Check Compatibility in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac

The Compatibility Report tab is the last tab within the Toolbox in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac. This tab helps you if the presentations you create in PowerPoint 2011 need to be shared with others who are using other versions of PowerPoint, on either the Mac or even on Microsoft Windows. Within this tab, you can check compatibility of any open presentation with other versions of PowerPoint. The Compatibility Report provides info on every compatibility feature for any version of PowerPoint since Office 97, and it can tell you whether objects (and other features) in your presentation are compatible with other versions. In addition, it also offers to fix some incompatibilities for you.

Remember: Before you start using the Compatibility Report, it's a good idea to keep a backup copy of your original presentation.

You use the Compatibility Report tool by starting at the top and working your way down. All the options within the Compatibility Report tab are explained below, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Compatibility Report within Toolbox

Let us now explore all options within the Compatibility Report tab of the Toolbox, as marked in Figure 1, above:

Check compatibility with: Click this drop-down list to display versions of PowerPoint you want your presentation to be compatible with, as shown in Figure 2. You can opt to make your presentation compatible with a particular Windows or Mac PowerPoint version, or with all of them.

Figure 2: PowerPoint versions list
Check / Recheck Document: Click to start checking / re-checking your presentation based on the compatibility you want (refer to Figure 2 above).
Results: This section displays potential problem(s).
Fix: If it is possible to fix the potential problem(s), the Fix option will not be grayed out. Note that, formatting or other changes will be made by clicking the Fix option. You may have to manually fix certain other problems.
Ignore: This option enables you to ignore instances of the selected problem. Click the small downward arrow to choose from the Ignore Once, Ignore All, and Don't Show Again options (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Ignore drop-down list
Help: This option opens Office Help.
Explanation: Select the potential problem(s) within the Result section (refer to point C above) to see an explanation about that problem within this section.