Presentation Review
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Check spelling, accessibility, reading order, and consistency, work with comments, and compare versions. Then prepare a talk in the Chapter 6 project.
Before sharing a presentation or presenting to an audience, it's important to review it carefully. Small issues such as spelling mistakes, missing accessibility information, inconsistent formatting, or unresolved comments can reduce the quality of your presentation. In this lesson, you'll learn how to check spelling and grammar, improve accessibility, review slide consistency, work with comments, and compare presentation versions.
Open the PowerPoint sandbox and follow along. Most review tools are available on the Review tab.
Check Spelling and Grammar
PowerPoint helps identify spelling errors while you work.
Words that PowerPoint does not recognize are marked with a red wavy underline.
To correct a spelling mistake:
- Right-click the underlined word.
- Select the correct suggestion.
To check the entire presentation:
- Click Review > Spelling.
- Or press: F7
For each detected word, you can:
- Change
- Change All
- Ignore
- Add to Dictionary
Adding words to the dictionary is useful for:
- Product names
- Company names
- Technical terms
- Personal names
Spelling checks cannot identify every mistake. Words such as "form" and "from" are both valid words, so always review important presentations manually as well.
Language Settings
Spell checking uses the language assigned to the text.
To change the language:
- Click Review > Language.
- Choose the appropriate language.
- Apply the setting.
Examples include:
- English (US)
- English (UK)
- French
- Spanish
Using the correct language improves spell-check accuracy.
Accessibility Checker
The Accessibility Checker helps ensure presentations can be used by everyone, including people who use screen readers or have visual impairments.
To run the Accessibility Checker:
- Click Review.
- Select Check Accessibility.
Common issues include:
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Missing alt text | Add descriptions to pictures, charts, and shapes |
| Missing slide titles | Add a title to every slide |
| Low color contrast | Increase contrast between text and background |
| Tables without header rows | Enable Header Row formatting |
| Unclear hyperlinks | Use meaningful link text |
Accessibility improvements make presentations easier for all users.
Reading Order
Screen readers read slide content according to the slide's reading order.
The visual order on a slide may not match the reading order.
To review the reading order:
- Open Check Accessibility.
- Open the Reading Order Pane.
Verify that content is arranged logically:
- Slide title
- Main content
- Supporting content
- Decorative elements
The Selection Pane can also help identify the slide's objects and their order.
Presentations that work well with screen readers are often clearer and easier for everyone to understand.
Review Presentation Consistency
Before sharing a presentation, review the entire deck for consistency.
Use Slide Sorter view and check for:
- Consistent title placement
- Consistent font styles and sizes
- Consistent transitions
- Consistent animation styles
- Consistent capitalization
- Consistent punctuation
- Consistent date formats
- Consistent colors and themes
Also verify that numbers and data match across related slides.
For example:
- A chart and table should display the same figures.
- Totals should remain consistent throughout the presentation.
Comments
Comments allow reviewers and collaborators to discuss presentation content without changing the slides themselves.
To add a comment:
- Select a slide.
- Click Review > New Comment.
- Type the comment.
- Post or add the comment.
Comments can be used to:
- Ask questions
- Suggest changes
- Leave reminders
- Request verification
Examples:
Confirm sales numbers
Check meeting location
Update project timeline
Reviewers can:
- Reply to comments
- Resolve comments
- Delete comments
Use the Previous and Next buttons to move between comments.
Before sharing a final presentation, resolve or delete all comments. Leaving review notes in a finished presentation can appear unprofessional.
Compare Presentations
PowerPoint can compare two versions of the same presentation.
To compare presentations:
- Click Review > Compare.
- Choose the second presentation file.
- Review the detected changes.
PowerPoint identifies differences such as:
- Edited text
- Added slides
- Deleted slides
- Moved objects
- Formatting changes
You can then:
- Accept changes
- Reject changes
This feature is useful when multiple people have edited different copies of a presentation.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What Happens | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Names marked as misspelled | Red underlines appear throughout the presentation | Add names to the dictionary |
| Using Change All incorrectly | Correct words may be replaced accidentally | Review each correction carefully |
| Missing alt text | Screen reader users miss important information | Add alt text to meaningful objects |
| Comments left in the presentation | Review notes are visible to others | Resolve or delete comments |
| Inconsistent title formatting | The presentation looks unprofessional | Use layouts, or reset the slides |
Exercise
Click Load the practice presentation below. Then do each task and press Check.
Chapter project
Put Chapter 6 together. You're presenting the Volunteer Day talk tomorrow; get the deck ready and rehearse.
Volunteer Day Talk
What to remember
- Review > Spelling (F7) checks every slide; add names to the dictionary.
- Check Accessibility finds missing alt text, missing titles, low contrast, and more.
- Fix the reading order so screen readers start with the title.
- Check consistency in Slide Sorter: titles, fonts, effects, and punctuation.
- Comments are for co-authors: add, reply, resolve, delete, and clear them before sharing.
- Compare shows the differences between two versions of a deck.
That's the end of Chapter 6. In Chapter 7, you'll print, export, and share your presentation.