How to Compress Audio and Video in PowerPoint 2010

PowerPoint 2010 includes built-in tools to help you compress media files like audio and video in your presentations. Compressing media can significantly reduce the file size of your PowerPoint file, making it easier to share and email.

Here’s an overview of how to compress media files in PowerPoint 2010:

Why Compress Media Files

There are several benefits to compressing audio and video files in your PowerPoint presentations:

  • Reduces file size – Audio and video files can greatly increase the size of your PowerPoint file. Compressing them reduces the file size so it’s easier to email and share.
  • Faster playback – Large media files may play slowly or have performance issues. Compressing them can improve playback speed and performance.
  • Saves disk space – Compressed media files take up less storage space on your computer.

How to Compress Media Files

Compressing media files in PowerPoint 2010 is simple:

  1. Open PowerPoint presentation – Open the PowerPoint file that contains the media files you want to compress.
  2. Select the File tab – Select the File tab in the top menu and click Info on the left side.
  3. Click Compress Media – In the Media Size and Performance section, click the Compress Media button.
  4. Choose compression level – Select the desired level of compression – higher compression = smaller files but lower quality.
  5. Wait for compression – It may take a few minutes for PowerPoint to compress the media files.
  6. Save compressed presentation – When done, save your presentation to keep the compressed media files.

Compression Quality Options

When you choose to compress media files, PowerPoint gives you three compression quality options:

  • Presentation Quality – Highest quality but largest files
  • Internet Quality – Medium quality, smaller files
  • Low Quality – Lowest quality but smallest files

Choose based on your priorities for quality vs file size.

Alternative Ways to Reduce File Size

In addition to compressing media files, you can also:

  • Compress images – Reduce size of images using Compress Pictures command
  • Delete cropped image areas – Saves space by removing cropped edges
  • Limit special effects – Shadows, glows etc increase file size
  • Save as PDF – Saving as PDF can also reduce size

Troubleshooting Tips

If you have issues with compressing media files, try these tips:

  • Update file format – Convert file to latest format to enable better compression
  • Check codecs installed – Certain codecs needed for audio compression
  • Clear temp files – Delete temp files which can slow down compression

Using PowerPoint’s built-in tools to compress media files is an easy way to reduce file size while retaining reasonable media quality. Combine compression with other optimization methods for best results.