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Select your PDF files which you would like to compress or drop them into the file box and start the compression. A few seconds later you can download your compressed PDF files.

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PDF files with images are often very large, too large to be sent by email. With this tool here I can often reduce the size of the PDF files considerably.
A really simple and cool tool to compress PDF files. With this, I usually still get my PDF files a little smaller without any loss of quality.

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How to compress a pdf to reduce it's size.

  • Click in the file selection box at the top of the page and select the files to compress.
  • Change the compression parameters if you want. Start the compression with the corresponding button.
  • Finally, save the compressed files.

What does compressing a PDF do?

When reducing the file size of a PDF, various methods are used to make the file smaller. Depending on what data is contained in the PDF, the compression works well or less well. PDF files with e.g. images can be compressed well. PDF24 uses the following techniques to compress a PDF:

  • Removal of font information that's not required for displaying the PDF.
  • Reduction of the image size depending on the DPI parameter.
  • Reduction of the image quality depending on the image quality parameter.
  • PDF file changes and data compression of a structural nature.

How do I reduce the size of a PDF without losing quality?

Lossless PDF compression is possible with PDF24, but you can't expect a big reduction in file size in this mode. That's how it works:

  • Change the compression mode to lossless compression and start compression with the corresponding button.

Why is my PDF so big?

A large PDF file can be created if the PDF file contains images. This is usually the main reason for a PDF that is too large. A PDF file that contains only text is usually much smaller. If a PDF contains images, you can use PDF24 to make them very small by reducing the size and quality of the images.

Does compressing a PDF reduce quality?

The PDF24 compression tool has several modes. In normal compression mode, the quality and size of the images are reduced, as this has the greatest effect on the file size. Lossless compression can also be used, but has less impact. However, a reduction in quality is often not a problem. The question is more or less how much the quality can be reduced, which is still acceptable in terms of file size.

Do PDFs compress well?

Yes, if the PDF contains images, because these images can be further compressed and the image size can be reduced. PDF compression for PDF files without images works less well.

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Simply download the free and easy to use PDF24 Creator and install it. This software is an offline PDF solution that includes a PDF compression tool that is easy to use.

Are PDFs compressed?

PDFs usually use internal compression for the objects they contain. However, this compression is not absolutely necessary. All or only some objects can be contained completely uncompressed. The software that creates the PDF can decide whether to compress objects or not. The PDF standard does not require PDF compression.

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  • We do not store files and do not evaluate them. Files will only be used for the intended purpose.
  • PDF24 is operated by a German company, Geek Software GmbH. All processing servers are located in data centres within the EU.
  • Alternatively, you can get a desktop version of the PDF24 tools with the PDF24 Creator . All files remain on your computer here, as this software works offline.

Can I use PDF24 on a Mac, Linux or Smartphone?

Yes, you can use PDF24 Tools on any system with which you have access to the Internet. Open PDF24 Tools in a web browser such as Chrome and use the tools directly in the web browser. You do not need to install any other software.

You can also install PDF24 as an app on your smartphone. To do so, open the PDF24 Tools in Chrome on your smartphone. Then click on the "Install" icon in the upper right corner of the address bar or add PDF24 to your start screen via the Chrome menu.

Can I use PDF24 offline without an Internet connection?

Yes, Windows users can also use PDF24 offline, i.e. without an Internet connection. Simply download the free PDF24 Creator and install the software. The PDF24 Creator brings all PDF24 tools to your PC as a desktop application. Users of other operating systems should continue to use PDF24 Tools.

How to Reduce PDF File Size

Last Updated: July 28, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 8,307,513 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to make a PDF smaller using a PC or Mac. Adobe, the developers of the PDF file format, provide a free web-based tool that makes it super easy to compress PDFs into smaller files. If you're using a Mac, you can skip the upload and use the Preview app to shrink your file. Or, if you have the professional version of Adobe Acrobat DC, you can use its PDF optimizer to produce a smaller file. All of these apps reduce PDF file sizes by decreasing image and (sometimes) text quality, so keep that in mind when compressing your files.

Using Adobe's Online PDF Compressor

Step 1 Go to https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/compress-pdf.html....

  • Alternatively, you can drag the PDF file to the button to begin uploading the file.

Step 3 Select your PDF file and click Open.

  • The default option, Medium compression , is a good option for files containing images and text. The image quality may reduce a bit to make the file smaller, but the quality will still be pretty good.
  • If you want to make the smallest PDF possible, select High compression . This option will definitely reduce the quality of the file, and images won't look too good. But if you're not concerned about image quality and you need a much smaller file, this is the option for you.
  • Low compression compresses the file by just a small amount, preserving the quality of images and other details. The file size will reduce slightly, but not by much.

Step 5 Click the Compress button.

Using Preview on Mac

Step 1 Open a PDF in the Preview app.

  • Reducing the file size can degrade the quality of the PDF, especially if there are images.
  • If you still want to keep the larger version of the PDF as an original, you can save this smaller version with a different name. Just type the word "smaller" just before the ".pdf" in the file name at the top of the window.

Step 6 Select a location in which to save the PDF.

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro

Step 1 Open Adobe Acrobat Pro.

  • If you don't have the paid version of Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can sign up for a free trial or try Adobe's free online PDF compressor.

Step 2 Click the Tools tab.

  • Depending on your version of Acrobat, you may see an option called Compress PDF instead. Click that if you see it.

Step 6 Select a location in which to save the image.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

wikiHow Video: How to Reduce PDF File Size

You might also like.

Compress a PDF File

  • ↑ https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/compress-pdf.html
  • ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/compress-a-pdf-prvw1509/mac
  • ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/optimizing-pdfs-acrobat-pro.html
  • ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/how-to/compress-pdf.html

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA

1. Go to https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/compress-pdf.html . 2. Drag the PDF to the "Select a file" box. 3. Select a compression level. 4. Click Compress . 5. Click Download . Did this summary help you? Yes No

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2 Choose compression settings

PDFescape offers 2 levels of compression to suit your specific needs. You can opt for "Regular" Compression to reduce the file size but to keep a higher file quality. If you need the smallest file size, then choose "High" Compression.

