How to Use the Slide Sorter View in PowerPoint

The Slide Sorter view makes grouping and reorganizing slides a breeze

What to Know

  • Select View > Slide Sorter or select Slide Sorter on the Task Bar in the bottom right.
  • To reorder a slide, drag it into a new location.

This article explains how to use Slide Sorter view to reorder your slides by dragging and dropping them into a different sequence. Instructions apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010.

Use the Slide Sorter in PowerPoint

When you first open your PowerPoint presentation, all the slides are listed as thumbnails on the left side of the PowerPoint window. Drag slides up and down on this list to reorder them. If you have a long PowerPoint presentation, however, it’s easier to use the Slide Sorter to reorder them.

To access the Slide Sorter, select View > Slide Sorter. Or, select Slide Sorter on the Task Bar in the bottom-right corner of the PowerPoint window.

A screenshot showing how to access Slide Sorter view in PowerPoint

Drag Your Slides to Reorganize Them

In Slide Sorter view, PowerPoint slides display as a series thumbnails. Each slide displays a number under the bottom-left corner to show which order they're in. To reorder a slide, drag it into a new location.

A screenshot showing how to move a slide to a different location in Slide Sorter view in PowerPoint

Break a Presentation into Sections

If you have different people creating or presenting different parts of the presentation, or if you have different topics within your presentation, organize your presentation into sections using the Slide Sorter view. Grouping your slides into sections is like using folders to organize your files in File Explorer.

To create a section, right-click between the two slides where you want to split the presentation and select Add Section.

A screenshot showing how to add a section to a PowerPoint presentation in Slide Sorter view

Each section starts on a new line in the Slide Sorter view. You can create as many sections as you like.

Rename a Section

When you create a new section, the Rename Section dialog box opens. In the Section name text box, enter a new name for the section and select Rename.

A screenshot showing how to change the name of a section in the PowerPoint Slide Sorter view

To change the section name later, right-click the section name in Slide Sorter view and select Rename Section.

A screenshot showing how to rename a section in PowerPoint Slide Sorter view

In the Rename Section dialog box, enter a name in the Section name box and select Rename.

Move or Remove Sections

To reorder the sections in your presentation, move the sections. To move a section, right-click on the section name and select either Move Section Up or Move Section Down.

If it’s the first section, Move Section Up is grayed out and not available. If you right-click on the last section, Move Section Down is grayed out.

Return to the Normal View

When you’re finished reordering your slides, creating sections, and arranging your sections, select View > Normal.

A screenshot showing the sections added to a PowerPoint presentation

In Normal view, slides display in the new order in the list of thumbnails on the left side of the PowerPoint window. If you added sections, you’ll see your section headings, as well.

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