Use a screen reader to save your presentation in PowerPoint
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This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

Use PowerPoint with your keyboard and a screen reader to save your desktop presentation to a local drive (such as your laptop), a network location, a CD, a DVD, or a flash drive. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You can also save your presentation in a different file format or an earlier version of PowerPoint.

Decorative icon. Need instructions on how to save your PowerPoint presentation, but not using a screen reader? See Save in PowerPoint or Save PowerPoint presentations as PDF files.

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In this topic

Save your presentation file

Follow these steps to name and save your presentation file using the default file type, which is PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx).

  1. To open the Save As dialog box and browse through your drives and folders, press Alt+F, A, and then O. You hear: “Save As dialog.”

  2. To navigate to the list of drives and folders, press the Tab key to move through the dialog box until you hear, with Narrator, the number of suggestions available and "Tree view, quick access." With JAWS and NVDA, you hear: "Tree view."

  3. To find the drive or folder where you want to save your presentation, move through the list by pressing the Down or Up arrow key.

  4. To select the drive or folder, press Enter.

  5. To move the focus to the folders and files within the selected drive or folder, press the Tab key.

  6. To browse through the contents of the selected location, press the Down or Up arrow key. To open a folder, press Enter.

  7. After you choose the location you want, press the Tab key until you hear: "File name."

  8. To save your presentation, type the file name you want and press Enter. The Save As dialog box closes.

To save new changes to a file that’s already been saved in the correct location with the name you want, press Ctrl+S.

Save your presentation in a different file format

You have many file format options to choose from for saving a presentation. Follow these steps:

  1. To open the Save As dialog box, press Alt+F, A, and then O.

  2. If necessary, navigate to the location and name the file. To learn how, go to Save your presentation file.

  3. Press the Tab key until you hear "Save as type," followed by the default file format.

  4. To move through the list of file formats available in the Save as type combo box, press the Up or Down arrow key. To select a file format, press Enter.

    Tip: To move quickly to a specific file format name, type the first letter of that name. For example, repeatedly typing the letter O moves through the list of all file formats that begin with the letter O, like Office Theme, Outline/RTF, and OpenDocument Presentation.

  5. To save the file in the selected file format, press Enter. The Save As dialog box closes.

Note: For more details about saving a file in PDF (.pdf) or XPS (.xps) file format, refer to Save or convert to PDF or XPS in Office Desktop apps.

Save your presentation in an earlier version of PowerPoint

PowerPoint uses an XML-based .pptx file format. With this format, files can be opened in earlier versions of PowerPoint without special add-ins or loss of functionality. For more information, refer to Open XML Formats and file name extensions.

Follow these steps to save your presentation in a format compatible with an earlier version of PowerPoint:

  1. To open the Save As dialog box, press Alt+F, A, and then O.

  2. If necessary, navigate to the location and name the file.

  3. Press the Tab key until you reach the Save as type combo box. The default file type is PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx).

    Tip: When you open the Save As dialog box, the focus is in the File name box. If the file is already in the location you want, press the Tab key until you reach the Save as type combo box.

  4. To move quickly to the various PowerPoint file formats, repeatedly press P.

  5. When you hear "PowerPoint 97 to 2003 Presentation," that file format is selected.

  6. To save your file in the earlier version of PowerPoint, press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to create a presentation from a template in PowerPoint

Use a screen reader to print presentations in PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations

Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

What's new in Microsoft 365

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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