Edit a Teams Based PowerPoint File – It’s Easy!
Opening a PowerPoint file from Teams in the desktop app is a common task, but we’ve had some questions about the exact steps involved. Let’s clarify the process with a straightforward walkthrough, along with some helpful tips. First, it’s important to understand that a file in Teams is actually a SharePoint file. Teams serves as an interface to SharePoint, making it easier to access files without navigating to the SharePoint site directly. However, the files are still stored in SharePoint, and the process for opening them remains the same.
Teams gives you 3 (yes 3!) ways to open a PowerPoint file:
- Open in teams – Opens the file directly within the Teams interface
- Open in browser – Pops the file open in your default browser in PowerPoint for web
- Open in desktop app – This is the option we’re looking for, as the desktop app allows you to use the full features of PowerPoint AND any add-ons that you’ve enabled
Here’s how to open a PowerPoint file with the full features and power of the desktop app:
- Go to the file in Teams and select it
- Click the three-dot menu (“More Options”)
- From the dropdown menu, choose Open in Desktop (or it may say Open in App)
TIP: Update the Teams open default by clicking “Change default” in the drop-down menu and selecting Desktop and hitting save. Now whenever you click a PowerPoint file in Teams it (should) open in the desktop app automatically.
That’s it. The presentation is now stored on Teams, ready for collaboration editing, AND open in the PowerPoint Desktop App!
-The TLC Creative Design Team
TLC Creative’s Teams External Guest Invite How-to
TLC Creative was an early adopter of Microsoft Teams, and we remain a fan today. We love the collaboration it brings to the table, allowing us to work more efficiently and gain feedback more effectively, whether collaborating with our internal team or co-authoring a presentation with clients.
And while Teams is excellently proficient in many areas (file collaboration, chats, meetings, and @mentions…to mention a few), when it comes to inviting clients into your bubble (tenant) or vice versa, this is where things often go awry.
Being positive, Microsoft is continuously improving Teams. In the future, we hope things will “just work” – but it is not at that level of functionality yet (but we are looking ahead to the “Hero Link” process!). Because things do not always work smoothly today, we invested internal TLC time to work through many of the issues and then created a how-to guide to help overcome this “outside tenant” frustration.
We are sharing our internal Teams tutorial to (hopefully) help your clients connect with and collaborate better with you. Full disclosure, we are mostly PC-based when using Teams, so the nuances of Mac Teams are not captured in these steps.
This guide is written under the assumption that you have a Microsoft Teams account and have already created a “New Team” – which is set up as a “Private” Team. Here are our steps to connect an external person to your Teams project, from the perspective of your client:
1. Once the private Team is created, click “Add Member” to generate the email that is sent to each person added to the Team.
2. Instruct your client to use the “Open Microsoft Teams” button in the email they received (Note: the email will come from an automated address: noreply@email.teams.Microsoft.com.).
3. We recommend using the Teams desktop app. The invite email has a button to download and install if needed.
If the Microsoft Teams app is already installed, this pop-up dialog will appear to open with the invite credentials. Click the “Open Microsoft Teams” button.
4. Once Microsoft Teams is open, a pop-up dialog to sign in with an email address is required next. This email address must be the same address that the Teams invite was sent to.
5. Enter the email address (this is the email address of the person being invited to the Team) and click the “Next” button.
6. There may be an additional pop-up asking permission to use Teams. Click “Yes” or “Agree” (after you’ve read and truly do agree, of course).
7. The external person has now been added to the project team!
8. This is the key step! To access the project team, your client needs to change Teams to your company (in this example, it is changing Teams to the TLC Creative connection).
-
- In the upper right, click your “Account” button (the circle with your initials inside).
-
- From the list of available accounts, select the company that invited you…for example, if you were to receive a Teams invite from TLC Creative Services, you would click on “TLC” in the menu.
-
- Then on the left, go to “Teams”
- Locate the project Team name and click to expand
- Click “General”
- Click “Files” at the top of the right side, or “Posts”, and from that dropdown menu select “Files”
9. Your client should now have access to all project files, to open and edit files, upload new files, etc.
10. TIP: To open a PowerPoint presentation (or a Word or Excel doc), Teams has 3 options: PowerPoint for Teams, PowerPoint for Web, and Desktop PowerPoint. Our team uses the full power of the Desktop version. See our earlier blog post on how to open presentations from Teams in the Desktop app: MS Teams – Open in App – The PowerPoint Blog.
