What is PPT?

PPT is the legacy binary format used by PowerPoint from version 97 through 2003. It stores presentations including slides, text, images, animations, and speaker notes in a proprietary binary structure. While superseded by PPTX in 2007, millions of PPT files remain in use.

PPT revolutionized business communication, supporting animations, embedded objects, multimedia, and slide transitions. It became synonymous with presentations and dominated the market for over two decades.

Did you know? PowerPoint was created in 1987 and acquired by Microsoft that same year. By 2003, 30 million presentations were being created daily using PPT!

History

PowerPoint was created by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin at Forethought, Inc. in 1987. Microsoft acquired Forethought for $14 million to obtain PowerPoint. The PPT binary format was standardized with PowerPoint 97.

Key Milestones

  • 1987: PowerPoint 1.0 released for Macintosh
  • 1990: Windows version released
  • 1992: PowerPoint 3.0 introduces video support
  • 1997: PowerPoint 97 standardizes PPT format
  • 2003: PowerPoint 2003 - final version using PPT
  • 2007: PowerPoint 2007 switches to PPTX

Key Features

Core Capabilities

  • Slide-Based Layout: Multiple slides with consistent formatting
  • Master Slides: Templates for consistent design
  • Animations: Text and object animations
  • Transitions: Slide-to-slide effects
  • Multimedia: Images, audio, and video
  • Presenter Notes: Hidden speaker notes

Common Use Cases

Business Meetings

Corporate presentations and reports

Education

Teaching materials and lectures

Sales Pitches

Product demos and proposals

Legacy Files

Accessing older presentations

Advantages

  • Compatible with older PowerPoint versions
  • Widely supported across platforms
  • Proven reliable format
  • Can be opened by most presentation software
  • Contains all core presentation features

Disadvantages

  • Larger file sizes than PPTX
  • Binary format (harder to parse)
  • Limited multimedia support
  • Less robust data recovery
  • Lacks modern features
  • Being phased out

Technical Information

Format Specifications

Specification Details
File Extension .ppt
MIME Type application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
Developer Microsoft
Format Type Binary
Status Legacy
Superseded by PPTX (2007)

Common Tools

  • Desktop: PowerPoint 97-2003, LibreOffice Impress
  • Modern: PowerPoint 2007+ (compatibility mode)
  • Conversion: Office 365, Google Slides