Learn about the options available for inserting and/or linking pictures in PowerPoint 2016.
Author: Geetesh Bajaj
Product/Version: Microsoft PowerPoint 2016
OS: Windows 7 and higher
Inserting a picture on PowerPoint slide is a frequent and commonplace task, and to you, this may look like a simple activity. But this simple task includes few options. You know that pictures located in any of your folders can be inserted on a slide. However, have you wondered about the relation a picture on the slide has with the original picture located in your folder?
By default, PowerPoint retains no relation; even if you delete or move the original picture file you inserted, the copy on your slide will still be retained since PowerPoint saves the picture as a part of the file it creates. Yet, there are options within PowerPoint that let you maintain the relation between the original picture and the inserted picture. For example, if you make changes to your original picture, PowerPoint will update its copy on the slide!
The advantage of this approach is that you can change pictures in your folder that have the same file names, and your slides get automatically updated with newer pictures. This approach also has a disadvantage. If you rename, delete, or move the picture file you linked from, then the picture on your slide won't be there!
In PowerPoint 2016 there are two ways to insert a picture:
However, if you want to link and insert a picture, you need to use the first option.
Now that we have made you aware of the pros and cons, let us explore these options.
Typically, you bring up the Insert Picture dialog box by either by clicking on the Pictures button in a
Content placeholder or directly clicking the Pictures button on the Insert tab of the
Ribbon, Then, in all probability, you will click the
Insert button after selecting a picture. But look closer; you will find a down-arrow next to the Insert
button, highlighted in red within Figure 1.
Figure 1: Down-arrow next to the Insert button
Click this down-arrow to open a small menu that provides three different options to insert a picture as shown in
Figure 2.
Figure 2: Insert Picture options
Let us explore these options:
See Also:
Insert and/or Link Pictures in PowerPoint 2016
for Mac
Insert and/or Link Pictures in
PowerPoint 2013 for Windows
Insert and/or Link
Pictures in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac
Insert and/or Link Pictures in
PowerPoint 2010 for Windows
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