If you have tried to print handouts in PowerPoint 2010 that include the slide notes, you may have noticed a bit of a shortcoming. You can print handouts with multiple slides per page, or you can print handouts that include the notes. However, there is no way to combine these features and print handouts with notes and get more than one slide per page. While it's not possible to do it within PowerPoint, you can enlist MS Word to quickly get the job done.
- Open a PowerPoint presentation that includes slide notes.
- Choose the File tab on the ribbon.
- Select Save and Send.
- Select Create Handouts.
- Click the Create Handouts button on the right.
The Send to Microsoft Word dialog box appears.
- Select Notes next to slides.
Note: If you may be making edits to your slides, select Paste Link as well. This will automatically update the Word file if you make any changes to your slides in PowerPoint. This option will not update changes made to the outline or to slide notes, so if you select Outline Only, the Paste Link option will not be available.
- Click the OK button.
Your slides are automatically imported to Word. By default there are three slides (and their notes) per page. If you would like more slides per page, simply resize the slides and font and then manipulate the ruler guides (particularly those on the vertical ruler) to allow for more slides.
About the author: AJ George is IconLogic's lead Technical Writer and author of both "PowerPoint 2007: The Essentials" and "PowerPoint 2008 for the Macintosh: The Essentials."
Hi Noah,
I do not believe there is a maximum, but I do know that I am able to have more than 47 slides.
The more slides of content you have, however, the larger your file size will be. I would suggest breaking your project up if your file size is becoming inflated.
Thank you so much…took forever to find an answer that worked.
Thank you so much…took forever to find an answer that worked.
Thank you so much…took forever to find an answer that worked.
Thank you, so much! This makes such a difference!
Thank you, so much! This makes such a difference!
Thank you, so much! This makes such a difference!
When in PowerPoint and creating a handout in Word using ‘Create Handout’ I am clicking on Paste link. Then I close both files, go back to PP, change text in Notes Pane, save and close PP, and then when reopening Word, it is not updating with the new text. I am clicking on Yes to update. And both files are still in the same location. I have tried it when saving on a network drive and also tried it saving on the C drive. Any ideas? Thanks,
When in PowerPoint and creating a handout in Word using ‘Create Handout’ I am clicking on Paste link. Then I close both files, go back to PP, change text in Notes Pane, save and close PP, and then when reopening Word, it is not updating with the new text. I am clicking on Yes to update. And both files are still in the same location. I have tried it when saving on a network drive and also tried it saving on the C drive. Any ideas? Thanks,
When in PowerPoint and creating a handout in Word using ‘Create Handout’ I am clicking on Paste link. Then I close both files, go back to PP, change text in Notes Pane, save and close PP, and then when reopening Word, it is not updating with the new text. I am clicking on Yes to update. And both files are still in the same location. I have tried it when saving on a network drive and also tried it saving on the C drive. Any ideas? Thanks,
Hi Njhanson,
I looked into it and it turns out Paste Link will not work for updates made to the outline or the notes, and works only for content on the slides. Thanks for pointing this out. I have updated the article with a note about this.
Hi Njhanson,
I looked into it and it turns out Paste Link will not work for updates made to the outline or the notes, and works only for content on the slides. Thanks for pointing this out. I have updated the article with a note about this.
Hi Njhanson,
I looked into it and it turns out Paste Link will not work for updates made to the outline or the notes, and works only for content on the slides. Thanks for pointing this out. I have updated the article with a note about this.
Thanks a lot. It was amazing
Thanks a lot. It was amazing
Thanks a lot. It was amazing
Do you know how to do this with a mac?
Do you know how to do this with a mac?
Do you know how to do this with a mac?
When I used the Create Handout feature in Powerpoint 2010, and tell it I want “Notes Next to Slides,” the resulting word file is gigantic, over 700MB. The powerpoint itself is only 50MB, and contains many photos.
Is there a way to work around this bug in Powerpoint?
When I used the Create Handout feature in Powerpoint 2010, and tell it I want “Notes Next to Slides,” the resulting word file is gigantic, over 700MB. The powerpoint itself is only 50MB, and contains many photos.
Is there a way to work around this bug in Powerpoint?
When I used the Create Handout feature in Powerpoint 2010, and tell it I want “Notes Next to Slides,” the resulting word file is gigantic, over 700MB. The powerpoint itself is only 50MB, and contains many photos.
Is there a way to work around this bug in Powerpoint?
Hi Ed,
I don’t think this is a bug. When you create handouts in the manner outlined above, each slide in the word document can be clicked and edited automatically though PowerPoint. I believe this is why the file size is so large. If you were instead to take screen shots using something like Skitch and replaced the editable slides with screen shots of the slides, your file size would be dramatically reduced.
I tried this out with a small PPT file that was 152 KB. When I did the save and send route to make handouts in Word, my file size was over 500 KB. Replacing the editable slides that linked back to PPT with screen shots of the slides dropped the file size down to 41 KB.
Hi Ed,
I don’t think this is a bug. When you create handouts in the manner outlined above, each slide in the word document can be clicked and edited automatically though PowerPoint. I believe this is why the file size is so large. If you were instead to take screen shots using something like Skitch and replaced the editable slides with screen shots of the slides, your file size would be dramatically reduced.
I tried this out with a small PPT file that was 152 KB. When I did the save and send route to make handouts in Word, my file size was over 500 KB. Replacing the editable slides that linked back to PPT with screen shots of the slides dropped the file size down to 41 KB.
Hi Ed,
I don’t think this is a bug. When you create handouts in the manner outlined above, each slide in the word document can be clicked and edited automatically though PowerPoint. I believe this is why the file size is so large. If you were instead to take screen shots using something like Skitch and replaced the editable slides with screen shots of the slides, your file size would be dramatically reduced.
I tried this out with a small PPT file that was 152 KB. When I did the save and send route to make handouts in Word, my file size was over 500 KB. Replacing the editable slides that linked back to PPT with screen shots of the slides dropped the file size down to 41 KB.