How to open Microsoft Powerpoint files in Libre Office
Do you have a Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation you wish to open up in Libre Office on your Linux PC? Don’t know how to do it? We can help! Follow along as we show you how to open Microsoft Powerpoint files in Libre Office!
Before we begin
To use PowerPoint presentation files in Libre Office, you must have Libre Office Impress installed on your Linux computer. Impress is the Libre Office equivalent of PowerPoint. Presentation files will not open in Libre Office Writer.
To ensure you have the latest Libre Office Impress installed on your Linux PC, do yourself a favor and follow our guide on how to get Libre Office 7.0 installed on Linux. It’s a straightforward process, and it’ll help you get the latest goodies!
Method 1 – Convert from PPTX to OPD via Google Drive
One way you can get your Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation files (PPTX format only) working in Libre Office Impress is to upload them to Google Drive. Google Drive and Google Docs have an incredibly robust document conversion tool. With it, you’ll be able to easily convert the proprietary PPTX format into the open-source, Libre Office Impress ODP format.
To begin the conversion process, open up a new browser tab and log into your Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you will need one. To make one, click here.
After logging in, follow the step-by-step instructions outlined below to convert from PPTX to ODP.
Step 1: Open up Google Drive in a new browser tab with your user account logged in. Then, download the PPTX file to your Linux PC from a Windows PC, email attachment, etc.
Step 2: After you’ve gotten the PPTX file on your Linux PC, go to the Google Drive tab in your web browser and locate the “+ New” button. Click on this button with the mouse.
Step 3: Upon selecting the “+ New” button in Google Drive, a menu will appear. In this menu, look for the “File Upload” option. After selecting the “File Upload” button, a browser window will appear.
Using this browser window, find the Microsoft PowerPoint (PPTX) file and select it. It should then upload to your Google Drive account.
Step 4: Upon uploading to Google Drive, your PPTX file should automatically convert to a Google Slides file. If the file doesn’t convert automatically, you will need to enable automatic conversion in the Google Drive settings.
Look through your Google Drive file list for the now converted PowerPoint presentation file and select it with the mouse. You will be able to locate it based on its filename.
Step 5: Once you click on the presentation file in Drive, Google Drive will launch it in Google Slides. From here, locate the “File” menu and select it with the mouse.
After clicking on the “File” menu, locate the “Download” sub-menu and select it with the mouse.
Step 6: Inside of the “Download” sub-menu, select the “ODP Document” option. When you choose “ODP Document,” Google Drive will download/convert your Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow into a Libre Office Impress ODP file.
Once the new ODP file is done downloading, launch Libre Office Impress, select “File” followed by “Open,” and open up your newly converted PowerPoint slideshow!
Method 2 – Directly importing PPTX to Libre Office
If converting the PPTX file with Google Drive doesn’t work for you, it can also directly import an existing PPTX file into Libre Office Impress. However, keep in mind that depending on the version of the PPTX file, you may run into issues where Impress messes with the project.
To open an existing PPTX PowerPoint project file into Libre Office Impress, follow the step-by-step instructions below.
Step 1: Launch Libre Office. Once the app is open, find the “File” menu, and click on it. After clicking on the “File” menu, you will see the “Open” option. Select it.
Step 2: As you select the “Open” button, a pop-up window will appear. Browse for your PPTX file on your Linux PC, and select it with the mouse. Libre Office Impress should open it as-is, with little issue.
Step 3: Once the file is open in Libre Office Impress, you can continue to work on your project with the existing PPTX file. Alternatively, if you wish, you can save a copy as an ODP.
To save as ODP, click on the “File” button. Then, look through the menu for the “Save as” button, and click it with the mouse.
Step 4: After clicking on the “Save As” button, a pop-up window will appear. Using the pop-up window, save your file as “ODP.” You will need to select “ODP” in the filetype chooser.
Upon setting your filetype, click the “Save” button to save your imported PPTX project file as a Libre Office Impress ODP file.
