In Microsoft Pow­er­Point, design options are plenty, allowing you to easily create pro­fes­sion­al pre­sen­ta­tions. In just a few clicks and without any pro­gram­ing know-how, you can add an­i­ma­tions, tran­si­tions, graphics, and images. But many of the software’s practical functions remain unused – among these is the so-called Outline View. This pre­sen­ta­tion overview function sim­pli­fies how you structure your content. In our step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to use Pow­er­Point’s outline view.

What pre­sen­ta­tion views are offered in Pow­er­Point?

When you launch Pow­er­Point and open a pre­sen­ta­tion, “normal view” is au­to­mat­i­cal­ly activated. However, Pow­er­Point offers a host of different viewing options to choose from that can be used in­ter­change­ably. Below you’ll find an overview of the different viewing options and their benefits.

  • Normal: The view that’s au­to­mat­i­cal­ly selected when you start Pow­er­Point. In normal viewing mode, you can work on in­di­vid­ual slides and navigate via the miniature slides pane.
  • Outline view: In this view, you can structure your pre­sen­ta­tion around an outline in Pow­er­Point and can easily optimize your content in this way.
  • Slide sorter: This view offers an overview of your slides and in­for­ma­tion on tran­si­tions and their duration. Easily organize your content in this view with just a few clicks.
  • Notes page: In normal view, it’s possible to add notes to your slides. In this view, Pow­er­Point creates a preview of what a print-out of slides looks like using notes.
  • Reading view: This view includes an­i­ma­tions and tran­si­tions, without switching to full-screen mode.
Tip

Besides pre­sen­ta­tion viewing options, Pow­er­Point also offers various master views. With these, you can create design and layout templates, which Pow­er­Point au­to­mat­i­cal­ly applies to all slides.

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Pow­er­Point outline view: benefits and ap­pli­ca­tion

When you create a new pre­sen­ta­tion, it’s rec­om­mend­ed to have a rough structure in place for your content. The tools to do this can be found in Pow­er­Point’s outline view. Here, you can define the structure, review it con­tin­u­ous­ly, and make changes when needed. At no point is it necessary to switch to normal view.

The outline pane in Pow­er­Point includes these elements:

  • The selected slide
  • A numbered overview of all slides
  • Main item: the title of your slide
  • Sub item: main text on your slides
Image: PowerPoint outline view: elements
With Pow­er­Point’s outline view you can get a quick overview of your pre­sen­ta­tion’s contents.

How to use Pow­er­Point outline view – a step-by-step guide

Below, we explain how to open outline view and optimally make use of all its functions.

Step 1: open outline view

To open the pre­sen­ta­tion view, start Pow­er­Point and select “View” in the top nav­i­ga­tion bar. In the menu ribbon, Pow­er­Point will now show all pre­sen­ta­tion views available. Select “Outline View” with a left-click. An outline of your Pow­er­Point slides will now present your content in a struc­tured way:

Image: Select “Outline View” in PowerPoint
Select the outline view in Pow­er­Point via the menu ribbon at the top.

Step 2: edit structure

Below, we’ll show you the most common editing options available in outline view.

Change order of slides

Have you just noticed that the order of your slides isn’t correct in the outline pane? With Pow­er­Point outline view, you can easily change their order. Click on the square next to the slide that you want to move to select it (it will au­to­mat­i­cal­ly mark it). Now, hold your mouse down and pull the slide to its intended place in the structure.

Image: PowerPoint outline view: change order
When using Pow­er­Point outline view, you can change the order of your slides at any time.

Change the contents of slides

In outline view, not only can you change the structure of your pre­sen­ta­tion: you can also change the content of your slides. For example, to expand on a sub-item on one of your slides, Pow­er­Point offers two options:

  • On-slide ad­just­ments: Select the slide you want to edit in the outline pane. Pow­er­Point will expand in on the right. Now you can make your changes to the slide as you would in normal view.
  • Overview ad­just­ments: To make changes directly in the left-hand outline pane, click on the section you want to work with. Now you have the option to delete or expand your content.
Image: PowerPoint outline view: edit content
Edit your content in the outline pane or on the slide itself.

Add a new slide

If you’re adding a lot of new content, it’s rec­om­mend­ed to create a new slide. You can do this in Pow­er­Point’s outline view. To add a new slide, you have two options:

  • Via the shortcut menu: Open the nav­i­ga­tion of the shortcut menu with a right-click and select “New Slide.”
Image: PowerPoint outline view: add a new slide
You can add a slide directly view Pow­er­Point’s outline view.
Tip

Pow­er­Point-Shortcuts give you quick access to functions. To add a new slide, for example, hold down the keys [Ctrl] and [M] at the same time. This shortcut works in outline and normal view.

  • Via the outline pane: Click on one of your slides in the overview. Make sure that the cursor is po­si­tioned at the end of the title. Now press the Enter key on your keyboard. A new element will now be added to the outline pane in Pow­er­Point. This will au­to­mat­i­cal­ly be on the same level as the previous element and rep­re­sents a new slide.
Image: Outline view in PowerPoint: add a new slide
Pow­er­Point offers different options to add a new slide in outline view.

Adjust the hierarchy of your content

Image: Outline view in PowerPoint: change hierarchy
Change the hierarchy of content via the drop-down in the outline pane.

The headlines i.e. the main item on your slide is au­to­mat­i­cal­ly su­per­or­di­nate to the sub items on your slides. In the outline pane in Pow­er­Point, you have the option to change this structure. To do this, select the layer you want to change, and hold down the tab key on your keyboard to move the selected layer down by a hi­er­ar­chi­cal level. To move a layer up, press the tab key and the shift key at the same time.

To change the hierarchy without your keyboard, right-click on the line of text. Pow­er­Point will now open a drop-down. Select “Move Up” or “Move Down” to level the hierarchy of the elements.

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