How I Use Copilot to Easily Create PowerPoint Presentations In Minutes

When I have trouble creating a presentation in PowerPoint, I use something in my creative arsenal that can help me do it in minutes: Copilot. Here’s how I use it to generate entire presentations, add slides, and more.

You First Need to Add Copilot to PowerPoint

To use Copilot in PowerPoint, you need two subscriptions. Since PowerPoint is a Microsoft 365 app, you’ll need a Microsoft 365 subscription, which costs $6.99 a month. You will also need a Copilot Pro subscription, which costs $20 per month.

After purchasing those subscriptions, you should see the “Copilot” button on the ribbon of the Home tab in PowerPoint.

If you don’t see Copilot, you’ll need to add it by updating your Microsoft 365 license. To do that, head to File > Account and click “Update License” in the Product Information section.

Then, follow the instructions to sign in to your Microsoft account. Ensure it’s the one with the Microsoft 365 and Copilot Pro subscriptions. Then, close PowerPoint and relaunch it—you should be able to see Copilot now.

Generate an Entire Presentation with a Single Prompt

If you want to create an entire presentation, you have to tell Copilot the topic of the presentation, and it will generate it for you. To do that, use the following syntax: Create a presentation about [Topic]. In the prompt, replace Topic with what you want Copilot to write about.

If you want it to include additional slides based on the topic, you can expand your prompt further. You could, for instance, add the following to the prompt: Include slides about [Sub Topic 1], [Sub Topic 2], [Sub Topic 3]. Replace Sub Topic 1, Sub Topic 2, Sub Topic 3, and so on in the prompt with the topics of the slides.

For instance, I created a presentation about doomscrolling using this prompt: Create a presentation about doomscrolling. Include slides about what it is, its origin, why we do it, and how to stop it.

Once you press Enter on your keyboard, Copilot will generate an entire presentation, complete with text and images. Also, it will include notes at the bottom of each slide, giving you a quick summary. Take time to go through it and correct any errors—AI-generated content might consist of incorrect information.

One thing to remember is that Copilot might not have created the exact number of slides you stated. It might add more or miss some (it’s not perfect).

Asking Copilot to Add a Slide

After Copilot creates the presentation, you can ask it to add more slides. The syntax is: Add a slide about [Topic]. In a presentation about the steps to mindful meditation, I wanted to add a slide about remembering to notice thoughts. I typed the following in Copilot: Add a slide about noticing thoughts without passing judgment.

If I wanted to animate a slide, I would select it from the list of slides on the left panel, and type: Animate this slide. I can even add an agenda to the entire presentation by typing: Add an agendaslide.

Add Images to the Presentation Using Copilot

You can add images to a slide by using the following syntax: Add an image of [Image Description]. Ensure it’s short and sweet while being adequately descriptive so that Copilot understands what you mean.

I decided to include an image of a dog doing yoga in one of my presentations by typing: Add an image of a dog doing yoga.

Organizing the Presentation with Copilot’s Help

If you feel the presentation could be better organized, Copilot can help. It can suggest the best structure based on what it knows about it. To do that, type the following in Copilot: Organize this presentation.

After you see Copilot’s suggested slide order for the presentation, it’s up to you to accept or reject the changes.

Remember, you can use Copilot in other Microsoft 365 apps as well. You can, for example, use it to write documents in Word or do calculations in Excel in minutes. Being able to use it in Microsoft 365 apps like this can significantly boost your productivity.