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How to Reduce PDF File Size on Mac: 6 Easy Ways

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Compress the size of your PDF for easier shareability without compromising quality in seconds.

Select converter:, how to compress a pdf online free.

  • Select the PDF file that you would like to compress, then upload it to the PDF size converter for compression.
  • Wait a few moments for your file to completely compress.
  • After the process has completed, download and save your new, compressed PDF to your computer. After your files have successfully compressed, all remaining files will be deleted from our servers automatically.

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When your pdf attachment is too big to send: a free simple solution.

Sometimes you spend multiple hours creating a nice PDF file. Then, after all that work, you probably want to share it, send it over email to colleagues or friends and then get an error message that the file size is too big. Don’t worry; we have a free and easy solution!

How to Compress a PDF

If you’ve ever dealt with trying to send a large file via email, you know how frustrating it can be. Many email servers flat out refuse to accept email attachments of a certain size. To help save you time and hassle, try compressing your PDF file before you send it.

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How to Reduce the Size of a PDF

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how to make a pdf presentation smaller

How do you reduce PDF size without degrading quality? A lot of people ask that question about PDF compression. The good news is, it’s not that difficult. You can choose from multiple ways to compress PDF.

In fact, if you’ve ever compressed some images or videos to save space, you can compress PDFs similarly.

This post will teach you the best methods to compress a PDF. Included are both easy and advanced methods of PDF compression.

compress pdf

Choose from a number of different ways to reduce PDF size

We’ll look at each one of these options.

Use “Save As” instead of “Save. “

Export PDF files using a PDF editor.

Reduce the size of PDF files by using a PDF compression tool.

Optimize PDF files using the advanced settings of your PDF editor.

Remove unwanted objects from your PDF document .

Compress images in your PDF document.

You can choose among these methods to compress PDF files and determine which method or methods work best for your needs.

How Does PDF Compression Work?

PDF compression tools use algorithms to reduce PDF file size by finding and eliminating redundant data that can be compressed without affecting the quality of the original too drastically. This reproduces the file with fewer pixels for images and other graphics.

By removing redundant data, file sizes are reduced drastically. Reducing file sizes allows for easier emailing, uploading, downloading, and faster access.

One thing to know: when you compress PDF, you may also be unable to restore a compressed file to its original form, so it’s a good idea to make a backup before you perform PDF compression if you need it in its full-data form.

Use “Save As” instead of “Save”

Here’s why we recommend using the “Save As” button to compress PDF files instead of hitting the “Save” command.

Many applications have different “Save As” and “Save” functions.

save as pdf

Both can create new files. Yet the “Save As” option always creates a brand new file, whereas the “Save” option adds any changes made to the original.

With the “Save” option, the original PDF file, as well as its file size, remains unchanged. Your editor adds the changes you made or new content that you added to your document when clicking “Save.” Because the original is not changed, this will result in a larger file every time you save it. That’s the opposite of what you want.

The editor can create a clean, optimized file using “Save As” that’s smaller size and streamlined.

Export PDFs using a PDF editor

Most major PDF editors allow you to reduce the size of PDF files with a few clicks. While the way PDF editors reduce PDF may vary, the results are what counts.

Foxit offers two methods to compress PDF documents

Foxit PDF Compressor can be used to compress only one or two files. That’s fine for small jobs. But if PDF file size is something you need to reduce regularly, you might want to scale up your tools for PDF compression. How to do that? Choose Foxit PDF Editor.

advanced optimize pdf

Use Foxit PDF Editor’s PDF Optimizer to reduce file size

With PDF Optimizer, you can reduce file size by compressing content, un-embedding fonts, and removing any redundancy in the data of PDF objects.

PDF Optimizer offers a number of settings options, but the defaults are appropriate for many PDF documents. If you want to reduce the file size quickly using default settings, follow these steps:

  • Choose File > PDF Optimizer > Reduce File Size .
  • Select Current File to apply the settings. A dialog box pops up. Choose Retain Existing to keep the current version of PDF, or select a desired version from the dropdown menu. Then choose the compression effect that you need. Click OK .
  • In the dialog box that appears, specify the file’s name and the location where you want to save it. Click Save to start the optimization.

It’s important to note that compressing a PDF can also affect the quality. Be sure to compare the original file with the compressed version to ensure it meets your requirements.

Use a PDF Compression Tool to compress a PDF

A PDF compression tool is another quick way to reduce a file’s size.

Most tools allow you to compress PDF files by clicking “Compress” or its equivalent and then downloading the optimized file.

Use the PDF Optimizer in Foxit PDF Editor to control what gets reduced

Foxit PDF Editor offers the PDF Optimizer feature that lets you see what’s getting compressed. With this feature, you can compress images, remove data redundancy of PDF objects, and update your PDFs. Here’s how to use it:

  • Choose  File  >  PDF Optimizer > Advanced Optimization > Advanced Optimization .
  • Set the properties in the PDF Optimizer dialogue box.
  • Click  Audit space usage  to see how big the current PDF file is and determine which items you need to optimize.

It’s a great way to get more granular and gain more control when you compress a PDF.

Which elements of a PDF can you optimize?

By changing these elements, you can reduce the file size:

  • Fonts . Since PDF software embeds fonts in the file, anyone with a PDF viewer on any computer or mobile device can view your document with the fonts that you specified. Unfortunately, adding these fonts can increase the size of your final file. You can select the fonts you want to embed and leave out others. Choose Unembed Fonts in order to remove the embedded fonts.
  • Images . Like any other file, images tend to increase the size of the PDF file. Checking the “Compress images only if there is a reduction in size” option will allow you to determine if this is the issue in your file. You can still choose to reduce the file size, but you will have the option of choosing monochrome or color images for reduction. The image will have more detail if you choose color/grayscale, but it will also be larger. To make the images smaller, you can choose from subsampling or bicubic downsampling. You can learn more about those options here .