Hopefully, this how-to reference minimizes some of the frustrations we encountered with a Microsoft Teams workflow. Wishing you productive collaboration with your clients and excellent results with your presentations!
-Lori @ TLC Creative Services
A Look Back at Teams Phone and Now with SMS!
Our “Look Back” series has brought to the surface blog posts and topics from 4, 6, even 15 years ago! This one is a look back to just this past December’s post “TLC Welcomes Teams Phone!” as technology is moving fast!
Let’s talk about something that every graphic designer, and company, needs, but no one really talks about today – telephones! We all need phones to quickly communicate with clients, field new projects, and hunt for work.
And for over 20 years, TLC Creative Services has maintained the same company phone number – even as it transitioned through multiple business phone providers! Six years ago, everyone at TLC Creative had a corporate phone with their own extension – sitting on their desk. It was a setup that seemed essential for many years.
Yet as business communication evolved, we noticed something: our phone call usage was in free-fall, but projects and work were increasing. Where we once logged thousands of minutes in phone conversations each month, during an audit we discovered that we now averaged less than 50 minutes of monthly calls – total, for everyone!
The lack of phone call minutes did not mean that communication within our team, or with clients, shrank – we were now talking in Microsoft Teams or Zoom for meetings, chat, and email. Phone calls, using an actual phone, have become rare occasions.
Going Fully Virtual
Now, after lots of planning and testing, TLC Creative officially ditched the desk phones and has gone virtual! Our longtime company phone number remains active, but now incoming calls ring to an auto-attendant that directs inquiries, provides key information, and connects callers to the right team members.
The major shifts?
- All calls happen through the Microsoft Teams Phone, which is an add-on service to Business M365 accounts.
- Incoming calls, outgoing calls, voicemails, call transfers, and all traditional phone functions remain – just accessed via the Microsoft Teams app instead of a physical phone.
- Plus, all the telephone services work through the desktop Teams app, or the mobile Teams app. We are no longer tied to our desk – or even our computer!
Honestly? This transition has been smooth for us, given how heavily we already rely on Teams calls for internal and client meetings. Using Microsoft Teams as our primary phone system was simply an adjustment to our daily workflow and learning how to use the Teams app phone tab when it became active.
Something New!
One missing piece to the TLC Creative phone system has always been text messaging —until now.
Two months ago, Microsoft released SMS functionality for Teams Phone, allowing users to send and receive text messages directly in the Teams app! After working through the technical setup (something our IT manager needed 3+ weeks to accomplish – with the assistance of the Microsoft Teams Phone people), TLC Creative now has SMS capability on our business phone lines – yay!
This update is especially important because it means we no longer need to use personal cell numbers for business communication. Now, all client interactions via text remain within our professional environment, further centralizing communication.
What’s Next?
While SMS is a welcome addition, it’s still a “Short Message Service”, so text only. We are hopeful that MMS (“Multimedia Messaging Service”) will be integrated, so photos, emoji’s and videos will be supported
Overall, this shift to a virtual phone system has streamlined our workflow, cut costs, and aligned with modern business communication trends. Traditional phone calls are becoming increasingly rare, replaced by email, chat, and video meetings. And yes—our accounting department is happy with the cost savings!
-Troy @ TLC
New Podcast Episode! From Talking to Teaching: What Presenters Can Learn from Course Creators, with Sheila B. Robinson
Episode 222. New episode of The Presentation Podcast now available!
In the latest episode of “The Presentation Podcast,” hosts Troy Chollar, Sandy Johnson, and Nolan Haimes sit down with Sheila B. Robinson, a seasoned expert in teaching and learning. The conversation is about the ins and outs of e-learning, self-paced learning, course creation, and where PowerPoint fits into everything. Sheila’s extensive background in professional development has many invaluable insights into effective teaching strategies, audience engagement, and the challenges of course creation. Definitely a great conversation to listen to now!. Listen on your favorite podcast app, or at The Presentation Podcast site here.
Different Desktop Background Images… for Windows 11
Maintaining a polished and professional appearance is crucial for PowerPoint presentations and other presentations – especially when using multiple monitors. One good practice is to set up your desktop backgrounds so they align with your meeting or event theme.
However, you might want the themed desktop visible only on the external monitor where slides or visuals are displayed, leaving your primary screen more neutral for your daily work.
Fortunately, Windows 11 simplifies setting different desktop backgrounds for each monitor, enhancing your presentation experience (BTW, this has been a Mac OS feature for many years – it’s great that Windows finally added this!).
How to Set Desktop Backgrounds Individually for Each Monitor in Windows 11
1. Open Personalization Settings:
- Right-click your desktop and select Personalize, or navigate through Settings > Personalization.
