Duplicating and Hiding Slides

Duplicate Slide copies layout, theme, and animations — faster than a blank slide.

After building the Welcome slide, James Okonkwo duplicates it for Arts and Science tours — same layout, new title text — then hides a draft backup slide in NorthgateOpenDay.pptx.

On Saturday 14 March 2026, hidden slides stay in the file but skip during a normal show. Unhide from the same menu if Dr. Helen Marsh needs the backup.

• 1Click Normal or Slide Sorter on the status bar.
• 2In the slide pane, right-click slide 2 (Welcome).
• 3Click Duplicate Slide.
• 4Expected result: A copy appears immediately after the original with the same layout.
• 5Change the title to Arts department tour (or another department).

Keep a spare Q&A slide without showing it during the normal Open Day talk.

• 1Click the draft slide thumbnail (e.g. a long FAQ you may skip).
• 2Right-click → Hide Slide.
• 3Expected result: The slide number appears crossed out on the thumbnail.
• 4Press F5 and advance through the show — the hidden slide does not appear.
• 5Right-click the thumbnail → Hide Slide again to unhide if needed.

James Okonkwo hides slides such as:

• Extended SEND provision — show only if a parent asks about support
• Parking map — unhide if the hall talk runs long and tours shift
• Weather contingency — indoor tour route if rain cancels the sports demo

Hidden slides stay in NorthgateOpenDay.pptx for printing and PDF export. They simply skip when Dr. Helen Marsh presses Slide Show → From Beginning.

Use Hide Slide for drafts and backups. Delete removes content permanently unless you undo immediately. Duplicate before major experiments.

In Slide Sorter view, Ctrl+click to select several tour slides, then drag them together if the whole tour block must move before Contact.

Slide Sorter shows every thumbnail in a grid — the fastest view for reordering before Open Day.

Example — Hidden slide during Slide Show: A hidden slide is skipped during a normal Slide Show. It is not deleted, and handout printing follows print settings — not the hide flag. The slide still exists in the file with a crossed-out number on its thumbnail.