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15 software used for mac presentation, 6 online presentation software for mac, does mac have presentation software, how do you create a presentation on mac, is there a mac version of powerpoint, is powerpoint better than keynote, let your presentation talk, related articles, 15 best presentation software for mac [reviewed & ranked].

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Updated on: February 08, 2024

Presentations are integral to any design: how else would you explain your idea to your client or team? People tend to leave presentations as the last possible step of their process and don’t give them as much time and attention as they need.

If you are a designer, architect, artist, businessman, or any other person that regularly makes subpar presentations, take your game to the next level with some of the best presentation software for mac !

You don’t want to download or install any App? Then check these 6 online presentation software for mac .

Here is some of the best presentation software for Mac that you can use to make your ideas and design extraordinary:

Price: Free Best for: Mac users

Keynote is one of the top presentation software for Mac and comes included with most Apple devices.

With its stunning features and powerful tools, you can bring your slides to life and create the most effective presentations for your clients or your boss.

• Best in-built presentation software for Mac
• Simple and intuitive
• Poor compatibility with windows presentation software
• Presentations can take too much storage
• Does not have as many editing tools as PowerPoint

2. FlowVella

Price: Free (limited version) or $10/month Best for: Mac users

This presentation software is excellent to combine words, images, videos, links, PDFs, and other media into a presentation.

This way, having an interactive presentation is easy.

It’s oriented towards marketing, HR professionals, and sales teams.

• Great Drag & Drop Feature
• Dozens of free templates
• You have to buy the software to use all the features and tools

3. Prezi for Mac

Price: Free (limited version) or starting at $10/month Best for: Mac users

Prezi for Mac is another great Mac presentation software that lets you create dynamic presentations. It has a trial version of 14 days.

The bad thing about making presentations is choosing a video or image to put into it. But not with Prezi.

Prezi is a leader in the video presentation movement and allows you to make the most interactive slides for your presentation.

• Great User Interface
• Zoom and overview feature
• Integration with Zoom Software
• It takes time and practice to learn how to work on Prezi.
• Not easy for beginners.

Price: Starting at $35 Best for: Mac users

Deckset is a unique presentation software that lets you put your ideas and thoughts into it and makes the slides for you.

This is great for people that want to spend less time and energy making slides for their presentation but is only for text-based presentations.

It includes a trial version to try before purchasing the complete presentation software.

• It designs your slides for you, taking off most of the pressure of creating a presentation
• Trial Version
• It is a very costly software to buy

5. PowerPoint

Price: Free (With a Microsoft 365 subscription) Best for: Mac users

PowerPoint for Mac is old but gold.

It is one of the oldest presentation software and allows you to create beautiful slides with multiple templates of your choice.

This software has many tools and features that make the presentation process fun and easy.

• Easy and simple to use
• Multiple free templates
• Lack of creativity in the included templates
• Display Compatibility issues

6. LibreOffice’s Impress

In this software for Mac, multiple editing and viewing modes make the process of editing and creating slides versatile and interactive.

This software is great for presentations that are mostly text-based.

• Free software
• It does not put a lot of strain on your system
• Not very good user interface
• Lack of integration with other presentation software

7. iSkySoft Slideshow Maker

Price: $59.95 Lifetime Best for: Mac users

iSkyDoft Slideshow Maker has to be one of the best presentation software for Mac.

It allows the user to add text, photos, and videos to the slides and music, which makes the entire experience of watching a presentation even better.

This presentation software can be used to beautifully commemorate an event, activity, design process, or team activity in one file.

Moreover, the software also has a ton of features and aftereffects that can be added to make the presentation even better.

• Easy-to-use interface with a ton of incredible features
• It has a steep subscription fee that might not be good for beginners or one-time users

8. Focusky 3D

Price: starting at $9.9 Best for: Mac users

If you want to make a presentation on your desktop but also want it to work on other devices, such as your phone or tablet, Focusky is the perfect software for you.

Focusky is a powerful 3D presentation software for Mac with a wide range of tools that allows you to customize your presentation according to your taste.

to customize your presentation according to your taste.

• It works great offline and doesn’t require any internet
• Powerful export functionality (slides into gift/flash)
• Unexciting slide visual effects
• It requires a bit of learning before you can successfully use it

9. TouchCast Pitch

TouchCast Pitch is one of the presentation software that you automatically gravitate towards when you want to make a meaningful, impactful, and interactive presentation.

Pitch turns boring presentations into winning experiences that make it hard to forget.

• It has a huge library of tools and interesting features for your use
• A bit hard to learn and teach students

If you’re trying to make a presentation in less time with the least effort and still hoping it will come out beautiful, Canva is the perfect software to use.

With its extensive features and tools, the software allows you to edit, customize, and create your slides for presentation in record time.

• It is free, simple, and has a good user interface.
• It allows you to create stunning designs in mere minutes
• It is not a specific software for presentations.
• It does not have as many interesting features as other presentation software

Price: Free or $8/month Best for: Mac users

If the presentations that Pitch lets you make are half as interactive and fun as their website, there is no better software for Mac to do presentations.

It has multiple great tools, effects, templates, and designs available for you to use for your presentation or get inspired to create your own.

• Team Collaboration feature
• Great Support Team
• It has a bit of a learning curve, especially for a beginner
• A limited selection of templates

12. WPS Office for Mac

Price: Free (limited version) or $ 25.21 / year Best for: Mac users

WPS Office must be the essential software on your desktop, whether it is Windows or Mac.

The WPS Office for Mac has all the features and tools that let you document your process and create some of the simplest and easiest presentations for your work meetings and project discussions.

• It allows for collaboration
• Easy documentation
• It doesn’t have a lot of tools for PDF editing or grammar-check for text

13. Premast Plus

Price: Free or $5.99/month Best for: Mac users

If you are a designer, or any other creative folk, looking for beautiful graphic presentation software, there is none better than Premast Plus.

It gives you a wide range of tools, templates, illustrations, and icons to use for your presentation to make it the best you can!

• Very simple
• Wide Range of rich templates
• A lot of the tools and features of this software are available only after you purchase a subscription
• A bit unstable.

14. Movavi Slideshow Maker

Price: Free Trial or $37 Best for: Mac users

Movavi Slideshow Maker is great for unconventional presentations as it lets you add images, videos, text, music, transitions, and effects to your file.

It allows you to create a movie out of your work, making the entire presentation fun and engaging.

• It has great and simple user-interface
• It lacks a lot of features and does not have the tools for professional editing and presentation-making

15. Propresenter – Church Presentations

Price: starting at $399 Best for: Mac users

Propresenter is a church presentation software for Mac that allows you to create a beautiful presentation for a sermon.

It can include worship lyrics, sermon notes, videos, images, etc., to create an impactful and powerful presentation.

The best thing about this software is that it is excellent for beginners.

