PowerPoint 2016: Saving Presentations

Introduction

Saving your PowerPoint 2016 presentations regularly is critical to avoid losing work. There are several ways to save presentations in PowerPoint 2016, giving you flexibility in how you access and share your files.

Save vs Save As

The Save and Save As commands allow you to store your presentation files locally on your computer or in the cloud.

• Save – Use this to update an existing presentation file that has already been saved previously. The file will retain the same name and location.
• Save As – Use this to save a new presentation file for the first time, or to create a copy of an existing file with a new name or location.

You can access the Save and Save As commands in several ways:

• Quick Access Toolbar – Click the Save icon to quickly save changes to the current file.
• Keyboard Shortcut – Use Ctrl+S on your keyboard to quickly save.
• Backstage View – Click the File tab and select Save or Save As. You can browse folders here and give the file a new name if saving a copy.

Save Location Options

You have several options when choosing where to save your PowerPoint 2016 presentations:

• This PC – Save the file locally on your computer’s hard drive. This is the default location.
• OneDrive – Save the file to your personal Microsoft OneDrive cloud account. Files are accessible from any device.
• SharePoint – Save the file to a SharePoint team site if your organization uses SharePoint Online.
• Other Services – PowerPoint also supports saving to other cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive.

Save a Copy or Backup

At times you may want to save a separate copy of your presentation while keeping the original file intact:

• Save As – Use Save As to create a copy with a new name. For example “Presentation (copy)”.
• Change Save Location – Use Save As to save a copy to a different folder or drive.
• Revert to Earlier Version – Restore a previous version of a file if you need to undo recent changes.

Tips for Saving Presentations

Follow these best practices when saving PowerPoint 2016 presentations:

• Save Early and Often – Save your work frequently to prevent losing changes from application or system crashes.
• Save to a Memorable Location – Use folder names and locations that you will easily remember for quick access to your files later.
• Back Up Important Files – Consider saving copies of important files to external drives or alternative cloud services.

Conclusion

Learning how to properly use the Save and Save As features in PowerPoint 2016 gives you critical protection against lost work and flexibility in organizing and sharing your presentation files. Following the right saving strategies will ensure your hard work is never accidentally deleted or overwritten.