How-To Geek

How to combine powerpoint presentations.

If you want to merge two PowerPoint files together, you have a few options you can try. Here's how to do it.

Free PPT Merger. Combine PPT Online.

Merge ppt files. combine multiple powerpoints into one., powered by aspose.com and aspose.cloud ., * by uploading your files or using our service you agree with our terms of service and privacy policy ..

Optionally upload style master file (any presentation file)

Send the download link to

Press Ctrl + D to store it in your bookmarks in order not to search it again

We've already processed ??? files with total size of ??? Mbytes.

Want to create the same presentation Merger app? Learn how to do it here .

 How to merge PPT using Aspose.Slides Merger App

How to merge PPT using Aspose.Slides Merger App

  • Open Aspose.Slides Merger application.
  • Click inside first drop area to upload or drag & drop presentation files.
  • Click inside second drop area to upload style master file, if you want to apply it to the presentations merged.
  • Choose the format of resulting file. You may merge presentations into a PowerPoint presentation format or many other formats.
  • Click "Merge" button to start merging presentations.
  • Download or send merged file as an email. If the resulting file has PowerPoint presentation format, you may view it.
  • Note that the resulting file will be deleted from our servers after 24 hours and download links will stop working after this time period.

Aspose.Slides Merger App is an online app to effectively merge a set of presentation files of PowerPoint formats one into another. The flexible interface of the app allows to create various merge scenarios like following: 1. merge PowerPoint files of the same format into one file; 2. merge Slide Master file into a presentation file to change the style of the resulting presentation ; 3. change the style of multiple presentations in one click, by merging Slides Master file into them; 4. choose the order of merged presentations; 5. merge PowerPoint of different file formats into one presentation format; 6. merge PPT files into PDF, DOC(X), JPEG, HTML and others. Aspose Slides Merger App is a free app based on Aspose.Slides API for processing presentations automatically in any popular programming language and platform: C#, Java, C++, Android, Xamarin, etc. If you need to create a presentation merging solution, take a look at the possibilities of API. Some of API features are represented in Aspose.Slides Merger app, and to find code examples on them visit Aspose.Slides Documentation . Aspose.Slides API for merging presentations is good for large corporate solutions with a need to process big numbers and variety of file formats. For individual developers, Aspose.Slides Cloud SDK is the best solution. It supports a simplified version of presentations merging functionality, which is available in Python, GO, Perl, SWIFT as well as .NET, Java, etc. Other Aspose Apps you may want to try: Collage web app for making collages and merging JPG photos; PowerPoint to Word converter for converting presentations to Word documents.

Aspose.Slides for .NET

Aspose.Slides Merger

  • Merge PowerPoint and OpenOffice documents.
  • Merge multiple PPT , PPTX and PowerPoint presentation files.
  • Combine different PPT , PPTX , PowerPoint presentation file formats into one.
  • Apply PowerPoint templates by merging Slide Master into presentations.
  • Reuse slides of merged PowerPoint presentations.
  • Choose the order of merged presentation files.
  • Change PowerPoint presentation design.
  • Set theme to PowerPoint presentation.
  • What is PowerPoint Merger app? PowerPoint Merger takes presentations uploaded and merges them together into one document of PowerPoint, Word, image, html or other format.
  • Which presentation formats can be merged? You may merge any presentation formats all together: PPT(X), POT(M), PPS(M), ODP, etc.
  • What is the order of presentation merge? Presentations are merged in the order of their upload. After you upload presentations, you may see their merge order in upload page section.
  • Can I merge PPT with style master file? You may add presentations into first upload section and slide master file into second upload section. The presentations will be merged and style master will be applied to them.

Fast and easy

Fast and Easy Way to Merge

Anywhere

Convert from Anywhere

High quality

Merge Quality

Other supported mergers.

You can also merge other file formats. Please see the list below.

  • Merge PPT to PDF (PowerPoint Presentation)
  • PowerPoint Merger (PowerPoint Presentation)
  • PPT Merger (PowerPoint Presentation)
  • PPT to PPT Combiner (PowerPoint Presentation)
  • PPT to PPT Merger (PowerPoint Presentation)
  • PPT to PPTX (PowerPoint Presentation)
  • PPTX Merger (PowerPoint Open XML Presentation)
  • PPTX to ODP (PowerPoint Open XML Presentation)
  • PPTX to ODP (OpenDocument Presentation File Format)
  • PPTX to PPT Merger (PowerPoint Open XML Presentation)
  • PPTX to PPTX Merger (PowerPoint Open XML Presentation)
  • Presentations Merger (PowerPoint Presentation)
  • Two PPT Merger (PowerPoint Presentation)

Oops! An error has occurred.

Error has been reported successfully..

You have successfully reported the error, You will get the notification email when error is fixed. Click this link to visit the forums.

� Aspose Pty Ltd 2001-2022. All Rights Reserved.

  • PowerPoint Themes
  • Latest PowerPoint Templates
  • Best PowerPoint Templates
  • Free PowerPoint Templates
  • Simple PowerPoint Templates
  • PowerPoint Backgrounds
  • Project Charter
  • Project Timeline
  • Project Team
  • Project Status
  • Market Analysis
  • Marketing Funnel
  • Market Segmentation
  • Target Customer
  • Marketing Mix
  • Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Resource Planning
  • Recruitment
  • Employee Onboarding
  • Company Profile
  • Mission Vision
  • Meet The Team
  • Problem & Solution
  • Business Model
  • Business Case
  • Business Strategy
  • Business Review
  • Leadership Team
  • Balance Sheet
  • Income Statement
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • Executive Summary
  • 30 60 90 Day Plan
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Flow Charts
  • Gantt Charts
  • Text Tables
  • Infographics
  • Google Slides Templates
  • Presentation Services
  • Ask Us To Make Slides
  • Data Visualization Services
  • Business Presentation Tips
  • PowerPoint Tutorials
  • Google Slides Tutorials
  • Presentation Resources

SlideUpLift

How To Merge Two PowerPoint Presentations? Detailed Guide On How To Combine PowerPoints

Save your time and hassle by merging multiple PowerPoint presentations to reuse your already created presentations and optimize your workflow. This blog will guide you through the best methods to combine multiple slides into a single presentation.

How To Merge Two PowerPoint Presentations? Detailed Guide On How To Combine PowerPoints

If you work in sales, customer service, or as an independent consultant, you may need to utilize the same templates in many of your presentations. Of course, you don’t want to keep making the same slides for different presentations. That’s why you should consider learning how to combine PowerPoints slides.

That’s where merging slides in PowerPoint comes in handy when creating presentations from previously generated slideshows. In your current presentation, you can reuse slides from prior presentations to modify content, strengthen concepts, debunk ideas, or reference facts.

It’s all quite simple. Allow us to demonstrate how to combine multiple powerpoints into one.

How To Merge PowerPoints?

Shows how to combine powerpoint slides

Consider the following five approaches and their associated stages to know how to combine powerpoints:

  • Copy and Paste slides
  • Reuse PowerPoint Slides
  • Use Insert Object to Merge PowerPoint Files
  • Drag and Drop PowerPoint Slides
  • Merge with Compare Function

1. Copy and Paste Slides

The easiest option to combine multiple slides is the copy-and-paste option. Follow the below steps to learn how to merge two PowerPoint presentations:

  • Open both the slides that you want to combine.
  • Right-click on a slide and select “copy.” You can also copy it by using the Ctrl+C command.
  • Now, open the slide on which you want to combine this slide.
  • Choose a location in between your slides where you want to add the slide. You can do this from the left-side navigation pane. 
  • Right-click and choose “Paste”. Or you can use the “Ctrl+V” command. You can select “Use Destination Theme” or “Keep Source Formatting” to meet your needs.
  • Repeat this step for multiple slides.

