Why are my PPT files getting bigger?

[Guest]

I have a 10M file that I originally copied and just started removing slides.
I saved it and it got bigger. Then I removed some items of the master slide
and resaved and it still got bigger. Is there any way to compress the files?
Also, they do contain alot of pictures which I believe were just copy &
pasted. But none of them were moved around. And, as I said, I just deleted
slides.

 

[Luc]

Lorena,
Have a look here for some tips:
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00062.htm
Luc

 

[Guest]

Yes, I am going to try the optimizer. However, it still doesn't answer why
the files are just getting bigger when I actually remove stuff versus adding
or even changing slides. Will the file never get smaller?

Lorena

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

Go to Tools > Options > Save and uncheck the box for Allow Fast Saves.
This is a good idea in general, and it will solve your problem. With Fast
Saves on, when you save your file, it doesn't rewrite the entire file
with the new (and possibly smaller version), it saves incremental
information. Thus, if you delete a slide, it keeps the old file and adds
on some information about the old slide not being there. Thus, your file
gets larger and larger and larger until it eats the entire universe.

Turn Fast Saves off and any save will rewrite the entire file, replacing
the old (possibly larger) file, with the new (possibly smaller) file.

--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/

 

[Sonia]

Go to Tools > Options > Save and turn OFF Fast Saves. Then go to File > Save As
and save your presentation with a new name. That should reduce the file size
and keep it from growing without reason. Actually, the reason is that Fast
Saves increases your file size. Turn it off and leave it off forever and you'll
be a happier person.
--

Sonia Coleman
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team
Autorun Software, Templates and Tutorials
http://www.soniacoleman.com

 

[Austin Myers]

A little experiment.

Delete something from your presentation. Now "Undo" the deletion and as
expected, your delete is undone without your needing to rebuild it. Care to
guess how this is possible? <g>

(Cause it wasn't removed from the presentation.)

Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Yes, I am going to try the optimizer. However, it still doesn't answer why
the files are just getting bigger when I actually remove stuff versus adding
or even changing slides. Will the file never get smaller?

I wrote Optimizer and would be happy for you to buy it, but ONLY if you really
need it. It's quite possible that you don't.

Before trying it, please do read and follow all of the suggestions on the page
Luc referred you to (quoted again below).

It explains why the files get bigger (and tells you how to make it stop)

 

[TAJ Simmons]

I wrote Optimizer and would be happy for you to buy it, but ONLY if you

really
need it. It's quite possible that you don't.

So honest!

TAJ

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

So honest!

Honesty is our midd... oh. We did that already, didn't we?