Get rid of objects that take up extra space

Using the advanced settings in Foxit PDF Editor or other mainstream PDF editors, you can remove specific objects increasing the file size.

For example, PDF files often include multiple versions of each image: one for web use and another for printing. You can disable alternate images if you plan only on digitally distributing PDFs.

If you want to remove all high-resolution image versions in one fell swoop, you can disable alt images.

You can also disable actions that occur during form submissions and JavaScript actions you may not need. And you can pull out embedded page thumbnails.

Compress images

You should get into the habit of compressing images before inserting them in your document. It will ensure that the files are as small and high-quality as possible.

You can compress images using a number of different apps, including online image compressors, photo editors such as Photoshop, and apps for everything from phones to desktop computers.

When doing so, it’s a wise idea to keep raw copies (uncompressed images) in case the quality is lost during compression, or you discover problems after uploading them.

You can also optimize images by using the advanced settings of your PDF editor. Foxit PDF Editor offers settings for color tones, compression types, compression intensities, and pixels per inch.

Compress a PDF file online, free

If you want to compress PDF and free is more to your liking, you can try our online PDF compression tool . Here’s how:

  • Drag and drop your PDF file onto our online PDF compressor .
  • Click ‘Start Now,’ and Foxit’s service will compress your PDF file. Then, wait for the compression to complete.
  • Click ‘Download your file’ to save the compressed PDF to your computer.

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This information should be enough to tackle most situations where you must reduce PDF file size.

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how to make a pdf presentation smaller

Reduce the file size of your PowerPoint presentations

If the file size of your presentation is too large, try the following tips to make it more manageable.

Compress pictures in your presentation

Select a picture in your document. The Picture Format tab appears.

On the Picture Format tab, in the Adjust group, select Compress Pictures .

Under Compression options , do any of the following:

Make sure that Apply only to this picture is not selected so that the changes you make here will apply to all pictures in the document.

Select Delete cropped areas of pictures . This option removes the cropped picture data but note that if you delete the cropped picture data, you won't be able to restore it.

Under Resolution , select Use default resolution .

Compress Pictures

Under Compression options , do either of the following:

Select Delete cropped areas of pictures . This option removes the cropped picture data but note that if you delete the cropped picture data, you won't be able to restore it.

Compress Pictures options

Delete image editing data and lower default resolution

By default, when you edit an image, the data from the original is retained (to ensure the image can be restored). Discarding it means that you can't restore the changes you make, but it will reduce your file size. Lowering the default resolution for images also reduces your overall file size.

Go to File > Options > Advanced .

Under Image Size and Quality , do the following:

Select Discard editing data . This option removes stored data that's used to restore the image to its original state after it's been edited. Note that if you discard editing data, you won't be able to restore the image after you edit it.

Make sure that Do not compress images in file is not selected.

Set the image size and quality

Reduce the character set of embedded fonts

To make your presentation more sharable with others who don't have the same fonts in their system, it's typical to embed the fonts you use. However, embedded fonts will increase your file size. To minimize the file increase, embed only those characters used in the presentation.

Go to File > Options > Save .

Embed fonts in the file

Note:  If you've used custom fonts and want others to edit the presentation, select Embed all characters .

Reduce the file size of your Excel spreadsheets

Reduce the file size of your Word documents

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10 Ways to Compress PowerPoint Presentations to Reduce File Size

Compress PowerPoint presentations to reduce file size represented by large and small PowerPoint icons.

10 Strategies to Compress or Reduce the Size of Large PowerPoint Presentations

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated September 21, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft ®  PowerPoint ® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can compress or reduce the size of large PowerPoint presentations in several ways. The most common strategy to reduce the size of a PowerPoint file is to compress pictures, video and audio. However, you can also use other methods to make files smaller including saving media and PowerPoint files in other formats and converting or removing embedded objects.

In this article, we'll look at 10 ways to compress or reduce the size of a PowerPoint presentation:

  • Compress pictures
  • Insert pictures instead of copying and pasting
  • Use smaller image files
  • Convert images to a different file type
  • Save a copy of images with artistic effects
  • Compress audio and video
  • Link to audio or video files
  • Convert Excel charts and other embedded objects
  • Save a copy of large PowerPoint files
  • Save a copy in PDF format

Note: Buttons and Ribbon tabs may display in a different way (with or without text) depending on your version of PowerPoint, the size of your screen and your Control Panel settings. For PowerPoint 365 users, Ribbon tabs may appear with different names. For example, the Picture Tools Format tab may appear as Picture Format.

To view file size in PowerPoint:

  • Click the File tab in the Ribbon.
  • Click Info. In the Properties area, file size is listed beside Size.

Microsoft PowerPoint File Info pane which displays properties including file size.

Once you've completed the following strategies, close and save the PowerPoint file, reopen it and check the file size again. You can also view file size in Windows 10 File Explorer or Windows Explorer in older versions of Windows.

Recommended article : How to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint

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1. Compress pictures

One of the most common ways to reduce file size is to compress one or all of the pictures in your PowerPoint file. You may want to try this with one picture at a time to be sure you are satisfied with the result after compression.

To compress a picture:

  • In Normal View, select a picture on image on a slide.
  • Click the Picture Tools Format or Format Picture tab in the Ribbon.
  • In the Adjust group, click Compress Pictures. A dialog box appears.
  • Select the check box to Apply only to this picture if you want to compress only the current picture or uncheck this option if you wish to compress all pictures in the presentation.
  • Select the check box to Delete cropped areas of pictures if you have cropped images and want to permanently delete the areas you have removed by cropping.
  • Choose the desired document resolution.