• Perfect presentation software for church
• It has all the tools that you might need to add music, lyrics, sermon, and text.
• Very expensive software and only best for professionals

1. Slidesbean

Slidesbean is an innovative online presentation software for Mac that does most of the heavy lifting while making the presentation.

It has great features and interactive tools that offer everything you need to build the perfect pitch for your presentation!

Great for entrepreneurs who want to create a beautiful pitch deck.

• Great analytics
• The templates look great
• The result looks very professional
• Videos have to be uploaded to third-party platforms
• The AI feature is not too helpful
• Export for PowerPoint only exports as image

2. Renderforest

Looking for a great online presentation software for Mac that allows you to create stunning videos, animations, branding, mockups, presentations, and more?

Renderforest is the perfect site for beginners and professionals.

• High quality & professional looking templates
• Mind-blowing animations
• Video templates look great
• Free version available
• Limited customization
• Can be a bit pricy
• No iOS or Android app
• Video render time can take long

3. Zoho Show

The great thing about this online presentation software for Mac is that it allows for a group/team to collaborate on the process of creating a presentation.

It is a clean, simple, and easy software that makes creating presentations seamless and simple.

• Includes infographics
• Supports real-time collaboration
• It has good template designs
• It has a Chrome web browser extension that makes it easier to work on the slides.
• It allows broadcasting presentations
• Easy-to-use transitions
• Interface can be a bit slow on low-end devices
• Interface could be better
• No desktop App available

Visme is a fan favorite for brands, big and small, to create stunning presentations.

It has numerous templates and color pallets to choose from that make the entire process of making a presentation easy.

• Allows you to create a brand identity with “My brand” feature
• Disk capacity and usage limit can be low on basic and free plans
• No support for collaborators
• Learning curve
• Free version is way too limited
• The interface could be better

5. Google Slides

Google Slides is the most popular online presentation software that is used by millions worldwide.

It provides the basic tools and features necessary to create a striking presentation.

• Fast and easy to use
• Includes real-time collaborative mode
• It’s free
• Connected with Google services like Google Drive
• It doesn’t support non-Google-based fonts
• Limited templates
• Limited transitions and animations
• It won’t provide support for audio imports

Slides are one of the online presentation software that makes your presentation look extremely sleek and professional.

It is a must for all designers and project managers!

If you need to bring project management to the next level, then you must check out the best project management software for Mac .

• Supports custom HTML and CSS
• Supports two directions (vertical & horizontal)
• Smooth and fast interface
• Supports LaTeX
• It doesn’t provide templates
• It doesn’t support PowerPoint exports

Mac has a presentation software already preinstalled in all Apple devices called Keynote. It is completely free and it allows you to create stunning presentations for school projects, your business, your office, etc. It is available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even for PCs.

Keynote includes real-time collaboration with your team, which is an essential feature now that everything is done online.

You can create a presentation on Mac with the help of Keynote. To create a keynote presentation follow these 3 steps:

• Choose a theme.
• Add your content to the placeholder images and texts.
• Create a presentation from the slides.

Yes. Microsoft PowerPoint is available for download on Mac and your phone, tablet, or PC, but you would need a Microsoft 365 subscription on your device to use it on Mac. The software isn’t identical to the Windows one but is quite similar with only a few minor differences in menu and layout.

Where PowerPoint is the most common presentation software for everyone worldwide, Keynote has been declared a better presentation software for Mac users, especially for professionals.

But if you are looking for a variety of editing tools, features, and templates for your presentation, there is nothing that trumps PowerPoint.

Creating a powerful presentation is an essential part of your strategy, whether you are a businessman, a designer, an architect, or a project manager.

It would be best if you had a presentation that doesn’t bore your audience and manages to convey all the key information in the best possible way.

All the software mentioned above are some of the most extraordinary presentation software for Mac and can help you create a memorable presentation.

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Juwairiah Zia

Juwairiah Zia is a seasoned professional, a full stack developer and writer in her free time. She’s deeply immersed in various tech domains such as web and mobile application development and mentorship.

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The best presentation software in 2024

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

The latest presentation apps have made it easier than ever to format slides and create professional-looking slideshows without giving off a "this is a template" vibe. Even standard PowerPoint alternatives have updated key features to make it easier than ever to collaborate and create presentations quickly, so you can spend more time prepping for your actual presentation.

If, like me, you've used Google Slides unquestioningly for years, it's a whole new world out there. The newest crop of online presentation tools go way beyond the classic slideshow experience, with new features to keep your audience's attention, streamline the creation process with AI, and turn slide decks into videos and interactive conversations.

I've been testing these apps for the past few years, and this time, I spent several days tinkering with 25 of the top presentation software solutions out there to bring you the best of the best.

The best presentation software

Beautiful.ai for AI-powered design

Prezi for non-linear, conversational presentations

Powtoon for video presentations

Pitch for collaborating with your team on presentations

Gamma for conversational AI features

Mentimeter for audience engagement

Tome for generative AI features

What makes the best presentation app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog .

When looking for the best presentation apps, I wanted utility players. After all, slideshows are used for just about everything, from pitch decks and product launches to class lectures and church sermons. With that in mind, here's what I was looking for:

Pre-built templates. The best presentation tools should have attractive, professional-looking templates to build presentations in a hurry.

Sharing and collaboration options. Whether you plan to share your webinar slides later, or you just want to collaborate with a coworker on a presentation, it should be easy to share files and collaborate in real-time.

Flexibility and customization options. Templates are great, but top presentation apps should enable you to customize just about everything—giving you the flexibility to build exactly what you need.

Affordability. Creating compelling presentations is important, but you shouldn't have to bust your budget to make it happen. With capable free tools on the market, affordability is a top consideration.

Standalone functionality. There's no reason to use multiple tools when one can do it all, so I didn't test any apps that require and work on top of another presentation app like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Familiar, deck-based interface. For our purposes here, I only tested software that uses slides, with the familiar deck-based editor you expect from a "presentation" tool (versus, for example, a video creation app).

While most apps now offer AI features in one way or another, it isn't a universal feature yet—and some apps' AI features leave a lot to be desired. For that reason, I opted not to make AI features a strict must-have for this year (though it probably will be a requirement next time I update the article). That means I've still included some apps that don't offer AI—if you opt for one of those, you can still easily get AI-generated images and text from a separate tool and copy them into your presentation app of choice.

Beyond that, I also looked for presentation apps that brought something unique to the table—features above and beyond what you can get for free from a legacy solution like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

I created a new deck, scanning through all available templates, noting how well-designed they were (and which were free versus paid).

I added new slides, deleted slides, edited text and images, and played around with other content types.

I changed presentation design settings, like color schemes and background images.

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

After my first round of testing, I went back into the top performers to test any unique or niche features, like AI, brand settings, and interactive content. With that, these are the best presentation apps I found—each one really brings something different or radically easy to the table.

