for Themes and Theme Colors).

D. Slides Pane

Located on the left side of the interface, the Slides Pane shows thumbnails of all the slides in the open presentation.

E. Slide Area

Displays the active slide. To learn more, visit our Slide Area in PowerPoint page.

F. Task Pane

The Task Pane contains more options and appears when you choose an option in one of the Ribbon tabs. For example, if you click the Format Background button within the Design tab of the Ribbon, the Format Background Task Pane opens (refer to Figure 1, shown earlier on this page).

G. Status Bar

The Status Bar is a horizontal strip that provides information about the opened presentation like slide number, applied Theme, etc. It also includes the view and zoom options.

H. Notes Pane

The Notes Pane is located right below the active slide. This is where the speaker notes are written for the current slide. Note that none of this content is visible on the actual slide while presenting, although it is visible in both Notes Page view and Presenter view.

I. View Buttons

Essentially there are three view buttons on the Status Bar displayed towards the left of the zoom-in and zoom-out options:

Normal

If you are in some other view such as Slide Sorter view, click the Normal button on the Status Bar to switch to Normal view. Shift + clicking this button gets you to Slide Master view.

Slide Sorter

Click this button to switch from any other view to Slide Sorter view. The Slide Sorter view displays zoom-able thumbnails of every slide in the open presentation. Shift + clicking this button gets you to Handout Master view.

Reading View

Click this button to switch from any other view to Reading view.

Slide Show

Show the presentation as a full-screen slide show from the currently selected slide. Shift + clicking this button brings up the Set Up Show dialog box.

J. Mini Toolbar

This toolbar is not shown in Figure 3, shown earlier on this page; it's a semitransparent floating toolbar that spawns right next to selected text. Hover the cursor upon it, and you can see the Mini Toolbar, as shown in Figure 4. And, it is also available instantly with a right-click.

Figure 4: Mini Toolbar