PowerPoint compress pictures dialog box to reduce file size.

Don't forget to check pictures in Slide Master View (click the View tab in the Ribbon and then click Slide Master) as you may want to compress or delete those images as well.

Also, be sure to check image(s) after you compress them to be sure to are satisfied with the quality of the image(s). If you create a copy of the presentation before compressing the image(s), you can revert to the original if necessary.

2. Insert pictures instead of copying and pasting

It's best to insert pictures, rather than copying and pasting (or dragging and dropping) into the PowerPoint file. When you copy and paste (or drag and drop) an image into a presentation, it can lose compression, change file type and also bring in other data that can increase file size.

To insert a picture onto a PowerPoint slide:

  • In Normal View, display the slide where you want to insert a picture.
  • Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon and click Pictures (2013 and later versions) or Picture (2010). You can also click the Pictures or Picture icon in a placeholder on a slide. A dialog box appears.
  • Navigate to the location of the picture.
  • Select the picture and click Insert or double-click the picture.

You also have the option of linking to a picture file by clicking the arrow beside Insert in the Insert Picture dialog box and then choosing Link to File. However, the picture is not actually "in" the file (which reduces file size) and if you email the document, the pictures will not be included. If you use this strategy, it's best to copy the picture to the same folder as the PowerPoint presentation and be sure to bring the entire folder with you when you deliver the presentation.

3. Use smaller image files

It's best to insert pictures in smaller sizes to reduce the size of your PowerPoint files. For example, if you are inserting pictures from a phone taken at a high resolution, this will result in larger PowerPoint decks. Create, save or send images at a lower resolution and insert the lower resolution images into your PowerPoint files.

If you're using stock images, select images at the lowest resolution (at the quality level you require). You can also open an image in an image editing program (such as Microsoft Picture Manager or Adobe Photoshop) and then save it at a lower resolution.

In PowerPoint 365, one of the biggest culprits causing inflated file size is 3D models. Although 3D models are not inserted as pictures but rather as 3D models, they are images. One 3D model we inserted took up 17 MB of space. You can't compress 3D models like other types of images so you may need to delete 3D models or use a picture instead of a 3D model if file size is an issue.

4. Convert images to a different file type

Prior to inserting an image in PowerPoint, you can open it in an image editing program (such as Microsoft Picture Manager or Adobe Photoshop) and then use Save As to save the image in another format.

The format that will result in the smallest size is usually JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group format) or JPG. The JPEG compression algorithm significantly reduces the file size of images.

You can also save images in PowerPoint in different formats:

  • Right-click the picture. A drop-down menu appears.
  • Select Save As Picture. A dialog box appears.
  • Navigate to the folder where you want to save the image.
  • Enter a name for the file and select a format such as JPG or PNG.
  • Click Save.
  • In the PowerPoint presentation, delete the original image.
  • Click Insert and then click Picture(s).
  • Navigate to the location with the image you saved.
  • Double-click the image.

5. Save a copy of images with artistic effects

When you apply an artistic effect to an image, PowerPoint retains two copies of the image (the original and a copy with the artistic effects). This allows the user to reset the image but can significantly increase file size. Compressing pictures also doesn't normally have any effect on images where you have applied artistic effects.

If you have applied an artistic effect (such as blur) to an image, you can reduce file size using the following method:

  • Right-click the image with the artistic effect. A drop-down menu appears.
  • Enter a name and select a file type (usually JPG or PNG).
  • In the PowerPoint presentation, delete the image with the artistic effect.
  • Navigate to the location with the image you saved with the artistic effect.

6. Compress audio and video

In 2010 and later versions of PowerPoint, audio and video files are copied into presentations rather than linked to the original files. You can improve playback performance and reduce PowerPoint file size by compressing audio and video files in your presentation.

Files can be compressed at different quality levels.

In PowerPoint 2013 and 2016, you can compress to the following quality levels:

  • Presentation Quality – select this option to save space but maintain overall audio and video quality.
  • Internet Quality – select this option and quality will be comparable to media which is streamed over the web.
  • Low Quality – select this option if space is limited, such as when you are sending presentations via e-mail.

Compress media options in PowerPoint older versions to reduce file size.

In PowerPoint 2019 and 365, you can compress to the following quality levels:

  • Full HD (1080p) – select this option to save space while maintaining overall audio and video quality.
  • HD (720p) – select this option to save space and the quality will be comparable to media which is streamed over the Internet.
  • Standard (480p) – select this option when space is limited, such as when you are sending presentations via e-mail.

The following compression options appear in PowerPoint 2019 or 365:

Compress media options PowerPoint 2019 or 365 to reduce file size.

Note: Some older video file formats may not compress or export properly. Embedded subtitles and alternate audio tracks will be lost in the compression process.

To compress media in PowerPoint:

  • Open the presentation that contains the audio or video files you want to compress.
  • Save a copy of the presentation so you can retain a copy of the file with the original media.
  • In the copy, click the File tab in the Ribbon.
  • Click Info.
  • In the Media Size and Performance area, click Compress Media. A dialog box appears.
  • Select the desired compression option. A dialog box appears indicating that media compression is in progress. PowerPoint will indicate how much space is saved.
  • When compression is complete, click Close.

Compress media dialog box in Microsoft PowerPoint to reduce file size.

7. Link to audio or video files

You also have the option of linking to audio or video files. When you insert an audio or video file, click the arrow beside Insert in the Insert dialog box and then choose Link to File. Linked audio or video is not actually "in" the presentation (which reduces file size) and if you email the presentation, the media files will not be included if you have linked to audio or video files. Linking was the default behavior in PowerPoint 2007 and earlier versions for video and larger audio files.

If you choose to link to audio or video files, t's best to copy the media files to the same folder as the PowerPoint presentation and be sure to bring the entire folder with you when you deliver the presentation.

Note: You cannot apply certain types of formatting to linked video files.

