How to Open PowerPoint 97 Files in Earlier Versions

ID: Q158285

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 97 For Windows
  • Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0
  • Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 4.0c
  • Microsoft PowerPoint for Macintosh, versions 3.0, 3.0b

SUMMARY

This article describes how to open a Microsoft PowerPoint 97 presentation, so that you can edit it in other versions of Microsoft PowerPoint.


MORE INFORMATION

Opening a PowerPoint 97 Presentation in PowerPoint 7.0

To open a PowerPoint 97 presentation in PowerPoint 7.0, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Save the PowerPoint 97 presentation in PowerPoint 7.0 format without coverting MSGraph.

NOTE: You can also use this method if you want to open the file in PowerPoint 4.0 for the Macintosh or PowerPoint 4.0 for Windows if you have installed the PowerPoint 7.0 translators for PowerPoint 4.0 on your computer.
  1. Create (or open) a presentation in PowerPoint 97.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Files Of Type list, click one of the following formats:

    - PowerPoint 95 (*.ppt)
    - PowerPoint 95 & 97 (*.ppt)


  4. In the File Name box, type the file name you want to use and click OK.



Method 2: Save the PowerPoint 97 presentation in PowerPoint 7.0 format amd coverting MSGraph.

NOTE: To perform these steps you will need the Office 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1) installed on your system.

For additional information about acquiring Service Release 1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q172475 OFF97: How to Obtain and Install the MS Office 97 SR-1 Patch
  1. Create (or open) a presentation in PowerPoint 97.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Files Of Type list, click the following format: PowerPoint 95 with Graph 5.0 (*.ppt)


  4. In the File Name box, type the file name you want to use and click OK.



Method 3: Obtain the PowerPoint 97 binary converter for PowerPoint 7.0.

To download the Pp8to7.exe file, connect to the following Microsoft World Wide Web site:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/downloaditems/PP8to7.EXE

For additional information about downloading this file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
After you have downloaded the file, double-click it to install the converter.

Opening a PowerPoint 97 Presentation in PowerPoint 4.0

To open a PowerPoint 97 presentation in PowerPoint 4.0 for Windows or PowerPoint 4.0 for the Macintosh (without using the PowerPoint7.0 translators), use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Save the PowerPoint 97 presentation in PowerPoint 4.0 format without converting MSGraphs
  1. Create (or open) a presentation in PowerPoint 97.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Files Of Type list, click PowerPoint 4.0 (*.ppt).


  4. In the File Name box, type the file name you want to use and click OK.


Method 2: Save the PowerPoint 97 presentation in PowerPoint 4.0 format converting MSGraphs

NOTE: To perform these steps you will need the Office 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1) installed on your system.

For additional information about acquiring Service Release 1, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q172475 OFF97: How to Obtain and Install the MS Office 97 SR-1 Patch
  1. Create (or open) a presentation in PowerPoint 97.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Files Of Type list, click PowerPoint 4.0 with Graph 5.0 (*.ppt).


  4. In the File Name box, type the file name you want to use and click OK.


Method 3: Obtain the PowerPoint 97 translator for PowerPoint 4.0 for Windows

For further information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q143554 PPT4: Converter to Open PowerPoint 97 Files in PowerPoint 4.0
Method 4: Obtain the PowerPoint 97-98 import converter for the Macintosh.

The following two files are available for download:

  • Pp6_68k.hqx (680x0 version)


  • Pp8_ppc.hqx (PowerPC version)


To download the Pp8_68k.hqx file, connect to the following Microsoft World Wide Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/macoffice/productinfo/98dl/pp8_68k.hqx

To download the Pp8_ppc.hqx file, connect to the following Microsoft World Wide Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/macoffice/productinfo/98dl/pp8_ppc.hqx

For additional information about downloading this file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
After you have downloaded the file, decode the .hqx file.

For more information about the PowerPoint 97-98 import converter, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q144032 PPT4: PowerPoint 97-98 Import Converter Available

Opening a PowerPoint 97 Presentation in PowerPoint 3.0

To open a PowerPoint 97 presentation in PowerPoint for Windows version 3.0 or PowerPoint for the Macintosh version 3.0, follow these steps:

  1. Create (or open) a presentation in PowerPoint 97.


  2. On the File menu, click Save As.


  3. In the Files Of Type list, click PowerPoint 3.0 (*.ppt).


  4. In the File Name box, type the file name you want to use and click OK.


NOTE: PowerPoint Help contains additional information about saving presentations in PowerPoint 97 and 95 formats.

Additional query words: 4.00a 4.00c 97 8.00 3.00b saveas open ppt95

Keywords : kbfile kbinterop kbdta kbconversion
Version : MACINTOSH:3.0,3.0b; WINDOWS:4.0,4.0a,4.0c,7.0,97
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo


Last Reviewed: December 30, 1999
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