Editing Microsoft PowerPoint (section)

==PowerPoint Viewer==
PowerPoint Viewer is the name for a series of small free application programs to be used on computers without PowerPoint installed, to view, project, or print (but not create or edit) presentations.<ref name="view-presentation-without-ppt">{{Cite web |url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/View-a-presentation-without-PowerPoint-2f1077ab-9a4e-41ba-9f75-d55bd9b231a6 |title=View a presentation without PowerPoint |last=Microsoft Corporation |date=2017 |website=Microsoft Office Support |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901170528/https://support.office.com/en-us/article/View-a-presentation-without-PowerPoint-2f1077ab-9a4e-41ba-9f75-d55bd9b231a6 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 1, 2017 |access-date=September 1, 2017 |quote=If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can still open and view PowerPoint presentations by using PowerPoint Viewer, PowerPoint Mobile, or PowerPoint Online.}}</ref>

The first version was introduced with PowerPoint 3.0 in 1992, to enable electronic presentations to be projected using conference-room computers and to be freely distributed; on Windows, it took advantage of the new feature of embedding [[TrueType]] fonts within PowerPoint presentation files to make such distribution easier.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fridlund |first=Alan |date=August 24, 1992 |title=PowerPoint 3.0 catches up with the best |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5VIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62 |department=Reviews |newspaper=InfoWorld |issn=0199-6649 |volume=14 |issue=34|pages=61–63 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6YmCLOu27?url=https://filetea.me/t1sUVQhKWxnSoqiAjX7Sd2Org |url-status=live |archive-date=May 25, 2015 |access-date=September 1, 2017 |quote=Version 3.0 now includes a PowerPoint Viewer that runs on any Windows 3.1 machine and can be distributed freely with your presentation files. ... A major advance ... is the use of embedded TrueType fonts ... ensuring that the appearance of your presentation is completely repeatable on any machine equipped with the viewer.}}</ref> The same kind of viewer app was shipped with PowerPoint 3.0 for Macintosh, also in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/262748389649 |title=Microsoft PowerPoint 3.0 for Macintosh |date=April 22, 2017 |website=eBay |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902180732/http://www.ebay.com/itm/262748389649 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 2, 2017 |access-date=September 2, 2017 |quote=Includes ... 1 PowerPoint Viewer disk.}}</ref>

Beginning with PowerPoint 2003, a feature called "Package for CD" automatically managed all linked video and audio files plus needed fonts when exporting a presentation to a disk or flash drive or network location,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/828504/description-of-how-to-use-the-package-for-cd-feature-in-powerpoint-200 |title=Description of how to use the Package for CD feature in PowerPoint 2003 and in PowerPoint 2007 |last=Microsoft Corporation |date=September 12, 2011 |website=Microsoft Office Support |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240528061629/https://www.webcitation.org/6t9ssO7Gj?url=https://filetea.me/n3wXFenSmHQRUSTK5pMr1NUbQ |url-status=live |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |access-date=September 1, 2017}}</ref> and also included a copy of a revised PowerPoint Viewer application so that the result could be presented on other PCs without installing anything.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/waynekao/archive/2004/04/01/105381.aspx |title=New PowerPoint Viewer |last=Kao |first=Wayne |date=April 1, 2004 |website=Wayne's Microsoft Blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516150318/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/waynekao/archive/2004/04/01/105381.aspx |url-status=live |archive-date=May 16, 2014 |access-date=September 3, 2017 |quote=... 2003 ... a brand new PowerPoint Viewer. The previous viewer had been written for the PowerPoint 97 release ... can be run without any installation or setup, which means it can be run directly off your USB keychain or even off write-protected media like a CD orDVD. |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The latest version that runs on Windows "was created in conjunction with PowerPoint 2010, but it can also be used to view newer presentations created in PowerPoint 2013 and PowerPoint 2016. ... All transitions, videos and effects appear and behave the same when viewed using PowerPoint Viewer as they do when viewed in PowerPoint 2010." It supports presentations created using PowerPoint 97 and later.<ref name="view-presentation-without-ppt" /> The latest version that runs on Macintosh is PowerPoint 98 Viewer for the [[Classic Mac OS]] and [[List of macOS components#Classic|Classic Environment]], for Macs supporting System 7.5 to [[Mac OS X Tiger]] (10.4).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/office/98/updates/powerpoint98_viewer/default.asp |title=PowerPoint 98 Viewer |last=Microsoft Corporation |date=1998 |website=Microsoft Mac Office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001217103900/http://www.microsoft.com/MAC/products/office/98/updates/powerpoint98_viewer/default.asp |archive-date=December 17, 2000 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 3, 2017 <!-- dead --> |df=mdy-all }}</ref> It can open presentations only from PowerPoint 3.0, 4.0, and 8.0 (PowerPoint 98), although presentations created on Mac can be opened in PowerPoint Viewer on Windows.<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510103008/http://www.bitbetter.com/powerfaq.htm <!-- long URL needed --> |title=PowerPoint FAQ: Versions |last=<!-- author not given --> |date=May 10, 2013 |website=A Bit Better Corporation |url=http://www.bitbetter.com/powerfaq.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |access-date=August 4, 2017}} A diagram shows "which versions of PowerPoint can open/save which other versions" up to version 9.0 for Windows ("PowerPoint 2000").</ref>

