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Microsoft PowerPoint with a Microsoft 365 subscription is the latest version of PowerPoint. Previous versions include PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, PowerPoint 2007, and PowerPoint 2003. PowerPoint 365 way back to PowerPoint 2010 all have a ‘text to speech’ or ‘Speak’ feature to read aloud the text in a slide. It’s hiding away behind Powerpoint speaks aloud in Office 365, 2019, 2016 and earlier - Office Watch. Windows; Productivity and Business; Presentations; Microsoft PowerPoint 365 16.0.6 The creation of multimedia presentations using slideshows has a name: Microsoft PowerPoint, Office's tool to bring your ideas to life and represent them. Microsoft PowerPoint with a Microsoft 365 subscription is the latest version of PowerPoint. Previous versions include PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, PowerPoint 2007, and PowerPoint 2003.

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Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

Summary

You may experience unexpected behavior when you work with a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. This behavior may occur because the presentation is damaged. This article contains step-by-step methods that may help you partly or fully restore your presentation.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user. You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

Symptoms

When you try to open or change a presentation that is damaged, you may experience the following symptoms:

  • When you try to open a presentation, you receive one of the following error messages:

    This is not a PowerPoint Presentation

    PowerPoint cannot open the type of file represented by <file_name>.ppt

    Part of the file is missing.

  • You receive the following kinds of error messages:

    General Protection Fault

    Illegal Instruction

    Invalid Page Fault

    Low system resources

    Out of memory

More Information

How to determine whether you have a damaged presentation

There are several ways to determine whether you have a damaged presentation. You can try to open the file on another computer that has PowerPoint installed to see whether the unexpected behavior occurs on the other computer. You can try to create a new file in PowerPoint and see whether the unexpected behavior occurs with the new file. This section describes how to use existing presentations and how to create a new file in PowerPoint to determine whether the presentations have the same behavior.

Method 1: Open an existing presentation

  1. On the File menu, select Open.
    • In PowerPoint 2007 select the Microsoft Office Button.
  2. Select a different presentation, and then select Open.

If this presentation opens and seems to be undamaged, go to Method 3 in this section. Otherwise, go to Method 2 to create a new presentation.

Method 2: Create a new presentation

Step 1: Create the presentation
  1. On the File menu, select New, and then Welcome to PowerPoint (or Introducing PowerPoint 2010).
    • In PowerPoint 2007, select Installed Templates, and then select Introducing PowerPoint 2007.
  2. Select Create. This process creates a presentation that is based on the template.
  3. On the File menu, select Save.
    • In PowerPoint 2007 select the Microsoft Office Button, and then select Save.
  4. Type a name for the presentation, and then select Save.
  5. Exit PowerPoint.
Step 2: Open the new presentation
  1. On the File menu, select Open.
    • In PowerPoint 2007 select the Microsoft Office Button, and then select Open.
  2. Select the new presentation, and then select Open.

If you cannot open or save the new presentation, go to Method 3.

If you cannot create a new presentation, PowerPoint may be damaged and a repair should be initiated. (See Method 3, Part 2 below.)

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Method 3: General troubleshooting

Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows 7

Part 1

This procedure allows your computer to restart without startup add-ons. For a clean restart, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.

  2. Select Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press Enter to start the System Configuration utility.

    Note

    If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, you should type the password or provide confirmation.

  3. On the General tab, select the Selective startup option, and then clear the Load startup items check box. (The Use Original Boot.ini check box is unavailable.)

  4. On the Services tab, select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then select Disable all.

    Note

    This step lets Microsoft services continue to run. After you do a clean restart, you should check Office performance and then resume usual startup.

Part 2

This procedure will cause the Office program to check for issues and repair itself.

  1. Select the Start button and type Control Panel.

  2. Open the Control Panel, go to Uninstall or change a program (or Add or Remove Programs).

  3. Scroll through the list of programs and find your version of Microsoft Office. Right-select and then select Change.

    Note

    We suggest that you do the online repair option.