8. Convert Excel charts and other embedded objects

Embedded objects such as Excel charts or worksheets can also increase file size. If you convert embedded objects to images, it can impact the size or your presentation. You can also reduce file size by breaking links to Excel files.

If you want to convert embedded objects into pictures, you can ungroup them or cut and paste them back into PowerPoint.

To ungroup an object:

  • Select the chart or embedded object.
  • Click the Format tab in the Ribbon. This tab may appear as Drawing Tools Format, Drawing Format or Shape Format.
  • Select Group and then Ungroup. A dialog box appears asking if you want to convert the object to a PowerPoint object.

To cut an object and paste it back into a presentation as a picture:

  • Select the embedded chart or object.
  • Press Ctrl + X to cut it.
  • Click the Home tab in the Ribbon.
  • Click the arrow below Paste to display the drop-down menu and then choose Paste Special.
  • Select an image type (such as JPEG) and click OK.

 PowerPoint paste special dialog box to compress embedded files and reduce file size.

If you have links to Excel files, you can reduce file size using Edit Links to Files. Check out How to Break, Update or Change Links to Excel Charts or Worksheets in PowerPoint for more information on how to break links.

9. Save a copy of large PowerPoint files

It's a good idea to save a copy of a large PowerPoint files periodically using Save As and give the file a different name (i.e. Sales Presentation and the date). If you save a copy using Save As, version history and some editing data is removed during the process and this will reduce file size. This can also help avoid corrupted files.

To save a copy of a PowerPoint presentation:

  • Choose Save As. If necessary, click Options or More Options. A dialog box appears.
  • Navigate to the desired location.
  • Enter a new name for the presentation.

10. Save a copy in PDF format

It's also common to save a copy of a presentation as a PDF (portable document format) file to reduce the size and then share it with others. You can compress images during the process.

To save a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF (and compress images):

  • Choose Save As and then click Options or More Options if necessary. A dialog box appears.
  • Navigate to the desired location and enter a name for the file. You can use the same name since the extension will be different (PDF).
  • Under File Type, select PDF.
  • Click Tools on the bottom right of the dialog box. A drop-down menu appears.
  • Select Compress Pictures. A dialog box appears.
  • Click the desired compression option.

Large file size is a common problem in PowerPoint and you can use these strategies to reduce the size of your PowerPoint presentations. Compressing the size of your decks should also help to improve speed and avoid crashes.

This article was originally published on November 6, 2016 and has been updated for clarity and content.

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More resources

How to Change Slide Size in PowerPoint

How to Get Slide Design Ideas Using PowerPoint Designer

How to Morph in PowerPoint to Design Engaging Presentations

How to Break, Update or Change Links to Excel Charts or Worksheets in PowerPoint

Where to Find Free Images for Your PowerPoint Presentations (10 Great Stock Photo Sites)

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10 Ways to Compress PowerPoint Presentations to Reduce File Size

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Today's nyt connections hints and answer for june 17 (#372), 5 reasons ai tools like chatgpt just haven't clicked for me yet, quick links, convert your presentation to the pptx format, insert your pictures—don’t copy and paste, do image edits in an image editor—not in powerpoint, compress all of the images in your presentation, don’t use embedded fonts, link to files instead of embedding them, don’t store a thumbnail for the presentation, remove personal and hidden information from your presentation, turn off autorecover, copy everything into a new presentation, a possibility: unzip the presentation and compress it.

Considering that Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are generally accompanied with tons of images, gifs , embedded videos , charts , graphs, and other content, it’s no surprise that you get some pretty big files. Here are a few steps you can take to reduce a presentation's file size.

Large files can be annoying. They take up loads of precious disk space, slow down playback performance, and can cause emails to bounce back due to exceeding the file size limit. You can prevent all of these things by reducing the file size of your presentation.

We’ve mentioned it before, but the first thing you’d think of when considering file size reduction is images—and for a good reason. Image files can be quite large. There are steps you can take to reduce the size, such as compressing the images in the presentation. If you suspect the reason your PowerPoint file is so large is due to images, then be sure to read the article we’ve written on how to reduce the size of Office documents that contain images .

Related: How to Reduce the Size of a Microsoft Word Document

We do have some additional tips to add if you followed these steps but still need to reduce your presentation’s file size.

Microsoft released the PPTX format in Office 2007. Still, it’s not uncommon to see PPT files floating around. So what’s the difference between a PPT and PPTX  file? The PPTX version compresses all of the content within the presentation. If you have a PPT file and convert it into a PPTX file, you’ll notice a decrease in the file size.

Converting the file is as simple as pressing a button and choosing the file type. Go ahead and open your PPT file, head over to the “File” tab, and then click “Convert.”

Convert presentation

Windows File Explorer will appear. You’ll notice the Save As type is set as "PowerPoint Presentation." This is the PPTX file type. Click “Save.”

Save as type

Your PPT file will now be converted to a PPTX file. As you can see, the size of the file has been reduced.

reduced file example

HTG Presentation 2 is our PPT file, and HTG Presentation 3 is our PPTX file. Merely converting the file type reduced the size by 335 KB.

While this isn’t a breathtaking drop in file size, we managed to reduce a Word document file size from 6,001 KB to 721 KB. It all depends on what’s inside the file. With any luck, this will be the only step you need to take. If not, keep reading.

It’s tempting to copy and paste an image in PowerPoint instead of using the insert function. This won’t be an issue if you’re not concerned about file size, but if you are, then beware of copy and paste—it may reformat your image to BMP or PNG. Why is this an issue? Both of those file formats are larger than JPG.

png to jpg conversion size difference

You can see in the above screenshot that the PNG file is 153KB compared to the 120KB JPG file of the same image. Each time you copy and paste a JPG file to PowerPoint, and it gets converted to PNG, you’re adding a bit of unnecessary file size to the presentation. Using the insert function will ensure your images are inserted as intended.

