PowerPointTM Large Files - Information
I received a file consisting of four slides, each with an image or other graphic object on it.  I added a new slide with yet another graphic and re-saved it using another name.  
The original file was 704KB.  With my new slide added to it and re-saved under a new name the file size was reduced to 87KB.  That's 617KB smaller. Or put another way; the original file was about 87% junk.
Welcome to the back alley of Microsoft.  In another time, this would have been called a "bug".  We are all encouraged to frequently save our work.  PowerPointTM automatically does this due to a "feature" known as fast saves. What you have deleted between saves is not erased. Just your additions are saved.  So each time you save, the file gets bigger. Even if you delete all but one slide, when you save it, the file size will get bigger. You can turn fast saves off by going to the save tab on the options menu (tools > options) and deselect this option.  However, leaving it on is probably not a bad idea.
The way to work around file size bloat is to save the file under a different filename (do a Save As).  This permanently erases your deletions. It is a good idea to get in the habit of saving different versions of your work.  At the end of each session, Save as a newer version number (as in the example above).  And always, before you ship the file to anybody, do a final Save as and make sure you embed fonts.  If you are like most people, you will want to email your files to us.  Email works a lot faster and is more reliable with smaller file sizes.  
OK, so you have done a Save As but the file size is still pretty big.  It is easy to get large file sizes when you have added high resolution images in your presentation. Below are some rules-of-thumb about managing large file sizes.

  • Don't send a file over the internet larger than 5 megabytes.  For best reliability, send files that are no larger than 1 megabyte.  And for goodness sake, let the person you are sending the file to know you are going to send them a big one.
  • If you have a file that is larger than 5 megabytes, split it up into several smaller ones. For example, if you have a file that contains 20 slides, split it into several files containing four or five slides each.  A PowerPointTM file can contain dozens of slides and easily be less than 1 megabyte. However, once you start inserting graphic objects and high resolution images, things can get big very fast.
  • Use a file-splitting program.  Just make sure that whoever you send the files to can re-assemble them.
  • The best way to deliver a very large file is in-tact on a very big disk. The most commonly available large format disk is a ZipTM disk.  If you have a PowerPointTM file that is larger than 100 megabytes and you can't get it any smaller - call us.

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