Methods to try if you cannot open a presentation

Method 1: Drag the presentation to the PowerPoint program file icon

Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8

  1. Right-click the Windows icon on the Taskbar, and then select Run.

  2. Type one of the following depending on your version of PowerPoint:

  3. Select the Enter key.

  4. Locate the Powerpnt.exe icon in Windows Explorer.

  5. Drag the damaged presentation icon from one window to the Powerpnt.exe icon in the other window.

PowerPoint will try to open the presentation. If PowerPoint does not open the presentation, go to Method 2.

Windows 7

  1. Select Start, and then select Documents. Or select Start and then search for Windows Explorer.

  2. If you have the MSI version of PowerPoint 2013 installed, type %ProgramFiles%Microsoft Officeoffice15 (PowerPoint 2013 64 bit) or %ProgramFiles(x86)%Microsoft Officeoffice15 (PowerPoint 2013 32 bit), and then press Enter.

    If you have PowerPoint 2013 Select-to-Run installed, type C:Program FilesMicrosoft Office 15rootoffice15 (PowerPoint 2013 64 bit) or C:Program Files(x86)Microsoft Office 15rootoffice15 (PowerPoint 2013 32 bit), and then press Enter.

    If you have the MSI version of PowerPoint 2016 installed, type %ProgramFiles(x86)%Microsoft Officeoffice16, and then press Enter.

    If you have PowerPoint 2016 Select-to-Run installed, type %ProgramFiles%Microsoft OfficerootOffice16 (PowerPoint 2016 64 bit) or %ProgramFiles(x86)%Microsoft OfficerootOffice16 (PowerPoint 2016 32 bit), and then press Enter.

  3. Locate the Powerpnt.exe icon in Windows Explorer.

  4. Drag the damaged presentation icon from one window to the Powerpnt.exe icon in the other window.

Method 2: Try to insert slides into a blank presentation

Step 1: Create a blank presentation
  1. In the File menu, select New.
    • In PowerPoint 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click New.
  2. Select Blank Presentation, and then select Create.

This process creates a blank title slide. You can delete this slide later after you re-create the presentation.

Step 2: Insert the damaged presentation as slides
  1. On the Home tab, select the arrow next to New slides in the Slides group, and then select Reuse Slides.
  2. In the Reuse Slides task pane, select Browse. Select the damaged presentation, and then select Open.
  3. Select Insert Slide for each slide in the damaged presentation.
  4. In the File menu, select Save.
    • In PowerPoint 2007 click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Save.
  5. Type a new name for the presentation, and then select Save.
Step 3: Apply the damaged presentation as a template

If the presentation does not look the way that you expect after you try these steps, try to apply the damaged presentation as a template. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. On the File menu, select Save as.

    • In PowerPoint 2007 click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Save as.

  2. Type a new name for the presentation, and then select Save.

    Note

    This will make a backup copy of the restored presentation that you can use in case the damaged presentation damages this new presentation.

  3. On the Design tab, select More in the Themes group, and then select Browse for Themes.

  4. Select the damaged presentation, and then select Apply. The slide master of the damaged presentation replaces the new slide master.

Note

If you start to experience unexpected behavior after you follow these steps, the template may have damaged the presentation. In this case, use the backup copy to re-create the master slide.

If the backup copy of the new presentation exhibits the same damage or strange behavior as the original presentation, go to Method 3.

Method 3: Try to open the temporary file version of the presentation

When you edit a presentation, PowerPoint creates a temporary copy of the file. This temporary file is named PPT ####.tmp.

Note

The placeholder #### represents a random four-digit number.

This temporary file may be located in the same folder as the location to which the presentation is saved. Or it may be located in the temporary file folder.

Rename the file, and then try to open the file in PowerPoint

  1. Right-select the file, and then select Rename.

  2. Change the old file-name extension from .tmp to .pptx so that the file name resembles the following file name:

    PPT ####.pptx

  3. Start PowerPoint.

  4. On the File menu, select Open.

  5. Browse to the folder that contains the renamed file.

  6. Try to open the file in PowerPoint.

Note

More than one file may correspond to the temporary file that was created the last time that you saved the presentation. In this case, you may have to open each file to see whether one is the temporary copy of the presentation.

If there are no temporary files, or if the temporary files display the same kind of damage or strange behavior, go to Method 4.

Method 4: Make a copy of the damaged presentation

  1. Right-select the presentation, and then select Copy.
  2. In the Windows Explorer window, right-select in a blank space, and then select Paste.

