PowerPoint is one of the most common presentation programs used by business professionals today. There are more than 200 million users of PowerPoint globally, and it’s very likely that you’re one of them. That’s why it makes sense to understand how you should be saving your PowerPoint as PDF files instead of opening and closing each slide over and over again during your presentation.

You see these little pop-up windows all the time in PowerPoint, asking you if you want to save your presentation or not. We all just click RESTRICTED, right? Well, not always. In this article, we will be discussing some things you should know about saving your PowerPoint slides as a PDF file rather than opening and closing them every time during your presentation.

What Is PDF?

PDF is short for “Portable Document Format.” It’s a standard for creating digital documents that you can read on any device. If you’re creating a PDF file of your PowerPoint, you can then send it to co-workers, clients, or even your boss, without worrying that they don’t have PowerPoint.

The recipient will able to open the PDF file without any problems. PDF files are created using two main components: a grid and a print engine. The grid is used to organize and lay out the pages of the PDF file. The print engine helps to process all the information you store in the PDF file and shows it on the screen.

Know the difference between PowerPoint and PDF files

The difference between PowerPoint and PDF files can be confusing at first, so make sure you know the difference. PowerPoint is a presentation program that allows you to create slides and then add different components to create slides, like images, text, shapes, and charts. PowerPoint files are saved in a format called “PPT” or “PPTX” which are basically just different file extensions for the same file format.

That’s why you often see PowerPoint files ending with an “X” instead of the “.pptx” extension. PDF files are created using a standard set of instructions that are designed to create a portable document format. When you save a PDF file, it’s saved in this standard format that works across various devices. Since PDF files are created using a set of instructions, they can easily be opened in programs like Microsoft Office and even in Adobe Reader, a program you don’t need to install in order to read PDF files.

Why You Should Save Your Presentation As PDF

You see that pop-up windows in PowerPoint asking you over and over again if you want to save your presentation? It can be a hassle, especially if you’re giving a presentation for a large group of people. In that case, you definitely don’t want to save each slide, close it, open it again, and then save it again. Save your presentation as a PDF file, and you’ll avoid having to save your presentation every time you want to close the window.

There are many reasons why you should save your presentation as a PDF file rather than opening and closing it in PowerPoint. First, you can open your PDF file in any device with a PDF reader. Second, you can send your PDF file to co-workers or clients without worrying that they don’t have PowerPoint. They can simply open the PDF file and enjoy your presentation.

Tips for Saving Your Presentation As PDF

When you’re trying to save your presentation as a PDF file, you’ll need to know a few things in order to successfully save your PowerPoint as a PDF file. So, before you save your presentation as a PDF file, you need to make sure that you have selected “Save As PDF” from the “File” menu in PowerPoint. When saving your presentation as a PDF, it’s important to choose the correct PDF file format.

Make sure that you’re saving your presentation as a PDF in either “Portable Document Format” or “Adobe Portable Document Format.” Don’t save your presentation in any other formats, as those will not work with your presentation as a PDF file. If you’re using a newer version of PowerPoint, you’ll also want to make sure that you’re saving your PowerPoint as PDF in the correct format.

For a complete understanding of how to use PowerPoint, check out this PowerPoint course.

Things to Remember When Saving Your Presentation As PDF

There are a few things that you need to remember when saving your presentation as a PDF file. First, make sure that you have selected “Save As PDF” from the “File” menu in PowerPoint. Second, make sure to choose the correct PDF file format. If you’re not sure which format to choose, check out the PDF file format chart here.

Third, don’t save your presentation in any other formats, as those will not work with your presentation as a PDF file. Fourth, if you’re using a newer version of PowerPoint, you’ll also want to make sure that you’re saving your presentation as a PDF in the correct format.

Change the View of Your Presentation in PowerPoint Before You Save

Sometimes saving your presentation as a PDF can fail, and you’ll end up with an error message saying that there was an error while saving your presentation as PDF. What then? Well, you’ll need to change the view of your presentation in PowerPoint before you save. If you usually use “Normal View” in PowerPoint, you need to switch to “Scalable View” before you save your presentation as a PDF file. Why? Because “Scalable View” will make sure that the PDF file will be correctly saved, even if your presentation is large.

Bottom line

There are several reasons why you should save your PowerPoint as a PDF file rather than opening and closing it every time during your presentation. First, you can open your PDF file in any device with a PDF reader. Second, you can send your PDF file to co-workers or clients without worrying that they don’t have PowerPoint. They can simply open the PDF file and enjoy your presentation. And lastly, you can keep your presentations safe and secure with a PDF file.

Check out our related PowerPoint courses here.