- Share a presentation and co-author it with others
- Write comments, @mention people and use version history
- Write alt text and check accessibility with the Accessibility Checker
Leyla, Elvin and Aysel are preparing a project together on the historic buildings of Baku. If they email the file back and forth, they will soon be lost among project_final.pptx, project_final2.pptx and project_REALLY_final.pptx. On top of that, one student in their class has low vision, and the slides must work for her too. In this lesson you will learn PowerPoint's tools for teamwork and accessibility.
Sharing and co-authoring
- 1Save the file to the cloud
For co-authoring, the presentation must live on OneDrive or SharePoint. Save it there with
File › Save As— theAutoSaveswitch turns on automatically. - 2Invite people
Click
Shareat the top right, type names or email addresses, choose a permission —Can editorCan view— and clickSend. Or useCopy linkto get a link and send it yourself. - 3Work together
Everyone can open the file at the same time. Pictures of the people working appear at the top right, and colored markers next to the thumbnails show who is on which slide. Other people's changes reach your screen within seconds. It works best when each person edits their own slides.
Comments let you give feedback without touching the text. Select an object or slide and click Review › Comments › New Comment (Ctrl+Alt+M). Type @ and pick a teammate's name, and they get an email notification. When the issue is sorted, choose Resolve thread in the comment's menu. All comments are in the pane that opens with the Comments button at the top right.
Review › Proofing › Spelling)F7Selection Pane: give objects clear namesAlt+F10AutoSave is offCtrl+SAccessibility: slides for everyone
Your presentation will also be seen by people with visual or hearing impairments, by people on a phone and by people in the back row. People with low vision use screen readers — programs that read the slide aloud. A screen reader can only “see” what you give PowerPoint: titles, alt text and the reading order.
A short text that explains what a picture, icon or chart shows. A screen reader reads it aloud. Right-click the object › View Alt Text… (or Picture Format › Accessibility › Alt Text). For purely decorative lines and shapes, tick Mark as decorative.
| Object | Weak alt text | Good alt text |
|---|---|---|
| Photo of the Maiden Tower | “image1.jpg” | “The Maiden Tower in Baku, seen from the Old City” |
| Sales chart | “Chart” | “Column chart: sales doubled from January to June” |
| Decorative line under a title | “Blue line” | Mark as decorative — the screen reader skips it |
- 1Run the checker
Choose
Review › Accessibility › Check Accessibility. A list of issues opens on the right:Errors,WarningsandTips. The status bar also showsAccessibility: InvestigateorAccessibility: Good to go. - 2Fix the issues
Click an item in the list — PowerPoint selects that object and offers a fix under
Recommended Actions. The most common issues:Missing alternative text,Missing slide title, checking the reading order and hard-to-read text contrast. - 3Check the reading order
On the arrow of
Check Accessibility, chooseReading Order Pane. A screen reader reads objects in the order of this list, and the title should come first. Drag items to change the order.
Key points
- For co-authoring the file must be on OneDrive or SharePoint;
Sharesends invitations with a permission. - Comments:
Ctrl+Alt+M;@namenotifies that person; when done,Resolve thread. File › Info › Version Historylets you open and restore an earlier version.- Give every meaningful picture alt text and mark decorations with
Mark as decorative. Review › Accessibility › Check Accessibilityfinds untitled slides, pictures without alt text and weak contrast.
Check yourself
10 questions. Every correct answer earns XP.