2. Reuse PowerPoint Slides

Let’s learn how to combine powerpoints using the Reuse option. Reusing slides is the simplest technique for incorporating slides from one presentation into another. This strategy allows you to manage what slides you add and where you place them. The reuse slides approach appears in this example. Follow the below steps to understand how to merge powerpoints:

  • Open PowerPoint, then open the document to which you wish to add slides.
  • Select where you wish to add a slide or slides. Then, click between two existing slides.
  • In the ‘Main Menu,’ click the ‘Insert’ tab.
  • Then, on the left side of the menu, click the ‘New Slide’ option.
  • Then choose ‘Reuse Slides.’
  • Click the ‘Browse’ button to access the ‘Reuse Slides’ dialog box. If you click the option next to ‘Keep source formatting,’ the newly added slides will keep their original formatting. When you uncheck the box, their formatting will match the main presentation.
  • Insert your slide here. Browse the presentations, choose the one from which you wish to add the slides, and then click ‘Open.’
  • You will see the thumbnails of the available slides. Browse and pick the ones you want to include in your main document. You can import all slides from the external presentation by clicking ‘Insert All Slides.’
  • When choosing the slides to include, click the ‘Apply Theme to All Slides’ option to replace the theme of the primary presentation with that of the secondary presentation.

This strategy is perfect if you want to merge ppt slides. Use it for adding a slide or two to your PowerPoint presentation. It is also the best approach for including bits and pieces from other presentations in your primary presentation. Although you can use this approach to insert all slides from an external presentation, using the ‘Insert Object’ option is preferable.

3. how to combine powerpoints using Insert Object Methods?

The insert object method is best if you wish to insert all slides from an external presentation while keeping the animations and transitions between them.

Remember that after you include the slides in your new presentation, they will no longer be connected to the original file. As a result, any modifications you make to the original file will not affect the slides you include in your primary presentation.

Now that we’ve addressed that let’s examine how to merge powerpoints using the insert object technique. Follow the below steps to learn how to combine multiple powerpoints into one:

  • Open MS PowerPoint and the main presentation.
  • Go to the slide where you want to add another slide
  • In the Main Menu, choose the ‘Insert’ tab.
  • In the “Text” group, Select the ‘Object’ option.
  • The ‘Insert Object’ dialog box will appear. Choose the ‘Create from file’ option there.
  • Click “Browse” and select the slide you want to add.
  • Following that, you will only view the first slide of the imported presentation. The remaining slides are below, though you can’t see them now.
  • To prevent changes in the size of the slides after the presentation is played, stretch the added object to suit the size of the slide of your main presentation. After inserting the complete item into your main presentation, you can alter and tweak it to ensure its good performance.

4. Drag And Drop PowerPoint Slides

Let’s understand how to combine powerpoints using the drag & drop method. A drag-and-drop approach is one of the simplest methods of integrating two presentations. This feature is useful if you have two different presentations that you want to combine with PowerPoint or are working on a collective project. Follow the below steps to learn how to combine two powerpoints into one:

  • Open both presentations on your PC or Mac, and minimize the PowerPoint software so that you can view both simultaneously.
  • Long-press the slide you want to relocate and drag it to its new location with your mouse. You should do this for each slide; luckily, you can select all of them by clicking on the first slide, holding down the ‘Shift’ key, and then clicking on the final slide.
  • The slide’s position will be highlighted with a red line. Your final presentation will be updated to match the design of the receiving document. Of course, you can always change the document’s overall look by clicking the ‘Design’ button at the top of your presentation.

5. how to combine powerpoints with compare function

This compare function combines your multiple slides with uniform formatting. Follow the below steps to learn how to merge PowerPoint presentations:

  • Open the presentation in which you want to add another slide.
  • Select the “Review” Tab from the Top Menu.
  • Click on the “Compare” function.
  • Browse the presentation you want to combine and select “Merge.” It will combine all the slides from both presentations.

It’s great to learn how to combine powerpoints into one slide to increase the usability of slides and save time in creating new slides from scratch. The techniques described in this blog will assist you in taking your PowerPoint abilities to the next level. In minutes, you can combine and merge PowerPoint presentations like an expert.

Does the formatting change if I combine ppt slides?

The formatting isn’t usually affected. However, you can choose to keep formatting or not while merging.

What are some tips for effectively merging slides?

Organize your slides beforehand, ensure consistent formatting and styling across all slides, remove duplicate content, and thoroughly review the merged presentation to ensure accuracy and coherence.

Is there a limit to the number of presentations I can merge?

Usually, there is no limit to the number of presentations to merge.

Table Of Content

Related presentations.

Customer Journey Executive Summary

Customer Journey Executive Summary

Project Planning Presentation

Project Planning Presentation

Customer Journey Roadmap PowerPoint Template

Customer Journey Roadmap PowerPoint Template

Related blogs.

10 Bad PowerPoint Slides Examples to Avoid

10 Bad PowerPoint Slides Examples to Avoid

10 Best Animated PowerPoint Templates

10 Best Animated PowerPoint Templates

10 Best Business PowerPoint Templates for Presentations

10 Best Business PowerPoint Templates for Presentations

10 Best Free PowerPoint Templates

10 Best Free PowerPoint Templates

Tags and categories, privacy overview.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

  • PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
  • EDIT Edit this Article
  • EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
  • Browse Articles
  • Learn Something New
  • Quizzes Hot
  • This Or That Game New
  • Train Your Brain
  • Explore More
  • Support wikiHow
  • About wikiHow
  • Log in / Sign up
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Microsoft Office

How to Combine PowerPoints on Mac or Windows

Last Updated: June 20, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 8,464 times. Learn more...

Do you want to use the slides from your other presentation in this one? The "Reuse Slides" function in Microsoft PowerPoint makes it easy to reuse slides from other presentations. It's also a helpful tool that will help you merge your presentations into one PowerPoint. If the "Reuse Slides" feature isn't available for your version of PowerPoint, you can also copy and paste slides, use the "Insert Object" menu, or drag and drop slides. This wikiHow article teaches you multiple ways you can combine PowerPoint presentations on your Windows or Mac computer.

Reusing Slides

Step 1 Open the presentation that you want to add slides to.

  • These imported slides will change to copy the theme and design of the other slides. If you don't want it to change, you can select Keep source formatting before you import them.

Step 2 Click where you want to add your slide.

  • If you want the slide(s) to maintain the original design theme and formatting, check the box next to Keep source formatting . [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
  • Once you've selected the slides from the original source, they will appear in the new PowerPoint immediately.

Step 7 Save your presentation.

Copy and Paste

Step 1 Open the presentations that you want to copy your slides from and add slides to.

  • Use this option if "Reuse slides" isn't available since this will allow you the same options.

Step 2 Copy the slide you want to use in your other presentation.

  • If you want to select more than one slide, press and hold Shift as you click multiple sides.

Step 3 Paste the copied slides to your presentation.

Insert Object

Step 1 Open the presentation that you want to add slides to.

  • Use this if there are animations with the slide that you want to preserve. You won't be able to fine-tune the slide like you would if you used "Reuse Slide," but it will have all the animations and slide transitions from the previous slideshow.

Step 2 Select a space where you want to insert the new slide.

  • If you don't see the "New Slide" option, make sure the Home tab is selected.

Step 4 Click Insert and select Object.

  • Stretch the image to fill the entire slide to prevent it from changing sizes randomly.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

Get Microsoft Office For Free

  • ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/reuse-import-slides-from-another-presentation-c67671cd-386b-45dd-a1b4-1e656458bb86#OfficeVersion=Windows
  • ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/copy-and-paste-your-slides-1fe39ace-4df6-4346-b724-30a6e2c0aeab#OfficeVersion=Windows

About This Article

Darlene Antonelli, MA

1. Open the presentation that you want to add slides to. 2. Click where you want to add your slide. 3. Click the Home tab. 4. Click the arrow next to "New Slide" and select Reuse Slides . 5. Click Open a PowerPoint File and double-click the file you want to use. 6. Click a slide to add to your PowerPoint. 7. Save your presentation. Did this summary help you? Yes No

  • Send fan mail to authors

Is this article up to date?

Am I a Narcissist or an Empath Quiz

Featured Articles

Relive the 1970s (for Kids)

Trending Articles

How to Celebrate Passover: Rules, Rituals, Foods, & More

Watch Articles

Fold Boxer Briefs

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Info
  • Not Selling Info

Keep up with the latest tech with wikiHow's free Tech Help Newsletter

  • Slidesgo School
  • PowerPoint Tutorials

How to Combine Multiple PowerPoints into One

How to Combine Multiple PowerPoints into One | Quick Tips & Tutorial for your presentations

PowerPoint is one of the most widespread and widely used Microsoft tools in the world, allowing you to make high quality presentations in a simple, fast and super visual way. Maybe that's why presentations have triumphed in the world of business and education! 

