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Replace Text Instantly Using Find And Replace In PowerPoint

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Have you ever needed to update a name, date, product feature, or other important word in your presentation slides? If you have, you might know how tedious manual editing can be. 

The best way to go about it is by using the find and replace in PowerPoint. It allows you to quickly find and change words and phrases across multiple slides instantly. 

In this guide, we will walk through how to fully leverage find and replace to edit presentations in a flash. Use this handy built-in PowerPoint tool to update terms, phrases, dates, names, and more with just a few clicks. Let’s dive in!

What is Find and Replace?

The PowerPoint Find and Replace feature allows you to search for specific text or strings of text, and then replace instances with new text in a few clicks. You can use it whenever you need to update:

• Speaker, author, or presenter names
• Event dates, times, venues
• Product names, features, or terminology
• Company or brand names
• Names and titles
• Common phrases or wording
• Basically any text!

How To Find And Replace In PowerPoint?

With Find and Replace, tedious manual editing becomes fast, simple, and painless. You can rapidly iterate presentations as details change. Let’s look at how to use it.

Using the Find Feature In Powerpoint 

First, let’s see how to find a particular word or phrase. You may or may not want to replace it but only view the slides wherever that text is entered.

Step 1: Go to the Home tab and click the Find button in the Editing section. The Find dialog box will appear.

Step 2: Enter the specific text or word you want to locate within the presentation and click on the Find Next button. In the background, the particular slide with the text appears. Click Find Next repeatedly to jump through each found instance.

Step 3: Once done, close the text box.

Using the Replace Feature In Powerpoint 

Once you find the text to change, you may want to change it. You can replace it in single or multiple places by following these steps:

Step 1: Go to the Home tab and click the Replace tool in the Editing section. The Find & Replace dialog box will appear.

Step 2: Here you’ll see options to Find, Replace, Replace All, and more. Enter the specific text or word you want to change in the Find What box. In the Replace With box, type the new text or word you want to replace. 

Step 3: Now, click on the Replace or Replace All button. While “Replace” changes one instance at a time, “Replace All” will bulk find and replace all instances across slides!

That’s all it takes! With just a few clicks, you can now rapidly update any text details, terms, names, dates, etc. across your entire presentation or just selected slides.

For example, if the product names change, just Find and Replace all occurrences of the old name with the new branding. Or if an event date shifts, update all date references in a snap using Replace All. 

With PowerPoint’s Find and Replace functionality, you can rapidly modify text across slides when details change. No more tedious manual editing. While it improves iteration, creating an entire presentation still requires heavy lifting. An easier way is using SlidesAI.

SlidesAI can generate visually stunning presentations with just your bullet points or text input. Simply type your content, and our AI will transform it into professional, branded slides tailored to you in seconds.

Here’s what SlidesAI can do for your presentations:

• Analyze your text to recommend optimal slide formats like comparisons, timelines, frameworks, etc.
• Design graphical elements like charts, icons, and infographics based on detected data.
• Suggest creative layouts and apply your brand color schemes and fonts.
• Ensure consistent formatting and themes across all slides.

SlidesAI eliminates the grunt work, so you can focus fully on content. Sign up for SlidesAI today to save huge time while producing presentation decks that wow every time!

Where is find and replace in PowerPoint?

The Find and Replace toolbar in PowerPoint is located under the “Home” tab. Click the “Replace” button to open up options to find, replace, or replace all text.

What is the shortcut for Find and Replace in PowerPoint?

For Find, you can use Ctrl + H and Ctrl + Shift + H for Replace.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Find and Replace toolbar in PowerPoint is located under the "Home" tab. Click the "Replace" button to open up options to find, replace, or replace all text.

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PowerPoint 2016  - Using Find & Replace

Powerpoint 2016  -, using find & replace, powerpoint 2016 using find & replace.

PowerPoint 2016: Using Find & Replace

Lesson 10: using find & replace.

/en/powerpoint2016/managing-slides/content/

Introduction

When you're working with longer presentations, it can be difficult and time consuming to locate a specific word or phrase. PowerPoint can automatically search your presentation using the Find feature, and it allows you to quickly change words or phrases using the Replace feature.

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Watch the video below to learn more about the basics of using Find and Replace in PowerPoint.

To find text:

You can also access the Find command by pressing Ctrl+F on your keyboard.

To replace text:

At times, you may discover that you've repeatedly made a mistake throughout your presentation—such as misspelling someone's name—or that you need to exchange a particular word or phrase for another. You can use the Replace feature to make quick revisions.

• A dialog box will appear. Type the text you want to find in the Find what: field.

• If the text is found, it will be selected. Review the text to make sure you want to replace it.

The selected text will be replaced .

• PowerPoint will move to the next instance of the text in the presentation. When you are finished replacing text, click Close to exit the dialog box.

When it comes to using Replace All , it’s important to remember that it could find matches you didn’t anticipate and might not actually want to change. Only use this option if you're absolutely sure it won't replace anything you didn’t intend it to.

• Open our practice presentation .
• There is a typo in the presentation. Fundraising is misspelled as Funraising . Use the Find feature to find the misspelled word and Replace it with Fundraising .
• Use the Find feature to find out in which month elections were held. Hint : Search for the word elections .
• Let's say the original Fundraising Chair has resigned and been replaced. Use Find and Replace All to change Julia Stevens to Belinda Haygood .

/en/powerpoint2016/printing/content/

How to find text in PowerPoint on your computer or phone

• You can find text in a PowerPoint presentation by pressing Control + F on a PC or Command + F on a Mac.
• If you're using the PowerPoint mobile app, you just have to tap the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen.
• PowerPoint can find any typed text, but it can't find text that's part of an image.

Compared to programs like Word, Microsoft PowerPoint isn't quite as easy to write an essay in. But slideshows can still hold thousands of words at a time — especially if you're presenting on a complicated topic like science or history. And creating a slideshow that big can make it easy to lose track of what you're talking about. 

Thankfully, PowerPoint has a feature that lets you search for and find any bit of text in the entire file.

How to find text in PowerPoint

The exact method for this will depend on what version of PowerPoint you're using: The desktop version for PC and Mac, or the mobile version for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

PowerPoint for PC and Mac

In the desktop version of PowerPoint, you can find text by pressing Control + F (PC) or Command + F (Mac) on your keyboard.

When you press this shortcut, a small menu will appear. Type in the text that you want to search for, then click Find Next . Keep clicking it to cycle through all the spots that the text appears in your slideshow. 

You can also check off Match case , which will limit the results to spots where the capitalization matches what you typed in. And Find whole words only will only give you results where whatever you typed is a word on its own — it won't show you places where what you typed is part of some larger word (for example, "the" in "wea the r").

Finally, you can also click Replace . This feature lets you replace any appearance of that text with something entirely different. It's great for correcting misspelled names, or other typos that you've repeatedly made. And once you've clicked it once, you'll uncover the Replace All option, which will replace every appearance of the text at once.

PowerPoint mobile app

You can find most of the same features in PowerPoint's mobile app. Just tap the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen, then type what you're looking for into the text box that appears.

If you tap the gear icon next to the text box, you'll find the options to Match Case and only look for Whole Words too. You won't, unfortunately, find an option to replace text — this feature isn't available in the mobile app.

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How to Find and Replace Text in PowerPoint

PowerPoint can contain hundreds or thousands of words in a single slide deck. This is especially true when working on the initial draft of a presentation created from a lengthy report or editing PowerPoint templates or Google Slides templates . You might want to reduce the amount of text in your slides by finding and removing information you don’t need.

How to Search Words in PowerPoint for Desktop and Web

The Home tab contains both the Find and Replace buttons that can be used to find and replace text in PowerPoint. If you’re using PowerPoint for Windows, you can use the CTRL+F hotkey to find text or Command+F for Mac.

PowerPoint also enables searching text by base, diacritics, or other parameters for different languages when searching for text.

Below is an example of how to search text in PowerPoint.

To replace text, go to the Home tab and click Replace ; use CTRL+H for Windows or SHIFT+Command+H for Mac. The Replace function in PowerPoint not only enables replacing text but also fonts.

Enter text to find ( Find what ), followed by text to replace ( Replace with ). Click Replace to replace a single instance of the text or Replace All to replace all instances of the specified text.

Search Text using PowerPoint for Mobile

The mobile versions of PowerPoint (Android and iOS) also contain the option to find text via the Home tab. However, a quicker way to search for text is simply using the Search button at the top.

Final Words

All versions of PowerPoint, be it for the web, desktop, or mobile, have the option to find text. However, you can’t find a text from within images or videos, as PowerPoint can only find and replace PPT text that is present in placeholders.

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How to Find and Replace Text in PowerPoint

Don’t waste time scanning through your presentation to find text and replace it with something new. The Find and Replace commands can do this for you with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Find makes it very easy to find specific words and phrases in a presentation.

• If necessary, expand the Editing group on the Home tab.

Press Ctrl + F .

• Click Find Next until you find what you need.

Replace Text

The Replace tool finds specific words and phrases, and then replaces them with something else.

• Click the Replace button.
• Type the word you need to replace in the Find what text box.
• Enter the replacement word in the Replace with text box.
• If necessary, select a search option.

• Replace : Replaces one instance at a time.
• Replace All : Replaces every instance at once.
• (Optional) If you chose Replace All, click OK when the dialog box appears.

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9 Best Free Microsoft Office/365 Alternatives

You won't even miss having the real thing

• Emporia State University

There are several free Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office) alternatives that contain similar versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.

Many of the suites listed below open, edit, and create Office documents. Although they don't have all the cool Office features, many get close.

If you want a free and convenient alternative to Microsoft Word only, there are a number of free downloadable word processors and free online word processors . There are also free spreadsheet programs and free presentation software apps.

