Save as PDF in PowerPoint 365 for Windows

How to Save PowerPoint Presentation as PDF in PowerPoint 365?

Do you want to export your PowerPoint slides into a PDF before sharing it with others? Saving a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF has its pros and cons. The biggest advantage is that recipients won’t be able to edit your slides, and also that you can embed fonts easily. An even better advantage is that you may use these PDFs as substitutes for printed drafts or slides and save so much paper.

Disadvantages include that you cannot be entirely multimedia-friendly because it's not easy or simple to end up with animated PDFs, or even create PDFs with audio and video clips. Whatever your thoughts may be, PowerPoint makes it very easy to create PDFs.

Steps to convert your slides into PDF format in PowerPoint

Follow these steps and guidelines to convert your slides into a PDF in PowerPoint 365 for Windows:

1. Open your presentation that you want to save as a PDF. Make sure to save presentation one last time. The keyboard shortcut to save your presentation is Ctrl + S.


PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

Do you want more keyboard shortcuts?

Explore our PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts and Sequences Ebook that is updated for all PowerPoint versions.

2. Now, choose the File | Export option to open Backstage view, as shown in Figure 1, below. Next, select the Create PDF/XPS Document option in the left pane, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1. Then, click the Create PDF/XPS option, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 1.
3. 
   Figure 1: Convert or Save as PDF

Accessible PDFs

PowerPoint may warn you when exporting PDFs that these converted PDFs may not be accessible to people with disabilities. Firstly, you'll see the Investigate Accessibility button, as shown highlighted in green within Figure 1, above. Clicking this button will bring up the Accessibility Task pane, as shown in Figure 2, below. In this pane, you'll see problem issues for individual slides with recommended steps to fix the accessibility problem.


Figure 2: Accessibility Task pane

You can also click on the Learn more about creating accessible PDFs link, as shown highlighted in purple within Figure 1, previously on this page. Doing so will bring up the Help Task pane, as shown in Figure 3, below with documentation on Creating accessible PDFs.


Figure 3: Help Task pane
3. Doing so brings up the Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box, as shown in Figure 4, below. Choose the location to save the PDF, provide an output filename, and choose PDF (*.pdf) in the Save As Type drop-down list, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 4.
4. 
   Figure 4: Publish as PDF or XPS

What is XPS?

The XPS file type saves presentations to an XML Paper Specification format. Developed by Microsoft in June 2009, this format is also known as Open XML Paper Specification.
4. There are some more settings available, as shown highlighted in Figure 4, above. These settings are:

Open file after publishing

5. You can select this check-box, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 4, so that the PDF created is opened immediately within the default PDF application on your computer.

Optimize for

6. There are two Optimize options available, as shown highlighted in purple within Figure 4:

Standard

7. Used for publishing online and printing, this option creates PDFs suitable for high-resolution printing.

Minimum Size

8. Suggested for publishing online, this option creates PDFs intended for viewing on-screen.

Options

9. Click the Options button, as shown highlighted in green within Figure 4, to bring up the Options dialog box, as shown in Figure 5, below.
10. 
    Figure 5: Publish Options dialog box
11. The Options dialog box is where you specify print settings, such as whether you need handouts with three slides per page, and customize other options as required. Click OK to apply these changes, and get back to Publish as PDF or XPS dialog box.
5. Now, click the Publish button, as shown highlighted in orange within Figure 4, previously on this page. PowerPoint will now publish your presentation as a PDF.