The best presentation software at a glance

The best free presentation software, canva (web, windows, mac, android, ios).

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The AI tools aren't groundbreakingly useful

Canva offers one of the most robust free plans of all the presentation apps I tested. The app delays account creation until after you've created your first design, so you can get started building your presentation in seconds. Choose from an almost overwhelming number of beautiful templates (nearly all available for free), including those designed specifically for education or business use cases.

Anyone who's accidentally scrolled too far and been bumped to the next slide will appreciate Canva's editor interface, which eliminates that problem altogether with a smooth scroll that doesn't jump around. Choose from a handful of preset animations to add life to your presentations, or browse the library of audio and video files available to add. And Canva also has a number of options for sharing your presentation, including adding collaborators to your team, sharing directly to social media, and even via QR code.

Present directly from Canva, and let audience members submit their questions via Canva Live. Once you share a link to invite audience members to your presentation, they can send questions for you to answer. As the presenter, you'll see them pop up in your presenter view window, so you can keep the audience engaged and your presentation clear. Alternatively, record a presentation with a talking head bubble—you can even use an AI presenter here—to share remotely.

Canva has added a number of AI-powered tools , but I wasn't super impressed by them yet. The Magic Design tool, for example, isn't much more useful than the many pre-designed templates already available, while Magic Write is basically just white-labeled ChatGPT. These features will likely improve in time, but for now, you're better off starting from one of Canva's many great templates.

Canva pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $120/year for 1 user and include additional features like Brand Kit, premium templates and stock assets, and additional AI-powered design tools.

If you're looking for a capable free presentation tool with a more affordable upgrade, Zoho Show is worth a look. It's completely free for most features, offers a clean, intuitive editor, and includes a number of great templates. Plus, you can automate Zoho Show by connecting it with Zapier .

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

Beautiful.ai (web, mac, windows).

Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

If you're like me, editing granular spacing issues is the absolute worst part of building a presentation. Beautiful.ai uses artificial intelligence to take a lot of the hassle and granular design requirements out of the presentation process, so you can focus on the content of a presentation without sacrificing professional design. If I needed to make presentations on a regular basis, this is the app I'd use.

Many apps have recently added AI design features, but Beautiful.ai has been doing it for years—and they've perfected the experience of AI design, ensuring the tool's reign as the most streamlined and user-friendly option for AI design.

The editor is a little different from most presentation apps, but it's still intuitive—and you'll start off with a quick two-minute tutorial. When creating a new slide, scroll through "inspiration slides" to find a layout you like; once you choose, the app will pull the layout and automatically adapt it to match the design of the rest of your presentation.

With 10 themes, several templated slides, over 40 fully-designed templates, and more than 20 different color palettes to choose from, Beautiful.ai strikes a perfect balance between automation and customization.

While Beautiful.ai doesn't offer a free plan, paid plans are reasonably priced and offer sharing and collaboration options that rival collab-focused apps like Google Slides. And speaking of Google, you can connect Beautiful.ai with Google Drive to save all your presentations there.

Note: I re-tested the generative AI feature (called DesignerBot) this year. It's great for adding individual slides to an existing presentation—automatically choosing the best layout and matching the design to the rest of the deck—but as with most other apps, it struggled to pull in relevant images.

Beautiful.ai pricing: Plans start at $12/month for unlimited slides, AI content generation, viewer analytics, and more. Upgrade to a Team plan for $40/user/month to get extra collaboration and workspace features and custom brand controls.

If you're a founder looking for an AI presentation tool for your pitch deck, Slidebean is a great Beautiful.ai alternative for startups. The app offers a number of templates; a unique, content-first outline editor; and a generative AI tool that builds a whole pitch deck based on your website. I didn't include it on the list mainly because of the price: the free plan is quite limited, and the paid all-access plan can only be billed annually.

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

Prezi (web, mac, windows, ios, android).

Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

Prezi Video lets you display a presentation right over your webcam video

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

Struggling to squeeze information into a basic, linear presentation? Give Prezi a try. Unlike nearly all other presentation apps on the market, Prezi Present doesn't restrict the structure of your presentation to a straight line. The editor focuses on topics and subtopics and allows you to arrange them any way you want, so you can create a more conversational flow of information.

With the structural flexibility, you still get all the same customization features you expect from top presentation software, including fully-editable templates. There's a learning curve if you're unfamiliar with non-linear presentations, but templates offer a great jumping-off point, and Prezi's editor does a good job of making the process more approachable.

Plus, Prezi comes with two other apps: Prezi Design and Prezi Video. Prezi Video helps you take remote presentations to a new level. You can record a video where the presentation elements are displayed right over your webcam feed. Record and save the video to share later, or connect with your video conferencing tool of choice (including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet) to present live.

Prezi's generative AI feature works ok, but it's more useful as a wireframe. When I asked it to create a presentation about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for example, the resulting content read a lot like a student writing a term paper in the broadest strokes possible to avoid doing any actual research.

Prezi pricing: Free 14-day trial and a free plan that includes up to 5 visual projects; paid plans start at $7/month and include additional features like private presentations and Prezi Present.

The best presentation app for video presentations

Powtoon (web, ios, android).

Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

Powtoon makes it easy to create engaging videos by orienting the editor around a slide deck. Editing a Powtoon feels just like editing a presentation, but by the time you finish, you have a professional video. 

You can edit your slides at any time, and when you hit play, a video plays through your deck—the feel is almost like an animated explainer video. Each slide includes the animations you choose and takes up as much time as is needed based on the content on the slide. Powtoon figures the timing automatically, and you can see in the bottom-right of the editor how much time is used on your current slide versus the total presentation. If you ever want to present as a slide deck, just toggle between Slideshow and Movie.

You'll likely need to subscribe to a paid plan to get the most out of Powtoon—like creating videos longer than three minutes, downloading them as MP4 files, and white-labeling your presentations—but doing so won't break the bank. Plus, you'll unlock tons of templates complete with animations and soundtracks.

One of my favorite Powtoon features is the ability to orient your video: you can choose horizontal orientation (like a normal presentation) or opt for vertical (for mobile) or square (for social media). When your presentation is ready, you can publish straight to YouTube, Wistia, Facebook Ads, and any number of other locations.

Powtoon pricing: Limited free plan available; paid plans start at $15/month and include white-labeling, priority support, additional storage, and more.

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

Pitch (web, mac, windows, ios, android).

Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Excellent generative AI feature

Pitch cons:

User interface is a little different than you're used to

Need to collaborate on presentations with your team? Pitch is a Google Slides alternative that gets the job done. As far as decks go, Pitch includes all the beautifully-designed templates, customizability, and ease of use you expect from a top-notch presentation tool. But the app really shines when you add your team.

The right-hand sidebar is all about project management and collaboration: you can set and update the status of your deck, assign entire presentations or individual slides to team members, plus comment or add notes. Save custom templates to make future presentations even easier and faster.

