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How to use Copilot Pro to finetune your PowerPoint presentations

Microsoft Copilot Pro can create and even respond to questions about your PowerPoint presentations.
Written by Lance Whitney, Contributor
copilot-pro
Maria Diaz/ZDNET

At $20 per month, Microsoft's Copilot Pro works with Microsoft 365 to bring AI-infused assistance to various apps in the suite, including PowerPoint. You can use Copilot's AI skills to create a new presentation, organize your presentation, summarize a presentation, and answer questions about the content of a presentation. Here's how the technology works.

First, you'll need a subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal or Family. Priced at $70 per year, the Personal edition is designed for one person using up to five devices. At $100 per year, the Family edition is for up to six people on as many as five devices. The core apps in the suite include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.

Also: How to use Copilot Pro to write, edit, and analyze your Word documents

Second, you'll need a subscription to Copilot Pro. To sign up, head to the Copilot Pro website. Click the Get Copilot Pro button. Confirm the subscription and the payment. The Pro version will take effect next time you use Copilot on its website, in its mobile app, or in Windows.

How to use Copilot Pro AI for PowerPoint

1. Create a new presentation

Right off the bat, Copilot can help you design a new presentation. Open PowerPoint and select the template for Blank Presentation. Click the Copilot icon on the Ribbon. Select the suggestion for Create a presentation and type a request explaining the topic of your slideshow. 

Also: Microsoft Copilot vs. Copilot Pro: Is the subscription fee worth it?

After you submit your request, Copilot will generate the title slide and a few subsequent slides for your review.

Create a new presentation
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

2. Add more slides

After reviewing the generated slides, you may want to ask Copilot to add more slides, perhaps focusing on a specific area of your presentation's topic. At the prompt, type your request for the additional slides you want, and Copilot will create them.

Add more slides
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

3. Organize the presentation

Next, you can ask Copilot to organize the presentation. 

Also: How to use Copilot Pro AI to generate formulas and analyze data in Excel

In response to this request, the tool will organize the slides into specific sections and add introductory slides for each section.

Organize the presentation
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

4. Summarize your presentation

Copilot can create a summary of your presentation to highlight the key points. At the prompt, ask Copilot to summarize the presentation. In response, the tool will display a summary of the main ideas.

Summarize your presentation
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET

5. Ask questions about the presentation

Finally, you can ask specific questions about the content of the presentation. Copilot will suggest some questions you can ask. You can select one of the questions or submit your own question, and Copilot will display the answer.

Ask questions about the presentation
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET
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