Master Your Slides: How to Use PowerPoint’s Slide Sorter View

PowerPoint’s Slide Sorter View - What is it and What Does it Do?

When creating a presentation, organising your slides efficiently is key to delivering a clear, cohesive message. PowerPoint’s Slide Sorter View offers a bird’s-eye view of your entire slide deck, making it easy to rearrange, organise, and fine-tune your slides for maximum impact.

In this guide, we’ll explore the features of Slide Sorter View, how to use it effectively, and tips for enhancing your presentation workflow.

So, what Is Slide Sorter View? The Slide Sorter View in PowerPoint displays all your slides as thumbnails in a grid layout. It allows you to:

• Rearrange Slides: Quickly drag and drop slides into the desired order.

• Delete or Duplicate Slides: Manage your slides with simple commands.

• Apply Transitions: Assign transitions between slides with ease.

• Gain Perspective: Get a holistic view of your presentation’s flow and structure.

How to access the slide sorter and what to do next

Switching to Slide Sorter View is simple, firstly open your presentation. Once open, you can switch to slide sorter view by going to the View tab in the ribbon and then clicking on Slide Sorter in the Presentation Views group.

Your slides will appear as thumbnails arranged in a grid.

Alternatively, click the Slide Sorter View icon (a four-square grid) in the bottom-right corner of the PowerPoint window.

Once in Slide Sorter View, you can manage your slides effectively with these actions:

• Rearrange Slides

  • Simply click and drag a slide to a new position in the sequence.

  • Drop it where you want, and PowerPoint will renumber the slides automatically.

• Delete Slides

  • Select the slide(s) you want to delete.

    • Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) to select multiple slides.

  • Press Delete or right-click and choose Delete Slide.

• Duplicate Slides

  • Right-click a slide and select Duplicate Slide.

  • The duplicate will appear directly after the original slide.

• Apply Transitions to Multiple Slides

  • Select the slides you want to apply transitions to.

    • Use Shift to select a range or Ctrl/Cmd to select non-adjacent slides.

  • Go to the Transitions tab and choose a transition effect.

  • Adjust transition settings, such as duration or sound, in the Transitions ribbon.

• View Slide Timings

  • If you’ve rehearsed timings for your slides, Slide Sorter View displays the duration under each thumbnail.

  • Adjust timing directly in this view for better control.

• Check Slide Consistency

  • Use the grid layout to review the flow and structure of your presentation.

  • Ensure slide designs, layouts, and transitions are consistent across the deck.

Some use cases for Slide Sorter view

• Organising Content: Perfect for refining the order of slides in large or complex presentations.

• Team Collaboration: Collaborate with colleagues to arrange slides during brainstorming sessions.

• Final Touches: Quickly apply transitions, check timings, or ensure uniformity before presenting.

• Practicing Presentations: Use Slide Sorter to plan pacing by reviewing timings for each slide.

PowerPoint’s Slide Sorter View is a powerful tool for organising and polishing your presentation. By providing a high-level view of your slides, it simplifies the process of rearranging, editing, and optimising your content. Whether you’re preparing for a major conference, a team meeting, or a classroom lecture, Slide Sorter View can help you deliver a presentation that flows seamlessly.