Find & reuse a slide

Goal: find a slide that already exists in the library and reuse it — either download it or drop it into a presentation — instead of rebuilding it.

When to use this: any time you need a slide that likely already exists. Reusing the library copy means you get the current, approved version and stay consistent with everyone else.

Steps

1. Find the slide. Use whichever search works best for you:

   • Library search — the search box, for a quick keyword match across every collection you can see.
   • Lightning Search (slides) — fast filtering with toggles for Title / Text / Notes / Fields / Tags, plus VID shortcuts (type bu3 to find BU-3).
   • Search by Tag — pull every slide (and presentation) carrying a tag.
   • Advanced search — filter by a specific custom field, editor, or last-edited date range.

   

2. Click the slide to open and confirm it’s the right slide, and to see the slide details. Check the thumbnail, speaker notes, the properties (tags and custom fields), the version number, and the approval stamp (for example, “Approved by …”). Use prev / next buttons below the slide to scan nearby slides.

   

   Tip

   Preferred slides show an Approved stamp and have cleared review. If a slide is on an older version, open version history to compare before you reuse it.

3. Add it to the tray. Drag the slide — from the detail view, a folder row, or a specific version — down into the tray at the bottom of the screen. Add as many slides as you need, from as many folders as you like.

   

4. Reuse it. From the tray’s toolbox, either:

   • Download PowerPoint icon in the right header of the tray — compiles the slides in the tray into a single .pptx, or
   • open a presentation and drag the tray items into the deck to build with them.

Tips & pitfalls

Tip

There is no single-slide “download” button on the slide page — reuse always goes through the tray (or Edit in PowerPoint). Collecting slides in the tray is also how you download several at once.

Caution

Mixed slide sizes can block a clean export. If you combine slides of different dimensions, you’ll get a Slide Size Mismatch prompt with links to same-size searches — build the deck from one size where you can.

Can’t find it? Broaden your Lightning Search filters, try Search by Tag, and check that you have access to the collection it lives in — you only see content you’ve been granted.

Related

Build a presentationAssemble a deck from the slides you found.

The trayEverything the tray can do.

Navigating & searchAll the ways to find content.