If you cannot copy the file, the file may be damaged, or the file may reside on a damaged part of the computer's hard disk. In this case, go to Method 5.

If you can copy the file, try to open the copy of the damaged presentation in PowerPoint. If you cannot open the copy of the damaged presentation, try to repeat Method 1 through Method 5 in the 'Methods to try if you cannot open a presentation' section below by using the copy of the damaged presentation.

Method 5: Run Error Checking on the hard disk drive

Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8
  1. Exit all open programs.
  2. Right-click the Start menu and select File Explorer.
  3. Right-select the hard disk drive that contains the damaged presentation.
  4. Select Properties, and then select the Tools tab.
  5. In Error-checking, select Check Now.
  6. Select the check box Automatically fix file system errors.
  7. Select the check box Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
  8. Select Start.
Windows 7
  1. Exit all open programs.
  2. Select Start, and then select Computer.
  3. Right-click the hard disk drive that contains the damaged presentation.
  4. Select Properties, and then select the Tools tab.
  5. In Error-checking, select Check Now.
  6. Select to select the Automatically fix file system errors check box.
  7. Select to select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box.
  8. Select Start.

Note

Error checking may verify that the presentation is cross-linked and attempt to repair the presentation. However, this is not a guarantee that PowerPoint will be able to read the presentation.

Methods to try if you can open a damaged presentation

Method 1: Try to apply the damaged presentation as a template

Step 1: Create a blank presentation
  1. On the File menu, select New.
    • In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button, and then select New.
  2. Select Blank Presentation, and then select Create. This process creates a blank title slide. (You can delete this slide after you re-create the presentation.)
Step 2: Insert the damaged presentation into the blank presentation
  1. On the Home tab, select the arrow next to New slides in the Slides group, and then select Reuse Slides.
  2. In the Reuse Slides task pane, select Browse.
  3. Select the damaged presentation, and then select Open.
  4. Select Insert Slide for each slide in the damaged presentation.
  5. Select the Microsoft Office button, and then select Save.
  6. Type a new name for the presentation, and then select Save.
Step 3: Apply the damaged presentation as a template

If the presentation does not look the way that you expect it to look after you try follow these steps, try to apply the damaged presentation as a template. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. On the File menu, select Save as.
  • In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button, and then select Save as.

  1. Type a new name for the presentation, and then select Save.

    Note

    This will make a backup copy of the restored presentation that you can use in case the damaged presentation damages this new presentation.

  2. On the Design tab, select More in the Themes group, and then select Browse for Themes.

  3. Select the damaged presentation, and then select Apply. The slide master of the damaged presentation replaces the new slide master.

Note

If you start to experience unexpected behavior after you follow these steps, the template may have damaged the presentation. In this case, use the backup copy to re-create the master slide.

If the backup copy of the new presentation still displays damage or strange behavior, go to Method 2.

Method 2: Transfer the slides from the damaged presentation to a blank presentation

Step 1: Create a blank presentation
  1. On the File menu in PowerPoint, select Open.
    • In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button, and then select Open.
  2. Locate the damaged presentation, and then select Open.
  3. On the File menu in PowerPoint, select New.
    • In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button, and then select New.
  4. Select Blank Presentation, and then select Create. This process creates a blank title slide.
Step 2: Copy slides from the damaged presentation to the new presentation

  1. On the View tab, select Slide Sorter. If you receive error messages when you switch views, try to use Outline view.

  2. Select a slide that you want to copy.On the Home tab, select Copy.

    Note

    If you want to copy more than one slide at a time, hold down the Shift key, and then select each slide that you want to copy.

  3. Switch to the new presentation. To do this, on the Window tab, select Switch Window in the View group, and then select the new presentation that you created in step 1.

  4. On the View tab, select Slide Sorter.

  5. On the Home tab, select Paste.

  6. Repeat steps 2a through 2f until the whole presentation is transferred.

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Note

In some cases, one damaged slide may cause a problem for the whole presentation. If you notice unexpected behavior in the new presentation after you copy a slide to the presentation, that slide is likely to be damaged. Re-create the slide, or copy sections of the slide to a new slide.

