How to Merge PowerPoints

It’s easy to merge your PowerPoint presentations

By
Sandra Stafford
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Sandra Stafford
Writer
  • Fayetteville State University
Sandra Stafford is a writer who specializes in tech and writes about all sorts of gadgets—tactical flashlights, blue light-blocking glasses, therapy lamps and more.
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Published on December 10, 2021
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
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Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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What to Know

  • In your primary PowerPoint: Home > New Slide > Reuse Slides > Browse.
  • In your secondary PowerPoint: Open. Right-click individual slides and choose Insert Slide, or select Insert All Slides.

This article explains how to combine two or more PowerPoint presentations into one presentation. Whether you’re using Mac or PC versions of PowerPoint, it’s easy to combine PowerPoint presentations.

Method 1: Reuse Slides

Microsoft PowerPoint provides the option to Reuse Slides. This method doesn’t require you to open all of your PowerPoint presentations, so it’s the fastest and easiest way to combine presentations.

  1. Open your main PowerPoint presentation. You can choose the largest presentation, or whichever one has formatting you want to keep.

    When you insert slides, they’ll be inserted after the slide you have currently selected. Keep this in mind before inserting slides.

  2. Go to the Home tab in the upper-left corner.

    The Home tab in Microsoft PowerPoint.

  3. Click New Slide. A drop-down menu will open.

    Newer versions of PowerPoint have a dedicated Reuse Slides button.

    The New Slide drop-down menu in PowerPoint.

  4. Select Reuse Slides, located at the bottom of the menu.

    The Reuse Slides option from the New Slide drop-down menu in PowerPoint.

  5. Click Browse.

    The Browse button highlighted in PowerPoint.

  6. Find your second PowerPoint file and click Open. The slides from your second presentation will appear in the Reuse Slides menu.

    The Reuse Slides panel highlighted in PowerPoint.

  7. Make sure Keep source formatting is checked if you want your slides to keep their formatting. If it isn’t checked, the formatting of your main PowerPoint will be applied to the slides when you insert them.

    Use Source Formatting highlighted in PowerPoint.

  8. If you want to insert individual slides, select them and click Insert Slide.

    Insert slide highlighted in PowerPoint.

  9. If you want to reuse all slides in the PowerPoint presentation, click Insert All. If you don't see this, right-click one slide and choose Insert All Slides.

    Insert All highlighted in PowerPoint.

  10. After your slides are merged into your presentation, Save your work.

    The Save options in PowerPoint.

Method 2: Copy slides

If you need to combine slides from several different PowerPoint presentations, copying PowerPoint Sides is another quick method. It’s easy to choose where each batch of slides ends up in your final presentation.

  1. Open the PowerPoint presentation with slides you want to move.

  2. Select the slides you want to copy from the slide viewer on the left.

    A slide highlighted in a PowerPoint file.

  3. Right-click the selected slides and copy them.

    Copy menu item highlighted in PowerPoint.

  4. Open your main PowerPoint presentation.

  5. Right-click where you want your slides to be inserted. The Paste Options menu will appear.

    You can also use CTRL + V to paste the slides. On Mac, use command + V. The Paste Options menu will still appear.

    The Paste Options box highlighted in PowerPoint.

  6. If you want your inserted slides to match your main PowerPoint, click Use Destination Theme on the left. This will adapt the copied slides to your main presentation.

    Use destination theme highlighted from Paste Options in PowerPoint.

  7. If you want your inserted slides to maintain their theme, click Keep Source Formatting. Your slides will keep their original appearance.

    Keep source formatting highlighted from Paste Options in PowerPoint.

  8. After moving all of your slides, save your project.

    The Save As options in PowerPoint.
FAQ
  • How do I merge PowerPoints into one PDF?

    First, combine PowerPoint presentations by copying and pasting slides into the primary presentation or using the Reuse Slide option. After combining slides into one merged document, save your PowerPoint as a PDF. Go to File > Save as > PDF or File > Save & Send > Create PDF/XPS Document > Publish.

  • How do I merge several locked PowerPoints into one presentation?

    To merge multiple locked PowerPoints, you need to know the passwords to unlock them. Once you have password access, open the PowerPoints and select File > Info > Protect Presentation > Encrypt with Password > delete the content in the Password field > and select OK. Now you can reuse or copy slides into one main presentation.

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