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Powerpoint compatibility between MAC and PC?

Hello! 
I have difficulty viewing my files, eg. PPT-files on a PC that I have created on my MAC. The layout and fonts become completely scrambled. How do I avoid this in the future? 
I created the PPT in Microsoft Office Powerpoint on a MAC and tried to view the presentation with Microsoft Office Powerpoint on a PC.
Thank you very much for your help!

//Daniel 
Answer
Answer
Others more knowledgeable than I will chime in here, but since you mention fonts and layout I thought I’d go with this.

Your layout issue is more than likely directly related to the fonts you used in your slides. Not all computers have the same fonts. Fonts will vary when moving your slides Mac < — > Mac, Windows < — > Windows and especially Mac < — > Windows.

Office for Mac installs a group of fonts and includes a Font Book group called “Windows Office Compatible”. You’ll find the list is pretty lengthy. Stick with these fonts and your slides should transfer much more smoothly.

In the ribbon choose the font menu > Font Collections > Windows Office Compatible.


No PowerPoint slide deck with any modicum of complexity will transfer perfectly without a lot of tweaking and testing back and forth. If you're composing on any computer (Mac or Windows) to later present on a another computer you've never used then assume you will have problems with fonts.

You can save your slides as a PDF and present using Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat instead of PowerPoint. This will preserve the appearance of your fonts and layout practically 100%. Keep in mind you will lose animations and other features of PowerPoint and will not be able to easily edit the PDF.

Hope this helps!
William M. Smith
http://talkingmoose.net
http://twitter.com/meck

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Last updated December 16, 2023 Views 15,729 Applies to: