How to Easily Convert PowerPoint to Word in 5 Simple Steps

Converting PowerPoint presentations to Word documents is a common task for businesses, students, and anyone who frequently works with presentations.

By saving your PowerPoint as a Word file you can edit the text and formatting share the content more easily with others, and reuse slides in new documents. The conversion only takes a few clicks, but there are some tips and tricks to get the best results.

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn:

• The benefits of converting PPT to Word
• 5 simple steps to convert PowerPoint to Word
• How to optimize the Word document
• Tips for customizing the conversion settings
• How to troubleshoot issues with formatting or layout

Why Convert PowerPoint to Word?

Here are some of the top reasons you may want to save a PowerPoint presentation as a Word document

Edit Text and Formatting

In Word, it’s much easier to edit and format text than in PowerPoint. You can quickly make changes to font styles, colors, paragraph alignment, indents, and more.

Reuse Slides

Extracting your PowerPoint slides into a Word doc makes it simple to copy and paste select slides into new presentations or other documents.

Share Content

Word documents are easier to share and collaborate on than PowerPoint files. You can send the Word file to colleagues to review or edit.

Create Printable Handouts

Formatting your presentation as a Word handout makes it easy to print professional-looking handouts to share with an audience.

Accessibility

A Word document is more accessible for people using screen readers or text-to-speech software.

Archive Presentations

Converting the file to Word provides a way to archive the presentation text in a standardized, long-term document format.

Lighten File Size

Pictures and graphics make PowerPoint files large. Saving to Word strips away images to create a lighter file for sharing and storing.

Now that you know the top benefits, let’s look at how to easily convert a PowerPoint presentation to a Word document with these 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Open the PowerPoint File

First, launch Microsoft PowerPoint and open the presentation file you want to convert.

With the file open, select the “File” tab in the top left and then choose “Export” from the menu.

Step 2: Select Create Handouts

In the Export window, choose “Create Handouts” and then click the “Create Handouts” button.

This will convert each slide into its own page in Word formatted as a handout for printing.

Step 3: Pick a Page Layout

You’ll then see the Send to Microsoft Word window. Here you can select the desired page layout for the Word document.

Some common handout layouts include:

• Full Page Slides – One slide per page
• 2 Slides per Page – 2 slides with notes side-by-side
• 3 Slides per Page – 3 slides with notes below
• 6 Slides per Page – 6 thumbnail slides per page

Review the different layouts and choose the one that best fits your needs.

Step 4: Export to Word

Once you’ve selected a page layout, click “OK” to export the PowerPoint to Word.

PowerPoint will launch Word and automatically convert your presentation based on the handout format you selected.

The conversion process only takes a few seconds. Then you can save the Word document to make the changes permanent.

Step 5: Save the Word Document

With the presentation now open as a Word file, select “File” and “Save As” to save a copy in the .docx or .doc format.

PowerPoint will default to save it as a .docx file. You can rename the file and choose where to save it on your computer.

And that’s it! By following these 5 quick and easy steps you can seamlessly convert your PowerPoints to editable Word documents.

Tips for Optimizing the Word Document

Now that you’ve successfully converted the PowerPoint to Word, here are some tips for tidying up and optimizing the document:

Clean Up Bullets and Numbering

The conversion can sometimes result in extra spacing around bullets and numbered lists. Select and tighten up the spacing so it’s consistent.

Adjust Tables

Tables may need some manual adjustments like resizing columns or rows. The formatting can look uneven at times.

Update Margins

If the document margins look inconsistent or overly wide, go to Page Layout to adjust the top, bottom, left and right margins.

Check Page Breaks

Examine page breaks to ensure no slides are awkwardly split across two pages. Adjust to keep a slide’s content together.

Remove Hyperlinks

Delete any unnecessary hyperlinks that carry over from the PowerPoint unless you need them.

By taking a few minutes to clean up bullets, tables, margins, and page breaks, you can have a polished, professional-looking Word document.

Customizing Your PowerPoint to Word Conversion

When exporting your presentation to Word, there are some custom settings you can choose to tweak the conversion process:

Specify Handout Pages

Under the Send to Microsoft Word window, you can manually enter the number of slides per page or select the specific slides you want exported. This allows you to convert just a portion of the PowerPoint.

Include Speakers Notes

Check the box to include speaker notes in the Word document to have your remarks with each slide.

Update Blank Lines

Check the box to update blank lines to consistently format the spacing between slides.

Use Destination Theme

Select the “Use destination theme” option to style the Word document with the destination theme selected in PowerPoint.

Embed TrueType Fonts

This will embed the fonts used in the presentation to maintain proper formatting in Word.

By adjusting these settings, you can customize the PowerPoint to Word conversion to meet your unique needs.

Troubleshooting Conversion Problems

The PowerPoint to Word conversion typically goes smoothly. But occasionally formatting glitches occur. Here are some common issues and fixes:

Text Box Alignment

Text boxes may become misaligned or overlap text. Cut and paste the text into position.

Missing Bullet Points

List bullets can sometimes disappear. Re-add any missing bullets and numbering.

Image Placement

Charts or pictures may shift position or overlap text. Cut and paste images to reposition if needed.

Formatting Errors

Font styles or sizes might change. Highlight text and reset any incorrect formatting.

Slides Out of Order

Occasionally slides get rearranged during conversion. Cut and paste to put back in sequence.

Text Box Overflow

If text spills outside a text box, widen the box in Word or manually wrap the text.

Thankfully these formatting glitches are quick and easy to fix in Word. Taking a minute to scan for any alignment or formatting issues will polish the document.

Convert Presentations to Word Docs with Ease

As you can see, converting PowerPoint presentations into Word is quick, easy, and useful in many situations from creating handouts to sharing content.

Here’s a quick recap of the 5 steps to convert a PowerPoint to Word:

1. Open the PowerPoint and select Export
2. Choose Create Handouts
3. Pick a handout page layout
4. Export to Word
5. Save the Word document

Then do a quick sweep to tidy up any formatting issues.

Now you have the knowledge to seamlessly convert your PowerPoints into Word docs to enhance collaboration, editing, sharing, and reuse. So next time you need meeting minutes or want to repurpose presentation slides, you can easily export them into a Word document.