Why is your PowerPoint or Word document so big and slow to open? The answer might well be images bloating your file size. Even as technology and data processing capabilities increase exponentially each year, it remains important to keep file sizes low. In other words, size matters and as with all things tech, smaller is better.
Whether you’re creating an important document or sharing a snazzy slideshow to potential investors, if it’s over 20MB (or even 10MB if sending by email), it’s likely to cause issues. In this blog I explain why reducing your file size in Word and PowerPoint is crucial, the top three reasons your file size might be bigger than necessary, and how to trim the fat by compressing pictures within them. I also embed my recent video on this subject below for a live walkthrough of how to fix images.
3 Reasons Why Size Matters
File size matters for several reasons. They include accessibility, speed of access, efficiency of your system resources, and professionalism…
Accessibility and Sharing Speed
Think about the last time you received a large file attachment. Did you groan inwardly as your email client struggled to download it? Maybe it got blocked by your email file size limit full stop? Even if you could download the file, it then takes ages to open.
While specialist tools like WeTransfer exist to share big files, large file sizes can generally be a hassle for both the sender and the receiver, especially when dealing with slow internet connections or limited storage space. By reducing the size of your Word and PowerPoint files, you make them more accessible to others, enabling seamless sharing and quicker downloads.
Resource Efficiency
Large files consume more resources, both in terms of storage space and system performance. Whether you’re working on a desktop computer, a laptop, or a mobile device, bloated files can slow down your device, drain your battery faster, and eat into your storage capacity.
Slimming down your files not only frees up valuable resources but also ensures smoother performance, particularly when collaborating on documents or delivering presentations in real-time.
Professionalism
Imagine presenting a PowerPoint deck to a room full of clients or stakeholders, only to encounter delays and glitches due to an oversized file. Not only does this disrupt the flow of your presentation, but it also reflects poorly on your professionalism and attention to detail.
Conversely, a compact file size demonstrates efficiency and care, enhancing your credibility and leaving a positive impression on your audience with no hiccups or PowerPoint ‘not responding’ as it struggles with all the data at once.
Top 3 Causes of Bloated File Sizes
So why are your files too big? The primary culprits behind inflated file sizes in Word and PowerPoint documents is the inclusion of high-resolution images. While these images may look stunning, they come at a cost in terms of file size.
Each image contributes to the overall bulk of the file, especially if it hasn’t been optimized for digital consumption. Consider for example, each image taken on a smart phone is about 1-2MB. On an SLR camera it’s 5-10MB. Multiplying that across a dozen slides or so, your PowerPoint can soon get to an unmanageable 50MB or more!
It need not be a traditional picture taking up all the file size either. I often see how folk grab a big logo, shrink it down to the corner of a slide, then repeat that across all the slides. That’s without realising that each one has not been physically compressed and PowerPoint is still holding all that data.
In fact, images need not be that big. Especially if you don’t need to print things off in high quality (unlike for example a flyer or newsletter created in PowerPoint!). You can easily reduce the image sizes without impacting on your document or slide presentation. I’ll show you how to do that in the next section.
A second common reason for bloated files is the inclusion of embedded fonts and media files. While these elements may enhance the visual appeal of your documents and presentations, they also add unnecessary weight.
Fonts can significantly inflate file sizes, especially if they’re uncommon or specialised. You may also have embedded a video or two into a PowerPoint; these are the biggest form of media files you can include, so consider instead embedding videos as a link to YouTube, Vimeo or similar. Inserting online videos means they will behave the same in the slide while saving huge amounts of storage space. Of course, you’ll need an internet connection to play them!
Thirdly, Word documents and PowerPoint presentations contain hidden layers of unused content and formatting that contribute to their size. This could include redundant images, hidden slides, or excessive formatting styles. Cleaning up these elements can help streamline your files and reduce their size without compromising their integrity.
When it comes to Excel, it’s more likely a large file size relates to the amount of raw data in your database and/or numerous pivot tables referencing that data. While this is worthy of a separate blog, you might find the following tip a real data-saver. Rather than creating each pivot table from scratch, try instead copying an existing one, then pasting/amending it from there. This stops each pivot from replicating the source data in the background, in turn reducing your Excel file size. Let me know in the comments if you’d like a demo video on this!
How to Reduce File Size by Compressing Pictures
Now that we understand the importance of file size optimisation, how do you compress pictures in Word and PowerPoint? I’ll now lay out the steps below. Note that the same applies in Excel, because the Ribbon options are consistent across Microsoft applications.
- Select one of the images in your file.
- Click on the new ‘Picture Format’ tab in the toolbar.
- Choose ‘Compress Pictures’ button within the Ribbon.
- Unselect ‘Apply only to this picture’ (this then compresses all pictures).
- Select ‘Print’ or ‘Web’ for target resolution (both look fine on screen).
- Click ‘OK’ to apply the compression to all images in your document.
Now when you next save the document, the file size should be largely reduced, e.g. when looking again within your file explorer.
By following these simple steps, you can significantly reduce the size of your Word documents and PowerPoint presentations without sacrificing quality. Not only will this streamline your workflow and enhance collaboration, but it will also ensure that your files remain accessible and professional in any context.
In conclusion, the size of your files matters more than you might think. By optimising the size of your Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, you can improve accessibility, enhance resource efficiency, and project a professional image to your audience. So, the next time you’re preparing a document or presentation, remember: Size matters, so make every megabyte count!
Kind Regards, Adrian
I hope this guidance speeds up your work and saves space! Subscribe to my blog and EATO YouTube channel for more useful info. Liking the content? Please like and share others who may also find it useful. If so inclined, buying me a coffee helps keep free content flowing and I greatly appreciate it. Want fantastic, time-saving templates or dashboards tailored to you and your business? Then please get in touch to arrange a bespoke quote.