General Program Options in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows

The General tab of the PowerPoint Options dialog box contains basic, yet some very important options related to the appearance and working of the PowerPoint interface. Changes to these options can result in a very different and more efficient workflow. The PowerPoint Options dialog box can be accessed in multiple ways, as explained in our Options Tab in Backstage view in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows tutorial.

In this tutorial, we will explore the various options within the General tab of the PowerPoint Options dialog box. Follow these steps to understand better:

1. Launch PowerPoint and access the PowerPoint Options dialog box, as shown in Figure 1, below. Make sure that the General tab is selected, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1.
2. 
   Figure 1: PowerPoint Options dialog box
3. The options within the PowerPoint Options dialog box are explained below, as marked in Figure 1, above:

   A. Show Mini Toolbar on selection

   As the name suggests, selecting this check-box will provide easy access to the Mini Toolbar when you select text on your slide. To learn more about Mini Toolbar, explore our Mini Toolbar in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows tutorial.

   B. Enable Live Preview

   Selecting this check-box enables Live Preview of slide objects as you hover over options within the Ribbon and elsewhere. To learn more about Live Preview, explore our Live Preview in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows tutorial.

   C. Color scheme

   This option is used to change the interface color of PowerPoint 2010. Click the down-arrow to open a drop-down list, as shown in Figure 2, below.

   
   Figure 2: Color scheme drop-down list

   Here you'll find three color choices:

   Blue

   Figure 3, below, shows the PowerPoint interface with the Blue color scheme.

   
   Figure 3: Blue color applied to the interface

   Silver

   Figure 4, below, shows the PowerPoint interface with the Silver color scheme.

   
   Figure 4: Silver color applied to the interface

   Black

   Figure 5, below, shows the PowerPoint interface with the Black color scheme.

   
   Figure 5: Black color applied to the interface

   D. ScreenTip style

   Change the style of Screen tips using this option. Click the down-arrow to open a drop-down list, as shown in Figure 6, below.

   
   Figure 6: ScreenTip style drop-down list

   Here you'll find three Style choices:

   Show feature descriptions in ScreenTips

   This is the default option. In Figure 7, below, you can see that the Screen tip shows both the command name and a small description.

   
   Figure 7: Result of selecting the Show feature descriptions in ScreenTips option

   Don't show feature descriptions in ScreenTips

   In Figure 8, below, you can see how the Screen tip shows the command name without any description.

   
   Figure 8: Result of selecting the Don't show feature descriptions in ScreenTips option

   Don't show ScreenTips

   In Figure 9, below, you can see the result of selecting this option. Notice that even though the cursor is hovered over the Layout button, there is no ScreenTip displayed.

   
   Figure 9: Result of selecting the Don't show ScreenTips option

   E. Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office

   This last section includes options to change your User name and Initials. Do remember that the details you provide within this area will identify you in any comments or review edits you make in your presentation, especially when multiple authors edit the same presentation.

Change Across Microsoft Office

Any changes you make, as explained on this page, will influence all Microsoft Office programs installed including Word, Excel, Outlook, etc. These changes don’t restrict to just the PowerPoint interface.