How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

Since clicking on this article you probably know what a handout in Powerpoint is, but for those of you who are unsure about what handouts in PowerPoint is, we will explain it very shortly. We will show you two different methods that will teach you:

  1. How to make a handout with room for notes
  2. How to make a handout with your notes

We always recommend that you use as few pieces of text as possible in your presentation, which you can read more about in this article. But if I have to send out material in advance, print out audience copies, or share the presentation afterward, how should the target group understand my message when it just pictures with barely any text?

That’s a reasonable question, and handouts are a complement to your slides that you can fill with relevant information.

To make handouts in powerpoint is a common and useful phenomenon, which Microsoft has taken into consideration, and built a function in the program for just that. Below we describe in detail how to make a handout in PowerPoint.

How to Make a Handout With Room for Notes

1. Navigate to “View” and click on “Handout Master.” You now get a brand new menu, Handout Master. Here are several different options that help us answer the question; how to make a handout in PowerPoint.

Navigate How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

2. Change the layout. At the far right of the toolbar, you will find a section called “Page Setup,” click on “Slides Per Page.” Here you can choose (what a surprise), how many slides you want to display on each page. As thumbnails indicate, you also see that there is room for text, in some layout options. Choose the layout that suits you best.

Layout How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

3. Change orientation. When I hand out physical audience copies, I prefer to use landscape orientation. You can make this choice at the “Handout Orientation” on the far left. Now, we’re close to knowing how to make a handout in PowerPoint, let’s move on!

How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

4. Change the Slide Size. You can also change the size and dimensions of your handouts in PowerPoint, which you can do under “Slide Size.” I prefer to use Widescreen (16: 9) format, as almost everyone is used to this format nowadays. There are very few people with square displays.

How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

5. Preview your handouts. Once you are satisfied with the format and have ensured that there is room for notes if needed, you can predict what your presentation will look like when it is printed. You do this quickly by:

5.1 Click “File” then “Print.”

5.2 Navigate to “Settings” then “Full Page Slides,” navigate to “Handouts” and select the layout you want to preview.

How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

How to Make a Handout With Your Notes

Bonus Tip! Are you familiar with the “Speaker Notes” section of Powerpoint? With the help of this feature, we will also show you how to make a handout in powerpoint. The main advantage of this method is that you will also print your speaker notes to the audience. How to use:

1. Add text in Speaker Notes. During each slide, you will find the Speaker Notes section, where you can insert more substantial pieces of text that are mainly intended to support you during your presentation, but you can also fill it with information for those who will read your PowerPoint presentation. Enter the pieces of text you want to attach.

How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

2. Navigate to “File” then “Print.” Under “Settings,” you will find an option called “Full Page Slides.” Expand that menu by clicking the small arrow to the right, now select “Notes Pages” instead.

How to Make a Handout in PowerPoint

3. Print. Now everything is ready for printing, and your audience will have not only access to your stylish slides but also additional information that provides in-depth knowledge.

There you go! Now you know how to make a handout in PowerPoint! Also, we have given you two different alternatives. In the first, we create a field where the audience can make their notes for the presentation. In the second method, we allow you to use Speaker Notes and can, therefore, print longer pieces of text that complement your slides.

Thank you for reading, now you hopefully know how to make a handout in PowerPoint. As usual, you are most welcome to give us tips and feedback. If you need help with anything related to PowerPoint, presentation skills, or anything else related presentations to do, contact us, and we will help you.

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