Start with PowerPoint 2016

PowerPoint is a presentation-only program that allows you to create dynamic slide presentations. These presentations may include animations, images, videos and more. In this lesson, you'll learn how you work in a PowerPoint environment, with tools including Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, and Backstage view.

Learn PowerPoint 2016

PowerPoint 2016 is similar to PowerPoint 2013 and PowerPoint 2010. If you have used these versions before, you will feel that PowerPoint 2016 is familiar. But if you are new to PowerPoint or have more experience with older versions, you should first take some time to familiarize yourself with the interface of PowerPoint 2016.

PowerPoint interface

When you open PowerPoint for the first time, the Start Screen screen will appear. From here, you can create new presentations, select templates and access your recently edited presentations. From this Start Screen screen , locate and select Blank Presentation to access the PowerPoint interface.

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Click on the buttons in the screen below to familiarize yourself with the PowerPoint interface.

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Work with the PowerPoint environment

The Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar are where you will find commands to perform common tasks in PowerPoint. Backstage view gives you different options to save, open files, print and share your documents.

Ribbon

PowerPoint uses the Ribbon-based system instead of traditional menus. Ribbon contains many tabs, each tab has many groups of commands. For example, the Font group on the Home tab contains commands to format the text in your document.

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Some groups also have small arrows in the bottom right corner, where you can click to get more options.

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Show and hide Ribbon

The ribbon is designed to meet your current task, but you can minimize it if you find that it takes up too much screen space. Click the Ribbon Display Options arrow in the upper right corner of the Ribbon to display the drop-down menu.

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1. Auto-hide Ribbon: The Auto-hide option displays your workbook in full screen mode and completely hides the Ribbon. To display the Ribbon, click the Expand Ribbon command at the top of the screen.
2. Show Tabs: This option hides all groups of commands when they are not used, but the tabs will still show. To display the Ribbon, just click on a tab is okay.
3. Show Tabs and Commands : This option enlarges the entire Ribbon. All tabs and commands will be displayed. This option is selected by default when you open PowerPoint for the first time.

Use the Tell me feature

If you have trouble finding the command you want, the Tell Me feature can help you. It works just like the regular search bar: Enter the content you are looking for and the options list will appear. You can then use the command directly from the menu without having to find the command on the Ribbon.

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Quick Access Toolbar

Located just above the Ribbon, the Quick Access Toolbar allows you to access common commands regardless of which tab is selected. By default, it includes Save, Undo, Redo and Start From Beginning commands . You can add other commands depending on your preferences.

How to add commands to the Quick Access Toolbar:

1. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Quick Access Toolbar.

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2. Select the command you want to add from the drop-down menu. To select more commands, select More Commands.

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3. This command will be added to the Quick Access Toolbar.

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Ruler, guides and gridlines

PowerPoint includes a number of tools to organize and organize the content of your presentations, including Ruler, Guides and Gridlines. These tools make it easier to align objects in a presentation. Just click the checkboxes in the Show group on the View tab to display and hide these tools.

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Zoom and other view options

PowerPoint has a variety of viewing options, changing the way your presentation is displayed. You can choose to view your presentation in Normal view, Slide Sorter view, Reading view , or Slide Show view . You can also zoom in and out to make your presentation easier to read.

Convert slide view

Switching between different slide views is easy. Just locate and select the desired slide view command in the bottom right corner of the PowerPoint window.

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Zoom in and zoom out

To zoom in or out, click and drag the zoom control slider in the bottom right corner of the PowerPoint window. You can also choose + or - commands to zoom in or out. The number next to the slider displays the current zoom ratio, also known as the zoom level.

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Backstage view mode

Backstage view gives you different options to save, open, print and share your presentation. To access the Backstage view, click the File tab on the Ribbon.

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Click the buttons in the interaction below to learn more about how to use the Backstage view.

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Practice!

1. Open PowerPoint 2016 and create a blank presentation.

2. Change Ribbon Display Options to Show Tabs.

3. Click the drop-down arrow next to Quick Access Toolbar and add New, Quick Print and Spelling commands .

4. In the Tell me bar , enter Shape and press Enter.

5. Select a shape from the menu and double-click somewhere on your slide.

6. Display the Ruler tool if it is not already displayed.

7. Enlarge the presentation to 120% size.

8. When you're done, your presentation will look like this:

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9. Change Ribbon Display Options back to Show Tabs and Commands mode.

See more:

1. Summary of useful shortcuts in PowerPoint
2. Create beautiful slides for PowerPoint presentations with 8 tips
3. Presentation tips with Powerpoint