Whether you're a professional or a student, you surely must have had to make more than one presentation throughout your career. That's a piece of cake when you have Slidesgo and its templates! In this post we want to lend you a hand and help you become a true master of this program: today you will learn how to combine different PowerPoint presentations .

How to merge PowerPoint presentations

If you want to join two or more different presentations in the same file, you want to add some extra slides or you need to merge the collaborative work of different teams, all you have to do is follow these steps: 

  • Open the first presentation. For this example we are going to use the template Minimalist Grayscale Pitch Deck .
  • Go to the Start menu > New Slide. Click on the drop-down, not on the button. A menu will open with different options, select "Reuse slides".
  • A menu will open on the right with recommended presentations. To add yours, click on Browse. We are going to add slides from the presentation Investment Business Plan .
  • Go to the place in the presentation where you want the new content to appear.
  • Choose which slides you want to add and add them one by one by clicking Insert Slide. You can also add the whole presentation by clicking on Insert All.

Pro tip : We recommend that you keep the "Use source formatting" checkbox checked. This feature makes the presentation you are adding keep its original style instead of adapting to the layout of the new one. 

Simple, isn't it? There is also another method, just as quick and easy, using the ancient technique known as "copy and paste". It consists of the following:

  • Open the presentation where you want the new slides to appear.
  • Open the other presentation and choose the slides you want to add. You can select more than one by pressing Control and clicking on them or you can select all of them by pressing Control + E. For this example we are going to add three slides from the Business Plan with Elegant Backgrounds template.
  • Right click and press copy or press Control + C.
  • Now go to the first presentation, choose the location and right click > Paste or press Control + V. Remember to select "Keep source formatting", this will keep the slides from losing their layout.

Now that you know how to put together your favorite presentations and slides, take a look at our website and download the ones that best suit your needs. You can choose resources from different designs and put them together to create the perfect presentation. 

Do you find this article useful?

Related tutorials.

How to print PowerPoint notes | Quick Tips & Tutorial for your presentations

How to print PowerPoint notes

Crafting an impactful PowerPoint slideshow and delivering a captivating presentation are distinct skills. The first focuses on designing appealing visuals to convey a clear message, while the second involves employing effective presentation techniques to ensure the audience grasps the idea. The content of this article will help you with the latter part of this process, guiding future presenters on how to print PowerPoint with speaker notes to enhance your presentations success and effectiveness.

Discover Our Online Presentation Software for Free | Quick Tips & Tutorial for your presentations

Discover Our Online Presentation Software for Free

We have great news for you today! If you’ve been a Slidesgo fan for years (or months, or weeks, or days, or mere hours, we welcome everyone!), you’ll probably know for now that our templates are available mostly in two formats: for use in Google Slides and PowerPoint.Google Slides is a free tool, since you only need a Google account in order to use it. PowerPoint, on the other hand, is part of the Microsoft Office suite, so it’s not a free program, but that didn’t stop it from being one of the most popular options in the world!What if we...

Webinar: Presentation Audit | Quick Tips & Tutorial for your presentations

Webinar: Presentation Audit

With more than 15,000 templates released on Slidesgo and a user base composed of millions of people, we estimate that the total number of presentations created adds up to… um, a lot! Our team of professional designers work very hard to provide you with editable slides so that the only thing you need to do is, well, customize the elements to your liking. Starting from any given template, the results may vary a lot depending on the person who edited the contents.Have you ever wondered “Is my presentation good enough?” and wished that an expert on presentations looked at your template...

How to Change Slides Orientation in Google Slides | Quick Tips & Tutorial for your presentations

How to Change Slides Orientation in Google Slides

A change of perspective is always good! Do you want your public to look at your slides in a new way? Changing slides orientation will do the work. In this tutorial you’re going to learn how to go from horizontal slides, to vertical ones (and vice versa!). 

How to Combine PowerPoint Presentations With Different Templates

  • Small Business
  • Business Communications & Etiquette
  • Presentations
  • ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Pinterest" aria-label="Share on Pinterest">
  • ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Reddit" aria-label="Share on Reddit">
  • ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Flipboard" aria-label="Share on Flipboard">

How to Type in a Circle in a PowerPoint

How to make blank spreadsheets, how to rearrange powerpoint slides for a mac.

  • How to Delete a Write-Protected File
  • How to Change Default Indentation in Outlook

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to combine two or more presentations with different theme templates. PowerPoint includes a Keep Source Formatting option that retains the template format for each slide. For example, a presentation with the Ion template showcasing your current products can include some slides with the Organic template promoting your future products to help your clients view the contrast between your timely products.

Open your PowerPoint presentation in Normal view. If the left slide pane and command ribbon do not display, click the “Normal” button on the status bar.

Click the “Home” tab on the ribbon, click the “New Slide” down arrow in the Slides group to open a list and then click “Reuse Slides” to open the Reuse Slides pane.

Click the “Browse” button in the Reuse Slides pane and then click “Browse File” to bring up a list of your files in a dialog box. Click the PowerPoint file that contains the different template and then click “Open” in the dialog box to display the slides in the Reuse Slides pane.

Select the “Keep Source Formatting” check box at the bottom of the Reuse Slides pane.

Click the slide in the left pane where you want to insert the slide from the Reuse Slides pane. For example, click slide "3" if you want to insert a slide after this slide. A color border surrounds the selected slide.

Click the preferred slide in the Reuse Slides pane to copy to the left pane and presentation. Continue scrolling and selecting slides from the left pane and inserting slides from the right pane to expand your first PowerPoint presentation with the combined slides.

  • Microsoft Office: PowerPoint 2013, Use Slides from Another Presentation File
  • Microsoft Office: Duplicate Slides Within a Presentation
  • Microsoft Office: PowerPoint 2013, Change the Slide Design (Theme)
  • Microsoft Office: Apply Multiple Slide Designs (Themes) to One Presentation
  • Open the larger PowerPoint presentation to insert slides quickly from the smaller presentation.
  • Edit the slide presentations separately before you combine them.

Related Articles

How to rotate a slide in powerpoint, how to save a powerpoint template folder, how to create an emf format file, how to merge 2010 powerpoint files, how to change powerpoint odp to work on microsoft word, how to paste excel into powerpoint & change format, how to add footnotes in powerpoint, how to use a template for one slide in microsoft powerpoint, how to make a new slide in google docs, most popular.

  • 1 How to Rotate a Slide in PowerPoint
  • 2 How to Save a PowerPoint Template Folder
  • 3 How to Create an EMF Format File
  • 4 How to Merge 2010 PowerPoint Files
  • Is Hulu Worth It?
  • iPad Pro vs. Surface Pro: What's the Difference?

How to Merge PowerPoints

It’s easy to merge your PowerPoint presentations

how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

  • Fayetteville State University

how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

  • Wichita Technical Institute

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.

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.

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

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

Newer versions of PowerPoint have a dedicated Reuse Slides button.

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

Click Browse .

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

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.

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

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 .

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

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.

Open the PowerPoint presentation with slides you want to move.

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

Right-click the selected slides and copy them.

Open your main PowerPoint presentation.

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.

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.

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

After moving all of your slides, save your project.

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 .

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.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

  • How to Use Copilot in Powerpoint
  • How to Add Page Numbers in PowerPoint
  • Copy Slides to Another PowerPoint Presentation
  • The 8 Best Google Drive Add-ons for 2024
  • How to Copy a PowerPoint Design Template to Another Presentation
  • Use PowerPoint Slide Finder
  • How to Use Google Duet in Slides
  • How to Add PowerPoint Slides Into a Word Document
  • PowerPoint Master Slide
  • How to Add an Excel Chart to a PowerPoint Presentation
  • How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation
  • How to Use PowerPoint Slide Master Layouts
  • How to Select More Than One Slide in PowerPoint
  • How to Add Music to PowerPoint
  • Tips for Solving Common PowerPoint Problems
  • Create Pictures From PowerPoint Slides

techcult logo

3 Ways to Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentation Files

So you made two different PowerPoint presentations and are stuck with merging them together? Don’t worry. You want to match their themes or keep them original? Covered. You want to drop/keep transitions? Cool.PowerPoint got it all covered for you. However you want to merge slides, you can do it all in PowerPoint itself. This article will take you through different methods and options that will let you combine multiple PowerPoint Presentation files the way you please.