If the new presentation shows damage or strange behavior, go to method 3.

Method 3: Save the presentation as a Rich Text Format (RTF) file

If there is damage throughout the presentation, the only option to recover the presentation may be to save the presentation as a Rich Text Format (RTF) file. If this method is successful, it recovers only the text that appears in Outline view.

Step 1: Save the presentation in the RTF file format
  1. Open the presentation.
  2. On the File menu, select Save As, select a location to save the file, and then select More options.
    • In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button, select Save As, and then select Other Formats.
  3. In the Save as type list, select Outline/RTF(*.rtf).
  4. In the File Name box, type the name that you want to use, select a location in which to save the presentation, and then select Save.
  5. Close the presentation.

Note

Any graphics, tables, or other text in the original presentation will not be saved in the .rtf file.

Step 2: Open the .rtf file in PowerPoint
  1. On the File menu, select Open.
  2. In the Files of type list, select All Outlines or All Files.
  3. Select the .rtf file that you saved in step 1d, and then select Open.

This procedure will re-create the presentation based on the original presentation's outline view.

A PowerPoint presentation can be a simple deck of slides. It can also be a visually breathtaking course of animations and graphics. In every case, a good presentation requires thought, hard work, and time.

Microsoft PowerPoint gives you some help with time. But though this Office software is packed with features, you need extra help sometimes. This is where our list of the best, mostly free PowerPoint add-ins come in.

How do PowerPoint add-ins help your presentations?

Microsoft Office has add-ins for every software in its suite. They add more features to PowerPoint, help craft your slides faster, make collaboration easier, and maybe captivate your audience at the end of it all.

Add-ins can do all that and make Microsoft PowerPoint seem more powerful than it already is.

Today, we will look at how to install and manage these little tools and suggest a few of the best Microsoft PowerPoint add-ins you should install to improve your productivity.

Most of these add-ins will work with Microsoft PowerPoint 365, 2016, 2019, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online.

Step up your PowerPoint game

Download our print-ready shortcut cheatsheet for PowerPoint.

Which PowerPoint add-ins should you install?

There are more than 2,000 Microsoft Office add-ins. Microsoft Office organizes all add-ins in neat categories. You can also filter them by:

  1. Rating
  2. Name

Microsoft Office also automatically suggests a few add-ins to you. There’s also a category called Editor’s Picks which displays a few highly-rated selections. Work through the choices and pick the ones that fit your workflow.

How to install and manage Microsoft PowerPoint add-ins

There are three simple methods to browse and download the add-ins you want.

Microsoft has a dedicated Office Store (AppSource) which lists all add-ins available for all Office applications.

You can also access the add-ins inside PowerPoint (and other Office apps), and also within PowerPoint for other platforms, like PowerPoint for iPad, Mac, and PowerPoint Online.

Method 1: Download add-ins from the Office Store

The Office Store can be browsed like any other website. Filters on the left help you drill down to the add-ins you need.

Do read the reviews for each add-in and check the ratings. The better add-ins will be strong in both areas.

1. Click the blue Get It Now button.

2. Sign into AppSource with your Microsoft account.

3. Give Microsoft permission to install the add-in.

4. Continue the installation by selecting the application you want it for.

5. The add-in will appear on the extreme right of the Ribbon. Click the add-in button and a sidebar appears on the side of your document.

Method 2: Download add-ins from inside Microsoft PowerPoint

1. Go to the Ribbon > Insert > Add-Ins Group > Get Add-Ins.

2. Use the Store pane to browse for add-ins and install them. All installed add-ins will be listed under My Add-Ins.

3. Give your permission to Microsoft and allow the installation to proceed.

As in the download from the website, the add-in appears as a button on the Ribbon. When you are done with an add-in, you can close it by clicking the “X” button in the sidebar.

All free and purchased add-ins are part of your Microsoft account. After you’ve added them once you’ll have quick access to them from the My Add-ins button on the menu. The Manage My Add-ins link on the window will also take you to a page where you can see other details on them.

For example, an option to hide an add-in if you don’t want to see it on your list.

If you don’t use an add-in, then you can always delete them to clean up your list.

