Claude PowerPoint skill (pptx)

Claude can hand you a real .pptx file that opens in PowerPoint and stays editable. The work is done by one of Anthropic's four pre-built document skills, the PowerPoint skill, with the ID pptx. This page covers what the skill does, how to use it on each surface, the separate PowerPoint add-in, and the limits written into the skill itself.

What the skill does

Anthropic's docs describe it as creating presentations, editing slides and analyzing presentation content. The SKILL.md in Anthropic's repository covers four jobs:

• Create a deck from scratch with the pptxgenjs library.
• Read a deck: extract the text with markitdown or render slide thumbnails.
• Edit an existing file by unpacking it, changing the XML and repacking it.
• Work from a template: duplicate slides, fill placeholders and keep the formatting.

It also gives Claude design rules. Pick a color palette that fits the topic, with one dominant color at about 60 to 70 percent plus one or two supporting tones and an accent. Repeat one visual motif across slides. Use fonts that render reliably, such as Arial, Calibri or Cambria, with titles at 36 to 44 pt and body text at 14 to 16 pt. Vary layouts and avoid slides with text only.

Before handing over the file, the skill has Claude check its own work: extract the text to confirm content and order, search for leftover placeholder text, validate the file, and render every slide to an image to look for overflow, overlap, contrast and alignment problems.

Who publishes it

Anthropic. The pptx skill is one of the pre-built Agent Skills, along with Excel, Word and PDF. Its source is published in the anthropics/skills repository as source-available, not open source. The README notes that the behavior you get in Claude may differ from the repository copy.

Where it works and how to use it

Claude.ai

Nothing to install. The pre-built skills run when you create documents. Turn on "Code execution and file creation" under Settings > Capabilities; the help center lists this feature on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, on web, desktop and mobile. Files can be up to 30MB, and you can download the deck or save it to Google Drive.

Create a [number]-slide PowerPoint deck about [topic] for [audience].
Goal of the talk: [what the audience should decide or remember].
Outline: [your main points, in order].
Put the numbers from [data source or pasted table] in a native chart on one slide.
Choose a palette that fits the topic. Before you send the file, render the slides and fix any text that overflows.

Claude API

Add the skill to the container parameter and include the code execution tool, which skills require. The quickstart uses {"type": "anthropic", "skill_id": "pptx", "version": "latest"}. The finished deck is saved in the container, and you download it through the Files API using the file ID in the response.

Claude Code

Anthropic's platform docs say the pre-built document skills do not ship with Claude Code. There are two ways to get them. If you sign in to Claude Code with a claude.ai account (version 2.1.273 or later), it downloads the skills enabled on that account, which the Claude Code docs say include Anthropic's built-in skills such as pdf and xlsx. Or install Anthropic's published copies as a plugin:

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin install document-skills@anthropic-agent-skills

This installs the xlsx, docx, pptx and pdf skills. Then name the skill in your request.

The PowerPoint add-in

If you would rather work inside PowerPoint, Anthropic offers Claude for PowerPoint, an add-in for Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. It runs on PowerPoint on the web, on Windows with a Microsoft 365 subscription (build 16.0.13127.20296 or later) and on Mac (version 16.46 or later). Install it from the Claude for Microsoft 365 listing on Microsoft AppSource, then sign in with your Claude account. It reads your slide master, layouts, fonts and colors, edits single slides without regenerating the deck, and turns bullets into native charts and diagrams. It supports Skills too. It does not run on PowerPoint 2016 or 2019 perpetual licenses, iPad or Android.

When it helps

• A first draft of a deck from an outline, notes or a report.
• Turning a table of numbers into slides with editable charts.
• Pulling the text out of a long deck to summarize or rewrite it.

Our business prompts and marketing prompts include outlines worth turning into slides, and productivity prompts help condense notes first.

Limits

• The SKILL.md lists gradient fills as unsupported; it uses images for gradients instead.
• Chart types PowerPoint lacks, such as Sankey, network and chord diagrams, become images, so you cannot edit them as charts.
• Fonts outside the safe set can render differently in the check preview, which can hide text that overflows on your machine.
• Old .ppt files must be converted to .pptx first.
• Anthropic's add-in page advises against sending a deck to a client without human review. The same applies to any file Claude makes.

To see how this skill fits with others, browse the Claude Skills catalog or read how Claude Skills work.

FAQ

Can Claude make a PowerPoint presentation?

Yes. In Claude.ai, with code execution and file creation on, ask for a deck and Claude returns a .pptx file you can download.

Can Claude edit my existing PowerPoint file?

Yes. Upload the .pptx and say what to change. The skill edits the file and keeps its formatting, and it can fill an existing template.

Is there a PowerPoint skill for Claude Code?

It does not ship with Claude Code. Install Anthropic's document-skills plugin from the anthropics/skills repository, or sign in with a claude.ai account so the skills enabled there sync down.