Microsoft PowerPoint is the most commonly used presentation software. However, you may sometimes need to view or download a PowerPoint presentation when you don’t have PowerPoint installed on your device. Here are some easy methods to download slides from a PowerPoint presentation without using PowerPoint itself.
Use a Free Online PowerPoint Viewer
Several free online tools allow you to view PowerPoint presentations directly in your web browser without needing to install any software. Many also give you the option to download the slides. Here are some top options:
- Google Slides – If the presentation is shared with you via Google Drive, you can open and view it with Google Slides for free. You can then download the entire deck or individual slides as JPG, PNG, PDF or PPTX files.
- Microsoft Office Online – If you have a free Microsoft account, you can upload PPT/PPTX files to OneDrive and view them using the online PowerPoint app. You can download slides as images or PDF.
- SlideShare – A popular site for sharing presentations publicly. You can view shared decks online and download slides as PDF.
- Scribd – Another site for accessing presentations shared by others. Lets you view online and download files.
- SlidesGo – A free online PPT viewer supporting viewing and downloading presentations without signup.
Use the Free Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer
Microsoft offers a free PowerPoint Viewer desktop application that lets you open and view PPT/PPTX files on a Windows PC without needing the full PowerPoint app installed. It doesn’t allow editing files, but you can export slides as images or PDF.
Convert the Presentation to PDF
Many websites offer automated tools to instantly convert PowerPoint files to PDF format. The PDF will contain images of all the slides that you can view, print or save on any device. Some top PPT to PDF converters include:
- SmallPDF
- ILovePDF
- Adobe Acrobat online
Print the Slides To Image Files
If you can briefly access the PPT file on a computer with PowerPoint installed, you can print the slides to image files. Open the presentation, go to Print and select an option like “Microsoft Print to PDF” or print to any virtual printer that can save files as images. You will now have JPG/PNG files of the individual slides.
Use Alternative Office Software
Some free office suites like LibreOffice and OpenOffice have their own presentation software that can open PowerPoint files. You can then export slides as images or PDF. These include:
- LibreOffice Impress
- OpenOffice Impress
- WPS Presentation
The formatting may not be perfect, but the slide content will be accessible.
Video Tutorials
There are also many video tutorials on sites like YouTube that demonstrate methods for downloading Google Slides and other presentations without PowerPoint. Watching a quick video can help explain the process.
In summary, you have several solid options for accessing PowerPoint presentations even if you don’t have the desktop application. Online viewing combined with the ability to export or download slides as images or PDF means you’ll have the content available instantly. Give some of these handy PowerPoint alternatives a try the next time you need to view a PPT deck on another device!