Method 3: Download add-ins from third party websites

PowerPoint has an evolved community of users around the world. These users have spawned their own unique add-ins which you may not find in the official Office store. The majority of them are made for corporate use and are unfortunately not free. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find a few gems.

How to delete an add-in you don’t want

1. When you want to remove an add-in, go to Ribbon > Add-Ins > My Add-ins. If you don’t see your add-in, then click on the Refresh link at the top of the window.

2. In the Office Add-Ins window, click the menu option (three dots) for the specific add-in and click on Remove.

With this basic process covered, let us move on to select a few choice add-ins that can set you up for productivity.

The best free Microsoft PowerPoint add-ins for everyday productivity

You can feel spoiled for choice with the option of 2,000+ add-ins. But let’s check out a few that are useful for almost anyone.

The focus of the list is on free add-ins. A few excellent add-ins with trial accounts have been thrown into the mix to demonstrate how you can extend PowerPoint when your needs demand it.

1. Pickit

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Add spectacular visuals to your slides in minutes.

Pickit makes it every list of Microsoft Office add-ins. Maybe, it’s because visuals are now an important part of any document. In PowerPoint, you can use the add-in to directly insert royalty free images to your slide.

2. Pexels

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Find free stock photos for your presentations.

Pexels is one of the best sites for free stock photography. This add-in is a handy shortcut to help you find the right kind of Creative Commons photo to go with your presentation.

Use the Search by Color option to match the photo with the theme of your presentation.

3. Emoji Keyboard

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Focus your audience's attention on your message by adding emojis.

Choose from a library of more than 1,300 emojis to use as visual aids in your presentation. You can insert emojis in various sizes, as text or images. There is a search functionality, and you can choose from a range of skintones to ensure everyone is represented.

Another plus for this add-in is that it requires minimal permissions.

4. Symbols and Characters

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Search and use special characters and symbols in your presentations.

The free add-in makes it easy to search and use diacritics, special characters, and symbols in PowerPoint slides. All you have to do is pinpoint the desired character with a simple lookup or narrow down the search by language or character subset.

You can type a letter or a short phrase to search for the right symbol. An auto-lookup feature also suggests suitable symbols based on your selection.

5. THOR - The Hammer

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Maintain the size and position of any shape across all slides.

THOR is a tiny utility from PPTools that solves a persistent problem in Microsoft PowerPoint. It helps you design consistent slides by positioning logos and other shapes precisely across all the slides in a presentation.

Select a shape and then use THOR to memorize its size and position. You can then apply the same size/position to other selected shapes in your presentation with just one click on THOR's Hammer button.

You won’t find this add-in the Office Store. Download and install it from the site.

6. Selection Manager

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Manage overlapping shapes on a slide with labels.

Selection Manager is a handy PowerPoint add-in to solve selection woes with overlapping shapes. Imagine a pile of different shapes. You can give each shape a different name. The add-in then helps to “unbury” the obscured shapes when you select its name from a list in Selection Manager’s dialog box.

This add-in is not available in the Office Store. Download and install it from the site.

7. ShowMarks

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Reveal or hide formatting marks in PowerPoint.

This is the third handy add-in provided by PPTools.com. It mimics the Show/Hide button in Microsoft Word which toggles the display of paragraph marks and other formatting symbols.

Use it to quickly adjust the spacing in your slides. The Show/Hide Marks button works from the ShowMarks group of the PPTools tab on the Ribbon.

8. PowerPointLabs

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Get more design, layout, and styling features.

With PowerPoint Labs from the National University of Singapore, you get a separate tab on the Ribbon loaded with creative presets. This tab gives you several interactive slide effects that highlight your text, diagrams, charts & images.

PPL gives you more control over shape and slide animations, zoom and pan effects help you explain process diagrams much better, and you can add highlights or spotlights on the fly to raise your presentations from the mundane.

PowerPoint has its own powerful animation controls. But, give PPL a try too and see if it helps make it effortless. It is still run by students at the National University of Singapore.

9. PhET Interactive Simulations

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Teach with interactive simulations for science and math lessons.

PowerPoint is closely tied to the classroom. But it takes some skill to create interactive slides to teach math and science concepts. The PhET PowerPoint add-in makes it easier with a library of instructional slides on common science and math topics.

