How to Use Microsoft's Free PowerPoint Viewers

Use PowerPoint on the web or mobile app to view, create, and print PowerPoint files for free

By
Stacy Fisher
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Stacy Fisher
Technology Educator
  • Emporia State University
Stacy is a professional technology educator with over 25 years' experience. She has published hundreds of articles, co-authored a book, and has appeared on national and local TV.
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Updated on October 20, 2023

What to Know

  • PowerPoint Online is Microsoft's free stripped-down, web-based version of PowerPoint.
  • Another way to get PowerPoint free is with the mobile app.
  • Some non-Microsoft programs also support PowerPoint files, like LibreOffice and Google Slides.

This article explains all the different ways you can create, share, edit, print, and open PowerPoint files for free, without ever installing PowerPoint to your computer.

Instructions in this article apply to desktop and mobile users on basically any platform.

Microsoft PowerPoint Online

PowerPoint Online is the web version of PowerPoint and my absolute first pick when I need to edit a PPTX file online. It doesn't have all the features as the desktop edition but it still lets you edit existing files, create new ones, share presentations with others, and print off presentations. And all of this works from a browser, so there's nothing to download or install.

A presentation open for editing in Microsoft's online PowerPoint app

This version of PowerPoint is available if you have a Microsoft account (any email address that ends with hotmail.com, outlook.com, live.com, or msn.com) or a Microsoft 365 work or school account.

The easiest way to view or edit an existing PowerPoint file online is to drag it from your computer and drop it directly on the PowerPoint Online web page, or use the Upload link on that page. You can also save it to your OneDrive account.

PowerPoint Online is compatible with all versions of PowerPoint. You can save a presentation from PowerPoint Online back to your computer in a number of file formats, including images, PDF, PPTX, and ODP.

PowerPoint Mobile Apps

Microsoft also provides PowerPoint to mobile users. There's an app for Android, iPhone, iPad, and Windows 11/10 devices (mobile, PC, and Surface Hub). The Microsoft 365 app for Android and iOS also includes PowerPoint, along with Word and Excel.

Download For:

PowerPoint mobile app for Android

Similar to the online PowerPoint viewer, the app has you log in with your Microsoft account so that you can access all the files from your OneDrive account, the ones that are stored on your device, and PowerPoint files saved in other cloud storage services (like Dropbox, Box, and several others).

You can edit directly from the app and use the menu from an open slideshow to save as a new title and to print it off.

Other Free PowerPoint Viewers

The two options described above are Microsoft's free methods for opening PowerPoint files, but third-party programs can be used, too.

Unless you're interested in the Microsoft 365 free trial which lets you have PowerPoint for a limited time only, check out our lists of free online presentation makers and free Microsoft 365 alternatives for some additional choices that won't cost you a dime.

You might be relieved at the variety that's available, especially if you're looking for a way to open and edit PowerPoint files in a program that doesn't resemble Microsoft's software so much.

Microsoft used to let you open slideshows without PowerPoint with their free viewer tool, but it was restricted to viewing only and is no longer available from their website.

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