Want to give the real Microsoft Office applications a try? Check out the one-month free trial for Microsoft 365 , which is a cloud-based subscription service that offers the same apps as the most recent version of Office, but with additional tools and benefits.

LibreOffice

Robust word processor for documents, books, diagrams, and indexes.

Fully compatible with DOCX files.

Easy to create forms.

Must install the entire suite of apps (can't pick just Writer, for example).

No real-time collaboration feature.

LibreOffice is a replacement for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, while adding a few extra features.

Six separate programs are included that make up the suite: Writer (word processing), Impress (presentations), Calc (spreadsheets), Base (databases), Math (formula editing), and Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts). You can install it on your computer or use the portable version.

You can open files from your computer or remote locations like Google Drive, OneDrive, or an FTP server.

Each of the MS Office alternatives can open, edit, and save to formats that are compatible with versions of Office back through 2007.

No learning curve for those familiar with Word.

Software looks and feels familiar.

Mature product, in development for 20+ years.

No online collaboration.

Different default file format than MS Office.

OpenOffice has a word processor, database, spreadsheet, and presentation program that can all act as Microsoft application alternatives. Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Base (databases), and Impress (presentations) are the free alternatives offered by OpenOffice that can be used in full at absolutely no cost. The suite also includes Draw and Math.

Many popular file formats can be opened with OpenOffice, such as DOC, DOCX, XML, XLS, XLW, DBF, PPT, PPS, and POTX .

During installation, selectively decide to install some or all of the OpenOffice programs to avoid adding a program you won't use.

Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP are supported as well as Linux and Mac operating systems. There's also a portable version of OpenOffice so you don't have to install anything.

Compatible with Microsoft file formats.

Open multiple document tabs.

Eye Protection mode and Night mode.

Annual fee to suppress ads.

Advanced features require a paid version.

No real-time co-authoring.

WPS Office, formerly Kingsoft Office, installs three programs that work as alternatives: Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheets.

Writer is a replacement for Word. It opens common file formats such as WPS, DOC, and DOCX, as well as Microsoft Word template files such as DOT and DOTM. The PowerPoint alternative, Presentation, opens and saves files in formats that can be used in Office or with the free WPS Office; file types such as PPT and PPS are supported. The Excel alternative is called Spreadsheets and works with Excel 2010+ files such as XLSX and XLSM; functions like SUM, COUNT, SUMIF, and AVERAGE are supported when building formulas.

WPS Office supports Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS operating systems. There are also Android and iOS versions.

Google Drive

Lots of free cloud storage space.

Excellent collaboration capabilities.

Can't password protect shared files.

Not as sophisticated as Microsoft 365/Office.

Google Drive is a free storage service offered by Google that also creates online documents without downloading any software, making it a perfect replacement. Log in with your Google account to create documents, presentations, and spreadsheets to replace MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Files created with Google Drive are automatically saved to your Google account, accessible from any browser at any time, and can be shared with anyone, even if they're not a Google user. Google Drive also supports simultaneous collaboration with other users in real-time and allows add-ons to be used to extend functionality.

Existing Microsoft documents, such as DOCX and XLSX files, can be opened from your browser and then converted to a Google Drive format for easy editing and sharing.

Excellent collaboration features with built-in chat.

Advanced analytics tracks edits to files.

Secure encryption and two-factor authentication.

Sync with your devices through the offline program.

Sometimes slower than other online office suites.

Zoho Docs is another online office suite that includes a presentation maker, word processor, and spreadsheet program, much like Microsoft 365.

Upload several popular file types to Zoho Docs from your computer or Google Drive as well as create new ones online. There's a huge file size limit of 1 GB for uploads, and downloads can be saved in Microsoft's newer formats, like XLSX.

Once your files are stored in your account, you can edit them, share them with others, and download them. All the common text formatting tools are included and files are saved automatically as you work.

ONLYOFFICE Personal

Compatible with Microsoft formats.

Sharing and collaboration features.

Personal version is free.

Not as robust as the paid version or its competitors.

Similar to other options, ONLYOFFICE Personal is a suite of online programs, which means you can use them from any web browser without downloading a single program. Log in to with your Google account or make a new one, and create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Files can be uploaded from your computer as well as a few cloud storage services, such as Dropbox , Yandex Disk, OneDrive, etc.

Also supported in this free MS Office-like program is co-editing, chat, spell check, and sharing with anyone, even if they aren't logged into their ONLYOFFICE account.

SoftMaker FreeOffice

Free for home and business use.

Saves documents in Microsoft file formats.

Choice of ribbons or classic menu and toolbars.

Optimized for touch screens.

No cloud support.

No thesaurus or U.S. English dictionary.

SoftMaker FreeOffice is an Office alternative for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. PlanMaker (spreadsheets), Presentations (presentations), and TextMaker (word processing) are included, all of which can open and save files in several popular formats.

All three portions of SoftMaker FreeOffice work with the file types supported in the newest version of Microsoft's apps, as well as older ones. There's also auto-save, background/automatic spell check, and lots of options you can customize to your liking.

SSuite Office

Small downloads for full-featured apps.

Fast startup.

Loads many apps that may never be needed.

The user interface is hard to follow.

SSuite Office has several MS Office alternatives, each with a different set of features and each free to use. The primary version, called Excalibur, includes a word processor and a spreadsheet tool.

Instead of downloading an entire free alternative suite, you can get just the word processor, for example, or just the spreadsheet program.

There's also a portable version on the download page called Blade Runner. A handful of web apps are available as well, including one for WordGraph Editor, but it's nothing near as comprehensive as other online Word alternatives.

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101 Must-Know Transition Phrases for Engaging Presentations Online

By Paola Pascual on Jan 17, 2024 1:43:00 PM

Giving presentations is often feared by many professionals, but if the presentation is online  and you're not a native speaker, things get even trickier. One tip to make things easier? Learn useful phrases to help you navigate your presentation. In this article, you will find lots of helpful resources to give remarkable presentations . Listen to the episode above, download the checklist below, and learn some of the phrases we present. If we missed any, tell us in the comments below.

General vocabulary for presentations

Sometimes, the smallest changes in your presentations can make the biggest differences. One of them is to learn a few phrases that give you confidence during your speech. Here are some important verbs to get you started:

• To highlight
• To emphasize
• To walk you through (*very common in business presentations!)
• To send around
• To carry on (similar to  continue)
• To get carried away
• To sum up (similar to  summarize )
• To focus on

Vocabulary to start your presentation

Learn how to powerfully start your presentation with these 4 simple steps. Here's some vocabulary you can use:

Welcome your audience

• Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. Thank you for joining us today, and welcome to today's webinar.
• Hello everyone, I’m very happy to be speaking with you today.

Introduce yourself

• My name is Susan, and I’m part of the design team here at Globex Corporation.
• First of all, a little bit about my background - I am the Team Lead  at [Company], and I've been in charge of [your main responsibility] for [X] years.
• I'd like to tell you a bit about myself - my name is  Eve  I'm the Operations Manager here at [Company].

Introduce the topic and goal of the presentation

• Today, I'd like to talk about…
• This presentation will take about [X] minutes, and we will discuss...
• We've allocated [X] minutes to this presentation. and I'll talk about...
• I'd like to give you a brief breakdown of...
• I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about...
• The main goal of this presentation is…
• The purpose of this presentation is...
• My objective today is...

Read these 5 tricks the best public speakers use to  captivate their audience .

Addressing questions from the audience

• If you have any questions about anything, feel free to interrupt.
• If anything isn't clear, please click on the 'raise hand' button and I'll do my best to answer your question.
• I'd be happy to answer your questions at the end of the presentation.
• If you have any questions, please kindly wait until the end to ask them. We will have [X] minutes for a Q&A session at the end.
• Since today's audience is considerably large, we will not have time for questions, but please email me at [email protected]

Learning new English words is not easy, but you can achieve effective communication through practice and repetition. If you are a Talaera student, visit the Library to practice your vocabulary for presentations. If are not part of the Talaera community yet, learn how we can help you here .

Clear out technical issues

• Can everyone hear me well? Let me know if you encounter any technical difficulties throughout the presentation.
• If you are not speaking, please put yourselves on mute.
• If you feel that the sound quality is poor throughout the presentation, please let me know.

Transition to the main topic of the presentation

• Hi everyone, I think we might still be missing a few people but I’m going to kick things off now so we have time to get through everything.
• All right, let’s dive right in!
• All right, let’s jump right in!
• Let’s get started.
• Let’s kick things off.
• I’m going to talk about
• The purpose/subject of this presentation is
• I’ve divided the presentation into 3 parts: In the first part, ... / Then in the second part, ... / Finally, I’ll go on to talk about...
• Let me begin by looking at...
• Let me start with some general information on...

Vocabulary for the main body of your presentation

Introduce a topic or section.

• Now let’s move to the first part of the presentation,
• We can see 4 advantages and two disadvantages. First,
• On the one hand… On the other hand…
• There are two steps involved. The first step is… The second step is…
• There are four stages to the project.

Transition to a new section

• All right, let’s turn to...
• Now we come to the next point, which is
• Okay so that’s [topic 1], but what about [topic 2]?
• There’s a lot more to talk about, but since we’re pushed for time , let’s move on to [topic 2].
• This leads me to my next point, which is...

Give examples and details

• For example...
• A good example of this is...
• To illustrate this point...
• This reminds me of...
• To give you an example...
• Let me elaborate further on...

Describe visual aids

• As you can see [from this infographic]
• This chart shows
• If you look at this graph, you will see
• From this chart, we can understand how
• Let me show you this [image, graph, diagram]
• On the right/left
• In the middle of
• At the top/bottom of the picture

Emphasize an idea

• This is important because
• I’d like to emphasize that
• We have to remember that

Repeat the same message with different words

• In other words
• To put it more simply
• So, what I’m saying is that
• Let me say that again.