3 Ways to Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentation Files

Table of Contents

Method 1: Reuse Slides

When to use:

  • If you do not want to keep the transitions and animations of the inserted presentation after merging it into the main presentation.
  • If you want to merge only a few slides of inserted presentation and not the whole presentation.

How to use:

1.Open the main presentation in which you want to insert another presentation.

2.Decide the two slides between which you want to insert the new slides and click between them.

3. A red line will appear.

Red line will appear on the presentation

4.Click on the ‘ Insert ’ menu.

5.Open the drop-down menu by clicking on ‘ New Slide ’.

6.At the bottom of the menu, click on ‘ Reuse Slides ’.

At the bottom of the menu, click on ‘Reuse Slides’

7.On the right-hand side, the Reuse Slides tab will appear.

8.If you want to keep the theme of the inserted presentation, check the ‘ Keep source formatting ’ checkbox at the bottom of the tab. Else, if you want it to take the theme of the main presentation, uncheck the box.

9.Now, browse the file you want to insert and click on OK.

10.You can now see all the slides of the presentation to be inserted.

See all the slides of the presentation to be inserted

11.If you want a few particular slides from this presentation to appear in the main presentation, simply click on the thumbnail . Else, right-click on any thumbnail and click on ‘ Insert all slides ’.

Right click on any thumbnail and click on ‘Insert all slides’

12.Adding a slide while having ‘ Keep source formatting ’ checked you will get something like this.

Adding a slide while having ‘Keep source formatting’ checked

And unchecking ‘Keep source formatting’ will give you.

And unchecking ‘Keep source formatting’

13.If you want the whole presentation with the theme of the inserted presentation, right-click on any thumbnail in the ‘ Reuse Slides ’ tab and click on ‘ Apply theme to all slides ’ and you will then get:

Right click on any thumbnail in ‘Reuse Slides’ tab and click on ‘Apply theme to all slides’

14.If you want to insert the new slides at different positions in the main presentation, then before clicking on any particular slide to be inserted in the ‘Reuse Slides’ tab, just click on that main slide thumbnail (on the left-hand side of the window), below which you want your inserted slide. You can do this for every inserted slide to get this:

Click on that main slide thumbnail (on the left hand side of window)

Method 2: Insert Object

  • If you want to keep the transitions and animations of the inserted presentation after merging it into the main presentation.
  • If you want to merge the whole presentation into the main presentation.

2. Add a blank slide at the position you want your inserted slide to be. You can do this by clicking on ‘ New Slide ’ in the insert menu and then clicking on ‘ Blank ’.

Click on ‘New Slide’ in insert menu and then clicking on ‘Blank’

3.Click on ‘ Object ’ in the insert menu.

Click on ‘Object’ in the insert menu

4.Select ‘ Create from file ’ radio button and browse the presentation you want to be inserted and click on OK.

5.You will see the first slide of the inserted presentation in the center of the blank slide you had inserted.

See the first slide of the inserted presentation in the center

6. Resize the inserted slide to fit the main slide completely by dragging the corners of the inserted slide.

7.Click on the Object.

8.Go to the Animations menu and click on ‘ Add Animation ’.

Go to the animations menu and click on ‘Add Animation’

9.Click on ‘ OLE action verbs ’ at the bottom of the drop-down menu.

11.In the dialog box, select ‘ Show ’ and click on OK.

In the dialog box, select ‘Show’ and click on OK

13.Go to the ‘ Animations ’ menu and click on ‘ Animation Pane ’.

14.On the right-hand side, a tab will open. You can see the inserted object in the tab.

15.Click on the downward pointer beside the object name and a list will open.

Click on the downward pointer besides the object name and a list will open

16.Select ‘ Start With Previous ’.

17.Now, s elect the object in the tab and click on the downward pointer again.

18.Select ‘ Effect Options ’. A dialog box will open.

19.In the ‘After Animation’ drop-down list, click on ‘ Hide After Animation ’.

In the ‘After Animation’ drop down list, click on ‘Hide After Animation

20.Now insert some object like a text box or an image on the main slide containing the inserted presentation object.

An image on the main slide containing the inserted presentation object

21.Right-click on it and select ‘ Send to Back ’.

Right click on it and select ‘Send to Back’

22. You now have your presentations merged.

Method 3: Copy-Paste

If you want to keep animations of the inserted presentation and want to keep/change the theme and transitions.

1.Open the presentation you want to insert and select the slides that you want to insert into the main presentation.

2.Press ‘ Ctrl+C ’ to copy them.

3.Open the main presentation.

4.Right-click in the left pane wherever you want to insert the slides.

Right click in the left pane wherever you want to insert the slides

5.Here you get two paste options:

1.USE DESTINATION THEME:

Selecting this will cause the inserted slides to adopt the theme and transitions of the main presentation while keeping the animations of inserted slides intact.

2.KEEP SOURCE FORMATTING:

Selecting this will keep the theme, transitions, and animations of inserted file itself.

6. Select the option you want and you are done.

There you go! You can now merge your presentations with any possible combinations.

Recommended:

  • Fix Windows could not Find a Driver for your Network Adapter
  • Repair Master Boot Record (MBR) in Windows 10
  • Fix This Copy of Windows Is Not Genuine Error
  • How to Change Gmail Password in 5 minutes

I hope the above steps were helpful and now you can easily Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentation Files, but if you still have any questions regarding this tutorial then feel free to ask them in the comment section.

About The Author

Aditya Farrad

Aditya Farrad

Pronouns email signature

How to Add Pronouns to Email Signature

How to type π Pi on Windows

How to Type pi π symbol on Windows, iOS and Android

How to Import and Convert JSON to Excel

How to Import and Convert JSON to Excel

Fix Spill Range is Too Big #SPILL Error in Excel

Fix Spill Range is Too Big #SPILL Error in Excel

Where are Pictures Stored on Android?

Where are Pictures Stored on Android?

Can Android Users See When iPhone Users Read Their Texts?

Can Android Users See When iPhone Users Read Their Texts?

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Microsoft Office Tips

  • PowerPoint Tips
  • Office Tips
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit Guest Post

How to Merge Two or Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

If there are 2 or even more related PowerPoint presentations, and you want to merge them into one to make the presentation more informative, there’s a simple method to insert the slides from different files.

1. Open PowerPoint and create a new blank presentation.

How to Merge Two or Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

2. Click Home > New Slide > Reuse Slides…

How to Merge Two or Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

3. Hit Browse button on the Reuse Slides pane and choose Browse File… in the drop-down menu.

4. Find the PPT presentation you want on the computer and Open it.

How to Merge Two or Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

5. Check the option of Keep source formatting on the bottom of Reuse Slides .

6. Right-click any of the slides and choose Insert All Slides in the menu. Then all the slides from the selected file will be inserted to the presentation.

How to Merge Two or Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

7. Now you can click Browse > Browse File… to insert the slides from another presentation in the same way.

How to Merge Two or Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

8. Similarly, you can insert the slides from more PowerPoint presentations to merge them into one. You just need to save the file after finishing all the settings.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Copyright © 2020 My Microsoft Office Tips All Rights Reserved   

how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

Online Tech Tips logo

How to Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

There are 2 different ways, depending on how you want them to appear

Author avatar

Do you have multiple PowerPoint presentations that you need to combine or merge into one presentation? I’ve had to do this myself a couple of times and one of the most important aspects when merging presentations is whether you want to maintain the format and theme of the inserted presentation or have it match the theme of the main presentation. The second most important factor is whether you need to maintain any animations and transitions that might be included in the inserted presentation.

Depending on how you want the inserted slides to appear in the main presentation, you will need to choose between two different methods for joining the presentations. In this article, I’ll mention both methods along with the advantages and disadvantages for each method.

The first method uses the Reuse Slides option in PowerPoint and the second method uses the Insert Object option.

Reuse Slides Method

If you want the inserted slides to match the theme of your main presentation, then you have to use the Reuse Slides option. The inserted slides will simply take the slides exactly as they are in the external presentation and add them to the main presentation.

However, there is one big caveat: none of the animations or transitions will be carried over. Whatever you see on the slide in the normal viewing mode is what will get imported into the main presentation.

If you need to maintain all the animations or transitions, then skip down to the Insert Object method.

