Microsoft Teams update makes it best friends with PowerPoint

Microsoft Teams
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Using Microsoft Teams for PowerPoint presentations will soon be more helpful than ever thanks to a new update.

Microsoft's video conferencing service is getting a new feature to the PowerPoint Live function that was recently introduced, allowing users to open and present from the software directly in a video call.

Now, PowerPoint Live is getting support for live slide translation, meaning slides can be instantly translated during a meeting. Both presenters and attendees can translate presentation content privately by right-clicking on the presentation, which will bring up a "Translate Slides" option. 

A screenshot of the feature taken by WindowsLatest shows Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi and Japanese as among the language translation options, with many more included.

The new features is set to roll out in mid June 2021, with distribution expected to be completed by the end of that month.

PowerPoint translation

PowerPoint Live looks to take a lot of the headaches out of setting up a presentation using Microsoft's video conferencing platform, with the various software products now working together much more seamlessly.

The service allows presenters to start presentations directly in a Microsoft Teams meeting without needing to share your screen with the audience.

Users can start presenting just by clicking on the new "Present in Teams" button in PowerPoint, allowing the presenter to navigate around their device between different apps and windows without the audience seeing anything.

Alternatively, presenters can also share their presentation using the "Share content" menu within a Microsoft Teams call. This will now have a dedicated PowerPoint Live section, where the presenter can click on the file they need to start presenting.

Presenters will also be able to use a single view to look after their slides, notes and the chat all within a single view. Accessing the chat window directly alongside the presentation should mean presenters don't miss any urgent questions or prompts, and also allows attendees to click on hyperlinks and videos within the presentation at any point.

PowerPoint Live is available to Microsoft Teams users with an Office 365 E3/A3/E5/A5 or Microsoft 365 for Government license.

Via WindowsLatest

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.