Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program used to create slide shows that combine text, images, charts and other media. A presentation is built as a sequence of slides, each typically holding a few key points or a visual, which a presenter displays in order to support a talk, lecture or report. Because the content is shown one slide at a time, PowerPoint helps structure information into clear, digestible steps for an audience.

Each slide is assembled from objects placed on a layout, such as title boxes, bulleted lists, pictures and diagrams. Slide layouts and design themes keep formatting consistent across a presentation, so colours, fonts and spacing match from one slide to the next. Authors can adjust these elements individually or apply a single theme to the whole file, which speeds up the creation of a coherent-looking set of slides.

PowerPoint also offers transitions, which are visual effects between slides, and animations, which control how individual objects appear or move on a slide. Used carefully, these can direct attention and reveal points one at a time, though plain, readable slides are usually more effective than heavy effects. A finished presentation can be shown directly from the program, exported, or printed as handouts, making it a common tool for multimedia presentations in education and business.

Frequently asked questions

What is a slide layout?

A layout is a predefined arrangement of placeholders, such as a title and content area, that keeps the position and style of elements consistent across slides.

What is the difference between a transition and an animation?

A transition is an effect that plays when moving from one slide to the next, while an animation controls how an individual object appears or moves on a single slide.

Why use a design theme?

A theme applies consistent colours, fonts and spacing across all slides at once, giving the presentation a unified appearance without formatting each slide by hand.