Objective 5.2 Finalize presentations

  • 5.2.1 Protect presentations
  • 5.2.2 Inspect presentations for issues
  • 5.2.3 Proof presentations
  • 5.2.4 Preserve presentation content
  • 5.2.5 Export presentations to other formats

5.2 Contents

5.2.2 Inspect presentations for issues

PowerPoint includes three tools that you can use to inspect a presentation for possible problems before you distribute it electronically (as a file):

  • the Document Inspector,
  • the Accessibility Checker, and
  • the Compatibility Checker.

The Document Inspector checks for content and information that you might not want to share with readers, such as:

  • Information that identifies the presentation authors
  • Tracked changes, comments, and ink annotations
  • Other files (such as documents) that are embedded within the presentation you’re inspecting
  • Content add-ins and Task Pane add-ins that might not be available to presentation viewers
  • Macros, form controls, and ActiveX controls saved as part of the file
  • Built-in and custom file properties
  • File version history and server properties

The Document Inspector offers to remove content that it locates, but doesn’t provide specifics. You can opt to remove or retain any category of content. There are some types of content that you might want to keep and review individually.

The Document Inspector provides pass/fail results for each category you choose

The Accessibility Checker identifies slide elements and formatting that might be difficult for people with certain kinds of disabilities to read or for assistive devices such as screen readers to access. These issues are divided by decreasing severity into three classifications: Errors, Warnings, and Tips. In PowerPoint presentations, the Accessibility Checker inspects content to ensure that it meets the criteria shown in the following table.

See Also: 

From the Accessibility Checker pane, you can select any issue to display information about why it might be a problem and how to fix it. You can leave the Accessibility Checker open while you work—its contents will automatically update to indicate the current issues.

Tip: After you run the Accessibility Checker, information about presentation content issues is also shown in the Inspect Presentation area of the Info page of the Backstage view.

The Accessibility Checker pane provides links directly to possible issues

 

The Compatibility Checker identifies formatting and features that aren’t supported or won’t work as expected in PowerPoint 2010 and earlier versions. Fixing these issues ensures that the appearance and functionality of the document will be consistent for all readers.

The following PowerPoint 2016 presentation content features aren’t supported by some earlier versions of PowerPoint:

  • SmartArt graphics
  • Tables that contain WordArt or have specific formatting applied
  • Unsupported formatting effects (Reflection, Glow, Bevel, Soft Edges, 3-D Rotation, or Fills) applied to shapes or shape text
  • Unsupported WordArt effects applied to text
  • ActiveX controls, customized prompt text, and placeholder animation on custom slide layouts
  • Uninitialized ActiveX controls

If you share presentations with people who are using a version of PowerPoint earlier than 2007, they can install the free Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats from the Microsoft Download Center at https://download.microsoft.com. The Compatibility Pack doesn’t provide additional functionality in the older program version, but it does enable users to open .pptx files in the older version of PowerPoint.

The Compatibility Checker pane provides information about possible issues

To inspect a presentation for common issues

  1. Save the presentation, and then display the Info page of the Backstage view.
  2. In the Inspect Presentation area of the Info page, click Check for Issues, and then click Inspect Document to open the Document Inspector dialog box, which lists the items that will be checked.
  3. Clear the check boxes for any groups of properties you don’t want to check for, and then click Inspect to display a report on the presence of the properties you selected.
    • In addition to the basic properties that are displayed in the Properties section of the Info page, the inspector might return information about comments, annotations, hidden and off-slide content, and speaker notes.
  4. Review the results, and then click the Remove All button for any category of information that you want to remove.
    • Tip: You can choose to retain content identified by the Document Inspector if you know that it is appropriate for distribution.
  5. In the Document Inspector dialog box, click Reinspect, and then click Inspect to verify the removal of the properties and other data you selected.
  6. When you’re satisfied with the results, close the Document Inspector dialog box.

To inspect a presentation for accessibility issues

  1. On the Info page of the Backstage view, click Check For Issues, and then click Check Accessibility to run the Accessibility Checker.
  2. In the Accessibility Checker pane, review the inspection results and make any changes you want to the document.
  3. When you finish, do either of the following:
    • Click the X in the upper-right corner of the Accessibility Checker pane to close the pane.
    • Leave the pane open to continue checking for accessibility issues as you work with the document.

To inspect a presentation for compatibility issues

  1. Save the presentation.
  2. On the Info page of the Backstage view, click Check for Issues, and then click Check Compatibility. The window immediately displays a list of content issues that aren’t compatible with earlier versions of PowerPoint.

To correct compatibility issues

  1. Review the issue description and note the number of instances of the issue within the document. Some issues include a Help link to additional information.
  2. Locate the named element by searching or scanning the presentation slides, and then remove or modify it to meet the compatibility requirements.
  3. When you finish, click OK to close the Compatibility Checker.

To maintain backward compatibility with a previous version of PowerPoint

  1. When saving the presentation, choose the previous file format in the Save as type list.
  2. In the Microsoft PowerPoint Compatibility Checker window, click Continue to convert the unsupported features.