It's easy to get stuck in the middle of a presentation, especially if English is not your mother tongue. Here are +20 Top Tips You Need To Know if you're learning business English .

Finish your presentation and summarize

The end of a presentation, together with the opening, is one of the most important parts of your speech. Read these 5 effective strategies to close your presentation and use the vocabulary below.

• That’s all I want to say for now about [topic].
• To sum up, ...
• This sums up [topic].
• So in a nutshell, ...
• So to recap, ...
• In brief, ...
• To conclude, ...
• I’d like to conclude by emphasizing the main points...
• That's it on [topic] for today. In short, we've covered...
• So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.
• And this brings us to the end of this presentation. I hope [topic] is a little clear after today.
• So to draw all that together, ...

Start and navigate the Q&A session

• Thank you for your attention. I hope you found this presentation useful, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.
• Thank you for listening. We now have [X] minutes left. Do you have any questions?
• Thank you for your question, [Name].
• I'm glad you asked.
• That's an interesting question.
• That's a great question, I must say. I'm not 100% sure, but off the top of my head, I can tell you that...
• Are you asking about [topic 1] or [topic 2]?
• Can you please clarify what exactly you mean by [question]? I'm not sure I fully understand.
• I'm afraid I don't have the exact figures at hand, but if you give me your email address at the end, I can follow up with you later.
• Does that answer your question?
• I hope that makes sense. Is that the kind of answer you were looking for?

Take your presentation skills to the next level. 

Keep reading about presentation skills:

• 21 Helpful Tips For Remarkable and Outstanding Presentation Skills
• How To Start a Presentation: Follow These 4 Easy Steps
• How To Bring Across Your Main Idea In A Presentation Effectively
• 5 Effective Strategies To End A Presentation
• 6 Public Speaking Tricks To Captivate Your Audience
• How To Do Effective Business Storytelling According To Former Prosecutor
• 8 Little Changes That'll Make A Big Difference With Your Presentations
• 3 Quick Public Speaking Tips For Your Next Presentation
• Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are [TED Talk Lesson]

Talaera Talks - Transcript Episode 5

• Topic : Deliver impactful presentations
• Listen : Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts
• Duration : 22 min.

Intro Welcome to Talaera Talks , the business English communication podcast for non-native professionals. My name is Paola and I am co-hosting this show with Simon. In this podcast, we're going to be covering communication advice and tips to help express yourself with confidence in English in professional settings. So we hope you enjoy the show!

Okay, welcome back for our third episode of Talaera Talks. This is Simon, and I'm joined with Paola. Paola, how are you doing? 0:37 Hi, Simon. I'm great. Happy to do another episode. 0:41 Yeah, absolutely. And Happy Friday. 0:44 Happy Friday! 0:49 So today, our topic: Presenting in English. I'd like to start this episode with a quote I found on Harvard Business Review that I thought was really interesting. It says, "Even native English speakers often anticipate disaster when making presentations. By but for non-native speakers, the anticipatory and situational anxiety associated with their unique challenges (these challenges - being understandable, choosing the right words, speaking spontaneously), can be overwhelming. Moreover, if these concerns interfere with your willingness or ability to make business presentations, the impact can be career-limiting." So yeah, that's a pretty kind of heavy quote to start. But it is something that we see from a lot of our clients, right? 1:52 Yeah, it's super interesting. It was super interesting to read. It's something we know, but it's important to remind it that it is presentations, the topic we have today is something that is not pleasurable for anyone, not for non-native speakers, but also for native speakers. So that's something to point out. And today, we talked about that... We said that we wanted to start with those challenges or fears that we see from our clients, our learners. 2:25 Yeah, and it's usually around the same things, you know, we, at least for me, I come into contact with so many of these, so many of our students who are so competent in their, in their daily lives, what they're doing in their professional lives. And they come to me with these with these fears, like this just general lack of confidence, or imposter syndrome, right? This I don't know if I really deserve to be speaking and, you know, kind of explaining this concept to all these people. 3:05 Mm-hmm. Yes. And also the fear of not being understood, well, they know what I'm saying, well, they understand my accent. There's a lot of worries and concern around accent and our pronunciation expert, Lisa hosted a webinar, actually last week, where she explained that accent matters. But as long as people understand you, it's fine. You don't need to be perfect. Everyone has an accent. So that's also totally fine. 3:37 And this being Yeah, this being one of I think, at least for me, in my experience, one of the most frequently asked for aspects from students. So you know, and just to like, again, just say that this is a challenge for everyone, not just, you know, non-native English speakers. You know, I think all of us have a tough experience or somebody that we think of when we think about public speaking, it's, it's like this, yeah, really anxiety-riddled thing. I mean, I don't have any, you know, funny personal stories, but uh, do you, Paola? 4:20 You want me to tell my embarrassing story, don't you? 4:22 Please, you must. 4:25 So I used to teach at a university in Vietnam when I lived there, and the classes where it rains, you know, from perhaps 50 students to up to what 300 there's was a class with, you know, 2-300 students and there was a little stage it wasn't too high, but there was a little stage and I fell off. 4:46 You fell off the stage. This was during or after the presentation, or...? 4:56 It was around the beginning of the presentation. So... 5:01 During! Oh, I thought it was it was like after like you were walking off? 5:06 No, I move a lot. I use my body language quite a lot. And that was one of the moments where I overdid it, probably, and fell off. 5:17 Wow. Well, I'm glad that you're still here with us. 5:21 Yeah, you know, but that's the story that I sometimes not always tell it. But I sometimes tell it when my students say, Oh, I'm nervous, and I assume that it can happen, you know, I thought it was going to be a disaster. And then I actually ended up making friends with the students that turned out okay. 5:39 Right. Well, yeah, I mean, today, we're not necessarily going to go into the physical dimensions of how to avoid falling off the stage. But we do have some, some good tips, right? 5:54 Yes. And to provide some advice on how to deliver presentations, and lose that fear, we've divided it into three main blocks. And those are what to do before the presentation, tips for during the presentation. And then even after there's things you can do to, to get better. 6:18 Right, let's start with the first, right, what can we do before the presentation in terms of getting ready, preparing? 6:30 So preparing, it's a very general term, but one of the tips that we like to give is, think of the WHAT, WHY and NEXT. So WHAT is your presentation about? WHY should they listen to you and not look it up online (or listen to a podcast, like ours)? And in what NEXT means - what is supposed to happen next? Do they need to do anything, go on a website, send you feedback? Are you going to send them the materials? So what why our next is so straightforward and simple. But when I asked this question to our clients that are so thrown off, and they don't know what to answer sometimes, 7:10 Yeah, I think that's one of those things. And I struggle with this all the time is, when I get an idea or something like that. It's so easy to just jump over those most basic things of, you know, what, why and index, those are so, so basic, but it's such it's, they're so foundational, right? And in terms of creating something that people will understand and be able to, to really attach to. 7:41 Yep. And do you have any tips around how much you should learn? Should you write the whole thing? Or should you memorize? 7:52 Yeah, that, you know, this is a good question as well, that a lot of our learners ask in terms of, yeah, you know, I'm just going to go and write it all out. And then I'll have an idea. And I'll feel better because I can write it and change it so that it sounds more professional. It sounds like I know what I'm talking about. And I always tell people, please don't try to prepare a presentation where you're reading a script, it is just the most unnatural thing ever. And, and it, you won't end up sounding more professional, if anything, your audience is going to detach, because they're going to sense that something's not really right here, it doesn't seem genuine, right doesn't seem real, it just seems like this person is doing what he's doing, which is reading off of a script. And even still a lot of times with a lot of our learners where they know that, okay, I know this material. But I'm going to put all of my effort into making this perfect slide this perfect presentation. So I would say, focus on actually knowing the material itself really well. More than focusing on how the presentation looks, you know, these kinds of things. Because once you're in that situation where you're on the stage, and people are looking at you, at least you'll be able to Windows like kind of red Sirens of you know, panic and anxiety show up. You'll have learned the material itself so well that you can roll with that. 9:29 Yes. And you also have room for improvisation because your brain is so used to the content and you know, so well what you want to say that that's when your brain starts to come up with anecdotes and that's the fun thing that gets you hooked. And that's the main Why should people listen to you instead of reading an article online? 9:49 Exactly. Because for most of our students, you know what you're talking about. That's why you're up there. That's why you have the opportunities to speak there is because someone thinks you're qualified enough to speak to all these people. So trust in that and go with that. So yeah, so we have right not, not over learning. Don't script it right? What else can we do? 10:14 Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice in your mind, but more importantly verbalize it, say it out loud. And recording yourself is uncomfortable for everyone. But it works. I have never tried it. I always told my students should record yourself, you should record yourself and they were like, Huh. And just a few of them did it. And when we started with the webinars, I haven't done something like it before. And I said, Okay, I'll use my own tip. And it was one I'm comfortable. And two, super helpful. So if you get to go over the sound of your own voice, I would say do it. 10:54 Yeah. You know, this is one thing that I have to be totally honest here. Doing these podcasts is the first time I've actually recorded myself for a long time. And I've learned a lot about, you know, not saying the word Absolutely. 500 times, yeah, within the span of 20 minutes. So those are good learning lessons. Definitely. Okay, and then so we have that. And then the last little tip is, I would say get an English mindset before 30 minutes to an hour before the presentation. And that could be listening to a podcast, you know, like Talaera Talks, or, you know, watching a show on Netflix that's, that's in English, whatever you can do to get your kind of English mind, you know, in the zone before you go up and actually speak English. So So those are all of our kind of pre presentation tips, what you can do before, so what about during, 11:58 so for during, there's a lot of things that you can you can do to improve your presentations. But the first tip is to learn how to start to have a mind map of what am I going to do at the beginning. So you start confident already. So welcome, everyone, introduce the people introduce the topic and go to the main point, those four parts will help you have a nice start. Welcome, everyone. For example. Hi, everyone. Welcome to today's presentation. Today, we'll be talking about business events, introduce the people, you can introduce yourself , like, Hi, my name is Paula and I'm a business English instructor at Telstra, and perhaps even the audience. Today we have with us students from all different nationalities and levels, or, you know, whatever the audiences, that's also helpful for everyone to understand, introduce the topic, or give you some best practices for business emails , and a few templates, and then go to the main point. So a simple sentence like Alright, let's get down to business. So having those welcome introducing people introducing the topic and going to the main point will help you have a nice start. 13:16 Yeah, and I like that concept of that the mind map is so good. Because it's it's not the scripting, like we were talking about before, it's having a kind of a little mental checklist. So that when those first few minutes, were you're up there on the on stage, and you're like, oh god, oh, god, here we go. Here we go. You have that little checklist that I created. Okay, so I welcomed introduced the people the topic, and now to the main point, and that can get you in the zone and going I really liked that. Yeah, so so having that, that starting template. And then another thing would be, I would say slowing down, slowing it down. And this is really I think it touches on a lot of aspects. The first would be just the general anxiety, we tend to speak a lot faster when we're really anxious, you know, but by slowing down, it really helps with non native English speakers because it helps with the accent. And it helps with giving you some time to really think through your next thoughts. Now, I'm not saying that you should, while you're speaking, try to think steps three, four or five ahead of you. But giving yourself a little bit of time to Okay, I'm going through this pattern now. Now I can go to the next one, right. And doing that, you know, another with the slowing down a tip if you're really nervous to go in is prefacing your speech. So before you really get into everything, maybe after the welcome part is just to say, Hey, you know, I'm going to try to speak as clearly as possible, as English as myself. first language and really smile and maybe make a little joke about that. And I think that's a good way to open it out for the audience to show some vulnerability and and help. I mean, what do you think about that? 15:13 Yeah, I mean, we see that with, sometimes with celebrities, when they're not native speakers, and they admitted, and they, they kind of put yourself put themselves, as you said, in that vulnerable position, and that makes them even cuter. 15:28 Mm hmm. 15:29 So it's making yourself human, I think it's always a good tip. And you were saying that slowing down helps with your accent and also for yourself to gain time to really know what you're going to say. But also for the for the audience. We don't mind people making some little pulses, so that they also have time to collect their thoughts. 15:50 Right, right. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Those are, those are two really good aspects, starting, you know, the template and then slowing down, right. Yeah, kind of diffusing the anxiety by saying, Hey, you know, this isn't my first language. And that really gets the audience on your side, right. And then another would be not reading off of your slides. I mean, this is kind of the basic, you know, what you learn in school, but it's also something that a lot of people get, yeah, get, get hooked on, just because it's like a safety net. And I would say that's where the overlearning the material that we talked about beforehand comes into play. Anything else in this? 16:42 Oh, recap for sure. After every section, do a little recap, and at the end to recap where you summarize the main points of the whole presentation? 16:54 Yeah, yeah. Good. Good. So So summarize. Yeah, yeah. And that's a that's a good, you know, I would say three aspects, four aspects that during the presentation, if you keep these in, in your mind, it's, it's, I would say, it's going to help a lot. And so now we're going to move to what can we do after the presentation? We've done it, we've walked off the stage. Whoo, I'm so glad that's over. Now, is all of our work done? No. 17:27 No, not really. That's now it's your chance to actually learn from, from everything you did. So one of the tips we suggest is try to ask for feedback. But that's not so easy, right, Simon? 17:42 Yeah, it's, I think, a big question. And that is, who do you get the feedback from? Right?

