(Legacy) Microsoft PowerPoint 2007: Using the Slide Sorter View

In the Slide Sorter view, you see a miniature of each slide. The Slide Sorter view not only gives you a great view of your presentation as a whole, but it also lets you rearrange and hide your slides. If you wish to increase or decrease the size of the slides you are reviewing, you can adjust the view by zooming in and out as necessary.

The Slides tab  in the Normal view functions the same way as the Slide Sorter view and can perform the functions of rearranging slides as described in this document. The Slides tab also allows you to hide or display text formatting and to see whether slides are hidden.

Rearranging Slides

Using the Slide Sorter view allows you to easily rearrange your slides by dragging and dropping, cutting and pasting, or copying and pasting.

Rearranging Slides: Dragging and Dropping

Dragging and dropping selected slides is an easy way to move slides anywhere in your presentation.

1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE SORTER 
   OR
   In the lower right corner of the window, click SLIDE SORTER 

2. Select the slide(s) you want to move
   HINTS:
   To select contiguous slides, press and hold [Shift] while clicking the first and last slides in the desired range.
   To select non-contiguous slides, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired slide.

3. Click and hold the selected slide(s)

4. Drag the slide(s) into the appropriate position
   A line appears between the slides indicating the placement of the selected slide(s).

5. Release the mouse button
   The slide(s) appear in a new location.

Rearranging Slides: Cut and Paste

Cutting and pasting slides may work best for large presentations when you may be unable to see the new location on the screen.

1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE SORTER 
   OR
   In the lower right corner of the window, click SLIDE SORTER 

2. Select the slide(s) you wish to move
   HINTS:
   To select contiguous slides, press and hold [Shift] while clicking the first and last slides in the desired range.
   To select non-contiguous slides, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired slide.

3. From the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click CUT 
   OR
   Right click the slide(s) » select Cut

4. Click in the space where you want the slide(s) inserted
   A line appears between the slides indicating the placement of the selected slide(s).

5. From the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click PASTE 
   OR
   Right click the location » select Paste
   The slide(s) appear in the new location.

Rearranging Slides: Copy and Paste

When you want to duplicate a slide's appearance, using the copy and paste method from the Slide Sorter view works well. You can duplicate a slide and all of its formatting without having to specify each element individually. You can easily manage the placement of the duplicated slides, as well. 

1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE SORTER 
   OR
   In the lower right corner of the window, click SLIDE SORTER 

2. Select the slide(s) you wish to copy
   HINTS:
   To select contiguous slides, press and hold [Shift] while clicking the first and last slides in the desired range.
   To select non-contiguous slides, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired slide.

3. From the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click COPY 
   OR
   Right click the slide(s) » select Copy

4. Click in the space where you want the slide inserted

5. From the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click PASTE 
   OR
   Right click the location » select Paste
   The slide(s) appear in a new location.

Hiding Slides

When giving your presentation, you may decide to not present certain slides, but you do not want them deleted. PowerPoint allows you to hide selected slides so they will not appear during the slide show. Hiding your slides will not delete them, so if you decide to include the hidden slide, you can easily show it.

1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE SORTER 
   OR
   In the lower right corner of the window, click SLIDE SORTER 

2. Select the slide(s) you wish to hide
   HINTS:
   To select contiguous slides, press and hold [Shift] while clicking the first and last slides in the desired range.
   To select non-contiguous slides, press and hold [Ctrl] while clicking each desired slide.

3. From the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click HIDE SLIDE 
   OR
   Right click the selected slide(s) » select Hide Slide
   A gray crossed-out box appears over the slide number indicating the slide will not show during the slide show. 

Showing (Unhiding) Slides

The HIDE SLIDE button acts as a toggle between showing and hiding selected slides. If a slide is currently shown, clicking the button will hide it. If a slide is currently hidden, clicking the button will show (unhide) it.

1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE SORTER 
   OR
   In the lower right corner of the window, click SLIDE SORTER 

2. To show a hidden slide, select the hidden slide

3. From the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click HIDE SLIDE 
   OR
   Right click the selected slide » deselect Hide Slide
   The slide will now be shown.

Adjusting the View

To make certain formatting decisions, you may need to increase or decrease the size of the Slide Sorter view in order to view all of the slides appropriately.

Adjusting the View: Dialog Box Option

1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE SORTER 
   OR
   In the lower right corner of the window, click SLIDE SORTER 

2. From the View tab, in the Zoom group, click ZOOM 
   The Zoom dialog box appears. 
   

3. Select the desired zoom level
   OR
   In the Percent text box, type a percent or use the nudge buttons

4. Click OK

Adjusting the View: Slide Bar Option

1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE SORTER 
   OR
   In the lower right corner of the window, click SLIDE SORTER 

2. In the lower right corner of the window, click and drag the slide bar to the desired zoom level