ChatGPT Slides Is Here, but Windows 10 Users Get a PowerPoint File Instead

ChatGPT can make a presentation that a team can edit together in real time. But on Windows 10, the desktop app gives you a PowerPoint file instead. OpenAI says ChatGPT Slides is becoming available to eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise users who have access to Space. People can use it on the web or in the desktop app. OpenAI announced the rollout in release notes dated October 16.

"On Windows devices without the required MXC component, local AI slide creation and editing in the desktop app use PowerPoint (.pptx) files instead of collaborative Slides," OpenAI's help article says. It also says that "Windows 10 does not support this component, and Windows 11 users may need an update or their organization to enable it."

This means the presentation still gets made. But on a Windows 10 computer, you do not get a shared version that other people can open and edit at the same time. OpenAI suggests using cloud mode or a web browser instead. OpenAI has not said what the letters MXC stand for.

Your presentation is stored in Space, not in a chat

Slides is part of Space. Space replaced Library for these same three plans on September 29. Slides follows the same sharing rules as Space. "Slides uses the same access setting as Space and pages," OpenAI tells administrators.

You can share a presentation so that people can either view it or edit it. Anyone with editing permission can change the presentation with the rest of the team and discuss changes in shared comments. When Slides first launches, there is no permission setting that lets someone comment without editing. So a reviewer who should not change the slides cannot leave comments on them either.

You can ask ChatGPT to make changes in much the same way you ask a teammate. Mention ChatGPT in the presentation using @, then tell it what you want changed.

You can start a presentation in Work, Space, or with a template

There are three ways to start a presentation. You can ask for a slide, presentation, or deck in Work. You can choose Create and then Slide inside Space. Or you can start with a template. You can make templates with template-creator and share them with coworkers by adding them to a team's Plugins.

You can edit things directly in the presentation instead of only asking ChatGPT to make changes. You can change text, pictures, shapes, tables, and charts. You can also select an item and use Request edits to ask ChatGPT to change it. OpenAI says the font picker on the web lets you choose fonts available in your browser. The desktop app can use fonts installed on your computer.

You can save a presentation from the web as a PowerPoint file, a PDF, or a Google Slides presentation. If PowerPoint or Keynote is installed, you can also open the presentation in that app. On macOS, you can choose to show the file in Finder. OpenAI says you should check the presentation before sharing it and check it again after exporting it: "Review the text, figures, and layout before sharing or presenting your deck," and "Open the exported presentation and check its content and formatting before using it."

Slides is becoming available gradually, not all at once

The help article says, "Slides is rolling out to eligible accounts," and warns that "it may not be available for your account". OpenAI has not announced when Free, Go, or Plus users will get it. These plans were also not included when Space launched on September 29.

OpenAI is not the first company to offer this kind of tool. Anthropic announced Claude Docs and Slides for its chat app on September 16, with Pro and Max subscribers first in line. ChatGPT Slides arrives 17 days after Pages was added to the same Space feature.

For Windows 10 users who want other people to edit their presentation, the simplest way is to use a web browser.