{{As of|May 2018}}, the last versions of PowerPoint Viewer for all platforms have been retired by Microsoft; they are no longer available for download and no longer receive security updates.<ref name="PPT-Viewer-retired">{{Cite web |url= https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/office_sustained_engineering/2017/11/16/end-of-support-for-the-excel-and-powerpoint-Viewers-and-the-office-compatibility-pack/ |title=End of support for the Excel and PowerPoint viewers and the Office Compatibility Pack |last=Microsoft Corporation |date=November 16, 2017 |website=Microsoft Office Sustained Engineering Team Blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118072211/https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/office_sustained_engineering/2017/11/16/end-of-support-for-the-excel-and-powerpoint-viewers-and-the-office-compatibility-pack/ |url-status=live |archive-date=November 18, 2017 |access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref> The final PowerPoint Viewer for Windows (2010)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13 |title=PowerPoint Viewer |last=Microsoft Corporation |date=October 25, 2011 |website=Microsoft Download Center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712230357/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |access-date=January 25, 2018 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> and the final PowerPoint Viewer for [[Classic Mac OS]] (1998)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/office/98/updates/powerpoint98_viewer/default.asp  |title=Microsoft PowerPoint 98 Viewer [Documentation] |last=Microsoft Corporation |date=1998 |website=Microsoft MacTopia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816202129/http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/office/98/updates/powerpoint98_viewer/default.asp  |archive-date=August 16, 2000 <!-- earliest archive of doc -->|url-status=dead |access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/office98mac/Update/98/MacOS/EN-US/PPT98VW.hqx  |title=Download Mac PowerPoint 98 Viewer [Code] |last=Microsoft Corporation |date=2017 |website=Microsoft Download Center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202011407/http://download.microsoft.com/download/office98mac/Update/98/MacOS/EN-US/PPT98VW.hqx |archive-date=February 2, 2017 <!-- latest archive of code, 6808 KB. Beware, archive of this code linked from August 16, 2000 IA archive of its doc (preceding ref) is corrupt (silently truncated at 1024 KB). Can not use one ref for both, because ALL archives of the doc at IA (last in 2001) have links to truncated code. -->|url-status=dead |access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref> are available only from archives. The recommended replacements for PowerPoint Viewer: "On Windows 10 PCs, download the free ... PowerPoint Mobile application from the Windows Store,"<ref name="PPT-Viewer-retired" /> and "On Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 PCs, upload the file to OneDrive and view it for free using ... PowerPoint Online."<ref name="PPT-Viewer-retired" />