When collaborating on a presentation, it's often difficult to see who changed what and which version is actually the most up-to-date. PowerPoint's Compare feature is designed for precisely these situations and is therefore extremely useful.
This feature allows you to compare and then combine multiple versions of the same presentation based on changes in text, tables, images, and graphics. Changes are easily tracked, and improvements can be identified and understood without having to manually review each slide. Using this function can therefore save you a significant amount of time and effort.
Instructions – Comparing presentations in PowerPoint
- Open the first version of the presentation in PowerPoint.
- Switch to the Review tab in the menu and click the Compare command. A file explorer will open.
- Select the second version of your presentation here.
In the first presentation, you will now see notes next to the elements that differ in the second version. Any comments from your colleagues explain what changes have been made and why. The revision pane, which lists all differences, is located on the right side of the screen.
The two presentations can then be merged, which is useful if several people have made changes to the presentation independently and simultaneously, and therefore there is no single most up-to-date version.
Instructions – Merging presentations
- Navigate through your presentation on the right side of the transition area.
- Use the Accept and Reject commands to accept or reject individual changes.
- Alternatively, you can accept or reject all changes on a slide or in the entire presentation. To do this, click the arrow below the two commands, Accept and Reject .
There is also a faster option for a simple visual comparison, for example if you just want to determine whether there are any differences between the versions.
Instructions – Visual comparison in two windows
- Open both versions of the presentation in PowerPoint.
- To view both versions side by side, first select View , then Window , and click Arrange All .
As you can see, the comparison function is extremely helpful and easy to use in times of virtual teams and file sharing. Anyone who has ever created a presentation in a group will surely confirm the advantages of this method!