Developed by the University of Colorado, these well-made simulations are ideal for Grades K-12 and university classes.

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10. Neo / Ipsum

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Add placeholder text and visualize your design

PowerPoint allows you to add placeholders with custom prompts. You can then insert your content into these boxes. Neo / Ipsum saves you some time by giving you the classic Lorem Ipsum set and several custom ‘ipsums’ to add to your slides.

Add the text and play around with your slide designs. Download the installer.

11. Pro Word Cloud

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Create beautiful word cloud images from your text

Word clouds are often underestimated. But they can be impactful visual devices when you want to leave your audience with a core message at the end of your presentation.

For instance, you can collect ideas from your audience and then visualize the most popular responses with a word cloud. Or just summarize your speech with the most important words on the screen.

Carry this handy word cloud generator add-in with you everywhere.

12. Scan & Paste for Microsoft 365

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Scan with your phone and attach to PowerPoint

Today we have a scanner in our pockets. The Scan & Paste for Microsoft 365 mobile app pairs with the add-in for quick click and paste jobs. Need a document or image in your slides?

Take a photo, pair the application in the Office program and get the scanned pictures or multipage PDF documents from your storage attached exactly where you need them.

The companion Scan & Paste app is available for both Android and iOS.

13. QR4Office

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Link to bonus information with QR codes in your slides.

A QR code is a stylish way to add sources for more information and material into your slides. Take a real-time poll, provide more reference material, or include vCard details of attendees.

365

This add-in can make your presentation materials more accessible to the audience. It would just take a quick scan with their mobile cameras that double as QR code readers.

14. ToDo List Pro

Cost: Free

Key Benefit: Keep track of your PowerPoint tasks with a to-do list.

Any to-do list can help you keep track of the work that remains to be done on a presentation. But this add-in integrates your task list within PowerPoint.

The list is automatically saved within the document. You can glance at what’s left to be done, the next time you open your presentation.

15. Slido

Cost: Free (Premium Plans Available)

Key Benefit: Run live polls and Q&A sessions with a Slido account.

Asking questions and gathering feedback keeps audiences engaged. So set up a brainstorming event or a live poll within your PowerPoint presentation. Slido lets you display Slido polls or questions on your slides remotely using your smartphone or PC.

There are different flavors but the basic plan in Slido is free and allows you to run three polls per event.

16. Lucidchart Diagrams for PowerPoint

Cost: Free trial

Key Benefit: Add diagrams, flowcharts, wireframes to your slides

Photos and images are covered by free stock photography add-ins. Lucidchart takes care of flowcharts, wireframes, mockups, and mindmaps among other diagramming assets.

Lucidchart isn’t a free add-in but it can be invaluable if you use advanced diagrams in your presentations. The templates and huge library of dynamic shapes cover all types of interactive diagrams. Then, the Presentation mode can break down one step at a time for your audience.

Lucidchart also supports real-time collaboration with version control for an unlimited number of users.

17. Office Timeline

Cost: Free and a Plus Edition for $59 per year

Key Benefit: Make professional timelines and Gantt charts quickly

You might wonder about the utility of timelines and lightening your wallet for this add-in. PowerPoint is a powerful tool to present proposals to decision makers. So timelines and Gantt charts can be essential for every project office or classroom that wants to showcase a schedule or an event.

Office Timeline comes equipped with a wizard that takes the raw data and creates a beautiful timeline or a Gantt chart in under two minutes. You can do it manually too, but this popular add-in can save you a lot of time.

Office Timeline has a basic free version and an upgraded Plus Edition with an annual license fee.

Want more add-ins? Check out our list of the 50 best Excel add-ins, top 20 Microsoft Word add-ins, and 20 best Outlook add-ins to make your life easier and more productive!

Boost your PowerPoint productivity

“Death by PowerPoint” is a common gripe. But that has more to do with the presentation and less with the tool. So try a few of these add-ins the next time a presentation falls into your lap. These may just give your productivity the boost it needs.

If you are looking to sharpen your Microsoft Office skills, check out our Microsoft PowerPoint course to learn time-saving tips and tricks for formatting, and designing engaging presentations. And while you're at it, brush up on your presentation skills with our Public Speaking course.

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