17:50 So we, we would always suggest to try and find someone you can trust someone who is honest, and who can give you objective feedback. So in some cases, that can be your manager, but sometimes it's a colleague that understands the topic, and can really provide some feedback on how you did. 18:13 Yeah. And that's, I think, in terms of learning, this is one of the most crucial thing is reflecting back on what you did, and seeing what worked, what didn't work, and how can I take that and move forward? Because especially with presenting, it's a skill, and it takes practice, practice, practice. And, and I think, for a lot of people, you should jump at the chance to do this. So that you can continue to learn and continue to grow. But be sure to reflect by Yeah, by asking for feedback and seeing what worked, 18:47 for sure. And ideally, that would be someone, perhaps from work that can see how you did and like the actual show, if not Talaera teachers also do that. So you can present your own presentation, pretending it's the actual one. And that's how we can provide feedback on the structure, the vocabulary, the language in general. 19:08 Yeah, absolutely. I do that. Oh, there you go. Absolutely. Definitely. See, I'm reflecting back and learning as we go. I'm working. I'm learning that. Yeah. But I've done that recently with a couple of students where we've gone through their deck and looked at what are their plans in terms of presenting and we've kind of gone through in detail that together. So So yeah, so that was kind of I would say the biggest thing in terms of afterward. 19:40 So we have the pre-presentation, just as a quick recap for the pre-presentation and before your presentation, always remember the what why next, what is your presentation about? Why should people listen to you and what should happen next overnight Learn the content. be super confident about what you want to talk about. But don't script it. Don't write everything down. Otherwise, it would sound like you're just reading. 20:11 Write and practice through verbalization. record yourself, even though it may be awkward, but it's a great learning technique. And then get in that English mindset beforehand by Yeah, listening to a podcast or what have you. And then during the presentation, right, starting with the template, Paolo was discussing the welcome introducing the people the topic, and then going to the main point, 20:37 slowing down a little bit. It's not necessary to go super fast. It's not only not necessary, but people will understand you better if you take your time and make some pauses. Of course, don't read off their slides. Tell them the story. 20:54 Right, right. And remember 20:56 to recap, just like we're doing now. Send them or tell them a quick summary and the main points, 21:03 right, and don't fall off the stage as well. That's ideally we forgot. Ideally, it's final for then, as the final point, right, asking for feedback, finding that person that can get you that feedback that's so important to you. Finding what worked and moving forward. 21:21 That's right. All right. Do we have it for today? 21:25 I think that is it for today. Yeah. I had a lot of Thanks. Yeah, I had a blast. And thanks for meeting up. And we have a lot of good stuff coming up with Talaera. Right. 21:38 We have webinars, our blog is busier than ever. So go on the http://blog.talaera.com/ , check out the resources. And what else? 21:51 Find us on LinkedIn. And yeah, please ask any questions, we'd be glad to get back to you. So that is it for today. And thank you to all of our listeners. So far, we're excited to keep growing this. And as always, keep learning! 22:11 And that's all we have for you today. We hope you enjoyed it, and remember to  subscribe to Talaera Talks . We'll be back soon with more! And visit our website at  https://talaera.com  for more valuable content on business English. You can also  request a free consultation  on the best ways for you and your team to improve your communication skills. So have a great day and keep learning!

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How-To Geek

How to quickly change the font on all slides in powerpoint.

If you want to quickly replace fonts in PowerPoint, you'll need to modify the Slide Master template or use the "Replace Fonts" tool. Here's how.

Quick Links

Use the replace fonts tool, use the slide master.

Editing a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation can be time consuming, especially if you're dealing with multiple slides. If you want to change fonts across your presentation, you'll need to use the "Replace Fonts" tool or change the Slide Master template. Here's how.

These instructions work for most  modern versions of Office  on Windows. Mac users will need to change the slide master to change fonts across a presentation instead, but this won't offer the same blanket change approach as the "Replace Fonts" tool.

Related: How to Create a Slide Master in Microsoft PowerPoint

The easiest way to replace the fonts in your presentation is to use the "Replace Fonts" tool. This will search out and replace all examples of a font used across your presentation.

To start, open your PowerPoint presentation. From the "Home" tab on the ribbon bar, click the arrow next to the "Replace" button. In the drop-down menu, select the "Replace Fonts" option.

In the "Replace Fonts" window, select the font you wish to find and replace from the "Replace" drop-down menu.

Choose the font you wish to use instead from the "With" drop-down menu and then click "Replace" to confirm.

The "Replace Fonts" tool will automatically search through your presentation and replace the fonts using the settings you selected. Click the "Close" button when you're done.

You can repeat these steps to replace other fonts, or use the Slide Master view to replace fonts used by your presentation template instead.

While the "Replace Fonts" tool offers the quickest way to replace fonts in your presentation, you can also modify the Slide Master template to customize your fonts. This will ensure that any additional slides you create use the new font, too.

This will only apply to text in boxes that match one of the Slide Master template slides. Any additional text (in custom text boxes) won't be modified, so you'll need to use the "Replace Fonts" tool instead.

To start, open your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and select View > Slide Master.

In the "Slide Master" view, click on one of the slide templates to view them.

To edit the fonts used by your template, select the "Fonts" button, listed under the "Slide Master" tab on the ribbon bar.

Choose the new font you wish to use from the "Fonts" drop-down menu.

This will update the font used across your PowerPoint Slide Master template. Click the "Close Master View" button to apply the changes.

This will update the font in any text boxes that match your slide templates. Any other fonts (such as those in custom text boxes) will remain unchanged, so you may need to repeat the steps or use the "Replace Fonts" tool instead.

Find and replace text

Find a word or phrase in your PowerPoint presentation and replace it with another word or phrase by following these steps.

On the Home tab, in the Editing group, choose Replace .

In the Find what box, enter the text you want to find and replace.