You can also invite collaborators from outside your company to work with you on individual decks. And if you opt for a paid plan, Pitch introduces workspace roles, shared private folders, and version history.

Pitch also offers one of the most impressive generative AI features on this list. It still struggles to pull in relevant images, but I found the AI-generated written content and design to be top-notch.

Pitch pricing: Free plan offers unlimited presentations, custom templates, and live video collaboration; paid plans start at $22/month for 2 users with additional workspace features, presentation analytics, and more.

The best presentation app for conversational AI

Gamma (web).

Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Conversational chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

I tested a lot of apps claiming to use AI to up your presentation game, and Gamma's conversational AI features were head and shoulders above the crowd.

Simply give the app a topic—or upload an outline, notes, or any other document or article—approve the outline, and pick a theme. The app will take it from there and create a fully fleshed-out presentation. It's far from perfect, but Gamma produces a very useful jumping-off point. (Last year, it was by far the best, but this year, other apps are catching up.)

Here's the key: Gamma is much more geared toward the iterative, chatbot experience familiar to ChatGPT users. Click on the Edit with AI button at the top of the right-hand menu to open the chat, and you'll see suggested prompts—or you can type in your own requests for how Gamma should alter the presentation.

Once you've done all you can with prompts, simply close the chat box to manually add the finishing touches. While you do sacrifice some granular customizability in exchange for the AI features, you can still choose your visual theme, change slide layouts, format text, and add any images, videos, or even app and web content.

Gamma pricing: Free plan includes unlimited users, 400 AI deck credits, and basic view analytics; upgrade to the Plus plan for $8/user/month to get unlimited AI credits, remove Gamma branding, and more.

The best presentation app for audience engagement

Mentimeter (web).

Mentimeter pros:

Tons of audience engagement features

Simple for participants to interact

Mentimeter cons:

Less granular customizability

Bit of a learning curve

If you need to engage with an audience during your presentation, Mentimeter makes that easy. The app is designed around interactive elements like quizzes, surveys, Q&As, sliders, and more (even a Miro whiteboard!).

Each of these is included in a number of different, professional-looking templates, so you can build a fully interactive presentation super quickly.

When it's time to present, your audience members can scan the QR code with their phone cameras or type in the URL and access code to participate. There's one code per presentation (so they won't have to do this on every slide), which gives access to each slide as you move through the presentation.

There are two main drawbacks to this one, though. First, there's a bit of a learning curve and less familiar editing interface (but I found it pretty easy to learn with some practice). The other drawback is that you can't get as granular with the visual customization as you can with many other presentation tools.

Mentimeter pricing: Free plan includes 50 participants per month and 34 different slide types; upgrade to the Basic plan for $11.99/presenter/month to get unlimited participants and slide types, private presentations, and more.

The best presentation app for generative AI

Top-tier generative AI features

Simple, customizable templates

Intuitive doc-style editor

There's definitely a learning curve

Tome is one of the new additions to this list that I'm most excited about. If you're looking for generative AI that just genuinely works , it's definitely worth a look. The editor is a bit more stripped down than most presentation apps but intuitive nonetheless—it's almost a cross between your standard deck editor and a Notion-style doc.

To generate an AI deck, click Generate with AI in the top right, and either write your own prompt or choose from the example prompts that cover a handful of common use cases, like sales enablement and company pitches. Edit or approve the suggested outline, then generate the full presentation.

From there, you can edit each slide as a doc via the right-hand menu—without limits on how much information you can include. During the presentation, you simply size down any slides that take up more than the standard amount of space. It's super simple but somehow feels revolutionary in a presentation app.

Tome pricing: Free plan available for manual editing without AI; upgrade to the Professional plan for $16/user/month to use the generative AI and design tools, plus engagement analytics, branding tools, and more.

What about the old standbys?

You might notice a few major presentation players aren't on this list, including OGs Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides. These apps are perfectly adequate for creating basic presentations, and they're free if you have a Windows or Mac device or a Google account.

I didn't include them on the list because the presentation space has really developed in the last several years, and after testing them out, I found these behemoths haven't kept pace. If they weren't made by Microsoft/Apple/Google, I might not even be mentioning them. They're pretty basic tools, they're behind the curve when it comes to templates (both quantity and design), and they don't offer any uniquely valuable features like robust team collaboration, branding controls, video, and so on.

Some of these companies (think: Microsoft and Google) are openly working on some pretty impressive-sounding AI features, but they haven't really been focused on their respective presentation solutions just yet. Rest assured, I'm watching this space, and the next time we update this article, I'll re-test tools like Copilot for PowerPoint and Gemini for Google Slides to see what new features may be available.

In any case, if you're reading this, you're probably looking for an alternative that allows you to move away from one of the big 3, and as the presentation platforms featured above show, there's a ton to gain—in terms of features, usability, and more—when you do.

What about PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ons?

While I focused my testing on tools with full feature-sets—those that can serve as your sole presentation tool—there are a ton of add-on tools you can use atop big name tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides.

If you're looking to expand what you can do with PowerPoint or Google Slides, apps like Marq (formerly Lucidpress), Plus AI , Slidesgo , and Simplified can help you do things like access additional templates, save branded assets, and generate AI presentations from the app you're already using.

Related reading:

Canva AI tools to improve your design workflow

The best online whiteboards for collaboration

How to share a presentation on Zoom without sharing your browser tabs and address bar

This post was originally published in October 2014 and has since been updated with contributions from Danny Schreiber, Matthew Guay, Andrew Kunesh, and Krystina Martinez. The most recent update was in April 2024.

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Kiera’s a content writer who helps SaaS and eCommerce companies connect with customers and reach new audiences. Located in Boston, MA, she loves cinnamon coffee and a good baseball game. Catch up with her on Twitter @Kieraabbamonte.

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Presentations that stand out. Beautifully.

With its powerful tools and dazzling effects, Keynote makes it easy to create stunning and memorable presentations, and comes included with most Apple devices. Use Apple Pencil on your iPad to create diagrams or illustrations that bring your slides to life. And with real‑time collaboration, your team can work together, whether they’re on Mac, iPad, iPhone, or a PC.

See what’s new in Keynote

Present your story. Your way.

Keynote sets the stage for an impressive presentation. A simple, intuitive interface puts important tools front and center, so everyone on your team can easily add beautiful charts, edit photos, and incorporate cinematic effects. And Rehearse Mode lets you practice on the go, with the current or next slide, notes, and clock — all in one view.

Start with a gorgeous layout.

Choose from over 30 eye‑catching themes that instantly give your presentation a professional look. Or create your own slide designs, background images, and page‑by‑page customization.

Create next-level animations.

Add drama to your presentation with more than 30 cinematic transitions and effects. Make your words pop by adding textures, color gradients, and even photos — with just a tap. And animate objects along a path using Apple Pencil or your finger on your iPhone or iPad.

Make every slide spectacular.

