PowerPoint: The Basics

These materials will guide you through creating and formatting a presentation, working with images and video, and applying animations and transitions. We'll also cover creating handouts, rehearsing and delivering a presentation, packaging a presentation, and addressing accessibility concerns.

Learning Objectives

Add, rearrange, and delete slides
Import slides from another presentation into a slide show
Apply layouts, themes, and QuickStyles
Work with text, bullets, images, and video
Apply simple animations and transitions
Create presentations that are accessible for individuals with disabilities
Create audience and presenter handouts
Rehearse and deliver a presentation
Package a presentation for use on other computers

Prerequisite Skills

Use a mouse
Work with windows, menus, dialog boxes, and the Ribbon

For a more in-depth look at the content of PowerPoint: The Basics, view the title contents below.

Enroll in the online course

Follow the appropriate enrollment method below, depending on your IU status.

IU faculty, staff, and students

IU logo Join using the self-enroll feature of Canvas (requires IU username and passphrase).

Enroll in PowerPoint: The Basics (IU: No cost)

Non-IU learners

Join via IU Expand at a low cost (requires an IU Guest account, a free sign-up for anyone).

Enroll in PowerPoint: The Basics (Non-IU: $9.99)

This course is part of an IT Training Certificate Series, which awards a certificate on successful completion of a final online exam. Learn more about the Office Productivity Certificate Series.

Title Contents

Expand the accordion folds to see a detailed description of the content.

For IU learners: If you're interested in the content for PowerPoint: The Basics, but prefer not to enroll in the online course, you can access the course content below.

Explore the contents of PowerPoint: The Basics:

Explore the PowerPoint interface.

See the full content for Introducing PowerPoint
(IU Login Required)

Learn how to add content and speaker notes to a blank presentation.

See the full content for Beginning a New Presentation
(IU Login Required)

Explore how to add previously created slides to the presentation.

See the full content for Inserting Slides from Another Presentation
(IU Login Required)

Use a theme to add color and design elements to the presentation.

See the full content for Applying a Theme
(IU Login Required)

Modify the size and color of text using both the Ribbon and the Mini toolbar.

See the full content for Editing Text
(IU Login Required)

Explore how to add an image to a slide, add alternative text to the image, and check the reading order of the slide.

See the full content for Inserting an Image
(IU Login Required)

Learn several ways to format images including adding a picture style, recoloring an image, setting transparent color, and removing the background from an image.

See the full content for Formatting an Image
(IU Login Required)

See how to link a video to a slide.

See the full content for Using Video
(IU Login Required)

Use the Shapes gallery to add a callout to a slide, then add alternative text to the callout.

See the full content for Using the Shapes Gallery
(IU Login Required)

Learn how to add a hyperlink to a slide.

See the full content for Adding a Hyperlink
(IU Login Required)

Create and format a table. Add text, alternative text, and a table style.

See the full content for Creating a Table
(IU Login Required)

Work with the ruler and tab markers to organize text, then see how to to customize bullets and apply a Quick Style.

See the full content for Working with Tabs
(IU Login Required)

Explore how to apply and modify animations and transitions.

See the full content for Adding Animations and Transitions
(IU Login Required)

Learn about the different views in PowerPoint.

See the full content for Working in Different Views
(IU Login Required)

Add slide numbers to the bottom of the slides.

See the full content for Inserting Slide Numbers
(IU Login Required)

Explore how to add slide timings both manually and automatically, then see how to rehearse a presentation, create speaker notes, and save audience handouts as a PDF.

See the full content for Preparing a Presentation for Delivery
(IU Login Required)

Learn about the tools available when delivering a presentation including navigation techniques and annotation tools.

See the full content for Delivering the Presentation
(IU Login Required)

Run the Accessibility Checker to find possible accessibility issues.

See the full content for Using the Accessibility Checker
(IU Login Required)

Learn how to package a presentation for storage or for delivery on another computer.

See the full content for Saving and Packaging a Presentation
(IU Login Required)