Estimated Time to Fix: 3 minutes

Summary

If you have written a report, project proposal, or essay in Microsoft Word, you do not need to manually copy and paste the text into PowerPoint slides. Using a feature called "Export to PowerPoint," Microsoft's AI can automatically read your document, summarize it, and generate a designed slide deck for you in seconds.

Before You Start

• This feature only works in Word for the Web (the browser version). It is not currently available in the desktop Word app.
• Your document must contain mostly text (the AI relies on headings and paragraphs to create slides).

Instructions

1. Upload Your Document to the Web

If your document is saved on your computer's hard drive, you first need to get it into the web version of Word.

1. Go to office.com in your web browser and sign in with your work email.
2. Click the Word icon on the left sidebar.
3. Click Upload and open on the right side of the screen.
4. Select your Word document from your computer. It will open in a new tab.
5. (If your document is already saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, open it in Word for the Web).

2. Format Your Document (Crucial Step)

The AI needs to know how to split up your slides. It does this by looking at your headings.

1. Highlight the main titles of your sections.
2. Go to the Home tab, click Styles, and choose Heading 1 or Heading 2.
3. Every time the AI sees a new Heading, it will create a new slide.

3. Export to PowerPoint

Word for the Web turns a structured document into draft slides in one step.

1. In Word for the Web, click File in the top left corner.
2. Click Export.
3. Select Export to PowerPoint presentation.
4. A window will appear offering several design themes. Click on a design theme you like.
5. Click Export.
6. The AI will process the text and generate the slides. When it finishes, click Open presentation.
7. Your new presentation will open in PowerPoint for the Web, where you can edit it, add images, or download it to your computer.

Troubleshooting

TIP

The AI will summarize long paragraphs into bullet points. It does not copy your text word-for-word. You should always review the generated slides to ensure it didn't miss any critical information.

Symptom / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
The "Export to PowerPoint" button is missing	Using Desktop App	You must be using the web browser version of Word (office.com). The desktop app does not have this feature.
The slides are a giant wall of text	Missing headings	You need to use Word's built-in "Heading 1" styles. If you made the text bold, the AI doesn't know to split the slide.

Related Articles

• How to Use Heading Styles and Create a Table of Contents

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