What is a PowerPoint Add-in?

Have you heard about PowerPoint add ins, aka PowerPoint Plugins, but not sure what they are? Interested to find out if there are ways to augment PowerPoint and get additional time-saving features?

This blog post answers common questions about what are PowerPoint add ins, how do addins work and what are they used for.

What is a PowerPoint Add-in?

PPT Productivity is a PowerPoint Add-in. An add-in is a way to extend features available when using Microsoft PowerPoint.  These are an approved way to augment functionality.  Microsoft encourages third parties to create add-ins for the Office suite.

A PowerPoint add-in is also known as a PowerPoint plugin, PowerPoint Extension, PowerPoint software add-in, PowerPoint add on. The terms are all interchangeable.

Is a PowerPoint Add-in the same as a PowerPoint Macro?

Kind of.  Macros are programming commands. PowerPoint Macros are used in creation of an add-in (when we created the first version of PPT Productivity for use by our colleagues in consulting we called it Cool Macros ). Typically Macros in PowerPoint run a .ppam file, which means they are not suitable for organizations with tighter security settings eg Investment Banks, Pension Funds, Government Agencies. This is because .ppam files can be used by hackers to conceal malicious files, so IT will likely block use of any .ppam files.

PowerPoint add-ins on the other hand typically have additional security. So for organizations with higher security requirements, PowerPoint add-ins are more likely to meet the security requirements and be approved for use.

How do PowerPoint add-ins work?

A PowerPoint add-in is software developed specifically to work in conjunction with Microsoft PowerPoint. You can install PowerPoint add-ins either by downloading and running the executable file, or by accessing the Microsoft Office app-store.

Once downloaded, PowerPoint add-ins usually augment the features of standard PowerPoint - either by making additional features possible, or by making existing features possible in less clicks/ effort. Other examples of PowerPoint add-ins include the Noun project which provides icons for PowerPoint, or Think-cell which offers additional charting features combined with integration to Microsoft Excel.

Does Microsoft allow plugins for PowerPoint?

Yes, Microsoft encourages developers to create PowerPoint plugins (and for all the other Office applications as well) to extend the feature set for users seeking additional capabilities.

Why do I need a PowerPoint Add-in?

To save time! PowerPoint addins are typically focused on making activities faster and or easier. For example, many of our PPT Productivity customers work in Management Consulting, Investment Banking, Corporate Strategy and other roles requiring them to create a lot of presentations in PowerPoint.  Working long hours in such roles is an unfortunate reality - any time saving opportunity is very valuable.   

What is a Consulting PowerPoint Toolbar?

Because Consultants use PowerPoint so much, a number of management consulting firms have developed proprietary in-house Consulting PowerPoint add ins, more commonly known in consulting as PowerPoint Toolbars. Examples include McKinsey Marvin BA Toolbar, Accenture QPT tools, Bain Toolkit, Kearney Custom Tabs, Oliver Wyman Macros, PWC Smart, EYP SlideFox, Strategy& add-in. 

One of our PPT Productivity team members created some of the early toolbar features for Boston Consulting Group when working there.  Some consulting firms customize the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT), while others have more extensive ribbons and functions (e.g. like PPT Productivity!).  PPT Productivity was created with consultants in mind and PPT Productivity tools are now in use by Consultants, Strategy teams, Investment bankers and many other customers around the world.

What is PPT Productivity?

PPT Productivity is an add-in for PowerPoint focused on saving time creating, refining and reusing polished PowerPoint slides. PPT Productivity was created for Management Consultants and other strategy professionals, but our customer base has grown to include a wide variety of professionals including Educators, Graphic Designers, Data Analysts/ Researchers (among others).

PPT Productivity saves time by streamlining the steps to create and edit PowerPoint presentations.  PPT Productivity has 200+ features across 4 toolbars and the ribbon. These include Alignment and other formatting shortcut features, the Slide Library Toolbar (enabling you to save and easily reuse shapes and slides), Color Palette Toolbar, table formatting (makes pasting data from excel easy!), Proofing Tools, customizable shortcut keys and much more.  The key benefit of PPT Productivity is helping you spend less time creating polished presentations!