When you insert an image in PowerPoint, it’s best to make sure that it doesn’t need any edits. If it does require edits, you’re better off doing it in an image editor. Why? When you use PowerPoint to edit your image, it stores all of those edits as part of the presentation. For example, when you change an image to black and white, PowerPoint retains the full-color image as well. That’s a lot of extra bites being stored.

If you don’t have an image editor ( you do ) or you simply must use PowerPoint, be sure to tell PowerPoint to discard all of that excess data saved from the edits . It won't save you as much space as working in a dedicated editor, but it will help.

You can compress images in PowerPoint one at a time or all at once. If you’re looking to do the latter, here’s how.

Open your presentation, head over to the “File” tab, and then select “Save As” in the left-hand pane.

select save as option

Next, select “More Options,” which you'll find under the area where you would name your file and choose the file type.

More Options in Save as tab

The “Save As” window will appear—this time with a few extra options available to you. Next to the “Save” button, click “Tools.”

Tools in save as dialogue box

In the drop-down menu that appears, select “Compress Pictures.”

Compress pictures option in tools

The “Compress Pictures” window will appear. Here, you can choose the resolution type of the images (based on PPI) in the presentation. You’ll also notice that you’re not able to select the “Apply only to this picture” option in the “Compression Options” group. That’s because, due to the way we accessed this tool, this option isn’t available.

Note:  If you do want to compress a single picture, select it and then head to Picture Tools Format > Compress Pictures.

Once you’re happy with your selection, click “OK.”

compress pictures window

Be sure to save your presentation afterward.

We get why you might want to embed fonts—you might be making a Star Wars themed presentation and, as a result, anyone you may be sharing the presentation with is not likely to have those special fonts available to them. Embedding the fonts in your presentation could prevent issues down the line, but it comes at the cost of increased file sizes.

In general, unless you are sure you need to display a particular font, we recommend turning off font embedding.

Head over to the “File” tab and select “Options” at the bottom of the left-hand pane.

Options at bottom of lefthand pane

On the “Save” tab, untick the “Embed fonts in the file” checkbox and then click “OK.”

uncheck embed fonts box

We saved a copy of our presentation with all fonts embedded, without fonts embedded, and with only the fonts used in the presentation embedded. Look at the difference if file sizes:

difference in file size with embedded fonts

Convinced yet?

Consider the difference in file size if you embed an entire YouTube video in your presentation instead of linking back to it. Embedding an entire video will significantly increase the size of your presentation. There are certainly some valuable benefits when embedding a file vs. linking to it (such as when the recipient might not have internet access to play the video), but if the file size is an issue, just don’t do it.

Way back when Office let you save thumbnail images of your presentation so that you could get a sneak preview of the file when searching for it in File Explorer. Windows has grown to be more sophisticated, so it no longer requires the help of Office applications to do this. But, the option is still available.

We ran a little test to see the difference in file size with and without this option enabled. Here are the results:

don't save thumbnail

With the thumbnail option enabled, our file size was 2,660 KB. Without the option enabled, the file size was reduced to 2,662 KB, saving a total of 7 KB.

This is a pretty small save, but when we tested it with a Word document, the difference was significant, showing 721 KB without the option enabled, and 3,247 KB with the option enabled.

While this is a large gap between applications and it’s not exactly clear why the difference is so large, it’s still an option worth exploring. To disable the feature, open your presentation, head over to the “File” tab, and then select “Properties” found on the right-hand side, then “Advanced Properties.”

select properties

You’ll now be in the “Summary” tab of the “Properties” window. At the bottom of the window, uncheck the box next to “Save preview picture,” and then click “OK.”

uncheck save preview image

Microsoft Office will store your personal information (such as author name) and hidden properties within your presentation. Getting rid of this information can save you a bit of space.

Open your presentation, head over to the “File” tab, select the “Check for Issues” option, then select “Inspect Document."

Inspect Document

The “Document Inspector” window will appear. Make sure the “Document Properties and Personal Information” box is checked, and then click “Inspect."

Inspect the document

In the next window, select “Remove All.” The information will now be removed, saving you a few KB of space.

We don’t necessarily recommend this, and it should only be used as a last resort effort. AutoRecover is an essential tool in Office, and if you’ve ever lost a document before saving, then you understand precisely what we mean.

Each time Office uses AutoRecover, it adds a little to the size of the file. To turn AutoRecover off, head over to the “File” tab and select “Options” found at the bottom of the left-hand pane.

In the “Save” tab of the “Options” window, uncheck the box next to “Save AutoRecover information ever xx minutes.”

uncheck autorecover option

If you save and exit out of the presentation immediately, you won’t notice a difference. Over time though, as you continue to progress through the presentation, the AutoRecover feature will add KB to your file.

While you’re creating your presentation, PowerPoint will save various things in the background to help you out. We’ve mentioned how to turn off a lot of these features, delete data PowerPoint saves, and so on, but there’s always a chance something slipped through the cracks, and PowerPoint stored some information you don’t need. Copying your content over to a new presentation may be a good solution to the problem.

This may be a bit of a hassle though as, with PowerPoint, you’ll need to copy and paste each slide (and master slides). Once you do though, the new presentation won’t have any of the previous background saves, AutoRecover information, or previous versions of the file. As a result, you should see a change in file size.

While we can’t tell you exactly how much this will reduce your file size since each presentation will be different, it’s worth a shot.

As we mentioned earlier, a PPTX file is a compressed file (which is why the size is much smaller than an old-school PPT file). This means you can open it with a tool such as 7-Zip or WinRar, extract all the files from your PPTX, add them to a compressed archive, and then rename the archive to a PPTX file extension.

We had some issues here, though.

In Rob’s testing with his Word document, it successfully reduced the size of the file from 721 KB to 72 KB. However, it corrupted the file in the process. In my testing with my 2,614 KB file, it didn’t corrupt it, but it only reduced it to 2,594KB—a total of only 20 KB. We’re unsure what’s at play here, so if you want to give this a go, be sure to have a backup copy of your file before doing so.

