How to convert PowerPoint to PDF on Mac

In PowerPoint, choose File › Export › PDF. Without PowerPoint, Keynote opens .pptx files and exports them with File › Export To › PDF. From Finder, right-click the .pptx and choose FileMate › Convert to PDF. Each visible slide becomes one page at the presentation’s own size, 16:9 or 4:3, and the PDF is saved next to the original. Microsoft Office isn’t needed.

Unreleased decks and client presentations are converted on your Mac, never uploaded.

Why send a presentation as PDF

A .pptx looks different depending on the app and the fonts on the recipient’s computer, and it can be edited. A PDF looks the same everywhere, opens on any phone, and is what most submission portals and investors ask for.

What comes through

FileMate’s converter draws shapes with their fills, outlines and theme colours; text with alignment, bullets, numbering and shrink-to-fit; cropped pictures; tables; groups, connectors, backgrounds and charts.

What doesn’t: SmartArt, shadows, 3D effects, audio and video, and freeform shapes are drawn as rectangles. Fonts that come with Office are replaced with similar fonts on your Mac. For a deck full of animation-heavy or SmartArt slides, export it from PowerPoint or Keynote instead.

With Keynote

Right-click the .pptx and choose Open With › Keynote.
Keynote converts it and lists anything it changed.
Choose File › Export To › PDF, pick the image quality, and save.

Keynote is free and handles most decks well. It takes longer for large presentations, because it imports the whole file into Keynote first.

Is the PDF too large to send?

Decks with many photos can turn into large PDFs. Right-click the PDF and choose FileMate › Compress PDF, which reduces the images and keeps the text selectable. See how to compress a PDF for email.

What FileMate doesn’t convert

Older .ppt files, password-protected presentations and files over 150 MB.