How to Reduce a PowerPoint File Size

PowerPoint files can easily become large, which makes sharing and emailing presentations difficult. A presentation loaded with high-resolution photos, complex diagrams, embedded video, custom fonts, and other elements can quickly reach 50-100 MB or more in size.

Fortunately, there are several ways to dramatically reduce the file size of a PowerPoint presentation without significantly sacrificing quality. Here are the top methods:

Compress Images

Images are usually the biggest culprit for large file sizes. To compress images:

  • Select the images you want to compress
  • Go to the Picture Format tab
  • Click Compress Pictures
  • Choose the compression level (220 ppi is good for printing, 96 ppi for on-screen viewing)
  • Check Delete cropped areas to further reduce size

Set PowerPoint to compress images by default by going to File > Options > Advanced and changing the default resolution.

Compress Video

  • Go to File > Info
  • Click Compress Media
  • Choose compression level (1080p, 720p or 480p)

Higher quality means larger files. Find the optimal balance for your needs.

Convert 3D Models to Images

Complex 3D models can bloat files. Convert them to normal images to shrink presentations.

Use PPTX Format

The PPTX format typically produces smaller files than the older PPT format. To save as PPTX:

  • Go to File > Save As
  • Choose PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx) from the menu

Save as a ZIP File

PowerPoint files are actually ZIP archives. To further compress:

  • Go to File > Save As
  • Choose PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (.ppt)
  • Rename the file extension from .ppt to .zip
  • Compress the ZIP file with a file compression tool

Additional Tips

  • Delete unused slides and media. Keep only what you need.
  • Limit special effects and transitions. Fancy animations increase file size.
  • Convert some text to images if you have a lot of text.
  • Subset embedded fonts to only needed characters.

Following these PowerPoint file compression tips will allow you to easily reduce presentations to a manageable size for sharing and emailing. A little optimization goes a long way!