In the Replace with box, enter the text you want to use as the replacement.

To search for the next occurrence of the text, choose Find Next .

Do one of the following:

To replace the currently selected occurrence of the text, choose Replace .

To replace all occurrences of the text, choose Replace All .

Tip:  To cancel a search in progress, press ESC.

In the upper-right corner of the PowerPoint window, click the arrow next to Search in Presentation .

Select Replace .

In the Find What box, enter the text you want to search for, and in the Replace With box, enter the text you want to use as the replacement.

To search for the next occurrence of the text, click Find Next .

To replace the currently selected occurrence of the text, click Replace .

To replace all occurrences of the text, click Replace All .

On the right end of the  Home tab, select  Replace (or   Find > Replace ).

Under  Find what , enter the word or phrase you want to find.

Under  Replace with , enter the replacement word or phrase. 

Select  Find Next  and then select Replace .  

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The 7 Best Free PowerPoint Alternatives for Presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint is great, but what if you can't afford it? Here are the best free PowerPoint alternatives for presentations.

Microsoft PowerPoint has been around for a long while and so far it has served users well. However, because it's a paid program, not everyone can afford it.

Thankfully, there are many options available for users who want the functionality of Microsoft PowerPoint in a free-to-use package. In fact, some of them don't even require any downloads and are completely web-based.

1. Google Slides

By far the most popular PowerPoint alternative out there, Google Slides shines when it comes to collaboration. Multiple people can work simultaneously on a presentation and add new slides.

This is further strengthened by its availability. Google Slides works on your web browser and has apps for both iOS and Android.

Additionally, Google Slides keeps a record of all the changes users have made to a presentation, and you can easily restore your slideshow to a previous version. While anyone with a Gmail account can use Google Slides, G Suite users get added data protection.

Compared to PowerPoint, the number of templates, animation forms, and fonts is somewhat lacking. However, businesses tend to overlook these shortcomings on a day-to-day basis.

While Canva is primarily known as a photo editor and design tool, it is also a competent MS PowerPoint alternative.

One of Canva's main strengths is its ease of use. There are many beginner tutorial videos on the website if users do not understand something. Complete beginners can easily navigate through the minimalistic interface.

With the free version of Canva, you get access to over 8000+ presentation templates that exponentially speed up your workflow. Additionally, Canva still remains one of the easiest services to create infographics and charts in.

The only limiting thing with Canva is that it offers a basic set of tools and transitions at users' disposal. It's apparent that the company places more focus on photo editing and design aspect than anything else.

The Prezi presentation format is unique in the way that it lets you view slides. Instead of addressing multiple elements at once, Prezi gives viewers a single canvas that allows them to zoom in on different presentation parts. This provides a much more immersive experience.

Similar to Google Slides, Prezi supports the real-time collaboration of up to 10 users. Users can also add comments to indicate changes or report missing information. Prezi works on any modern web browser, and there are Android and iOS apps available as well.

Related: Powerful Google Chrome PDF Extensions and Apps

The Prezi software also has an analytics feature that helps users optimize their presentation by showing them which slides were the most viewed as well as which ones were skipped.

Even though the basic version of Prezi is free to use, it doesn't allow users to control the privacy of their presentation, which could be a dealbreaker for many. Additionally, due to the way Prezi works, there is a steep learning curve associated with it.

4. WPS Office Free

WPS Office is the closest alternative to PowerPoint when it comes to functionality and user interface. Plus, unlike the other web-based services on this list, you don't always need an active internet connection to use it.

With its complete support for PowerPoint files, users can edit existing PowerPoint documents with ease in WPS Office. They can also embed videos and animate individual objects, just like in Microsoft PowerPoint. It also offers many templates, so users can pick their favorite.

However, users should keep in mind that while the software is free, it is supported by ads, which may be a bit intrusive at times. In addition to this, collaboration is less straightforward than with Google Slides.

WPS Office is available across all major platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux. iOS, and Android. There is a web-based version available as well. Alternatively, you can check out this handy guide to smoothen your transition to WPS Office from Microsoft .

Xtensio is one of the best options for business users. It has many templates available regarding various organization sections, such as marketing, UX design, etc.

With Xtensio's easy-to-use interface, even newbies can create professional-looking reports and presentations. Additionally, they offer even greater flexibility in terms of design. You can edit each object in a template to suit your specific needs.

But it does have some shortcomings. For one thing, users cannot export their presentations in PowerPoint format. Additionally, the free version supports only one user at a time with a storage space of 1MB.

6. LibreOffice

LibreOffice is open-source presentation software that does everything PowerPoint can do. Although it lacks functionality such as OneDrive Integration, its PowerPoint-like functionality more than makes up for it.

LibreOffice has its share of useful features, such as the ability to import Keynote files. In addition, LibreOffice has a vast collection of free templates that users can use to create their presentations.

If that's not enough, you can download additional templates from LibreOffice's online repository. LibreOffice is available across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

7. Zoho Show

There are several reasons to use Zoho Show for your next presentation. It's a great presentation tool that's similar to Google Slides, but even better. Users can also import and edit all their PowerPoint files in the online tool.

Users can create tables, infographics, and data charts within Zoho Show itself. In addition to this, the service also has in-built Google Image Search functionality that lets you search and insert images quickly.

Related: Tools to Give an Online Presentation From Anywhere

Additionally, Zoho Show supports collaboration in real-time and multiple users can edit presentations. Although there's not much to complain about in Zoho Show, many users would like to have more options when it comes to templates and animations.

Worthy PowerPoint Alternatives

Essentially, all these tools and services function the same way as PowerPoint without the cost. Furthermore, the web-based alternatives are more advanced such as automatic saving and cloud storage.

Despite this, PowerPoint remains the front-runner when it comes to presentation software. As such, it is important for users to know how to make the best out of its features.

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How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words

Filler words — including um and uh — are never written into a speech, and add nothing when a speaker utters them.

Yet these insidious verbal hiccups are ubiquitous, uttered by most speakers in most speeches every day.

Robin Hutchins writes:

I teach a college speech class. The most common struggle my students have is the use of filler words such as um and uh. Do you have a strategy that helps to omit filler words?

What can be done? Is it hopeless?

In this article, we examine why filler words have a negative impact on your effectiveness, and learn a five-step strategy for reducing them .

• Speech Pauses
• Filler Words (um, ah)
• Speaking Rate
• Vocal Volume
• Vocal Projection
• Vocal Strength Exercises

Um… What’s the Problem?

Some people adopt a zero tolerance policy when it comes to filler words, believing that a few ruin the delivery and invalidate an otherwise solid speech.

I’m not one of those people. An occasional filler word does not trump passion and a great message. Furthermore, I’ve heard audience members comment that an occasional filler word makes the speaker seem human (and not robotic).

Nonetheless, speakers should strive to minimize filler words . They contribute nothing, and weaken your effectiveness as as a speaker in two primary ways:

• Filler words represent verbal static that has to be filtered out by your audience. (It’s one of the communication barriers cited in a recent article by guest author Stacey Hanke.) Why say it if the audience has to immediately filter it out?
• Repeated and excessive use of filler words weakens your credibility . It may be perceived as indicating lack of preparation, lack of knowledge, or lack of passion. All of these perceptions are bad for you.

Filler Sounds, Filler Words, and Filler Phrases

I’ve started this article using the collective term “filler words”, but this is really a convenient shorthand for three related speech fillers:

• Filler Sounds — e.g. um, uh, ah, mm
• Filler Words – e.g. basically, actually, literally
• Filler Phrases – e.g. “I think that”, “you know”, “what I’m trying to say is”

All of these — and there are more in each category — contribute nothing and could be completely wiped from your vocal patterns without any loss in meaning.

[Note: There are cases where some of the words/phrases do convey meaning, but this is rare.]

A Strategy for Removing Filler Words from Your Speech

I wish there were a switch that could be flipped to strike these from a speaker’s vocabulary. (I would flip the switch for myself!) Since the magic switch is elusive, here are the steps I recommend for minimizing these fillers.

Step 1 — Assess how often you are using filler words.

Before you embark on an effort to extinguish filler words, you should assess how frequently you utter filler words in your presentations. There are three easy ways to do this:

• Recruit an audience member to track it and provide feedback. Ask them not only to provide a count of each filler used, but also to comment on the impact.
• Record your voice , and do an objective analysis. I occasionally do this with a digital voice recorder . This can be done non-obtrusively for nearly any speech you deliver.
• Record yourself on video . This is marginally more obtrusive, but delivers more benefits. You get verbal feedback, but you also get to see the expressions on your face and what happens to your eyes when you are… uh… filling in words.

Your goal in assessment is to answer the following:

• How often are you inserting filler words?
• Are they distracting?
• Are they undermining your credibility?

Step 2 — Understand why you are doing it, and why it is unnecessary.

Filler words — that is, filler sounds, filler words, and filler phrases — are inserted when our brain needs a moment to catch up to our mouth.

In certain contexts, filler words can serve a minor purpose. In a phone conversation, for example, a filler word sends a signal to the other person which says “I’m still thinking, and I’m not willing to pass the conversation back to you just yet.” In this way, the filler word fills the otherwise dead space which might indicate that you have completed your thought.

In the majority of public speaking situations, however, this is a completely useless signal. There isn’t any risk of someone in the audience taking over as soon as you go silent for a moment. You don’t need to fill that space to say that you’re thinking. You just need to … think, and your audience will understand.

Step 3 — Raise your level of preparation.

I have observed my filler word usage is highest when my preparation is lowest . Failure to prepare adequately has two effects:

• Your brain needs to “create” words on the fly, as opposed to pulling them from (preparation) memory. This increases cognitive strain, making it more likely that you’ll fall behind.
• You are (usually) more nervous when unprepared. Feeling nervous makes most people speak quicker, thus making it more likely that your brain won’t keep up.