To get started with this method, open the main presentation and then click between the two slides you want to import the slides into. It’s worth nothing that this method also lets you pick and choose which slides you want to insert from an external presentation, whereas the Insert Object method will insert the entire presentation.

insert slide

Now click on the Insert menu and then click on the words New Slide  and you’ll see a menu appear. At the very bottom of that menu is an option called Reuse Slides .

reuse slides

When you click on that, a tab will appear on the right hand side. Click on the Browse button and then select Browse File . Check the Keep source formatting  box if you want keep the theme and text formatting of the external presentation.

If you uncheck that box, then when you go to insert the slides into the main presentation, the original formatting will not be kept. Instead the slides will use the theme and formatting of the main presentation.

insert slide from

Select the PowerPoint Presentation you want to insert and then click OK. Immediately, you should see a small thumbnail and the title of each slide displayed.

insert slides from ppt

As you can see above, the second presentation has a different theme than my first presentation. There are a number of things you can do at this point. Firstly, if you just want to insert one slide or a couple of slides from your external presentation, simply click on the slide and it will be inserted!

The formatting will depend on whether you checked the Keep source formatting box like I explained above. As shown below, I inserted just one slide from the external presentation and kept the source formatting.

powerpoint inserted slides

It will be inserted wherever you had clicked earlier with the red line. If you want to insert all the slides, just select the Insert All Slide s option that comes up when you right-click on any of the slides.

Lastly, you can apply the theme used in the external presentation to your main presentation by right-clicking and choosing Apply Theme to All Slides . This will apply the external presentation theme to the main presentation.

As mentioned earlier, you lose all animations, effects, transitions, etc when using this method. Now let’s talk about the other way to merge two presentations.

Insert Object Method

The second method will insert the entire external presentation into one slide as an object. You then have to configure some settings so that when you run your slideshow, it also runs through all the slides in the external presentation.

There are a couple of things that need to be mentioned before we get into how to use this method:

1. When you insert the presentation as an object, it is not a link to the presentation, but an actual full copy into the main presentation. This means that if you open the external presentation later after inserting it into the main presentation and make changes to it, those changes will not be reflected in the imported version inside the main presentation.

2. If you do want to make changes to an already inserted presentation, you can edit it inside the main presentation. Again, those changes are only made to the version inside the main presentation.

In my opinion, this method is better than the Reuse Slides method because it lets you keep all your animations and transitions and it allows you to change or keep the theme of the inserted presentation.

To get started, open the main presentation and then insert a new slide. Make sure to delete any default text boxes or anything else on the new slide so that it is completely blank.

add new slide

Now click on the Insert tab and then click on Object .

insert object into slide

Select the Create from file radio button and click the Browse button. Select the external presentation you want to insert into your main presentation.

insert 2nd powerpoint

You’ll now see the first slide of the presentation inserted as a selectable object. All of the other slides are there, but you just can’t see them.

stretch window to slide

The next step is to move your cursor to the upper left corner of the inserted object until it turns into a double sided arrow. Click and then drag the corner to the upper left corner of the main slide. Now do the same thing with the bottom right corner of the object and drag it to the bottom right corner on the main slide.

Now the inserted object should be the exact same size as the slide that it was inserted onto. You want to do this so that there won’t be any change in the size of the slides when you are playing the presentation.

Once that is setup, we have to configure the second presentation to play when we hit that slide that we inserted the presentation into. To do this, select the object, click on the Animations ribbon, click on Add Animation and then scroll all the way to the bottom where it says OLE Action Verbs .

ole action verbs

Another dialog will pop up and you want to choose Show . If you were to play the presentation at this point, you would notice that when you reach the slide with the inserted presentation, it will show all the slides in the inserted presentation, but it will also include a still slide of the first slide at the front and back of the inserted presentation.

add show action verb

This was kind of annoying to me and luckily you can almost get rid of it. First, click on Animations again and then click on Animation Pane , which will show up at the right.

animation pane

In the Animation Pane, you will see the inserted object listed as Object 1 or Object 2, etc. and when you select it, there will be a small black arrow you can click on. This will bring up a few options and then first one you want to select is Start With Previous .

start with previous

Now when you play the presentation, it won’t show you that still image of the first slide but will actually play the first slide from the external presentation. To get rid of the still image at the end of the presentation, you have to select Effect Options from the menu above and then select Hide After Animation from the After animation dropdown box.

hide after animation

It’s not perfect because it still shows you the empty slide that the inserted presentation was put once before the presentation ends. Luckily, I found a simple hack for this too that works really well. Simply add something to the slide that has the external presentation object like a text box or whatever you like and then right-click on the object and choose Send to Back .

send to back

This will effectively hide the object behind the presentation object. Now when you play your presentation, it will hide the presentation object after the last slide because that is what we chose in the After animation option. When the presentation object is hidden, you’ll see any content that was hidden under it. It’s a great way to avoid having that blank slide show up during the presentation.

One last thing I wanted to mention was about editing the inserted presentation. You can right-click anywhere on the object and choose Presentation Object – Edit to edit any slide in the inserted presentation directly within the main presentation.

edit presentation

Hopefully, this was a detailed enough tutorial for anyone wanting to merge, combine or insert one PowerPoint presentation into another. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!

Related Posts

  • How To Give Control in Teams to Switch Presenter
  • 11 Hidden OneNote Features You Have to Try
  • How To Track Changes in Word (Online, Mobile, and Desktop)
  • How to Compare Two Excel Files and Highlight Differences
  • 5 Best Sites For Free OneNote Templates

' src=

Founder of Online Tech Tips and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications. Read Aseem's Full Bio

How to Merge Files in Powerpoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Merging files in PowerPoint is a handy skill to have when you’re looking to combine information from different presentations or when you’re collaborating with others on a project. It might sound like a tricky task, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. In just a few simple steps, you can have all your slides together in one impressive presentation.

Step by Step Tutorial: How to Merge Files in PowerPoint

Before we dive into the steps, let’s understand what we’re about to do. Merging files in PowerPoint is all about bringing slides from different presentations into one. This can be very useful when you’re working on a group project or need to consolidate information. So, let’s get started!

Step 1: Open Your Main PowerPoint Presentation

Open the PowerPoint presentation where you want to add slides from another presentation.

When you’ve opened your main PowerPoint file, make sure it’s the one where you want all the merged slides to end up. Think of it as the ‘mother ship’ that’s about to welcome all the ‘little ship’ slides into its deck.

Step 2: Select the Slides You Want to Merge

Go to the “Home” tab, click on “New Slide,” and then choose “Reuse Slides” from the drop-down menu.

A pane will appear on the right side of the PowerPoint window. This is where you’ll be able to browse and select the slides you want to add to your main presentation.

Step 3: Browse and Choose the Presentation File

Click on “Browse” and then “Browse File” to select the PowerPoint file you want to merge with your main presentation.

You’ll need to navigate to the location of the PowerPoint file you want to merge. Once you find it, click on it and then click “Open” to bring up the slides in the Reuse Slides pane.

Step 4: Insert the Slides

Click on each slide you want to insert into your main presentation or check “Keep source formatting” and click “Insert All.”

You can select individual slides by clicking on them or insert all the slides from the secondary presentation. If you want to maintain the original design and formatting of the inserted slides, make sure to check “Keep source formatting.”

Step 5: Save Your Merged PowerPoint

Save your newly merged PowerPoint presentation by clicking on “File” and then “Save As.”

After you’ve merged all the slides you need, don’t forget to save your presentation. You can choose to overwrite the original file or save it as a new file with a different name.

After completing these steps, you’ll have a single PowerPoint presentation with slides from different files merged together. Now, you’ll be able to present all your information seamlessly without having to switch between different files.

Tips: Making the Most of Merging Files in PowerPoint

  • Ensure that the presentation you’re adding slides to is saved before you start merging, just in case something goes awry.
  • Use the “Keep source formatting” option if you want to retain the original design of the slides you’re merging. This is especially helpful if they come from a presentation with a different theme or layout.
  • Consider the sequence of the slides. Make sure they are in the order that best supports your presentation’s flow.
  • If you’re merging files from multiple team members, check for consistency in font, size, and color to maintain a professional look.
  • It’s a good idea to review the final presentation to check for any formatting issues or duplications that may have occurred during the merge.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i merge powerpoint presentations with different themes.

To merge presentations with different themes, use the “Keep source formatting” checkbox when inserting the slides. This will preserve the original theme and formatting of the slides being merged.

Can I merge multiple PowerPoint files at once?

While you can’t select multiple files to merge simultaneously, you can repeat the process of merging for each file you want to add to your main presentation.

