Microsoft PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation

PPTM files are similar to .PPTX files, which utilize the Open XML document format introduced in Microsoft Office 2007. However, PPTM files support embedded macros that can be executed by PowerPoint.

Even if a PPTX file includes macros, PowerPoint will not allow users to run them. They must first be saved as a PPTM file, and then the macros may be executed.

Macros in PowerPoint function similarly to scripts allowing you to automate repetitive tasks such as formatting a slide, adding text, or creating new slide themes. You can create and edit macros using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) by clicking Macros in the View tab in the ribbon.

You can open, edit, save, and convert PPTM files with Microsoft PowerPoint in Windows and macOS. PowerPoint is the best choice for opening PPTM files because the software fully supports the macros embedded in the slides and the formatting of the slides, which includes the placement of text and images.

Several other presentation programs can open PPTM files but they may not fully support the formatting of the slides or macros embedded in the slides. Alternative programs include Corel Presentations (Windows), Apple Keynote (Mac), Kingsoft Presentation (multiplatform), and Apache OpenOffice Impress (multiplatform). If you are a Mac user simply looking to view a PPTM file, you can use Apple Preview , which comes bundled with macOS.

You can also upload PPTM files to Google Drive to view them, or upload the files to Google Slides to view, edit, and convert them (does not support macros). Google Drive is a cloud storage service and Google Slides is a web application for editing presentations. Both are free and accessible with a Google account.

Programs that open PPTM files

Updated: February 10, 2021