PowerPoint retires “Reuse Slides” - and users aren’t thrilled

Not every update feels like progress.

Microsoft has confirmed it’s retiring PowerPoint’s long-standing Reuse Slides feature - and for many regular users, that’s disappointing news.

If you build presentations often, you’ll know how useful it was.

Reuse Slides allowed you to open a side panel within PowerPoint, browse another presentation, and selectively import the exact slides you needed. You could also choose whether to keep the original formatting or apply your current template.

Simple. Fast. Precise.

It made it easy to maintain brand consistency across proposals, reports, and training decks. Instead of rebuilding slides from scratch, teams could reuse approved content in seconds, keeping logos, colours, and layouts aligned without hours of reformatting.

Now, that streamlined workflow has gone.

Microsoft says the change removes overlapping functionality, as there are other ways to achieve the same result. From a product management perspective, that makes sense. But for users who valued the convenience, it’s another small friction point added to the day.

The good news? You can still reuse slides.

The most straightforward alternative is to open both presentations at the same time and drag and drop slides between them. In many cases, formatting, animations, and media will transfer correctly.

You can also use View > New Window to duplicate your current presentation. This is helpful when creating a revised version while keeping the original intact.

These methods work - but they’re not quite as refined. Reuse Slides offered more granular control when importing only selected content from larger decks. Drag and drop can occasionally introduce formatting inconsistencies that need manual adjustment.

Still, software evolves. Microsoft’s aim is a more streamlined interface, even if that means retiring features that loyal users relied on.

If your business depends on PowerPoint for sales decks, client presentations, or internal training, it’s worth briefing your team on the change. A quick adjustment in workflow now can prevent frustration later.

And if you’d like help navigating updates across Microsoft 365, just get in touch.