How to Switch to Normal View in PowerPoint?

You accidentally or intentionally changed the PowerPoint view to Slide Sorter, and now you don’t know how to switch to normal view in PowerPoint. You want to edit all slides like you used to do, but currently, PowerPoint is showing you a different view.

Most users never even try switching views, and they always stick to Normal View in PowerPoint. In this article, we will discuss different presentation views that can improve your PowerPoint experience to a whole new level.

Switching to Normal View in PowerPoint

Before discussing the details of the available presentation views in PowerPoint, let’s answer your question first. You are not sure what view is currently active, but you want to switch to normal view. Now, follow these steps, and you will be able to see all slides in PowerPoint as normal.

Step 1: Go to the Views Tab

Once your PowerPoint presentation is open in any view, go to the View tab in the top ribbon. You will be able to see the current View for the presentation.

In the image, you can see that Outline View is highlighted in the View section. It means that you are currently viewing the outlines of the slides.

Step 2: Switch to Normal View

Once the View tab is open, simply click Normal, and you will see that thumbnails of all slides are now visible in the left pane and the selected slide’s preview is available in the right window.

What are Presentation Views in PowerPoint?

Normal view is not the only way to show, edit, or arrange slides. This is the most used view option, but there are other view options too.

Each View style in PowerPoint is useful for certain actions. Understanding the PowerPoint presentation views can help you optimize workflow. Let’s see how to use different Views for PowerPoint presentations.

1.     Normal View

PowerPoint opens your presentations in Normal View by default. Normal View is used to edit slides easily, as you can easily navigate to any slide through the thumbnail pane. You can also drag and drop the slide thumbnail in the left pane to change the order of slides.

When you select any slide from the left pane, the right window displays that slide. In Normal View, the right window is your place to edit the slide.

2.     Outline View

Outline View shows you the outline of all slides. The sidebar does not display all the content, but just the major points and headings. You can also copy a text outline from MS Word and simply paste it into the sidebar in the Outline View in PowerPoint.

Any changes made to the sidebar’s content will be reflected in the slide window instantly.

3.     Slide Sorter View

Slide Sorter view is used to view all thumbnails of the presentation. When you switch to Slide Sorter view, all thumbnails are shown, and you can easily arrange the thumbnails by dragging them. This view is mainly used to arrange the slides in PowerPoint presentations.

4.     Notes Page View

If you have speaker notes in PowerPoint, Notes Page View shows how your slides will look if printed with notes. Below the slide, there is a section for displaying speaker notes.

You can directly edit or add speaker notes to slides in the text box below the slide preview, as shown in the image below.

5.     Reading View

Transitions, animations, and other effects in a PowerPoint presentation are not displayed in Normal View. You can try Reading View to see all transitions and effects in different slides without starting the full-screen slideshow.

Reading View is just like a slideshow, but you can easily control the active screen, minimize, or maximize it. Once activated, only slide contents will be displayed on the screen; the top ribbon and other menus will disappear. Press the Esc button to exit the Reading View.

Mastering PowerPoint with Twistly

Views, Master Views, Macros, and many other concepts are new to most users. Not all of these tools and features are used in every presentation, but some slides may require more control. But here is the catch: mastering PowerPoint takes time.

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Conclusion

The View tab in PowerPoint has view options, and you just need to select Normal View to display the thumbnail pane as normal. If you ever feel confused about any PowerPoint feature, you can always browse through the Twistly Blog section.

We have hundreds of detailed articles and tutorials for you so that you never have to worry about complex features of PowerPoint. If you are not fond of reading articles, simply install Twistly and start making amazing presentations right away.