Choose from over 700 Apple-designed shapes, galleries, math equations, and charts. Take a photo or scan a document with your iPhone, and Continuity Camera can send it straight to Keynote on your Mac.

What’s new in Keynote.

Learn about everything you can do in Keynote

Add live video feeds to any slide.

Appear in a window, right on your slides, with a picture-in-picture display during remote presentations. Or include a live feed of your iPhone or iPad screen to show off apps.

Present with your team. Seamlessly.

For slideshows with multiple presenters, you can now take turns controlling a single deck — from anywhere — on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

Play YouTube and Vimeo videos right in Keynote.

Embed a video from YouTube or Vimeo, then play them right in your presentations, without the need to download or open the video in a media player. *

Present over video conference. Like a pro.

Play a slideshow in its own window so you can access other apps while you present. You can view your presenter notes, upcoming slides, and navigation in a separate window as well.

Outline your presentation. Easier.

With outline view for iPhone and iPad, quickly jot down your thoughts, restructure ideas, and move concepts from slide to slide. Then switch to slide view and start designing.

Turn handwriting into text. Magically.

With Scribble for iPadOS and Apple Pencil, your handwritten words will automatically be converted to typed text. Take notes, edit a presentation, or annotate text quickly.

Present like never before. From anywhere.

With Keynote, presenting remotely can be just as seamless as presenting in person. Say goodbye to saying “Next slide, please” — now multiple people can present together, even remotely, with each person taking control of their section of the deck. Add a live video feed of yourself to any slide for a picture-in-picture experience. Or when presenting on your Mac, include a live feed of your iPhone or iPad screen to walk through your apps. You can even play a slideshow in its own window, so you can simultaneously access your notes and other apps.

Any presentation. Any device. Anytime.

You don’t work in one place on just one device. The same goes for Keynote. Work seamlessly across all your Apple devices. The slides you create using a Mac or iPad will look the same on an iPhone or web browser — and vice versa.

You can also work on presentations stored on iCloud or Box using a PC.

Start using Keynote at iCloud.com

Create and present together. Even when apart.

Work together in the same presentation, from across town or across the world. You can see your team’s edits as they make them — and they can watch as you make yours, too. When presenting as a team, you can also take turns controlling a single deck from anywhere.

Use Apple Pencil when inspiration strikes.

Add color, illustrations, and handwritten comments for more beautiful presentations with Apple Pencil on your iPad.

Plays well with Office.

Teaming up with someone who uses Microsoft PowerPoint? Keynote makes it a great working relationship. You can save Keynote documents as PowerPoint files. Or import and edit PowerPoint documents right in Keynote.

Learn more about Microsoft PowerPoint compatibility

See everything that’s new in Keynote

• What’s new in Keynote for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• What’s new in Keynote for Mac
• Keynote for iCloud release notes

Additional Resources

• Get Keynote support
• Learn about Microsoft Office compatibility
• Learn about collaboration for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote
• Use Keynote in a video conference app

Keynote User Guides

• Keynote User Guide for Mac
• Keynote User Guide for iPad
• Keynote User Guide for iPhone
• Keynote User Guide for Web

Build spreadsheets that are bottom-line brilliant.

Create documents that are, in a word, beautiful.

Best presentation software of 2024

Make perfect slides for speeches and talks

Best overall

Best for branding, best for marketing, best for themes, best for media, best unique.

• How we test

The best presentation software makes it simple and easy to create, manage, and share slideshow presentations.

1. Best overall 2. Best for branding 3. Best for marketing 4. Best for themes 5. Best for media 6. Best unique 7. FAQs 8. How we test

Presentation software runs at the heart of business sales, management, and development, so it's important to ensure you have the best presentation software for your needs. This is especially when looking to share ideas, concepts, and workflows, and the ability to present these in a simple and understandable way is essential.

However, while presentation software has been traditionally limited to text and images, it has widened its ability to work with different media such as video and audio. 

Therefore it's important for the best presentation software to not simply be easy and simple to use, but also be able to support additional media so that presentations can be more engaging, lively, and ultimately serve their purpose in educating and updating their intended audience.

Below we've listed the best presentation software currently on the market.

We've also listed the best free presentation software .

The best office software in the world is: Microsoft 365 There are many different office software suites out there, but Microsoft Office remains the original and best, offering an unsurpassed range of features and functionality that rivals just can't match.

Even better, Microsoft 365 - previously branded as Office 365 - is a cloud-based solution which means you can use it on any computer, mobile device, or smartphone, without having to worry about compatibility. All your files are saved in the cloud and synced between devices, so you can begin work on a document at home or in the office, then continue working on it on the go.

You can sign up to Microsoft 365 here .

The best presentation software of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. PowerPoint

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

For most people, Microsoft 's PowerPoint remains the original and best of all the presentation software platforms out there. While other companies have managed to catch up and offer rival products worthy of consideration, the fact is that PowerPoint's familiar interface and ubiquitous availability means it remains a favorite for the majority of people.

On the one hand, it's long been a staple of the hugely popular Microsoft Office suite, meaning that for most users this is going to be the first - and last - presentation software they are going to need to use.

Additionally, Microsoft has made PowerPoint, along with their other office products, available as free apps (with limited functionality) on both iOS and Android for mobile use, meaning it's even harder to avoid them. And this is before we even consider the inclusion of PowerPoint in Microsoft's cloud-based Microsoft 365.

It does everything necessary that you'd expect of presentation software, allowing you to add text and media to a series of slides, to accompany a talk and other presentations. There are easy-to-use templates included to help spice things up a little, but even a general user with little experience of it is likely to find themselves able to use PowerPoint without much trouble at all.

Overall, it's hard to go wrong with PowerPoint, and although Microsoft 365 has a nominal cost, the apps are free to use even if they do have more limited functionality.

Read our full Microsoft PowerPoint review .

• ^ Back to the top

2. CustomShow

Reasons to avoid.

Branding says a lot about a business, and it’s something firms need to get right from day one – from a good logo to a suitable font. CustomShow is business presentation software that puts all these elements of branding first.

Using the system, you can design and present customized, branded presentations that reflect your company and the products you offer, featuring the aforementioned logo and custom fonts. As well as this, you get a slide library and analytics to ensure your presentations are a success.

What’s more, you can import presentations into the software, and use it to tweak them further. There’s also integration with SalesForce , and because the platform is cloud-based, you can access your presentations on computers, tablets, and smartphones. 

Considering the focus on branding, this offering could be good for marketing and sales teams, and it's used by major companies such as HBO and CBS Interactive.

3. ClearSlide

Just like CustomShow, ClearSlide has a niche focus for companies. The platform is targeted at firms looking to generate successful marketing campaigns, pushing sales via presentations (and more), not least through a range of analytics and metrics to work for sales and marketing.

With the product, you can upload a range of files, including PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, and Excel. ClearSlide is integrated with other platforms, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Salesforce.

