Combining PowerPoint presentations is helpful when referencing information from another PowerPoint document. You can also save time by merging both documents. This article shows you how to easily combine PowerPoint presentations in versions 2019, 2021, and 365.
Combine PowerPoint presentations using the Reuse Slides tool
The Reuse Slides tool allows you to import slides into your presentation without opening another PowerPoint document. This method is most suitable for large presentations that may need to be designed when combined. Follow these steps to combine PowerPoint presentations with the Reuse Slides tool:
- Open your presentation and go to the Home tab. Click on New Slide.
Click on New Slide. - Select Reuse Slides…
Select Reuse Slides… to launch the tool. - A “Reuse Slides” panel will appear on the right. Click Browse, then select Browse File… to search for the other Powerpoint document.
Select Browse File… - Windows explorer will launch. Search and select the PowerPoint document, then click Open. The slides of the other Powerpoint document will appear in the Reuse Slides panel.
Click open to import the slides into the Reuse Slides panel. - Right-click on a slide in the “Reuse Slides” panel. Select Insert Slide to insert the selected slide into the presentation. To insert every slide, select Insert All Slides instead.
Choose your preferred option. - Check the slides section to preview the inserted slides.
The inserted slides will appear on the left. If you want to import them with original formatting, select the checkbox Keep source formatting.
Ensure that the checkbox is selected. Slides will now be inserted into your presentation with their source formatting.
If you want to import only the template of another PowerPoint presentation
- Select Browse on the “Reuse Slides” Panel and select Browse File…
Click Browse File… to launch windows explorer. - Select the presentation that contains the format you want and click Open.
Select the presentation and click Open. - Select a slide on the left slide panel.
Select a slide in your presentation. - Right-click any slide in the “Reuse Slides” panel and select Apply Theme to Selected Slides. To apply the format to every slide in your presentation, select Apply Theme to All Slides.
Select your preferred option. Your slides have adopted the source formatting of the other presentation.
The theme is applied to the selected slides.
Combine PowerPoint presentations using copy and paste
This method is preferable when inserting just a few slides from another PowerPoint into your presentation. First, open both presentations, then follow these steps:
- Open the presentation that you want to combine with yours. Go to the slides panel, select the desired slide, and click Copy.
You can also select multiple slides and then click copy. - Open your presentation, select a slide in the slides section, and click Paste in the Clipboard section.
Select paste to insert the slides. - PowerPoint will insert the copied slides below the selected slide.
Notice that the inserted slides change their format to match the design of your presentation. - If you want to keep source formatting, click the dropdown arrow under Paste and select Keep Source Formatting (K).
The slide will be pasted in its original format. The slides will now be imported with their original formatting. Repeat these steps for all the slides you wish to import.
The slide will appear with its original formatting.