One additional aspect of preparation which merits mentioning is the importance of adequate rest . When you are rested, your brain will be sharper and you will find it easier to articulate your thoughts without stumbling.

Adequate preparation (which has many other benefits) will thus reduce the occurrence of filler words.

“ As speakers force more and more content into their presentation, they’ll have to talk faster and faster to complete it on time. Avoid this temptation. ”

Step 4A — Slow down.

Slowing your pace will also reduce those um’s and ah’s, because it makes it easier for your brain to keep up. It doesn’t have to be a drastic change; even a modest reduction in pace will help. As an added bonus, speaking a bit slower probably improves the ability of your audience to understand you.

To make this possible, you must be realistic about your time constraints and the amount of material you have . As speakers force more and more content into their presentation, they’ll have to talk faster and faster to complete it on time. Avoid this temptation.

Step 4B — Embrace the pause.

The best advice I ever received to reduce ums and ahs is to just pause . Replace the filler word(s) with silence. Since you’ve probably become accustomed to using filler words, replacing them with silence will take practice. Commit yourself to the change, and it will happen.

Step 5 — Monitor your progress, and be patient.

Every so often, step back and monitor your progress. Revisit the assessment tasks in Step 1, and compare the results.

• Have you reduced the frequency of filler words in your speech?
• Have you reduced the negative impact on your effectiveness caused by using filler words?
• Do you notice a correlation between preparedness and speaking filler-free?
• Is your pace slower?
• Are you simply pausing when you think about what to say next?

Your Turn: What’s Your Opinion?

How would you answer Robin’s question? Do you have a strategy to stop using um’s and ah’s?

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45 comments.

Andrew This is a terrific breakdown of how to attack a common difficulty many speakers have. I agree with the power of the pause, as many filler words occur where in written form a full stop would occur. That being the case, I encourage my presentation skills students to think in complete sentences, rather than setting off to make their next point with no end in sight. My other suggestion to students is to those who use fillers in everyday speech to eliminate them in that context first. If you use fillers away from the speaker’s spotlight, you’re certainly not going to use them any less once that spotlight is turned on.

Good article, Andrew.

Your advice about P-a-u-s-i-n-g hits the bull’s eye.

Pausing gives the audience time to absorb your message. Taking the temperature of your audience when you pause gives the speaker positive feedback and encourages more pausing.

Watch a video of Steve Jobs for great examples of this.

Thanks for the Post!

Andrew, I agree with every word of this post! Embracing the pause is something I encourage my own clients to do. Not only does it allow the speaker time to think, it allows listeners time to grasp what has just been said. As a performer I learned that silence adds dramatic tension and actually INCREASES audience engagement, rather than reduce it, which is what people fear. YouTube is full of examples of great speakers like JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., Churchill – all masters of the pause. Bravo!

I like the phrase – ‘Master of Pauses’. I will try to use it in my next speech.

Excellent article, as usual, Andrew. I agree with all your points. Good reader comments, as well.

The way I eliminated my “uh” habit, and it was a bad one, was to slap myself in the face every time I heard myself utter one. This was in private conversations with my husband. My results were very quick.

I speak slowly, am not afraid of pauses, but unless my speech is very well practiced, the pregnant pauses are a problem.

Someone once told me that she couldn’t think unless she was speaking. I thought this was very odd, but is it possible that (in a similar way) the deliberate elimination of fillers in some instances could cause a brain freeze that would not otherwise have occurred? Perhaps one’s focus becomes bifurcated–half of it is diverted to worrying about the pause getting longer. Or, you’re no longer “in the moment,” as they say. Part of your consciousness is outside looking at yourself and worried about what will happen.

I have Parkinson’s, and one of the recommendations of my therapist is that I develop a number of “filler phrases” to use when I suddenly get to the point where my verbalising brain can’t keep up with my intents. So while I ahve always tried to delete “fillers’ I now find myself looking for them 🙂 G

I agree with Phil Lynch 100% – aim to eliminate fillers in everyday speech. “Ya know” can be a major irritant. Several times a month I deal with young scientists and their presentation skills. For a few, the avoidance of fillwords is a struggle. But when they are rid of them, their credibility rises exponentially. At some Toastmasters Clubs (mine included), a bell is rung the first three times “uh” is uttered. For the good speakers, it’s a fun challenge, a sword of Damocles hanging over you. For the beginners, they sense how critical it is to be rid of it – particularly when after 15 seconds, the “uh” ration is exhausted. Thanks for the pointers.

In some contexts filler words can add effect. Complete filler word genocide is not the way to go, although I agree there is too much unnecessary use

I think 4B is the best idea.

My presentation skills participants seem to think that any silence or thinking from them is a sign of weakness. Not true.

They also tend to elevate the audience into some kind of hierarchically superior god-like position (in their minds) and therefore even start to feel guilty and “passive-submissive” about making mistakes.

I propose that they work on these negative self-fulfilling sabotaging thoughts. Very often, things improve when they simply stop putting themselves under Siuth pressure to perform.

For the real tough cases, I might propose my father’s services as a hypnotist. I’m a believer that we can simply unprogramme the bad filler habit with auto-suggestion techniques…

Great blog and excited to see a potentially strong source of ideas for my training participants. I’ll be checking back in regularly. Keep up the good work!

JOIN TOASTMASTERS. Over the 42 years I have been a member, I have observed that almost 100% of the time, “filler sounds” SEEM TO SIMPLY DISAPPEAR from one’s speech (and other verbal interaction) after the fillers’ presences have been immediately, gently and tactfully pointed out by the speaker’s Evaluator after the speaker has spoken (prepared speech or spontaneously) four or five different times.

I always tell my students: “Pausing is your friend.” It give the audience time to digest what you’ve said and it gives you a moment to collect your thoughts and take a breath so you don’t reach for filler words. Great article. Thanks!

Great tips! When I taught a presentation course to college students, I always advised them to practice in front of a mirror, videotape themselves, and ask someone to watch them speak. I think this is the BEST tool to catch all the uhs, and ums, and likes in a speech.

You can’t beat the immediate feedback of ringing a bell or some other indication every time you use a filler word. It’s pretty extreme, only for use during rehearsal or a Toastmasters meeting, but it works almost immediately and is effective for those struggling to reduce their fillers.

I don’t think such filler words or phrases should pose a problem in non -formal communication context. Yes, if it is a formal context, i think we need to pause, be silent for a second or two and then continue our speech.

I found this article very helpful! I am currently in school and I’m in a public speaking class, and I must say that I use filler words all the time. I am really going to try some of these techniques to improve my speeches.

Hi Andrew… I wrote about this a while back, suggesting that fillers aren’t *automatically* bad. I’ve read some research (sorry, not to hand at the moment, I’m not in my office) suggesting that a filler word can *sometimes* be handy – it gives the audience time to assimilate what they’ve heard.

Personally, I think a silent pause sounds classier thought! 🙂

I am an “um-er” and I spend most of my workday on the phone. My boss just approached me and asked if I realize how often I “um.” She knows that I am always looking to improve and was very kind about bringing this up. I have now challenged myself to stop umming. I have, in the course of just a few minutes, already caught myself in the middle of 6 ums. Let’s see if I can stop myself from umming people to boredom!

Good for you, Emily. Awareness is essential. I admire both you and your boss for the positive way you are dealing with this.

As a listener, I wish I could become more tolerant of stammaring and filler words. I judge the halting speaker as less intelligent and underprepared. When it’s TV hosts and experts being interviewed, I have to ask, “why don’t they get help for that if they’re speaking in public?” So, I have two questions. Do public speakers owe it to us listeners to get speech therapy? And is there hope for me developing more patience and ability to filter out the fillers?

Re: Do public speakers owe it to us listeners to get speech therapy?

In exchange for a listener’s time commitment, I think speakers “owe” it to them to deliver _value_. A few um’s will not eliminate the value a speaker offers, so I don’t think speech therapy needs to be mandatory. While I suggest that speakers should strive to reduce filler words, I think most of us will realize the biggest impact by focussing on other areas (content formation; audience analysis; well-chosen stories/examples; etc).

Re: And is there hope for me developing more patience and ability to filter out the fillers?

I hope so! Filler words are never going to be eliminated entirely. Remember that filler words have many causes: lack of preparation, nerves, response to audience body language, stress, fatigue, and many others. If you judge speakers too harshly by dismissing them outright, you may be denying yourself the value of their wisdom, experience, and insights.

Very impressive post, it deserve to enter in my top 5 bookmarks. I was suggesting this article to my associate because of his filler sounds, but reading more deeply, i’ve discovered the same problem in me, but with filler words instead of filler sounds…

Very nice article. I once had a linguistics professor who taught me to be proud of my speech, not to taint it with uselessness. Your speech reflects your thoughts, be aware of both.

This article is spot on and very helpful especially about the importance of preparation. Thanks

Try silently adding the phrase ‘thinking time’ to the end of a sentence and/or thought. – ‘Thinking Time’ – It can really help you introduce pauses while continuing to maintain a comfortable pace.

Twitter: @dayna_k_elliott

Great article…spot on.. i believe the best way forward is preparation and rest… and one more thing i believe in case there is something that speakers do not know,,,, may simply say “I’ll get back to you with more details…”…

Thank you for sharing

Another useful approach, perhaps a step 6, is to use the AIDA model from marketing to assist in delivering impact while achieving conciseness. AIDA stands for attract attention, gain an interest, build desire, and cause an action. Practicing this type conciseness will help you prepare transitions between the few points you need to make and reduce filler, much to the delight of your audience. Consequently, your use of dramatic pause will be kept in check and your tempo, ability to hold audience attention, and build credibility will improve.