This system is pretty complex and may offer too many irrelevant features for some businesses, but you can create customized content that reflects your company and the message you’re trying to get out to customers. There are also some good metrics and analysis features, and you can sign up for a free trial before making any decisions.

The real strength of ClearSlide comes from its focus on sales and marketing data, not least being able to track user engagement alongside other metrics.

4. Haiku Deck

Any presentation app will allow you to personalize your slides to at least some extent, but Haiku Deck goes one step further than the competition. It comes with a wide range of themes suited to different needs, and you also get access to 40 million free images from the Creative Commons collection.

When it comes to creating a presentation, you have the option to do so on the web, which means your presentation is accessible across a range of mobile devices as well as desktops. Regardless of the device used, you’re able to select from a variety of different fonts, layouts, and filters to make the perfect presentation.

The great thing about these various customization options is that they’re categorized into different industries and use cases. For instance, you’ll find themes for teaching, cooking, real estate, and startups. Most of the features require you to be online, but hopefully, you’ll have a sturdy net connection wherever you go.

5. SlideDog

It’s all too easy to end up creating a presentation that’s unappealing, and the last thing you want to do is make the audience fall asleep. SlideDog lets you combine almost any type of media to create a rich presentation that’s sure to keep the viewers’ peepers open, avoiding the ‘cookie cutter’ look that makes presentations seem dull.

Marketed as a web-based multimedia presentation tool, it gives you the ability to combine PowerPoint presentations, graphics, PDF files, Prezi presentations, web pages, pictures, videos, and movie clips. You can drag these into custom playlists and display them to your audience with ease.

You’re able to remotely control your presentations and playlists from your smartphone, the web, or a secondary computer, and there’s also the option to share slides in real-time. Audience members can even view your slide from their own devices by clicking a link. That’s a handy feature if you’re looking to create an immersive presentation experience.

SlideDog is probably the cheapest of the presentation software featured, with a free account that will cover the essential features. However, for live sharing and premium support, you need to upgrade.

Read our full SlideDog review .

Prezi is one of the more unique presentation tools. Instead of presenting your graphics and text in a slide-to-slide format, you can create highly visual and interactive presentation canvases with the goal of “emphasizing the relationship between the ideas”.

Presentations can also be tailored to the specific audience, as this is a flexible platform that’s capable of skipping ahead, or veering off into a side topic, without having to flip through all the slides to get to a particular bit.

For business users, there are a variety of handy tools available. By downloading Prezi , you can build and edit presentations with your colleagues in real-time, which is perfect for companies with teams based around the globe.

When you have created a presentation you’re happy with, you can present it live (in HD) and send a direct link to viewers. There are some analysis tools here, too – you can see who’s accessed your presentation, which parts of it, and for how long. The app is available for Mac and Windows devices.

Read our full Prezi review .

Other presentation software to consider

Google Slides  is part of the Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) office platform intended as an online alternative to Microsoft Office. It may seem a little limited by comparison to PowerPoint, but as it's browser-based that means cross-platform compatibility. Additionally, it allows for collaborative work, and Google Slides really works well here. On top of the fact that it integrates with the rest of the Google Workspace apps, not least Google Drive, and you have a contender. 

Zoho Show  is another of the many, many tools and apps that Zoho has made available for business use. It also operates in the cloud so it's accessible to any device with a browser, and it also allows for collaborative work. You can also easily share the link for users to download, or provide a live presentation online. The updated version has a simpler and easier to use interface and comes with a free version and a paid-for one with expanded features.

Evernote  is normally thought of as just note-taking software, but it does provide the option to create a presentation you can share online or with an audience. In that regard, it's a little more limited than the other options in not being dedicated presentation software. However, as an easy and handy way to pull together a presentation quickly, it could serve as a backup or last-minute option, especially if Evernote is already being commonly used by you.

LibreOffice Impress  is part of the open-source suite offered as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, and comes with a powerful array of tools and editing options for your presentation, not least working with 3D images. It's supported by a large community, so it's easy to find an array of additional templates. If there is a limitation it's that it's software you download and install rather than web-based, but any presentations created should be easily portable to the web if needed.

Adobe Spark  does things a bit differently, as rather than just use images it's geared toward video as well. This makes for potentially more powerful multimedia presentations, especially as Adobe also has a big selection of photos and images available for its users. There is a free tier for core features but requires a subscription for custom branding, personalized themes, and support.

Slides  comes with a lot of features in an easy-to-use interface, and involves setting up presentations using drag and drop into an existing grid. It's also internet-based so there's no software to download, and it only requires a browser to use and access. 

Presentation software FAQs

Which presentation software is best for you.

When deciding which presentation software to download and use, first consider what your actual needs are, as sometimes free platforms may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, free and budget software options can sometimes prove limited when it comes to the variety of tools available, while higher-end software can really cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require for your presentation needs.

How we tested the best presentation software

To test for the best presentation software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

We've also featured the best alternatives to Microsoft Office .

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Nicholas Fearn is a freelance technology journalist and copywriter from the Welsh valleys. His work has appeared in publications such as the FT, the Independent, the Daily Telegraph, The Next Web, T3, Android Central, Computer Weekly, and many others. He also happens to be a diehard Mariah Carey fan!

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12+ Presentation Software for Mac | 2024 Reveals | Tested and Approved By Experts

Leah Nguyen • 17 April, 2024 • 15 min read

Hang tight because this is where all Mac users unite 💪 These are the best presentation software for Mac !!

As Mac users, we know it’s sometimes frustrating to find a compatible software that you prefer contrary to the sea of wonders Windows users can get. What would you do if your favourite presentation software refused to go along with your MacBook? Taking a huge load of Mac memory disk to install Windows system?

In fact, you don’t need to go through all that hassle since we’ve put together this handy list of Mac presentation software that is powerful, easy to use and runs perfectly on all Apple devices.

Ready to wow your audience with free presentation software for Mac? Let’s jump right in 👇

Table of Contents

• TouchCast Pitch
• Adobe Express
• Google Slides

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips for better interactive presentation.

• How to make a presentation interactive
• Interactive presentation techniques
• Interactive presentation ideas for students

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

App-Based Presentation Software for Mac

There’s no place more convenient and friendly for Mac users than the default App Store. Explore some of the options without the hassle of going through the enormous app library we listed below:

#1 – Keynote for Mac

Top feature: Compatible with all Apple devices and has cross-platform sync.

Keynote for Mac is that popular face in your class that everyone knows, but not everyone is fully acquainted with.

Pre-installed as a complimentary on Mac computers, Keynote can be easily synced to iCloud and this compatibility makes transferring presentations between your Mac, iPad and iPhone incredibly simple.

If you are a pro Keynote presenter, you can also make your presentation come alive with illustrations and such with some doodling on the iPad. In other good news, Keynote is now exportable to PowerPoint, which allows for even more convenience and creativity.