What happens if I don’t select “Keep source formatting”?

If you don’t select “Keep source formatting,” the inserted slides will adopt the theme and formatting of your main presentation, which might change their original look.

Can I merge specific slides from a presentation?

Yes, you can choose individual slides to merge by clicking on them in the “Reuse Slides” pane instead of selecting “Insert All.”

Will animations and transitions be preserved when merging slides?

Yes, if you check “Keep source formatting,” animations and transitions should be preserved. However, it’s always good to double-check the final presentation.

  • Open your main PowerPoint presentation.
  • Select “Reuse Slides” from the “New Slide” drop-down menu.
  • Browse and choose the PowerPoint file you want to merge.
  • Click on individual slides or “Insert All” to merge.
  • Save your newly merged presentation.

Merging files in PowerPoint is a straightforward process that can save you a ton of time and hassle. Whether you’re pulling together a group project or consolidating your work, knowing how to merge presentations effectively can make you the PowerPoint guru among your peers. Remember to save your work frequently, check for consistency, and review your final presentation for any mishaps that might have occurred during the merging process. With this new skill in your back pocket, you’re ready to tackle any presentation challenge that comes your way. Happy merging!

Matt Jacobs Support Your Tech

Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.

His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

  • How to Merge Cells in Google Sheets: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Merge Cells in Excel 2010: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Download a Google Slides Presentation as a Powerpoint File
  • How to Merge Multiple Word Files in Word 2010: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Do a Powerpoint Google Slides Presentation Conversion
  • How to Merge Cells in Word 2016 Tables: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Merge Layers in Photoshop CS5: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Insert Slides from Another Presentation: Powerpoint 2024 Guide
  • Merge CSV Files Into One Large File on Windows 7: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Convert Powerpoint to Google Slides: A Tech Solution
  • How to Rotate a Powerpoint Slide Presentation
  • Can You Save a Powerpoint as a Video in Powerpoint 2013? Find Out Here!
  • How to Make Google Slides Vertical (5 Quick Steps)
  • How to Delete Multiple Slides in Google Slides: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Merge Contacts on an iPhone 6: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Add a Hyperlink on Google Slides
  • How to Print 4 Slides Per Page in Google Slides: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • How to Save Powerpoint as PDF with Notes: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • Can You Download Google Slides Files?
  • How to Compress Audio and Video in Powerpoint 2010: A Step-by-Step Guide

Get Our Free Newsletter

How-to guides and tech deals

You may opt out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

PresentationTools

How to combine and merge PowerPoint-presentations

how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

In my work as an AV-technician on conference and events, I receive Powerpoint presentations from speakers that represents different companies. My job is to make sure that these are displayed on the projector/screen at the right moment exactly as they were made. To simplify this task, we made Auto Presentation Switcher (APS) which lets you open and display new presentations using keyboard-shortcuts and network-commands. But you may ask, isn’t this something that can be done from within PowerPoint? How can we merge and switch PowerPoint presentations without using third-party software?

And yes, as it turns out, Powerpoint has methods for combining slides and linking presentations. Today we will show different ways to work with multiple PowerPoint presentations for live events, and focus on 3 methods:

  • Paste and reuse slides
  • Switch presentations with APS
  • Use hyperlinks

After reading this blogpost, you should be a master of combining and merging PowerPoint-presentations. This can solve a lot of problems if you work as an event-producer or AV-technician on live events.

1. Paste and reuse Powerpoint slides

Some event-organizers want to have all the slides from the different speakers in one master-presentation. Then they can control everything from one presentation-clicker, and never exit the presentation during the show.

To create this presentation, you can paste the slides you need into one master-presentation. Or you can use the Reuse Slides method, which is an option in Powerpoint to import multiple slides. When pasting and reusing slides, there is one pitfall that you should be aware of, which can easily be overlooked: By default, if you bring slides from one presentation into another, PowerPoint can automatically make those slides look like the new presentation, by applying the destination theme to them. If you want the pasted slides to look identical to the original, you need to apply the option “Keep Source Formatting”

Pasting and reusing slides on Mac

This video shows how to paste slides and keep source formatting when using Mac:

There is an easier way to import multiple slides: using the “Reuse Slides” method. However, when I tested this for Mac, I couldn’t find a way to keep the source formatting. Notice in the video below that the popup-square for the theme-options doesn’t appear after reusing the slides. So, unless I did something fundamentally wrong here, the “reuse slides” method on Mac can´t be used in my workflow. The reused slides wont be identical to the originals.

Paste and reuse slides on PC

It seems that these things work better on Windows: When I paste slides, the formatting-options appear as an option before the slide is inserted, making it harder to miss: 

Pasting slides in PowerPoint for PC

And when re-using slides, the “keep original formatting” is chosen as the default option: 

This is one example where the PC version of PowerPoint is more developed than the Mac counterpart. If your workflow relies heavily on combining slides from different presentations, I recommend using the Windows version.

2. Use APS to switch between different PowerPoint presentations

The method of pasting and reusing slides takes time, and it’s easy to screw up the formatting. And, if the presentations have different aspect-ratio of let’s say 16:9 and 4:3, then combining the slides becomes more difficult. For these reasons, I think its a good idea to have alternative solutions for working with multiple Powerpoint presentations. One of the reasons we made APS was to solve this problem of quickly and seamlessly displaying content from different presentations. With APS, you don’t need to edit the presentations at all, instead you get shortcuts and network-commands to open and display new presentations. And with the seamless switching method , the audience wont notice the switch: The transitions will look the same as if you progress to the next slide.

3. Link PowerPoint presentations with internal hyperlinks

If you don’t want to use a third-party program like APS to switch presentations, you can try the internal solution presented by Powerpoint: Hyperlinks. This lets you create buttons in a slide that jumps to another presentation. This video shows how it’s done: 

The Hyperlink-button switches seamlessly to the next presentation. When pushing “escape”, you go back to the presentation with the hyperlink. I recently had a discussion on Reddit where the user u/SteveRindsberg explained how he used Hyperlinks to display different Powerpoint presentations: He has one presentation which only consists of one slide with hyperlinks to all the other speaker-presentations. The hyperlink-slide acts as a remote control. To exit the speaker-presentations and return to the hyperlink-slide, he push “escape”. In this setup, the presentation with the hyperlink is always in slideshow-mode but hidden behind the speaker-presentations started from the hyperlink. I think this is a sound method, and a viable alternative to APS. However, in my biased opinion, being the founder of APS, I do want to point out some advantages of using APS compared to using hyperlinks:

  • Easier preparation. With APS you just need to sort the presentations in a folder. Creating a master-slide with the hyperlinks can be more intimidating if you don’t know Powerpoint very well.
  • You get more ways to trigger the command to switch presentations. The commands can be controlled from Companion and Stream Deck, making APS compatible with professional A/V networks. With Hyperlinks you can only start the presentations by pushing the links with the mouse
  • Switching presentations with APS are seamless, whereas with the Hyperlink-method there is no way to avoid displaying the slide with all the hyperlinks. Arguably, you can use a video-switcher to smooth out the transitions, but with APS these things are taken care of within the computer.

Summary: The best way to combine and merge Powerpoint presentations for professional live A/V

In this blogtext we have shown different ways you can merge slides and switch presentations, and if you are a professional A/V technician working with presentations, I think its useful to know all of them:

  • Pasting and reusing slides can be a good solution if you have time to prepare this, and the organizer wants to have all the slides in one presentation
  • APS works great to quickly and seamlessly switch between different presentations with a minimum of preparation
  • Hyperlinks works well if you are experienced with Powerpoint, you like to have a page with links to all your presentations, and you don’t need the seamless transitions between the presentations.

As always, bring different tools to your arsenal, and be prepared for any request the client might have. But before we finish this text I want to repeat one thing: If you decide to paste slides or reuse slides, remember to turn on the setting for Keep Source Formatting. Otherwise the speakers can be in for a surprise when they see the presentation on the projector. 

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Be the first to know about the latest news from PresentationTools

Contact & Follow

how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

Company Invoicing

© PresentationTools A/S 2024

WebNots

Home » Tech Tips » Apps » How to Merge PowerPoint Presentations?

How to Merge PowerPoint Presentations?

