How to compress a Word or PowerPoint file step by step

When you need to share a document and you get the typical warning that the file is too large, it can become a real nuisance. Learn how to compress a Word or PowerPoint file It makes the difference between sending your work in seconds or struggling with email (or learn to Sending large files in Outlook), the cloud or the company's messaging.

Furthermore, it's not just about being able to attach it: reduce the size of your documents It also makes them take up less space on the hard drive, in services of storage in the cloud and open faster, which is essential if you work in a team or handle many files daily. Luckily, Word and PowerPoint include powerful options for reducing document size without losing quality, and there are also external tools that can help you even more.

Why are some Word and PowerPoint files so large?

Before you start compressing like crazy, it's a good idea to understand where all that extra weight comes from. The size of a Word or PowerPoint file It largely depends on the content: long texts, large images, graphics, tables, videos or audios add up and skyrocket the megabytes.

In Word documents, the things that most often increase the file size are high-resolution embedded imagesEspecially if you pasted them directly from your phone or camera without adjusting them. In PowerPoint, in addition to images, the embedded audio and video clips They are the usual culprits behind presentations that are too heavy.

Less visible adjustments also have an impact, such as font embedding (fonts stored within the file itself), which guarantee that the document looks the same on any computer, but at the cost of significantly increasing the size.

Another little-known factor is the extra information that images save when edited within Office. When you crop or modify an image In Word or PowerPoint, the program can preserve the original data so you can restore it later, which adds kilobytes that you often don't need.

Finally, it should be noted that some image formats (for example, PNG with many colors or uncompressed TIFF) They are not designed to save spaceAnd if they are used without optimization within Office documents, the final weight skyrockets even if the content doesn't seem that complex.

How to find out how much your Word or PowerPoint document weighs

Before you start tweaking settings, it's a good idea to do a quick check. What size is your Word or PowerPoint file? and how it changes after applying each compression method. This way you'll see if it's really worth continuing to adjust.

The most direct way is from the program itself. Open your Word document or your PowerPoint presentation. and go to the top tab where the main menu appears.

Then click "Archive", located in the upper left corner. Within that menu, select the section "Information" which you'll see in the left-hand column. That panel displays various details about the file.

In the general information section of the document you will be able to see the exact file size and other propertiessuch as the number of pages or slides, word count, or modification date. It's a very quick way to tell if your file has gotten out of hand and needs trimming.

Once you get used to looking at this section, it becomes very practical to keep checking. how the weight changes after each adjustment, instead of going in blind. It's much more convenient than guessing why the email won't let you attach it.

Reduce the size of a Word or PowerPoint document by disabling font embedding.

One of the Tricks more effective, and which many people don't know about, is manage the fonts embedded in your documents. Microsoft Office It allows you to save the fonts used within the file itself, so that the text looks the same even if the receiving computer does not have those fonts installed.

This feature is very useful in terms of design, but it comes at a price: Embedded fonts can significantly increase the file sizeEspecially if you use heavy fonts or many variations (bold, italic, etc.). That's why it's worth checking this option when your file size gets too high.

To change this setting in Word or PowerPoint, open the document and click on the menu at the top. "Archive"Then, in the left column, select "Options", which will open the program settings window.

Within that window, go to the category "Save"In the section titled something similar to "Maintain fidelity when saving this document" you will see the box "Embed fonts in the file"If you want to make it as lightweight as possible, the simplest thing to do is leave it unchecked so that no fonts are included in the document.

If for any reason you need to embed fonts, you can still significantly reduce the file size by activating two options: "Insert only the characters used in the document (recommended to reduce size)" y "Do not embed common system fonts"This way, only the characters actually used are saved, avoiding standard fonts that almost all computers already include.

With this adjustment you will often achieve very noticeable size reductionsThis is especially true in presentations with elaborate designs or documents with unusual fonts. However, if you completely disable embedding, the text's appearance may change slightly on computers without that font.

Compress images in Word and PowerPoint to reduce file size

In most documents, the greatest room for improvement is in the images. High-resolution photos take up a lot of space And you rarely need them to be at maximum quality for an office report or a class presentation.

Word and PowerPoint include built-in tools to compress all the images in a document without having to do it one by one. A quick method is to use the keyboard shortcut for "Save As". With the file open, press the F12 key to directly open the advanced save window.