#2 – TouchCast Pitch for Mac

Top feature: Make live or pre-recorded presentations.  

TouchCast Pitch blesses us with many quintessential online meeting features, such as intelligent business templates, real-looking virtual sets and a personal teleprompter, which is super helpful to ensure we’re not leaving anything out.

And if you want to record your presentation without using a third-party recording app? TouchCast Pitch gives you the power to do that and polish it with their simple editing tool besides presenting live.

As with many other choices for presentation software for Mac, there are numerous templates to choose from. You can also create your presentation from scratch and show off your design skills.

You can make changes to your slides from anywhere, as this bit of kit is available to download straight from the App Store.

#3 – FlowVella for Mac

Top features: Mobile-friendly and Adobe Creative Cloud integrated with a multi-purpose template library.

If it’s a quick and rich presentation format that you’re looking for, then try FlowVella . Whether you’re presenting a pitch in front of investors or designing a lesson for the class, FlowVella lets you create embedded videos, links, galleries, PDFs and such at the touch of your fingertips. No need to pull out a laptop as everything is “drag-and-drop” simply on an iPad.

The interface for FlowVella on Mac isn’t quite perfect, some of the text is hard to read. But, it’s an intuitive system and if you’ve used any other kinds of software for presentations on Mac, you should be able to pick it up easily enough.

Also, thumbs up for their customer support. You can contact them via live chat or email and they’ll address your problems quick as lightning.

#4 – PowerPoint for Mac

Top features: Familiar interface and file formats are widely compatible.

PowerPoint really is a staple for presentations, but to use it on your Mac, you will need to own a license for a Mac-compatible version of the presentation software. These licenses can be a bit pricey, but that doesn’t seem to deter people, as it’s estimated that around 30 million PowerPoint presentations are created every day.

Now, there is an online version that you can access for free. The limited features will be enough for most simple presentations. But, if you put diversity and engagement to the front, you are better off using one of the many alternatives to PowerPoint software for Mac.

💡 Learn how to make your PowerPoint truly interactive for free . It’s an absolute audience favourite!

Web-Based Presentation Software for Mac

Although convenient, the app-based presentation software for Mac’s biggest weakness is they are only available to your own kind, which is a turn-off for any presenter who yearns for two-way interaction and lively engagement with their audience.

Our proposed solution is simple. Migrate your ordinary presentation to one of the best web-based presentation software for Mac below👇

#5 – AhaSlides

Top features: Interactive presentation slides all for free!

AhaSlides is a cloud-based interactive presentation software born from a group of tech guys who had experienced Death by PowerPoint firsthand

It gives you the means to create an interactive presentation with which your audience can respond to your questions using just their phones.

From live quiz options with leaderboards to brainstorming tools perfect for gathering opinions and adding Q&As , there’s something for every type of presentation.

For presenters in business, you could try adding sliding scales and polls that will contribute to real-time graphics when your audience interacts via their smartphones. If you’re exhibiting at a show or presenting in front of large numbers of people, this can be a great tool for gathering opinions and encouraging focus. It’s great for any type of iOS device and it’s web-based – so it’s great for other systems tools!

So, Is there a Canva app for Mac? Of course, Yes!! 👏

Top features: Diverse templates and copyright-free images.

Canva is free presentation software for Mac that you’re after that’s all about design, then there are few options better than Canva. With a huge array of elements and copyright-free imagery available, you can drag and drop them straight into your presentation.

Canva prides itself on ease of use, so even if you’re not the most creative person in the world, you’re still able to create your slides on the go with Canva’s drag-and-drop functionality. There’s also a paid version if you want to access more templates and elements created by professional designers from around the world.

Even though Canva has the option to convert your presentation to PDF or PowerPoint, we recommend you present it straight from its website since we’ve encountered text overflow/errors in the designs while doing that.

📌 Learn more: Canva Alternatives | 2024 Reveal | Updated 12 Free and Paid Plans

#7 – Zoho Show

Top features: Multi-platform integration, minimalist designs.

If you are a fan of minimalism, then Zoho Show is the place to go.

One of the key differences between Zoho Show and some of the other web-based presentation software is its compatibility features. With integration to sites like Giphy and Unsplash , Zoho makes adding graphics directly to your presentations easy.

It’s a great option if you’re already using some of the Zoho suites, and therefore probably most suitable as a free presentation option for businesses.

Still, like Canva, Zoho Show also encounters the same problem with its export to PDF/PowerPoint feature, which often results in blank or damaged files.

Top features: Template library and animated elements.

Prezi is a bit of a unique option in this list. It’s one of the top bits of linear presentation software out there, meaning you can see your presentation as a whole and head to different sections in fun and imaginative ways. 

You can also present live and overlay your video on the slides just like TouchCast Pitch . Their huge template library is a great bonus for most presenters getting started, but you likely won’t be able to flex much creativity using Prezi’s free version.

📌 Learn more: Top 5+ Prezi Alternatives | 2024 Reveal From AhaSlides

#9 – Slidebean

Top features: Business templates and a pitch deck design service.

Slidebean is designed mostly for businesses, but its functionality would be suitable for other uses. They provide pitch deck templates that you can reuse and repurpose for your own business. The designs are smart, and it’s no real surprise that they also offer a pitch deck design service.

It’s simple to use and simple in its offerings. If you’re keeping things simple, try it out!

#10 – Adobe Express (Adobe Spark)

Top features: Stunning templates and team collaboration.

Adobe Express (formally Adobe Spark) is quite similar to Canva in its drag-and-drop feature to create graphics and other design elements. Being web-based, it is of course a compatible Mac presentation software and also offers integration with other Adobe Creative Suite programs which is useful if you create any elements with Photoshop or Illustrator.

However, with so many design assets going on, the website can run pretty slowly.

#11 – Powtoon

Top features: Animated slides and one-click animation

You might know Powtoon from their video animation creation feature, but do you know that they also offer a different, creative way to design a presentation? With Powtoon, you can easily create video presentations with no skills from thousands of custom designs.

For some first-time users, Powtoon can be a bit confusing because of its overburdened interface. You’ll need a bit of time to get used to it.

#12 – Google Slides

Top features: Free, accessible and collaborative.

With many features basically the same as PowerPoint, you won’t have much trouble creating a presentation on Google Slides .

Since it’s web-based, you and your team can seamlessly collaborate, comment or make suggestions for others. If you want to get interactive, Google Slides’ plugin library also has different, fun third-party apps to integrate directly into the slides.

Just a warning – sometimes the plugin can make your presentation VERY laggy, so use with caution.

📌 Learn more: Interactive Google Slides Presentation | Set Up with AhaSlides in 3 Steps | 2024 Reveals

So, now you have more than enough interactive presentation software options for Mac – all that’s left is to pick a template and get started.

Which presentation software is a free product that you can install on your Windows or Mac computer?

