# Microsoft PowerPoint

Application: Microsoft Corporation

Also called powerpoint, ppt, powerpnt

Microsoft Corporation, Productivity

The Microsoft slide app. On Windows the process is POWERPNT.EXE. GPU and embedded video matter more here than they do in Word.

## What you need to know

PowerPoint is POWERPNT.EXE. Word will not run your slideshow.

Microsoft PowerPoint builds decks. Embedded video, transitions, and Presenter View are why this process can load the GPU while WINWORD stays quiet on the same machine.

- **What is it?**: The PowerPoint slide app

  **Same as Word?**: No. Word is WINWORD.EXE

  **Why GPU?**: Present mode, video, and animations

Feex says

If a meeting deck stutters, I would look at POWERPNT and the GPU driver before I repair Word. Ending WINWORD does not stop a slideshow.

## What is Microsoft PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint is the slide editor in Office and Microsoft 365. The Windows executable is POWERPNT.EXE. It is not Word and it is not the PowerPoint Web tab in Edge.

## If you have never used it

If you need slides for a talk, this is PowerPoint, not Word. Word can make a long document. It does not have Presenter View or slide master layouts the same way. Install PowerPoint with Office or Microsoft 365. A .pptx opens in POWERPNT.EXE.

## What is it used for?

**Slide decks**

Titles, masters, and .pptx. A Word outline is not a substitute for this canvas.

**Present mode**

Full screen, Presenter View, and laser tools. GPU and the display driver show up here.

**Embedded video and animations**

Media inside the deck keeps POWERPNT busy. Word images rarely do the same.

## Who is it for?

- Anyone building a talk or a class deck
- Meeting rooms that still say "open the PowerPoint"
- Users who should not end WINWORD to stop a slideshow

## Current status

Actively developed. This article is desktop PowerPoint on Windows, not PowerPoint for the web.

## How old is it?

PowerPoint began at Forethought in 1987. Microsoft acquired it that year. Current PowerPoint still uses POWERPNT.EXE. It is older than Microsoft 365 and older than Teams.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Microsoft 365 PowerPoint

PowerPoint 2024 / 2021

PowerPoint on the web

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| CPU              | 1.6 GHz or faster, 2-core, per Microsoft for Microsoft 365 Apps  |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | 4 GB for 64-bit, per Microsoft. Large files want more            |
| Storage          | 4 GB class install plus your documents                           |
| Operating system | A current Windows release Microsoft lists for Microsoft 365 Apps |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Transitions and a bad add-in

  **RAM demand**: Embedded media

  **GPU demand**: Present mode, animations, and video

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| POWERPNT.EXE | Desktop PowerPoint |
| ------------ | ------------------ |

## Startup components

PowerPoint starts when you open a deck. Explorer preview can leave POWERPNT running after you close the folder.

## File locations

| Typical Click-to-Run | C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\POWERPNT.EXE |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |

## File formats

PPTX, PPT, PDF, ODP

## Common problems

### Preview pane leaves PowerPoint open

Close the Explorer preview as a test. That hang is POWERPNT, not Word.

### Stutter in present mode

Update the GPU driver and turn off heavy animations before you repair all of Office.

## Getting unstuck

### Use powerpnt /safe for add-ins

Office Safe Mode is the add-in test. It is not winword /safe and it is not Windows Safe Mode.

### Open file location if two Office apps are open

Office16\POWERPNT.EXE is the deck. WINWORD.EXE is the handout document.

### Repair Microsoft 365 Apps if decks will not open

Do not download POWERPNT.EXE from a filename site.

## Alternatives

Google Slides, LibreOffice Impress, and a PDF export overlap. They do not give you the same Presenter View on a work PC that requires desktop PowerPoint.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Product page         | [www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/powerpoint ](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/powerpoint)What Microsoft ships as PowerPoint                                               |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| PowerPoint help      | [support.microsoft.com/powerpoint ](https://support.microsoft.com/powerpoint)Decks, present mode, and print help                                                                  |
| Install from the web | [www.office.com/ ](https://www.office.com/)Signed-in install that includes PowerPoint on many accounts                                                                            |
| Requirements hub     | [www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-and-office-resources ](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-and-office-resources)CPU, RAM, and OS Microsoft lists |

## Related hardware

A working GPU driver matters more for present mode than it does for Word. RAM still matters when the deck is full of 4K video.

## Technical details

Technical details

PowerPoint build numbers follow the Microsoft 365 channel. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[POWERPNT.EXE: Application Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/powerpnt.exe)[Microsoft Word: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-word)[Microsoft 365: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-365)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Microsoft PowerPoint product page ](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/powerpoint)· Official PowerPoint product
- [Microsoft Support: PowerPoint ](https://support.microsoft.com/powerpoint)· Decks, present mode, and crash help
- [Microsoft Learn: Microsoft 365 Apps ](https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-apps)· Click-to-Run Office16 layout
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Microsoft Corporation

  **Category**: Presentation

  **Process**: [POWERPNT.EXE](https://feex.it/wiki/process/powerpnt.exe)

  **License**: Microsoft 365 subscription or a perpetual Office / PowerPoint SKU

  **First released**: 1987

  **Official site**: [microsoft.com/microsoft-365/powerpoint](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/powerpoint)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/microsoft-powerpoint/)

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