How to recover a deleted slide in powerpoint​?

Recover Deleted Slide Using PowerPoint’s Built-in Features

Use the Undo Function: The simplest way to recover a recently deleted slide is by using the Undo function. In PowerPoint, you can press Ctrl + Z (on Windows) or Command + Z (on Mac) immediately after deleting the slide. This action will reverse the deletion, and the slide will be restored to its original position in the presentation. You can also click the “Undo” button in the Quick Access Toolbar, usually located in the upper-left corner of the PowerPoint window. The Undo function has a certain limit on the number of actions it can reverse, so it’s most effective when used right after the deletion occurs.

Check the Version History: PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 subscribers has a Version History feature that allows you to view and restore previous versions of a presentation. To access this, click on the “File” tab and select “Info”. Then, look for “Version History” in the right pane. You’ll see a list of previous versions of the presentation that PowerPoint has automatically saved. Select the version that contains the slide you deleted and click “Restore” to bring back the entire presentation to that version, including the deleted slide.

Use the AutoRecover Feature: PowerPoint’s AutoRecover feature is designed to save your work automatically at regular intervals. To check if AutoRecover can help recover your deleted slide, go to the “File” tab and click “Options”. In the PowerPoint Options window, select “Save”. Here, you’ll see the option “AutoRecover file location”, which shows the path where AutoRecover files are stored. Navigate to that location in File Explorer (on Windows) or Finder (on Mac) and look for AutoRecover files related to your presentation. Open the file that seems most relevant, and it may contain the deleted slide. You can then copy the slide back to your original presentation.

Recover Deleted Slide from Backup Files

Check for Auto-Saved Backup Files: In addition to the AutoRecover feature, PowerPoint may create backup files automatically. The location of these backup files can vary depending on your settings and operating system. On Windows, they are often stored in the same folder as the original presentation with a “.bak” extension. On Mac, they might be in the “Backups.backupdb” folder if Time Machine is enabled. Locate these backup files and open them in PowerPoint to see if they contain the deleted slide. If so, you can copy the slide back to your main presentation.

Manually Created Backup Files: If you have a habit of creating manual backups of your PowerPoint presentations, check those backup copies. You might have saved a previous version of the presentation before deleting the slide. Locate the backup file, open it, and copy the missing slide back to the current version of your presentation.

Use Third-Party Data Recovery Software

Panda Assistant is a professional and advanced data recovery software.

Wide Compatibility: It can recover data from various storage devices, including hard drives, USB drives, SD cards and external storage. It supports multiple file systems like FAT, NTFS and exFAT.

Powerful Scanning: It has a powerful scanning capability that can deeply scan storage devices to detect and recover a wide range of file types, such as documents, photos, videos and audio files.

Preview Function: One of its remarkable features is the preview function. Users are enabled to preview recoverable files before the recovery process, ensuring the accuracy of the retrieved data.

Multiple Recovery Modes: It offers both quick scan and deep scan modes. The quick scan is suitable for recently deleted files, while the deep scan is used for more severe data loss situations.

How It Works

Typically, after launching the software, users first select the storage device from which they want to recover data. Then, they can choose the appropriate scan mode. After the scanning is complete, the software displays a list of recoverable files. Users can preview these files and select the ones they need to recover, then specify the storage location for the recovered files.

Tips to Prevent Future Slide Deletions

Regularly Save Your Presentation: One of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent data loss is to save your PowerPoint presentation regularly. You can do this by clicking the “Save” button in the Quick Access Toolbar or using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S (on Windows) or Command + S (on Mac). Additionally, you can set up AutoSave in PowerPoint to have it save your work automatically at even shorter intervals.

Use Version Control: If you’re working on a complex presentation or collaborating with others, consider using version control. You can create multiple versions of your presentation with descriptive names, such as “Presentation_v1”, “Presentation_v2”, etc., each time you make significant changes. This way, if you accidentally delete a slide, you can easily go back to a previous version that contains the slide.

Be Cautious When Editing: When making changes to your presentation, especially deleting slides, be extra careful. Double-check before performing any deletion operations to ensure that you’re not removing something you’ll need later. If possible, move the slide to a hidden or “backup” section of the presentation instead of deleting it immediately, in case you need to retrieve it later.