How to Print PowerPoint 2013 Handouts Without the Date and Time

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to print handouts of your slides with multiple slides per page. This can be useful for distributing notes to an audience.

However, by default, PowerPoint prints the date and time on the handout footer when you print slides. Here are a few methods to remove or hide the date and time when printing PowerPoint 2013 handouts.

Use the Header and Footer Dialog Box

The easiest way to print handouts without the date and time is to remove it from the footer. Here are the steps:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and click the Design tab
2. Click Header & Footer in the Header & Footer group
3. Uncheck the Date and time checkbox
4. Click Apply to All to remove the date and time footer from all slides
5. Click Print and then adjust any other print settings as needed
6. The printed handouts will not display the date and time

Pros:

• Quick and easy way to remove date and time footer
• Can be easily re-enabled later if needed

Cons:

• Have to re-add date and time footer if you want it visible on some but not all printed handouts

Print Using the Print Hidden Slides Option

Alternatively, you can hide the date and time by using PowerPoint’s option to print hidden slides:

1. Open your presentation and click the Insert tab
2. Click Header & Footer
3. Check the Date and time box to add the footer (even though we want to hide it)
4. Click the Slide Show tab and click Hide Slide to hide any slides you want to print without the date and time
5. When ready to print, click File > Print
6. Under Settings, check the box for Print Hidden Slides
7. Click Print. The hidden slides will print without the footer date and time

Pros:

• Allows printing some slides with footer and some without
• Don’t need to re-add date and time later

Cons:

• More complex process
• Need to unhide slides to present later

Cover the Date and Time with a Text Box

You can also cover up the date and time footer with a text box when printing:

1. Make sure date and time is enabled in the footer
2. Insert a text box that covers the footer area on slides you want to hide it
3. Send the text box behind other slide content so it’s not visible during presentation
4. When printing, the text box will hide the footer date and time

Pros:

• Don’t need to re-add date and time footer afterwards
• Text box won’t be visible when presenting

Cons:

• Need to add text boxes to each individual slide
• More tedious process

Change Slide Size to Cut Off Footer

Finally, you can print handouts without the date and time by adjusting slide size:

1. Click the Design tab and click Slide Size
2. Reduce slide height to cut off area where footer appears
3. Click Print to generate handouts without visible date and time

Pros:

• Simple process without editing individual slides

Cons:

• Slide content may get cut off or distorted with size changes
• Have to remember to change size back afterwards

Recommendation

The easiest and most practical approach is to simply remove the date and time footer completely using the Header and Footer dialog box. This avoids issues with hidden slides or covered up text while presenting.

If you need the date and time visible on some slides but not handouts, then use the print hidden slides options. Just remember to unhide slides afterwards!