4 Best Ways to Insert PDF in Microsoft PowerPoint on Windows 11

Microsoft PowerPoint offers several features for you to create impactful presentations. For example, you can add Captions to a video in your PowerPoint presentation so that your audience understands the context better. Another great feature is adding a PDF file to your presentation.

You can provide more information in your slide(s) by including a PDF file. If you are interested in using this feature, this post will show the steps to insert a PDF into Microsoft PowerPoint on your Windows PC.  The PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, 2019, 2016, and 2013 support the feature.

Before Getting Started

We recommend checking whether you are using the updated version of PowerPoint on your Windows 11 PC. This would help in attaching the latest versions of the PDF in your presentation without any hiccups.

1. Add PDF to Powerpoint as an Image

The first method for adding a PDF file to your PowerPoint presentation is simply by adding it as an image. This will be helpful when your PDF file contains a single document, or you want to focus on a single portion of your PDF file that contains a lot of pages.

Step 1: Open your PDF file and scroll to the portion you want to highlight in your PowerPoint presentation.

Step 2: Without minimizing the PDF file window, click the Windows Search icon on the Task bar, type PowerPoint, and press Enter.

Step 3: Open the PowerPoint file in which you want to include the PDF.

Step 4: Click on Insert on the top right side.

Step 5: Select Images.

Step 6: Click on Screenshot.

Step 7: Check the Available Windows option. It will show a preview of your PDF file window.

Step 8: Click on Screen Clipping.

You will now see an opaque version of your PDF file with the Mouse Pointer displayed as a Plus icon.

Step 9: Click and drag to take a screenshot of your PDF.

When you stop clicking, your PDF image will appear in the PowerPoint slide.

You can select the image to change its size.

2. Add PDF to Powerpoint as an Object

The next method is to add your PDF file as an object, i.e., a visual element or icon that will be visible on your PowerPoint slide. Here are the steps.

Step 1: Click Window Search icon on the Task bar, type PowerPoint, and press Enter.

Step 2: Open the presentation file in which you want to add the PDF as an object.

Step 3: Click on Insert on the top-left side.

Step 4: Click on Object under the Insert tab.

Step 5: In the Object window, select ‘Adobe Acrobat Security Settings Document’ under Object Type.

Step 6: Click on Create From File on the left side.

Step 7: Click on Browse to select your PDF file.

Step 8: After you attach the PDF file, click on ‘Display as icon’ on the right side.

You can also change the icon for your PDF file in the PowerPoint slide.

Step 9: Click on Ok at the bottom right side to confirm.

Your PDF file icon will be visible on your selected PowerPoint slide.

3. Add PDF to PowerPoint as a Link

This is an additional way of linking your PDF file inserted as an object in the PowerPoint slide. This will open your file in a separate window on your Windows PC.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Click Window Search icon on the Task bar, type PowerPoint, and press Enter.

Step 2: Open the PPT file in which you have inserted your PDF as an object.

Step 3: Click the PDF file icon on your slide.

Step 4: Click on Action under the Insert tab.

Step 5: Select the Mouse Click or Mouse Over tab.

Mouse Click will open the PDF after clicking on its cover. Mouse Over will open the PDF when you hover the cursor on the icon.

Step 6: Select Object Action and select Open from the drop-down menu.

Step 7: Click on Ok at the bottom-right side to confirm.

4. Add PDF to PowerPoint as a Slide

You also get the option to add your PDF file as a slide in your PowerPoint presentation. For this, you must first convert your PDF into a PowerPoint file on your Windows PC. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open the SmallPDF website in a browser on your Windows 11 PC. 

Visit SmallPDF

Step 2: Select your PDF file and convert it to PowerPoint format.

Step 3: After you download the converted PowerPoint file from your browser, open it on your Windows 11 computer.

Step 4: Go to the Slide tab on the left side and select the slides you want to copy by pressing Shift + Mouse Click.

Step 5: Press Control + C to copy the slides.

Step 5: Open the PowerPoint presentation file in which you want to insert your PDF as a slide.

Step 6: Select the slide after which you want to paste the selected slides.

Step 7: Press Control + V to paste the slides.

The slides from your PDF file will now be pasted into your original PowerPoint presentation.

Insert a PDF to a PPT

These steps will help you to add a PDF to your PowerPoint presentation. You can also read our post on how to add a password to your PowerPoint file on Windows.