Open PowerPoint 2007, 2010, 2013 files in PowerPoint 2003, 2002, 2000
Problem
If you have Office 2003 or previous, you won't be able to open files created in later versions of PowerPoint.
You can recognize these files by their file extensions (the three or four-characters at the end of the file name):
- PPT, PPS, POT files are compatible with PowerPoint 2003 and previous
- PPTX, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, POTX, POTM files are from PowerPoint 2007 or later and can't ordinarily be opened by earlier versions of PowerPoint
Solution
Microsoft provides the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats. Once you download and install this, you'll be able to open, view and edit files from later versions of PowerPoint in your PowerPoint 2003, 2002 or 2000.
If you have PowerPoint 2007 or later, you don't need any special software. You can open the files directly.