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powerpoint 2013 is an easy-to-use
program that lets you design your own
presentations you can use it to create
slideshows presentations for work
multimedia projects and just about
anything else you can imagine
when you open PowerPoint there's a good
chance you'll be taken to the Start
screen first from here you can access
recent presentations or create something
new either from scratch or from one of
the built-in themes in this example
we'll click blank presentation next you
might want to take a minute to explore
the interface and make sure you know
your way around why don't we begin with
the ribbon which is the collection of
tools and features at the top of the
screen the ribbon is divided into tabs
like design insert and home so you can
easily find what you're looking for
there are also commands on each tab that
have been organized into groups for
example if you look closely at the font
group you'll find it has everything you
need to work with text including options
like bold italics font color and size
some groups even have an arrow in the
bottom right corner that you can click
to view even more commands if you ever
feel like the ribbon is taking up too
much space you can always hide or
minimize it all you have to do is click
the arrow in the upper right corner then
choose the option you want also in the
upper right corner is a place where you
can access your Microsoft account here
you can update your photo manage your
account settings or switch to a
different account altogether you can
even customize your copy of PowerPoint
to make certain commands more convenient
take the quick access toolbar in the
upper left corner this area gives you
access to frequently used commands like
save and undo no matter where you are in
the ribbon to add more commands just
click the tiny arrow next to the toolbar
then choose the ones you want I'm going
to add new and also Quick Print because
I use both of these commands pretty
frequently
now let's take a look at the
presentation itself in this example I've
opened a business profile that I'm
working on you can navigate between
different slides using the pane on the
left while the space in the center is
where you'll actually create and edit
your presentation
at the top and to the left of the center
pane you should see two small rulers
these make it easier to adjust your
presentation and align the objects on
your slide to show or hide the rulers go
to the View tab then check or uncheck
the box depending on your preferences
you can also turn on gridlines and
guides for even more control over your
slide layout in the bottom right corner
you'll find a few more tools that let
you change the way your presentation is
displayed here's what the tools look
like up close
to zoom in or out click and drag the
zoom control the number next to the
slider will tell you what the zoom
percentage is you can also switch
between different slide views using
these four buttons normal is selected by
default this mode is great for everyday
tasks like creating and editing slides
slide sorter displays smaller versions
of the slides in your presentation
reading view hides all the editing tools
to make your slides easier to review and
finally play slideshow will play your
slides as an actual presentation last
but not least I'd like to give you a
quick tour of the backstage view you can
get there by clicking the file tab just
look forward on the far left of the
ribbon here you can access all kinds of
information related to your current
presentation and more this includes
commands like new open save and print
all you have to do is click an item in
the left pane and it will open on the
right this makes it easy to find what
you're looking for and review your
options all in one place that covers the
basics of PowerPoint 2013 now that
you're comfortable with the interface
including the backstage view the ribbon
and the work area you're ready to start
your first presentation