Hi, my mac mini is unable to open a ppt file saying "this file has an older format that isn't supported". How can I overcome this problem without having to change my ppt files' formats? Thanks for your help.
Mac mini
On 10.8.2, Preview just opened a Powerpoint '97 .pps slideshow created in December 1999. If you right-click on your .ppt file and choose Open with ... Preview, what happens?
On 10.8.2, Preview just opened a Powerpoint '97 .pps slideshow created in December 1999. If you right-click on your .ppt file and choose Open with ... Preview, what happens?
a window pops up saying: "this file has an older format that isn't supported" and there is no choice of preview. Besides I am able to see the preview, but this is not what I need. I need the ppt file to be fully operative as we may all do.( fullscreen viewing, changes, additions, exclusions of slides and animations, etc.)
Googling just produced numerous (free) programs converting "old format" PPT's to "new format", incl one from Microsoft itself. As far as I could see, they're all for Windows, though. Perhaps you can ask a friend owning a PC to help you out, or you happen to have Windows under Boot Camp or a VM on your Mac.
what is "windows under boot camp" and "VM"?
That's ways of running Windows on Mac computers, but don't worry, forget it.
On to "Plan B": I suggest you ask a friend with a Windows PC to install one of these little conversion programs and convert the files for you, so you can continue using them.
These days any .ppt file would be considered an old format as the current format is .pptx, my guess is that these files must be really old .ppt files predating Office 97 for example.
As such Apple's own software such as Keynote, Preview etc. are probably not supporting it. I also suspect that Office 2004, 2008, or 2011 for Mac will also probably not accept it. Maybe you can find an Office for Windows that will still accept it and then convert it to a more modern format that will work on a Mac. Another option to try would be GoogleDocs.
Yup, that's exactly the problem here, also the fact that actual Office versions don't accept these files, that's why the use of a separate conversion program was recommended.
Any Office old enough to open these files will not be able to save them in a "modern" format, I fear.
GoogleDocs might lose some of the formatting.
Thank You
LibreOffice:
can open and edit old ppt formats. The results probably won't be perfect, but it won't cost anything to try.
C.
Edit: Just noticed this question is three years old. Oh well...
How to open older format ppt files.
