The steps in this article are going to show you how to change the default file save option so that you save as a .ppt file instead of a .pptx file in Powerpoint for Office 365.
- Some features of Powerpoint may not be compatible with the .ppt file format.
- Using the .ppt file format instead of .pptx is a good idea if you often work with people that have trouble opening .pptx files, such as those using much older versions of Powerpoint.
Older versions of Microsoft Powerpoint used to create files in the .ppt file format by default.
But, with the introduction of Powerpoint 2010, this default file format was replaced with a new one called .pptx.
Newer versions of Powerpoint are able to work with both file types seamlessly, and many other applications, such as Google Slides, can handle Powerpoint files as well.
But there are some situations where you might encounter problems with the .pptx file format and need to switch over to the .ppt file format. Our guide below will show you how to change a setting so that you use the .ppt file format by default when creating new slideshows in Powerpoint.
How to Use the .PPT File Format By Default in Powerpoint for Office 365
The steps in this article were performed in the Microsoft Powerpoint for Office 365 version of the application. This will also work in other newer versions of Powerpoint such as Powerpoint 2016 and Powerpoint 2019.
Step 1: Open Powerpoint.
Step 2: Select the Options button at the bottom-left corner of the window.
Step 3: Click the Save tab at the left side of the window.
Step 4: Click the dropdown menu to the right of Save files in this format.
Step 5: Choose the Powerpoint Presentation 97 – 2003 option.
Step 6: Click the OK button at the bottom of the window.
Note that you can still save files with the .pptx file extension in the future. You would simply need to choose the Save As option, then change the file format to Powerpoint Presentation instead.
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