a single empty slide. But what if you had another presentation in front of you that

wasn’t blank, maybe something you’ve already been working on? How would you go about creating

a new file?

Start by clicking the File tab to go to the Backstage view, then click New. You can either

open a new blank presentation (which is highlighted automatically); or a sample template that’s

installed on your computer; or a template downloaded from Office.com, specifically designed

for PowerPoint presentations and slides.

A template is just a file that’s already been put together, both to help you save time

and create a presentation that looks professional. Some PowerPoint templates include graphic

themes, animations - even tips to help you develop your presentation. This time, however,

let’s go ahead and select the blank presentation here, click Create, and it will open in a

new window.

To open an existing presentation that’s already saved to your computer, click File

to return to the Backstage view. If the presentation you’re looking for is something you’ve

worked on recently, you might be able to find it under Recent, where your most recent files

are listed here on the right. Otherwise, the easiest way to open any file is to click Open,

which takes you to the files and the folders on your computer. Now select the presentation

you’re looking for, click Open, and it appears in a new window.