Whether you are a company manager, a member of the project team, a student or a teacher, making presentations is something you have to deal with from time to time. In such a situation, Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) is a powerful tool for creating a captivating and accurate presentation for your audience. However, even when you have prepared your slides perfectly, you can easily confuse and lose your audience during the presentation, especially when you need to fetch your content from multiple presentations or presenting as a team. In this guide, we will show you how to merge multiple PPTs to prevent errors when making presentations.

Related: How to fix slow PowerPoint and speed up your presentations?

Why Merge PowerPoint Presentations?

Learning how to combine presentations into a single seamless file offers several benefits including:

  • You look organized and professional – Organizing your presentation into a single neat file improves the flow of the presentation, and is a sign of professionalism and organization.
  • Avoids time wasting – Merging individual PPTs into one saves time as you don’t have to switch between files/slides looking for the correct content.
  • It is a sign of teamwork – You can create a master presentation as a team to avoid the awkward pause as the next presenter tries to load their part of the presentation.
  • It gives you flexibility – It allows you to deliver your content clearly using different themes or layouts as well as maintain the formatting of the original presentation.

There are several ways of combining individual presentations to enhance the flow of ideas during a PPT presentation.

Method 1: Using “Hyperlink” to Merge Presentations in PowerPoint

One of the simplest ways is to combine by linking the main/master presentation to the other individual presentations.

  • First, it is a good practice to save your presentations on the same computer, preferably the same storage drive/folder.
  • Now open the master presentation and create a new slide where you want to insert the content from the other file.
  • Type something in the new slide to describe the presentation that follows.
  • Highlight the text and under the “Insert” tab click on “Actions”.

Next PPT

  • The “Action Settings” dialogue will appear. Check the “Hyperlink to” option and click the arrow to expand the options.

Action Settings

  • Select the “Other PPT…” option and on the resulting pop-up, browse to select the PPT file that you want to merge with and click “Ok”.

Choose PPT File

  • You can choose the slide where you want the presentation to pick from. If you want to merge the entire presentation, select the first slide and click “Ok”.

Pick Slide

  • Your description will now appear as a link that upon click will open the specific slide you selected above.

Link to Slide

Related: PowerPoint tips to improve your productivity .

Method 2: Merging Presentations with Reuse Slides Feature

The Reuse Slides method comes handy when you want to match maintain the theme of the master presentation all through, as well as when you want to selectively insert slides from another PPT file.

  • Click the space between the two slides where you want to import the slides and then under the “Insert” tab click the “New Slide” arrow.
  • At the bottom of the resulting menu, select “Reuse Slides…”.

Reuse Slide

  • From the pop-up that appears, click the link to open a PPT file or the “Browse” button to choose a file from your PC storage .

Browse PPT File

  • This will display thumbnails of the slides from the second presentation where you can click a particular slide to add it into the main presentation.
  • The added slides will automatically take the theme of the master presentation, but you can retain the original theme by checking the “Keep source formatting” box at the bottom of the pop-up.
  • Once done, close the Reuse Slides pop-up.

Adding Slides

Method 3: Embedding a Presentation into Another

Another way you can combine separate presentations is by embedding the PPT file as an object. Unlike method 2 above, embedding a presentation will maintain its animations and transitions effects.

  • Add a new slide, go to “Insert” and select “Object” from the ribbon .
  • On the resulting dialogue, check the option to create an object from file and click the “Browse…” button.
  • Select the file that you want to embed and then click “Ok”.

Embed PPT

  • This will add the first slide of the external presentation into the current slide. You may need to drag the embedded PPT to fit the size of the current slide.

Resize Object

  • You can also set the embedded presentation to play when you get to that slide.
  • To do so, select the object and go to the “Animations” tab. Click the arrow to expand the animation options and select “OLE Action Verbs” at the bottom of the menu.

OLE Action Verbs

  • Select “Show” on the resulting pop-up and then click “Ok”.

Show PPT

Note: With the hyperlink method, if you edit the content of the original presentation, it will automatically update the slides in the master PPT but if you used the insert object method, you can edit embed and the original PPT independently.

When presenting from multiple PPT files or when making a team presentation, combining the various presentations into a single master presentation can save you time and help you avoid errors. Besides, this makes your presentation look professional and neat. Fortunately, MS PowerPoint enables users to merge presentations using the above three options depending on objectives and taste.

About Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WebNots are team of experts who love to build websites, find tech hacks and share the learning with community.

You also might be interested in

How to Create Data Validation in Excel

How to Create Data Validation in Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is one of the most extensively used tools[...]

Fix Outlook Slow Loading issues

Fix Microsoft Outlook Slow Loading Issue

Outlook is an integrated part of Microsoft Office applications and[...]

How to Use Templates in Microsoft Excel?

How to Create Custom Templates in Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular data processing[...]

DOWNLOAD EBOOKS

  • SEO Guide for Beginners
  • WordPress SEO PDF Guide
  • Weebly SEO PDF Guide
  • Alt Code Emoji Shortcuts PDF
  • Free ALT Code Shortcuts PDF
  • View All eBooks

TRENDING TECH ARTICLES

  • 600+ Windows Alt Codes for Symbols
  • Fix Chrome Resolving Host Problem
  • Fix Slow Page Loading Issue in Google Chrome
  • View Webpage Source CSS and HTML in Google Chrome
  • Fix Safari Slow Loading Pages in macOS
  • Fix Windows WiFi Connection Issue
  • ROYGBIV or VIBGYOR Rainbow Color Codes
  • Fix I’m Not A Robot reCAPTCHA Issue in Google Search
  • Structure of HTTP Request and Response

POPULAR WEB TUTORIALS

  • Move WordPress Localhost Site to Live Server
  • Move Live WordPress Site to Localhost
  • Move WordPress Media Folder to Subdomain
  • Fix WooCommerce Ajax Loading Issue
  • Create a Free Weebly Blog
  • Edit Weebly Source Code HTML and CSS
  • Add Scroll To Top Button in Weebly
  • Add Table in Weebly Site
  • How to Add Advanced Data Table Widget in Weebly?
  • Up to $500 Free Google Ads Coupon Codes

FREE SEO TOOLS

  • Webpage Source Code Viewer
  • HTTP Header Checker
  • What is My IP Address?
  • Google Cache Checker
  • Domain Age Checker Tool
  • View All Free Web and SEO Tools

© 2024 · WebNots · All Rights Reserved.

Type and press Enter to search

  • GroupDocs.Total Product Family
  • GroupDocs.Viewer Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Annotation Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Conversion Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Comparison Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Signature Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Assembly Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Metadata Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Search Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Parser Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Watermark Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Editor Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Merger Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Redaction Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Classification Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Splitter Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Translation Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Rewriter Product Solution
  • GroupDocs.Unlock Product Solution
  • Source Code
  • Free Support
  • Free Download
  • Free Consulting
  • aspose.cloud
  • groupdocs.com
  • groupdocs.cloud
  • groupdocs.app
  • conholdate.com
  • conholdate.cloud
  • conholdate.app
  • Acquisition
  • GroupDocs Products
  • Merge PowerPoint Files

PowerPoint Merger

Merge powerpoint documents from any device with browser..

Powered by groupdocs.com and groupdocs.cloud .

By uploading your files or using our service you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .

Your files have been merged successfully

Send the download link to, about merger app.

Combine multiple PowerPoint documents in the preferred order and save them as a single file. Free online PowerPoint Merger tool without registration is created to quickly join multiple files into a single document. Join multiple PowerPoint files into one document at high speed. You will not spend your time doing these operations manually on desktop software. Our goal is to provide you with a reliable solution to optimize your office workflow through online PowerPoint Merger application. This PowerPoint Merger tool works for all platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS and Android. No desktop software installation is required. It's powerful, modern, fast, flexible, easy-to-use and completely free.

  • Choose the order of merged files
  • Combine your PowerPoint files to a single document
  • Download or send resultant file as email attachment

How to merge PowerPoint files online

  • How can I merge files using PowerPoint Document Merger? First of all, you need to select and add PowerPoint files for merging by two ways: drag and drop your PowerPoint files to the white area with the label ”Click or drop your file here” or click on this area and then select the desired PowerPoint files using file explorer. Once the files are added, the green progress bar will begin to grow. When the process is completed, you can click the Save button and then download your merged PowerPoint file.
  • How long does it take to merge PowerPoint files? Usually, this PowerPoint Document Merger works fast for small files in seconds.
  • Is it safe to merge files using our free PowerPoint Document Merger? Yes, the download link of merged PowerPoint file will be available only for you. The uploaded files will be ereased after 24 hours and the download link will stop working after this time period. No one has access to your files. The PowerPoint Document Merger is absolutely safe.
  • Can I merge PowerPoint files on Linux, Mac OS or Android? Yes, you can use our free PowerPoint Document Merger on any operating system that has a web browser. Our PowerPoint Document Merger works online and does not require any software installation.
  • What browser should I use to merge PowerPoint files? You can use any modern browser to merge PowerPoint files, for example, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, or Safari.