Thanks for the tips on avoiding “Ahs’. Slowing down was an Ah-control technique I hadn’t heard about. By joining a local Toastmasters club, you will receive Ah-counting as part of the package!

If your going to say them, say them to yourself. Not doing it out loud. Over time I believe this could actually help in slowing you down and creating actually pauses in your speech.

Tnx alot andrew it was so practical advice and ill definitely use it

This is very interesting. We often forget to do speech delivering auditing for improvement. I agree that feedback from audience on our speeches work awesome!

Thanks of the wonderful materials. Seems practical to implement and hope positively it will help audience like me a lot.

Thank you very much. This article is really very helpful.

I was just listening to the radio on which a program was interviewing two women, both of whom used ‘umm’ once for every six or seven words in their speech, and it bugged the hell out of me. I’ve found myself walking in front of people talking together who stuff ‘like’ or ‘you know’ in their speech like they were Valley Girl refugees. I’ve never been able to figure out why this seems to happen, mainly because it’s never been a part of my own speech (with an occasional ‘um’) and I assume that the bulk of media influence and peer pickup would not be that different for these people than my own. I tend to speak slowly, not painfully so, but I don’t see a conversation (even if the speaker has the ‘floor’ appropriately) as a race between one’s quickness of speech and how fast one’s mind and mouth can comfortably manufacture the sounds of speech. I get the feeling that a lot of people either don’t prepare themselves for such a conversation (if any) or perhaps just as likely do see conversational skill and vocal manufacture as involving a race condition. When someone sticks an ‘um’ in their speech as what amount of a sentence break, it destroys any suspension of disbelief I have in the word around the apeaker; I can’t pay attention to them and find I usually have to leave the lecture or discussion.

great advice. thank you!

What worked for me was just be conscious about the filler words you use. Try it.

I record and edit recordings as a profession. Clients don’t realize how unprofessional it is to add the filler word “uhm’s” into their presentations. I found a great tip: To help reduce the number of times users use the word “uhm”, place a rubber band on their wrist. Each time they say the word, snap the band and move it to the other wrist. This would make for a great class exercise during a speech.

Enjoyed your article on how to reduce using filler words.

Would appreciate any speaking tips you have. I am a new toastmaster club member trying to improve my pubic speaking skills.

Grant Martin Detroit, MI

This article is awesome! I covers a good variety of areas but isn’t overwhelming. Good job!!

I scrunch my toes, or ground into my feet to channel my nervousness during a pause. It helps to keep me from blanking out, is not visible to the audience, and improves my posture. This gives me a sense of a strong foundation to speak from, to hold those dramatic pauses.

Thank you. That was really helpful!

My filler word is ‘so’. I am trying to avoid them as much as possible. Even if I have to use this word, I replace it with another similar word.

I found this article very informative. My filler words consist of ok, umm and well. I have a youtube channel, and when i edit, this is when i realise actually the problem i have. Ill be trying this out and hopefully my filler words will reduce dramatically. Thanks again. ☺️ Ali

Using the pause will help me a lot.

Thanks for all you do in inspiring many to become better speakers. I also appreciate the opportunity to subscribing to a vast reservoir of communicative ideas. Thank you in advance for your kind services.

I love reading six minutes. The information presented is always a worthwhile read, and I always learn something from it. Thank you for providing this for us.

While I agree that filler words are generally to our detriment, I can’t help figure that they serve an important purpose in speech and that their existence is more so due to adaptation than lack of intelligence. People who use filler words often to so to limit the amount of silence in their speech. Silence brings opportunity for others to butt in or to grow bored. Filler words allow you to maintain control of speech and attention while you are working through your next words. High ranking and charismatic people are often known to use many filler words or sounds. I think they do so because they’ve learned that silence tends to invite others to butt into the conversation. With filler words they can maintain control of the conversation.

Recent Tweets

@iAnaSceTic This article might help you out. https://t.co/yY3P8oQ11N — @_Eng1 Jun 25th, 2016

How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words https://t.co/Dd6oPHCir0 by @6minutes — @Steven_Peters Jul 21st, 2016

How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words https://t.co/hbwLOqhkjy by @6minutes — @vanessachango Mar 2nd, 2017

How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words https://t.co/ELjv9WjvyU — @mjmadyda Mar 20th, 2017

https://t.co/xzhJ7GscJI How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words — @mnsbutt Jul 27th, 2017

Um, great tips for something many of us have struggled with at some point in our professional development. https://t.co/bhkDaQZjdb — @sandyjk Oct 6th, 2017

Even @ 1.5x speed, these video lectures are dreadful. Um and uh should not be in professional sentences every 30sec. https://t.co/W9uOfk3KPx — @pqdanielle Oct 25th, 2017

Filler words are inserted when your brain needs to catch up. It’s normal, but here are tips to reduce it. #Speech… https://t.co/cQtwGHKaQA — @IntellorGroup Nov 2nd, 2017

How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words https://t.co/ndw6t4gpu5 by @6minutes — Shelley Evans (@ShelleyJEvans) Jun 29th, 2018

Here’s a tip – slow down to avoid vocal fillers. Other advice here: How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Wor… https://t.co/x3v41mgrjS — Heather M Siebert (@HSiebertUSD) Oct 26th, 2018

5 Blog Links

How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words | Xi'an Toastmasters Club — Dec 8th, 2011

The words we don’t need to say but we do it anyway. « Stay a While — Jul 12th, 2012

‘How to Stop Saying Um, Uh, and Other Filler Words’ by Andrew Dlugan | Communication Weekly Newsletter — Aug 29th, 2012

Why Public Speakers Should Cut Out Filler Words (public speaking tips to boost presentation skills and business presentation) | The Accidental Communicator — Oct 9th, 2012

Are You Video Shy? — Jan 28th, 2013

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Find & Replace in PowerPoint - selected slides/objects only

Is it possible to do a Find & Replace in PowerPoint that only applies to selected slides and/or objects (like for selected text in Word or selected cells in Excel)?

Specifically, I'd like to replace a bunch of numbers in ##,# European format with ##.# American format by replacing all commas with periods. But obviously I don't want to do that for every comma in the presentation. :) And doing it manually is no fun!

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Unfortunately, PPT offers nothing like this.

The closest I can think of is to move the selection of slides you want to fix to the beginning of the show temporarily, launch the Replace dialog (Ctrl + H) and use Find Next/Replace repeatedly until the slides you want to affect are done.  Then cancel the dialog box and move your slides back to where you want them.

4 people found this reply helpful

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Thanks for your feedback.

There's a page on our site that shows a way to change the decimal separator with code (and not other commas).

It is a capability that is sorely lacking

What I suggest is to take the slides with the text you want to replace; copy them, and paste them onto a new presentation.

Do the search /replace, and then move the slides back to the original presentation

6 people found this reply helpful

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How to Find and Replace in Word for Your Paper? [For Students]

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you've written a whole article or research paper, only to realize that you've mistakenly spelled the name of the author wrong? Perhaps it's just a single character error, like when I intended to write "Roniza" but instead wrote "Rozina" throughout while mentioning the author.

Correcting such mistakes manually, going through the document multiple times to replace each instance of the error, can be a very time-consuming task. However, thanks to advancements in writing software like Microsoft Word, users can easily find and replace text in their documents. In this article, we will guide you through the simple steps of correcting errors throughout your essay using the Find and Replace feature in Microsoft Word.

How to Find and Replace Texts in Word for Your Paper

Understanding the fact that many new Microsoft Word users are seeking answers on how to find and replace text in Word, for the sake of simplicity, we will break down the Find and Replace feature to enhance understanding. This way, users can easily grasp where the Find and Replace feature is located in Word and how to find and replace individual words or phrases.

How to Find the Words You Want?

First, let's try finding the mistaken words in Microsoft Word:

Step 1 : Firstly, open the essay in Microsoft Word and then navigate to the Home tab.

Step 2 : In the Home ribbon, on the far right, click on the "Find" button to open a navigation panel on the left.

Step 3 : Now, search for the term or word where you think you have made a mistake, or if you just want to see how many times that term is repeated in the document.

Step 4 : Once you enter the term and press “Enter”, you will receive your results indicating the number of times the term is being used in the essay and the exact sentences it is being used in.

By using the find feature in Microsoft Word, users can easily locate terms in their essay, find out how many times these terms are being used, and the exact sentences they are being used in. Furthermore, if you scroll through the document, you will see the term highlighted throughout the essay to make it easier to locate in the document.

How to Replace Text?

If for some reason you want to replace a term in your essay, the Replace feature can be very handy. Let's stick with the example term "Rozina" that we wish to replace with "Ron". Here's how we replace words in Microsoft Word in a few easy steps:

Step 1 : In Microsoft Word, visit the "Home" tab and click on the "Replace" button located in the Home ribbon.

Step 2 : Now, we have the Find and Replace dialog open on the screen. Here, type in the term you want to search for in the "Find what" field.

Step 3 : In the "Replace with" field, enter the term or word you wish to replace your searched term with.

Step 4 : If you wish to replace the term one by one, click on "Replace".

Step 5 : If you want to replace the searched term all at once, click on the "Replace All" button.

Step 6 : A confirmation window for replacements will pop up. Click on "OK" to confirm.

Step 7 : To exit the Find and Replace window, click on "Close" to return to the Microsoft Word interface.

The Find and Replace feature in Microsoft Word has made corrections quite easy, especially when the dictionary considers the word to be correct in the essay. Therefore, the Find and Replace feature in Word is a useful tool to learn. However, if you're looking for something more budget-friendly, WPS Office can be a great alternative. Compatible with all Microsoft Word documents and completely free of cost, WPS Office allows users to use the Find and Replace tool along with other advanced tools: a perfect for Students.

