Reuse Slides Through Drag and Drop in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows

As discussed earlier, reusing your existing slides can substantially improve efficiency by reducing the time required to recreate content. While the Reuse Slides task pane in Microsoft PowerPoint provides a structured way to insert selected slides into the active presentation, an alternative approach offers a more direct and intuitive workflow. Slides can be selected within the source presentation and then dragged and dropped directly into the destination presentation.

This tutorial demonstrates how to reuse slides in PowerPoint 2016 for Windows using the drag-and-drop method:

1. Within Microsoft PowerPoint, open both the source presentation and the destination presentation. For greater clarity and ease of navigation during the process, ensure that no additional presentation files are open.
2. Access the View tab of the Ribbon and then click the Arrange All button, highlighted in red within Figure 1, below.
3. 
   Figure 1: Arrange All button
3. This action arranges the open presentation windows, so both presentations are visible simultaneously, as shown in Figure 2, below.
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   Figure 2: Stacked presentation windows
4. Although slides can be dragged and dropped while working in Normal view, switching to Slide Sorter view, as shown in Figure 3, below, provides a more efficient and visually organized environment for managing and repositioning multiple slides.
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   Figure 3: Both presentations in Slide Sorter view
5. With both presentations arranged as shown in Figure 3, above, the next step is to transfer slides from the source presentation to the destination presentation. Within the source presentation, select the slides to be copied, as shown on the right side of Figure 4, below.
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   Figure 4: Slides to be copied selected
6. Drag the selected slides toward the destination presentation. As the slides are moved, the cursor dynamically displays the number of slides being transferred, as shown Figure 5, below.
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   Figure 5: Number of slides being dragged
7. Drag the selected slides to the desired location within the destination presentation. As the insertion point is approached, the cursor indicator changes. Instead of displaying the number of slides being transferred, it displays a plus icon, highlighted in red within Figure 6, below, indicating that the slides can now be inserted at that location.
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   Figure 6: Dragged slides ready to be dropped
8. To complete the insertion, release the mouse button. The selected slide(s) will then be added to the destination presentation, as shown in Figure 7, below.
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   Figure 7: Slides placed within the destination presentation

   Keep Source Formatting

   By default, the copied slides will adopt the formatting and Theme of the destination presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint. To preserve the original formatting and Theme from the source presentation, click the Paste Options icon, highlighted in blue within Figure 8, below, which appears immediately after the slides are inserted. From the drop-down menu, select the Keep Source Formatting option, highlighted in green within Figure 8. While this option preserves the visual design of the original slides, it should be used selectively. Overreliance on source formatting can result in a presentation with inconsistent visual styles, reducing overall design cohesion and professional polish.

   
   Figure 8: Keep Source Formatting icon

   Also note that if the source and destination presentations use different aspect ratios, the inserted slides will automatically adopt the aspect ratio of the destination presentation.

9. Save your presentation often unless AutoSave is enabled.