Presentation File Formats

Presentation file formats that store collection of records to accommodate presentation data such as slides, shapes, text, animations, video, audio and embedded objects.

Other Merger file formats

You can also merge other file formats. Please see the list below.

  • ARCHIVE Merger Compression File Formats
  • AUDIO Merger Audio File Formats
  • EXCEL Merger Spreadsheet File Formats
  • IMAGE Merger Image File Formats
  • NOTE Merger Note Taking File Formats
  • VISIO Merger Microsoft Visio File Formats
  • WEB Merger Web File Formats
  • WORD Merger Word Processing File Formats

APIs avaliable

Easily merge multiple documents or split MS Office, OpenOffice, PDF and other documents into pages. GroupDocs.Merger APIs are avaliable for .NET, Java and many other platforms & languages.

 Merger Video Tutorial

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

GroupDocs online applications

  • Classification
  • Translation

Select a language

  • Slovenščina

IMAGES

  1. Combining Multiple Powerpoint Presentations Into One Sl

    how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

  2. How to Merge Two PowerPoint Presentations Together [ 2020 ]

    how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

  3. PowerPoint Tutorial How to Easily Merge Two PowerPoint Presentations

    how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

  4. Combining Multiple Powerpoint Presentations Into One Slide Deck

    how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

  5. How to merge 2 PowerPoint slides into one

    how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

  6. The Easiest Way to Combine Your Powerpoints

    how to merge 2 powerpoint presentations into 1

VIDEO

  1. How to merge two PowerPoint presentations

  2. How To Create a Hyperlink in PowerPoint

  3. Merge Text and Video in PowerPoint Not Working? Here's the Fix! 🔥[PPT TIPS!]

  4. Merge Word & PowerPoint documents using Small Parts

  5. How to merge two cells in table in PowerPoint using

  6. How to merge selected shapes in PowerPoint with union

COMMENTS

  1. How to Combine PowerPoint Presentations

    Click the "Browse" button to locate the PowerPoint presentation file that you want to merge into your open file. Locate your second PowerPoint file and then click the "Open" button to insert it. A list of slides from your second presentation will appear in the "Reuse Slides" menu on the right. First, you'll need to decide on the formatting for ...

  2. Merge PPT Free. Online PPT Merger. Combine PowerPoints.

    1. merge PowerPoint files of the same format into one file; 2. merge Slide Master file into a presentation file to change the style of the resulting presentation ; 3. change the style of multiple presentations in one click, by merging Slides Master file into them; 4. choose the order of merged presentations;

  3. How To Combine PowerPoints? Detailed Guide

    Follow the below steps to learn how to combine multiple powerpoints into one: Open MS PowerPoint and the main presentation. In the "Text" group, Select the 'Object' option. The 'Insert Object' dialog box will appear. Choose the 'Create from file' option there. Click "Browse" and select the slide you want to add.

  4. How to Combine PowerPoint PPT Presentation Files Quickly

    To use Compare and Combine, open the presentation that you want to merge slides into. Then, find the Review tab on PowerPoint's ribbon and open it up. In the Compare group, find and click on the Compare button. Go to Review > Compare to begin the process of merging two PPT slide decks together.

  5. How to Merge Multiple PPT Presentations Into One Presentation

    Learn how to merge multiple PowerPoint presentations into one presentation. Sometime you might get asked to put a number of PowerPoint Presentation into one...

  6. How To Merge Slides in PowerPoint and Why It's Useful

    Locate the file and select "Open" to open a menu of slides from that presentation to select. Check or uncheck the "Keep source formatting" box to retain the original format, depending on your needs. Select either "Insert Slide" or "Insert All Slides" to merge your presentation slides. 2. Compare.

  7. How to Combine PowerPoints: Merging and Reusing Slides

    1. Open the presentation that you want to add slides to. 2. Click where you want to add your slide. 3. Click the Home tab. 4. Click the arrow next to "New Slide" and select Reuse Slides. 5. Click Open a PowerPoint File and double-click the file you want to use. 6. Click a slide to add to your PowerPoint. 7. Save your presentation.

  8. How to Combine Multiple PowerPoints into One

    Open the other presentation and choose the slides you want to add. You can select more than one by pressing Control and clicking on them or you can select all of them by pressing Control + E. For this example we are going to add three slides from the Business Plan with Elegant Backgrounds template. Right click and press copy or press Control + C.

  9. How to Combine PowerPoint Presentations With Different Templates

    3. Click the "Browse" button in the Reuse Slides pane and then click "Browse File" to bring up a list of your files in a dialog box. Click the PowerPoint file that contains the different ...

  10. How to Merge PowerPoints

    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 ...

  11. 3 Ways to Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentation Files

    How to use: 1.Open the main presentation in which you want to insert another presentation. 2.Decide the two slides between which you want to insert the new slides and click between them. 3. A red line will appear. 4.Click on the ' Insert ' menu. 5.Open the drop-down menu by clicking on ' New Slide '.

  12. How to merge multiple PowerPoint Presentations into one

    Open a new or existing PowerPoint file where you want to merge the slides. Select the slide after which you want to insert the slides from the source file. Go to Home > New Slide > Reuse Slide ...

  13. Merge PowerPoint Presentations

    In this video I demonstrate how to combine or merge two PowerPoint presentations, (the same method can be used to combine any number of slide decks). When ...

  14. How to Merge Two or Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

    Hit Browse button on the Reuse Slides pane and choose Browse File… in the drop-down menu. 4. Find the PPT presentation you want on the computer and Open it. 5. Check the option of Keep source formatting on the bottom of Reuse Slides. 6. Right-click any of the slides and choose Insert All Slides in the menu.

  15. How to Combine Multiple PowerPoint Presentations

    To get started, open the main presentation and then insert a new slide. Make sure to delete any default text boxes or anything else on the new slide so that it is completely blank. Now click on the Insert tab and then click on Object. Select the Create from file radio button and click the Browse button.

  16. How to merge PPT files into one

    In this video, I'm going to show you how to merge PPT files into one. This is a straightforward tutorial on how to use PowerPoint's Combine Multiple Presenta...

  17. How to Merge Files in Powerpoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Step 3: Browse and Choose the Presentation File. Click on "Browse" and then "Browse File" to select the PowerPoint file you want to merge with your main presentation. You'll need to navigate to the location of the PowerPoint file you want to merge. Once you find it, click on it and then click "Open" to bring up the slides in the ...

  18. How to combine and merge PowerPoint-presentations

    2. Use APS to switch between different PowerPoint presentations. The method of pasting and reusing slides takes time, and it's easy to screw up the formatting. And, if the presentations have different aspect-ratio of let's say 16:9 and 4:3, then combining the slides becomes more difficult.

  19. How to Merge PowerPoint Presentations?

    Highlight the text and under the "Insert" tab click on "Actions". Next PPT. The "Action Settings" dialogue will appear. Check the "Hyperlink to" option and click the arrow to expand the options. Action Settings. Select the "Other PPT…" option and on the resulting pop-up, browse to select the PPT file that you want to merge ...

  20. How to merge PowerPoint Presentations ⏩

    In this video learn to merge two PowerPoint presentations.Either you can add only selected slides or add entire slides from one PPT into another PPT.Here im ...

  21. Combine PowerPoint Online

    How to merge PowerPoint files online. Step 1. Select or drop your PowerPoint documents to upload for merge. Step 2. Once upload completes, drag PowerPoint document thumbnails to rearrange them (if needed). Step 3. Click on Merge Now button to start merge process. Step 4.

  22. How to Merge (Combine) Different PPT's into Single PowerPoint ...

    In this video, I have explained how we can combine different PowerPoint presentations into a single presentation in a very easy way.

  23. How to merge two PowerPoint presentations|How to combine two PowerPoint

    In this tutorial I have explained how to merge two separate PowerPoint presentation into one. Combing two PowerPoint presentation is easy and can be done jus...