That’s all the tips we've got for reducing the size of your PowerPoint presentation. We’re always looking for new and interesting ways to reduce the size of our files, so if you have any tips, let us know in the comment section, and we’ll be happy to test them out!

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Microsoft PowerPoint is the slideshow presentation authoring application included in the Microsoft Office suite of productivity programs. With PowerPoint, the user is able to create professional slideshows for print or presentation. PowerPoint will also convert PowerPoint (PPT) files to other file formats, such as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file or a Microsoft XPS file. Powerpoint also has the option to minimize the size of the presentation when converted to a PDF file.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

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Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

  • Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
  • Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
  • Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
  • Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

how to make a pdf presentation smaller

  • Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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Free AI Presentation Maker for Generating Projects in Minutes

  • Generate ready-to-use presentations from a text prompt.
  • Select a style and Visme’s AI Presentation Maker will generate text, images, and icon.
  • Customize your presentation with a library of royalty-free photos, videos, & graphics.

Generate a presentation with AI

Free AI Presentation Maker for Generating Projects in Minutes

Brought to you by Visme

A leading visual communication platform empowering 27,500,000 users and top brands.

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Presentations Engineered With Visme’s AI Presentation Maker

Ai presentation maker prompt 1.

Craft a presentation outlining a leading company’s cutting-edge innovations in AI-powered hardware, emphasizing their impact on enhancing workplace productivity and efficiency.

AI Presentation Maker Prompt 2

Generate a comprehensive presentation highlighting the latest digital marketing trends, focusing on strategies for enhancing brand visibility and customer engagement across diverse platforms.

AI Presentation Maker Prompt 3

Create a detailed presentation elucidating a company’s diversified investment portfolio, emphasizing its robust performance, risk mitigation strategies, and the potential for sustainable long-term growth.

AI Presentation Maker Prompt 4

Develop a compelling presentation showcasing a company’s groundbreaking medical devices and software solutions, emphasizing their role in revolutionizing patient care, treatment efficacy, and healthcare accessibility worldwide.

AI Presentation Maker Prompt 1

How it works

How to generate AI presentations with Visme

Save time and create beautiful designs quickly with Visme AI. Available inside the Visme template library, this AI Powerpoint generator is ready to receive your prompts and generate stunning ready-to-use presentations in minutes.

How to generate AI presentations with Visme

  • Log in to the Visme dashboard, and open the template library by clicking on Create New button -> Project -> Presentations. Inside the template library, scroll down and click on the Generate with AI option.
  • In the popup that opens, type in a prompt and describe in detail what aspects your presentation should feature. If you don’t provide enough information, chatbot will ask you follow-up questions.
  • Visme Chatbot will suggest template styles; choose the most relevant for your presentation, and wait for the AI to create the design. Preview, regenerate or open your project in the Visme editor.
  • Customize your project in Visme: Pick a color theme or create your own, edit text, and use assets from Visme’s royalty-free library of photos, videos, and graphics, or create your own with AI tools.

Features of the AI Presentations Maker

Ready-to-use presentations in minutes.

Starting is often the hardest part of a project. Visme’s free AI presentation maker helps you overcome this block and generates results within minutes. Create AI PowerPoint online presentations quickly with a good first draft that is ready to use with minimal or no customization.

Ready-to-use presentations in minutes

Customize every part of your presentation

Visme editor is easy to use and offers you an array of customization options. Change the color theme of your AI-generated presentation, text, fonts, add images, videos and graphics from Visme royalty-free library of assets or generate new ones with AI image generator, AI image touchup tools, or add your own. For more advanced customization, add data visualizations, connect them to live data, or create your own visuals.

Customize every part of your presentation

Add your branding

Stay on-brand even with AI-generated presentations. Quickly and easily set up your brand kit using AI-powered Visme Brand Wizard or set it up manually. Use your brand colors and fonts in AI-generated presentations. Add your logo and upload your brand assets to make a presentation match your company’s branding.

Add your branding

Download, share or schedule your presentation

Share your presentations generated with Visme AI Designer in many ways. Download them in various formats, including PPTX, PDF and HTML5, present online, share on social media or schedule them to be published as posts on your social media channels. Additionally, you can share your presentations as private projects with a password entry.

Download, share or schedule your presentation

More than just an AI Presentation Maker

Unique Elements & Graphics

Beautify your content

Unique Elements & Graphics

Browse through our library of customizable, one-of-a-kind graphics, widgets and design assets like icons, shapes, illustrations and more to accompany your AI-generated presentations.

Charts & Graphs

Visualize your data

Charts & Graphs

Choose from different chart types and create pie charts, bar charts, donut charts, pyramid charts, Mekko charts, radar charts and much more.

Interactivity

Make it engaging

Interactivity

Share AI-generated presentations online with animated and interactive elements to grab your audience’s attention and promote your business.

More AI tools in Visme

Ai image generator.

The Visme AI Image generator will automatically create any image or graphic. All you need to do is write a prompt and let AI magic do the rest.

AI Image Generator

Visme AI Writer helps you write, proofread, summarize and tone switch any type of text. If you’re missing content for a project, let AI Writer help you generate it.

AI Writer

Save yourself hours of work with AI Resize. This feature resizes your project canvas and adjusts all content to fit the new size within seconds.

AI Resize

AI TouchUp Tools

The Visme AI TouchUp Tools are a set of four image editing features that will help you change the appearance of your images inside any Visme project. Erase and replace objects that you don’t want in your photos.

AI TouchUp Tools

The Brand Wizard

The AI-based Visme Brand Wizard populates your brand fonts and styles across a beautiful set of templates.

The Brand Wizard

Make the most of Visme’s features

Choose the perfect visual from our extensive photo and video library . Search and find the ideal image or video using keywords relevant to the project. Drag and drop in your project and adjust as needed.

