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Convert PPTX to PPT for PowerPoint 97-2003

For the conference laptop that has not been updated since 2003.

or drop your PPTX anywhere on this page

PPTX → PPT

When you need a .ppt file

To convert PPTX to PPT, press Select PPTX file or drop your presentation on this page, then press Convert to PPT and download the result. This PPTX to PPT converter runs on our server, which opens the deck and saves it in the PowerPoint 97-2003 format in a single step, with nothing to set. The file keeps its name; only the extension changes.

PowerPoint has saved .pptx by default since PowerPoint 2007, and current versions open both kinds of file. So the older format only earns its place when something refuses the newer one: a conference or classroom laptop still running PowerPoint 2003 or earlier, or a submission portal or archive that accepts nothing newer for slides.

Treat the converted file as a copy for that one destination and keep working in the original. The old binary format has no place for several things PowerPoint gained later, as our test below shows.

How to convert PPTX to PPT

  1. 1
    Select or drop your PPTX

    Nothing uploads until you press convert.

  2. 2
    Choose your options

    We show the route and its fidelity grade up front.

  3. 3
    Download your PPT

    Then it is deleted after 24 hours, automatically.

What you are starting with

Modern PowerPoint. Slides, notes, and one animation someone regrets.

What you are getting

The old deck format. Conference laptops still ask for it.

Worth knowing

The older PPT format cannot hold everything: video and sound are dropped, glow and soft edges go, a Morph transition becomes a fade and an SVG icon becomes a small picture. Text, tables, notes and pictures come through.

What to check in the .ppt

We made a seven-slide widescreen deck that mixes everyday slides with features PowerPoint added after 2003, and converted it here. Then we took the result apart, converted it back, and drew both versions as PDFs to compare them slide by slide.

Our test deck, before and after
In the original deckAfter converting
Text, bullets, a table and a web linkKept
Speaker notes, and a hidden slideKept, and the hidden slide is still hidden
A reviewer commentKept, with the reviewer's name
A fade transition, and a shape that appears on a clickKept
A PNG picture and a JPEG photoKept byte for byte, not recompressed
Widescreen 16:9 slides, and the fonts Aptos and CalibriKept, the fonts by name
A gradient fill the background shows throughKept
A soft shadowKept, but with a hard edge
Glow and soft edges on shapesDropped: the shapes stay, plain
A Morph transitionTurned into a fade
A column chartA chart object with a picture of it (see the tip below)
An embedded video, and a sound clip in a second deckDropped, with nothing left in their place
An SVG iconA small picture, 97 by 97 pixels, that blurs when enlarged
Sections, and alt text on a pictureDropped

The page grades this route Very good: it is one step in one program and no slide is flattened into a picture, but the old format has no room for the newer effects in the table.

The file also grows, which matters when the place you are sending it caps uploads. Each one we made here carried a preview picture of the first slide, stored without compression and about 440 KB on its own. Our 10 KB test deck came out at 463 KB, and a 176 KB deck with a photo at 599 KB.

Tip: Check charts and media in PowerPoint before you present. Our chart was stored as a chart object together with a picture of it. Opened again here it was still a chart with its numbers, but we could not test it in PowerPoint, which may show only the picture. For a deck that relies on a video, a sound or an editable chart, saving from PowerPoint itself is the better route: Microsoft says it keeps a picture where each media clip was.

Back to PPTX, or on to PDF

Got the file back with edits, or changed your mind? PPT to PPTX is a single step too. In our test it brought back the comment, the notes, the table and the chart. What the old format dropped, such as the video and the glow, stays gone, so keep your original.

If the people at the other end only need to see the slides, or you cannot find out which PowerPoint they have, PowerPoint to PDF gives one page per slide that looks the same on any computer. Our guide to which slide format to send compares the old and new formats with PDF.

Building the deck from another file? Convert PDF to PowerPoint, convert Word to PowerPoint or convert HTML to PowerPoint, and choose PPT under PowerPoint version to get the old format in one go.

Questions people ask

How do I convert PPTX to PPT online?

Press Select PPTX file, or drop the deck on this page, then press Convert to PPT and download the file. There are no settings to choose and nothing to install. The free plan covers three conversions a day, one file at a time and up to 25 MB, with no account.

When should I save a deck as PPT instead of PPTX?

Only when the software or system at the other end refuses the newer format: PowerPoint 2003 or older, or a form or archive that accepts nothing else. Every PowerPoint since 2007 opens .pptx, so for anyone else send your original, or a PDF if they only need to read it.

Will anything be lost when I save as PPT?

Everyday content came through our test: text, tables, links, pictures, speaker notes, comments, a fade and a click animation. Newer features did not. An embedded video and a sound clip were dropped, glow and soft edges disappeared, a Morph transition became a fade, an SVG icon became a small picture, and sections and alt text were lost.

Can I change the PPT back into a PPTX?

Yes. PPT to PPTX is one step on this site, also graded Exact. Anything the old format could not hold does not come back, so keep your original deck if you might need it again.

Can PowerPoint save a .ppt itself?

Desktop PowerPoint can. Choose File > Save As > Browse, then pick PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (*.ppt) in the Save as type list, if it is offered. To see what will change first, choose File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Compatibility. Unlike our converter, PowerPoint keeps a picture where each video or sound clip was.

Is converting PPTX to PPT free?

Yes. Up to 25 MB and three conversions a day are free, with no account. Pro and Business lift the file limit to 100 MB and remove the daily cap.

What happens to my files?

Both your PPTX and the PPT we produce are deleted 24 hours after each conversion, automatically. Try again and Continue to another tool start a new conversion, with its own 24 hours. Nothing is used for training and no human looks at your documents.

Will the PPT look exactly like the PPTX?

This pair grades as “Very good”. We show the exact route and that grade before you convert, so there are no surprises about what survives the trip.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Nothing to install. Pick or drop a file here, it's converted on our servers, and you download the result.

How large can my file be?

25 MB on the free plan, and 100 MB on Pro and Business.

Can I convert several files at once?

On Pro and Business, yes: add up to 100 files before converting. The free plan converts one file at a time.

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