2. Access Background Options:
- In the Personalization menu, click on Background.
3. Choose Individual Backgrounds for Each Monitor:
- Under “Choose Your Picture” or the “Recent images” section, right-click the desired image.
- Select “Set for Monitor 1,” “Set for Monitor 2,” or the specific monitor you intend to use for your presentation visuals.
This simple and efficient method allows each monitor to have distinct backgrounds. Your audience will see a well-branded and thematic display on the external screen, while your main monitor remains optimized for your workflow.
Implementing individual desktop backgrounds keeps your presentation visually coherent, professional, and perfectly aligned with the meeting theme.
-The TLC Creative team
CreativePro Week (We have a Discount code!)
CreativePro Week is a fantastic event, that has gotten even better in recent years with the addition of PowerPoint and presentation design to its topic list. As the event taglines say, “The How-To conference for CreativePros – Five days. Zero regrets. – Join your tribe at CreativePro week”
On our latest episode of The Presentation Podcast, David Blatner, the director of CreativePro, joined the hosts to talk about the conference and the broader CreativePro network. It was a fantastic conversation packed with presentation designer talk – listen to it here!
The Presentation Podcast Exclusive Discount!!
First, this is a special treat for anyone that wants to attend virtually! David shared a discount code for listeners of The Presentation Podcast – and we’re sharing it here . Use the code PRESENTATION during registration for $100 off your registration (again, only if registering as a virtual attendee, I couldn’t get David to offer up a discount for the in-person event, which I believe is near capacity).
Get all the details about the event, and register at CreativePro Week.
-Troy @TLC Creative
Present a PowerPoint Presentation – using Teams PowerPoint
Running a presentation has become more complex. For example, if the presentation is stored on Microsoft Teams, there are 3 ways to open a presentation! Open in PowerPoint for Teams, Open in PowerPoint for Web, or open in desktop PowerPoint.
For this conversation, we are going to open the presentation in Teams PowerPoint, and present using Teams Presenter View. This will, in almost all instances, be presented during a Microsoft Teams meeting. To clarify, this is not using a screen share to add the slides to the meeting!
First, the presentation file needs to be stored on Microsoft Teams (which is either SharePoint or OneDrive, depending on your M365 account)
Our preferred option is to copy the presentation to a Teams project ahead of the meeting. The other option is done within PowerPoint: with the presentation open, click the “M365” icon in the top right.
And from the pop-up menu, click SAVE.
Note: there is an upload process (eg., a pause) before the presentation can be presented.
Now in the Teams meeting
• Share Content: Click “Share content” in the upper right meeting controls.
• DO NOT select a share screen option
• The POWERPOINT LIVE section lists a selection of presentations from the account OneDrive
• If the presentation is not in the PowerPoint Live list, scroll to the bottom and select BROWSE ONEDRIVE
• Optional: if the presentation has audio, use the INCLUDE SOUND if needed
Teams Presenter View
The presenter now sees the Teams Presenter View as their view of the Teams meeting. The attendees only see the slide in the red outline (they do not see the Presenter View interface, slide “film strip”, or Presenter Notes.
• Navigation: Use the Presenter View navigation buttons, keyboard arrow keys, or a PowerPoint slide remote
TIPS:
If you have 2 monitors, from where you are presenting, and want to see more of the attendees’ webcams or keep the meeting chat separate from Presenter View, use the POP OUT feature. Then position the Teams meeting itself on one monitor and the Teams Presenter View on the other monitor.
Access more options: Select “More actions” to show/hide notes, use a laser pointer, etc.
The Teams Presenter View has a thumbnail “Film Strip” similar to PowerPoint for Mac.
WARNING
By default, Microsoft Teams shares ALL the slides with attendees! Attendees can click ahead of the presenter, AND attendees can download the full presentation (ugh, and ugh!!)
This includes viewing slides in slide sorter – and viewing hidden slides!
DO THIS
To turn off the option for attendees to independently navigate through a PowerPoint, use the PRIVATE VIEW toggle to turn off these options.
FINAL NOTE
Microsoft has done an amazing job of optimizing the bandwidth needs when presenting within the Teams ecosystem (eg. presentation presented through Teams and attendees viewing in a Teams meeting). Back in 2020 Microsoft’s Jeremy Chapman posted a video showcasing how Teams has amazing bandwidth savings vs screen sharing a presentation. More info in our May 19, 2020 post here.
-Troy and the TLC Creative Design Team