Incorporate 3D illustrations and icons into all sorts of content types to create amazing content for your business communication strategies. You won’t see these 3D designs anywhere else as they’re made by Visme designers.

When you share your Visme projects, they’ll display with a flipbook effect . Viewers can go from page to page by flipping the page like a digital magazine. If you don’t want the flipbook effect, you can disable it and share as a standard project.

Remove the background from an image to create a cutout and layer it over something else, maybe an AI-generated background. Erase elements of the image and swap them for other objects with AI-powered Erase & Replace feature.

Create scroll-stopping video and animation posts for social media and email communication. Embed projects with video and animation into your website landing page or create digital documents with multimedia resources.

With Visme, you can make, create and design hundreds of content types . We have templates for digital documents, infographics, social media graphics, posters, banners, wireframes, whiteboards, flowcharts.

Design and brainstorm collaboratively with your team on the Visme whiteboard . Build mind maps and flowcharts easily during online planning and strategy sessions. Save whiteboards as meeting minutes and ongoing notes for projects.

Edit your images , photos, and AI image-generated graphics with our integrated editing tools. On top of the regular editing features like saturation and blur, we have 3 AI-based editing features. With these tools, you can unblur an image, expand it without losing quality and erase an object from it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can i get better results with the ai presentations maker.

Like any AI generator from a text tool, the prompt is everything. To get better results with the AI Presentation maker, you need better prompts. Write the prompt to be as detailed as possible. Include all the content topics you want the presentation to cover. As for style elements, there’s no need to include it in the prompt. Focus on choosing the style that you like from the Chatbot suggestions. Try to select the style that already features the color palette and shapes that you like. AI will change icons and photos based on text it generates.

How many AI Presentations can I generate?

Visme AI Presentation Maker is available in all plans and works on a per-credit basis. Every free account gets 10 credits, Starter accounts get 200, Pro gets 500 and Enterprise is unlimited. Every design generation costs 2 credits and usage of other AI tools costs 1 credit.

Is the Visme AI Designer a third-party API?

No, Visme AI Presentation maker was developed in-house and is a unique tool. However, it does use third-party APIs: ChatGPT and Unsplash.

Are the AI-generated presentations I make copyright-free?

All designs you create with AI Presentation are copyright and royalty-free. You can use them both for personal and commercial use without any problems.

What can Visme AI Designer do?

Visme’s AI design generator can:

  • Generate full designs for various content types, including presentations, documents, printables, and social media graphics. Click here to view the full list of document, printable, and social media graphics subcategories.
  • Follow your instructions for the text you want in your projects, although not word for word.
  • Adapt photos and icons to complement the generated text.
  • Create charts, graphs, and tables.
  • Handle one project at a time.
  • Include animations in projects only if the selected style features animation.
  • Generate designs with a maximum length of 10 pages.

What can’t Visme AI Designer do?

Visme’s AI design generator can’t:

  • Generate infographics, charts/graphs, whiteboards, web graphics, videos, or GIFs.
  • Reproduce your text verbatim.
  • Customize based on your specifications for color, shapes, graphics, and design style. Select a style that already resembles what you want in your project, and you can manually edit all design elements in the Visme editor.
  • Create or modify diagrams, data widgets or infographics.
  • Crawl external websites and gather information from them.
  • Handle multiple projects at once.
  • Generate designs more than 10 pages in length.

how to make a pdf presentation smaller

COMMENTS

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    Select File > Export. Click Create PDF/XPS Document, then click Create PDF/XPS. In the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box, choose a location to save the file to. If you want it to have a different name, enter it in the File name box. Optionally, if you want to change what the final PDF file is like, do any of the following: At Optimize for ...

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    Discarding it means that you can't restore the changes you make, but it will reduce your file size. Lowering the default resolution for images also reduces your overall file size. Go to File > Options > Advanced. Under Image Size and Quality, do the following: Select Discard editing data . This option removes stored data that's used to restore ...

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  19. 10 Ways to Compress PowerPoint Presentations to Reduce File Size

    10. Save a copy in PDF format. It's also common to save a copy of a presentation as a PDF (portable document format) file to reduce the size and then share it with others. You can compress images during the process. To save a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF (and compress images): Click the File tab in the Ribbon.

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  21. How to Reduce the File Size of a PowerPoint Presentation

    Converting the file is as simple as pressing a button and choosing the file type. Go ahead and open your PPT file, head over to the "File" tab, and then click "Convert.". Windows File Explorer will appear. You'll notice the Save As type is set as "PowerPoint Presentation." This is the PPTX file type. Click "Save.".

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    To compress these large PDFs, please follow these steps: Save the PDF from PowerPoint or Word. Open the PDF in Preview. Choose File>Export. Change the Quartx Filter dropdown to Reduce File Size and click on Save. With the default settings in macOS, bitmaps will be downsampled, but the file size will be around 10% of the original.

  24. How to Save PowerPoint As a Smaller PDF File

    Step 1. Open the PowerPoint presentation to save as a PDF file in Microsoft PowerPoint. Click on the .ppt file to open an existing presentation in the PowerPoint application. Video of the Day.

  25. Viewing PDFs and viewing preferences, Adobe Acrobat

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  27. How to edit or format text in PDFs using Adobe Acrobat

    Type new text to replace the selected text, or press Delete to remove it.; To rotate the text box, use the rotation handle at the top of the selected text box. Manage list items using the list controls (bulleted and numbered) in the right-side Format panel. You can create lists, and conversely, convert a list item to a paragraph, or change list types.

  28. Free Online AI Presentation Maker

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    Use the copy command in the applications. Press the PrintScreen key (Windows).; Use the Screenshot utility (Applications > Utilities > Screenshot), and choose Edit > Copy to place the content on the clipboard (macOS).In a PDF file, you can select objects using the Edit Object tool (All tools > Use print production > Edit object), and then copy the selected objects.