WPS Office: Use Word, Excel, and PPT for FREE, No Ads.

How to Find and Replace for Proofreading Your Paper

Match case:.

This feature allows you to focus on capitalization, making sure it's consistent throughout your document. It's especially useful for checking that headings, specific terms, and the first letter of each sentence are properly capitalized.

Find whole words only:

This option ensures you're finding exact matches, which is helpful when you need to change a specific word without affecting others that contain the same substring. For example, you might want to change "play" to "perform," but you don't want to alter words like "playground”.

Use find and replace to remove line breaks:

If you've got unwanted line breaks or extra spaces in your document, you can use the find and replace function to clean them up quickly. Just find the problematic character sequences and replace them with your desired spacing or formatting. This technique helps maintain a smooth flow of text and ensures your document is tidy.

To replace line breaks in your document:

Step 1 : Go to the “Replace” feature in the Home ribbon or press “CTRL + H” to open find and replace dialog.

Step 2 : In the "Find what" field, enter: ^p[1].

Step 3 : Click “Replace All” to replace all line breaks in your document.

Step 4 : Word will provide a confirmation message about the replacements made; press "OK" to continue.

Shortcut for Find and Replace in Word

Microsoft Word offers numerous shortcuts for users to easily access various tools. Similarly, there are shortcut keys available for both the Find and Replace features, whether you're using Windows or Mac.

Shortcut for Windows:

Find Shortcut : Ctrl + F

Replace Shortcut : Ctrl + H

Shortcut for Mac:

Find Shortcut : Command + F

Replace Shortcut : Shift + Command + H

How to Preserve the Format When Converting Word to PDF

When your professor requires a PDF version of your essay or paper, maintaining the formatting integrity is crucial. Unfortunately, Microsoft Word 365 may not always preserve your document's layout during conversion. This is where WPS Office steps in with its robust PDF features, ensuring that your essay retains its formatting impeccably. Essays often adhere to specific formatting styles, and any loss of formatting could jeopardize your grades. With WPS Office, you can confidently convert your document to PDF without worrying about losing any formatting, safeguarding your hard work and ensuring that you present your work professionally.

Let's see how users can transform their Word documents into PDF format using WPS Office.

Step 1 : Begin by opening your written essay document in WPS Office.

Step 2 : Navigate to the Menu button located at the top left corner of the interface.

Step 3 : From the menu options, select "Save as" and then choose "Other formats" from the flyout menu.

Step 4 : Next, you will be presented with the Save option. Opt for "PDF Format" from the "File Type" field.

Step 5 : To complete the process, simply click on the Save button to convert your Word document to PDF .

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FAQs about Find and Replace in Word

Q1. how do you find and replace on a mac.

Here's how users can access the Find and Replace feature in Mac Word:

Step 1 : Open Microsoft Word on your Mac and click or hover over the "Edit" tab found in the top toolbar.

Step 2 : Click or hover over "Find" from the dropdown menu, and then click on "Replace…" in the flyout menu.

Step 3 : In the Replace dialog box, enter the desired text or character you want to replace the line breaks with in the "Replace with" field.

Step 4 : Click on the "Replace All" button to execute the replacement process.

Step 5 : Word will display a confirmation message indicating the number of replacements made. Click "OK" to close the dialog box and continue working on your document.

Q2. What are two options for using Find and Replace?

Find and Replace is a function in many applications that allows you to search for a specific word, phrase, or set of characters and swap them with another. You can use Find and Replace in two ways:

Find Whole Words Only : This ensures your search for the exact word or phrase, ignoring partial matches or similar letters within other words. It is handy when you want to replace a specific word without changing similar ones that share some of the same letters.

Match Case : With this option, you search for words or phrases with the same capitalization as the one you’re replacing. For instance, if you search for “apple” with “Match case” on, it’ll only find “apple” and not “Apple” or “APPLE”.

Q3. Do you need a hanging indent?

Yes, a hanging indent is a helpful formatting style often used in reference lists, such as those found in APA, MLA, or Chicago-style papers. It helps visually separate each source, making them easier to read and navigate. Rather than manually indenting each line, you can create a hanging indent easily in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. This style ensures consistency and professionalism in your document layout.

Edit Your Documents With Efficiency

Find and replace in word for your paper is a lifesaver feature that can save you a considerable amount of time when editing documents. Whether you're correcting a spelling mistake or replacing a specific word or phrase throughout your document, find and replace tools make the process quick and effortless. With WPS Office, you have access to a great tool for performing this functionality with ease. As a free and lightweight application, WPS Office is a solid choice for any documentation tasks. Download WPS Office now to streamline your editing process and ensure accuracy in your documents.

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View, manage, and install add-ins for Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

When you enable an add-in, it adds custom commands and new features to Microsoft 365 programs that help increase your productivity. Because add-ins can be used by attackers to do harm to your computer, you can use add-in security settings to help protect yourself.

Note:  This article only applies to Microsoft 365 applications running on Windows.

View installed add-ins

You can directly install add-ins from this page or select  More Add-ins  to explore.

In the Office Add-ins dialog, select  My Add-ins  tab.

Select an add-in you want to view the details for and right-click to select  Add-in details  option.

Click a heading below for more information .  

Add-in categories explained

Active Application Add-ins      Add-ins registered and currently running on your Microsoft 365 program.

Inactive Application Add-ins      These are present on your computer but not currently loaded. For example, XML schemas are active when the document that refers to them is open. Another example is the COM add-in: if a COM add-in is selected, the add-in is active. If the check box is cleared, the add-in is inactive.

Document Related Add-ins      Template files referred to by open documents.

Disabled Application Add-ins     These add-ins are automatically disabled because they are causing Microsoft 365 programs to crash.

Add-in      The title of the add-in.

Publisher      The software developer or organization responsible for creating the add-in.

Compatibility      Look here for any compatibility issues.

Location      This file path indicates where the add-in is installed on your computer.

Description This text explains the add-in function.

Note:  Microsoft Outlook has one add-in option in the Trust Center: Apply macro security settings to installed add-ins . InfoPath has no security settings for add-ins.

Permanently disable or remove an add-in

To disable or remove an add-in follow these steps:

Select  File > Get Add-ins . Alternatively, you can select  Home > Add-ins .

In the Office Add-ins dialog, select  My Add-ins  tab.

Select an add-in you want to remove and right click to select  Remove  option.

View or change add-in settings

You can see and change add-in settings in the Trust Center, descriptions of which are in the following section. Add-in security settings may have been determined by your organization so not all options may be available to change.

Select  File  >  Get Add-ins .

Select  More Add-ins > Manage My Add-ins.

Select  Trust Center  >  Trust Center Settings  >  Add-ins.

Check or uncheck the boxes you want.

Add-in settings explained

Require Application Add-ins to be signed by Trusted Publisher      Check this box to have the Trust Center check that the add-in uses a publisher's trusted signature. If the publisher's signature hasn’t been trusted, the Microsoft 365 program doesn’t load the add-in, and the Trust Bar displays a notification that the add-in has been disabled.

Disable notification for unsigned add-ins (code will remain disabled)      When you check the Require Application Extensions to be signed by Trusted Publisher box, this option is no longer grayed out. Add-ins signed by a trusted publisher are enabled, but unsigned add-ins are disabled.

Disable all Application Add-ins (may impair functionality)      Check this box if you don't trust any add-ins. All add-ins are disabled without any notification, and the other add-in boxes are grayed out.

Note:  This setting takes effect after you exit and restart your Microsoft 365 program.

While working with add-ins, you may need to learn more about digital signatures and certificates , which authenticate an add-in, and trusted publishers , the software developers who often create add-ins.

Manage and install add-ins

Use the following instruction to manage and install add-ins.

To install a new add-in:

You can directly install popular add-ins on the page or go to More Add-ins  to explore. 

Select the add-in and select  Add . Or browse by selecting  Store  tab in the Office add-in dialog to find other add-ins to install and select Add for that add-in.

To manage your add-ins:

Select  File > Get Add-ins and from the bottom, select More Add-ins.  Or select  Home  >  Add-ins > More add-ins.

In the Office dialog, select My Add-ins tab. If you are not able to see your add-ins, select  Refresh to reload your add-ins.

Select  Manage My Add-in  to manage and select  Upload to browse and add an add-in from your device.

How to cancel a purchased add-in

If you've subscribed to an add-in through the Microsoft 365 Store that you don't want to continue, you can cancel that subscription.

Open the Microsoft 365 application and go to the Home  tab of the ribbon.

Select  Add-ins  and then select  More Add-ins > My Add-ins tab   to view your existing add-ins.

Select the app you want to cancel and select  Manage My Add-ins .

Under the Payment and Billing section choose Cancel Subscription .

Select  OK and then Continue .

Once that's complete you should see a message that says "You have cancelled your app subscription" in the comments field of your apps list.

Why is my add-in crashing?

Some add-ins might not be compatible with your organization's IT department policies. If that is the case with add-ins recently installed on your Microsoft 365 program, Data Execution Prevention (DEP) will disable the add-in and the program might crash.

Learn more about DEP

Get a Microsoft 365 Add-in for Outlook

Get a Microsoft 365 Add-in for Project

Taking linked notes

If you're looking for Help on linking notes in OneNote to a Word or PowerPoint document, see Take linked notes .

Excel Windows Add-ins

If you're looking for Help on specific Excel Add-ins, such as Solver or Inquire, see Help for Excel for Windows add-ins .

If you're looking for additional help with Excel add-ins using the COM Add-ins dialog box, see Add or remove add-ins in Excel .

Get a Microsoft 365 Add-in for Excel

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