In that window, right next to the save button, you'll see a button called "Tools"Click there and choose the option "Compress images"A window will open with various settings that affect all images in the file.

Within the compression options, you'll see different preset resolutions. For documents you're going to send by email or share online, selecting the appropriate resolution is usually more than enough. "Email (96 dpi): minimizes the size of documents for sharing"This setting lowers the resolution of all images so they take up minimal space while maintaining acceptable screen quality.

After selecting the email option or a suitable resolution, confirm and return to the main saving window. Now you just have to Choose the .docx format in Word or .pptx in PowerPoint and click on "Save". It is recommended to save with a different name to compare the original and compressed files.

In addition to this global tool, you can also review the advanced image options in Office. From File > Options > AdvancedIn the "Image size and quality" section, you can check the box "Discard editing data" so that the program removes the information necessary to restore images to their original state after editing them.

In that same block, make sure that "Do not compress images in the file" It's unchecked because if it's checked, it disables automatic compression. Right below, in "Default Resolution," you can choose a value of 150 dpi or lower, more than enough for most documents that will only be viewed on screen.

How to reduce the size of a Word document step by step

If you want to focus on Word, you can combine several settings to make your documents much lighter without sacrificing important content. Ideally, follow a logical order so as not to forget anything.

Start by reviewing the images in the document. Avoid pasting giant photos directly. from your mobile phone or camera; instead, reduce them beforehand or let Word compress them following the steps mentioned above (F12 > Tools > Compress Images).

Then, enter File > Options > Advanced In the "Image Size and Quality" section, select "Discard Editing Data" and set a default resolution of 150 dpi or less. This ensures that Word doesn't save unnecessary image information "just in case."

Then go to File> Options> Save And check the font embedding settings. Disable "Embed fonts in file" if you don't need to guarantee 100% consistency in font usage across all devices. If you do need to, at least enable the options to Insert only the characters used and do not embed common fonts..

It is also advisable to avoid overusing heavy items such as very complex graphics or graphics inserted from other programs in uncompressed formats. Whenever possible, use Word's native graphics or images that are already optimized to reduce the impact on file size.

When you've finished adjusting everything, save the file as .docx (if it's still in .doc, the old format) and check the document information section how The file size has been reducedIn many cases the change is radical, especially if the original document had been edited for years without any optimization.

How to compress a PowerPoint presentation from Windows

In PowerPoint presentations, in addition to the program's built-in tools, you can also use... Windows file compression To reduce the size of what you're sending. It doesn't decrease the internal weight of the presentation, but it does package it into a more manageable file.

To do this, open the File Explorer (or Windows Explorer)You can access it from the Start menu or by using keyboard shortcuts, depending on your version of Windows (in Windows 8 and later, for example, with the Windows key).

Once you have opened the browser, go to the folder where you have saved the presentation you want to share. Right-click on the .ppt or .pptx file to open the context menu with the different options.

Within that menu, place the mouse over the option "Send to" and, in the submenu that opens, select «Compressed folder (zip)»Windows will create a new .zip file in the same directory with the same name as your presentation, but compressed.

This compressed file is usually much smaller than the original presentation and It's perfect for mailing. or, if it remains large, divide it into partsThe recipient will only need to double-click on the zip file and unzip it to recover the presentation exactly as it was.

Reduce the size of videos and audio files in PowerPoint

Another key point in PowerPoint is multimedia content. Embedded videos and audio files They can make a presentation, which at first seems simple, weigh tens or even hundreds of megabytes.

PowerPoint includes a specific feature for compress the multimedia files within the presentationAlthough the exact path may vary slightly depending on the version, you will usually find it in the media options or file tools.

By enabling media compression, the program re-encodes videos and audio to a more efficient format and reduces their bitrate, which usually means a very noticeable decrease in the total file size without it being too noticeable in the quality during a standard presentation.

In addition to using this tool, it's good practice to insert from the beginning videos already optimized (for example, shortened in duration and at a reasonable resolution like 720p) instead of putting huge 4K files that add nothing when played on a basic projector or small screen.

If your presentation is still too large, you can also consider linking to certain online videos (for example, from services like streaming) instead of embedding them. In this way, The PowerPoint file will be much smaller.However, you will need an internet connection during the presentation.