Microsoft PowerPoint and AhaSlides.

Why do you need to use AhaSlides together with traditional presentation software?

To gain better attention, along with interaction with the audience during gatherings, meetings and classes.

Can I convert Keynote to PowerPoint?

Yes, you can. Open Keynote presentation, then  Choose File > Export To, and select the format .

Leah Nguyen

Words that convert, stories that stick. I turn complex ideas into engaging narratives - helping audiences learn, remember, and take action.

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

15 Best Presentation Software for 2021

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Spread the word about this article:

On average a presentation takes up to 20 minutes and experts say we make an impression within the first 30 seconds. That is why it’s important to “dress” our great product/idea with an equally exciting design. Most often, presentations are cooked up by non-designers, which creates a specific need – for powerful presentation software, which can help communicate a message beautifully, effectively, and to suit any user’s skill level. We hand-picked 15 of the best presentation software for 2021 , which will help you create presentations online, share them, while shining in your best light. In the meanwhile, check out some useful ideas tips to spice up your presentations .

A web-based presentation tool, which means you can access your presentations wherever you are, with an internet connection. It is known for its animations, cartoons, and infographics, which help the user to create more interactive presentations and explainer-style videos.

Example by Focusky

Best Features:  Very interactive; you can create a unique to your story by combining different “frames” (slides); create your own animations within the presentation Price:  Free, but heavily subscription-based Learning curve:  Very intuitive, nicely organized by categories, but it would require some time to learn the animation controls Available for:  Online Perfect for: Marketing and education

To summarize, this presentation tool is best for marketers and education, where the creator can get the most out of the cool animation and cartoons available. In the last years, there is an increased interest in Powtoon and RenderForest and we expect that more and more people will use them in 2021. No surprise – if you look at our article about Graphic Design Trends in 2022 , everything is moving towards animation, cool 3D-s, cartoons, and illustrations – and these are all things that this software can offer for your presentation.

Prezi is an online presentation software, which resembles a mind map. In comparison, PowerPoint offers a linear way of presenting, whereas Prezi allows you to better show relationships between different elements of your presentation, show details, zoom in and zoom out and show an overall view of your topic. Compared to PowerPoint is more interactive, but with fewer functionalities and a choice of templates.

Example by PreziBase

Best Features:  Interactive presentations and interesting transitions, zoom in/out details Price:  The very basic features are free, but most of the interesting ones are paid, starting from $3/month and reaching up to $59/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  it requires learning and going through a lot of menus and functionalities, similar to PowerPoint Available for:  Online / Limited use for iOS and Android (only viewing, not creating and editing) Perfect for: teachers, businesses, more experienced designers, and specific presentations needs, but not recommended for newbies

Prezi is best in showing relationships between different parts of your presentations. There are some challenges in editing, and viewing across devices and its best features are paid for. We recommend it for quick, mind-map-like presentations without the need for ultra-special design.

3. RenderForest Presentation Maker

RenderForest is an online presentation tool, which is famous for its explainer style and whiteboard animations. The presentation templates often offer various motion/video backgrounds, which helps to grab your audience’s attention. Currently, the company is working on releasing its Graphic Design Software, which will allow users to create printables and beautiful designs for social media. This shows that RenderForest’s team knows the market well and does its best to cater to its needs!

Example by Renderforest

Best Features:  Video holders with text on shapes, cool transitions Price:  There is a free version, the paid ones start at $20.34 per user/month Learning curve:  Relatively easy to use, the simple interface helps the user Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  Education and business

Although not one of the cheapest solutions, it allows you to create engaging and interactive presentations with lots of cool animations. That makes RenderForest a great choice for more educational and marketing explainer-type videos/presentations.

4. Mentimeter

Mentimeter is a very interesting online presentation software. It allows your audience to engage with your presentation in real-time and you can create polls, ask questions, which are then displayed to your presentation. The answers from the audience remain anonymous so people are even more encouraged to participate.

Example by Mentimeter

Best Features:  Launch live, interactive polls, surveys, quizzes and create things like word clouds in real-time Price:  It has a free version, but the paid plans offer most of the attractive features – the basic plan costs $9.99 per user/month and the more advanced plan is $24.99 per user/month Learning curve:  Easy to use; might need to explain to a less tech-savvy audience how to connect to your presentation Available for:  Online / Android / iOS Perfect for:  Educators, speakers, business and competitions

An excellent choice for educators, speakers, and businesses who want to engage the audience in real-time and display the results immediately. Clean, simple designs, that help you focus on the content.

5. Libre Office Impress

Libre Office is free presentation software, an open-source alternative to PowerPoint. As you can expect from a free product, it offers only the main features of its “big brother”, but it’s a good solution for people used to Microsoft’s productivity suite. The interface is very similar to PowerPoint, which again makes it comfortable to use for a certain audience. Users who need collaboration on presentations, clean interface, and more creative design solutions should steer away from this free presentation software because it will simply not cover their needs.

Example by Theodoros Bousios

Best Features:  Free, compatible with older versions (Windows XP for example) Price:  Free Learning curve:  It will take some time to go through all the options and to get familiar with the interface; Available for:  Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS. Perfect for:  people who want to use a free product and people with older operation systems

To summarize, Libre is free, compatible with older versions, it can cover your basic needs for a presentation, but the options are too many and available templates too little.

6. Zoho Show

Zoho Show is also an online presentation software, which has a very friendly user interface and great collaboration features. There are many functionalities, which help you create a beautiful design, but require some time and design knowledge to get it right. The premade templates are limited and this presentation software needs an internet connection to be able to edit and present.

Image by Zoho

Best Features:  Live broadcasting a presentation with live chat and commenting Price:  Zoho Show is free for personal use. For business users, Zoho Show is included in the Zoho Docs enterprise pricing packages – €5 or €8 per user/month Learning curve: Available for:  Online / Android / iOS Perfect for:  non-profits, start-ups, personal use, teachers

To summarize, Zoho offers great collaboration features, but you need a connection to edit and present. It is suitable for quick, non-pretentious presentations, where you need some kind of collaboration.

7. ClearSlide Presenter

ClearSlide is a sales engagement platform, including an online presentation tool. Another online tool – SlideRocket, was acquired by ClearSlide and one of the differences is that ClearSlide is more costly and targeted at larger businesses. It’s a great platform for very specific needs – collaborating between sales and marketing teams, to achieve the company’s goals. It’s clear even by the interface:

Image by ClearSlide

Best Features: Analytics for costumers’ engagement, video conferencing, screen sharing Price:  They offer a free trial and you can see more about the payment plans here. Learning curve:  Clear and simple interface, but it requires some time to get used to the tools Available for:  Online Perfect for: Sales/business, managers (for coaching); not suitable for newbies, teachers, students

To summarize, ClearSide is perfect for presenting sales pitch , graphics, collaborate in larger teams. It is somehow restrictive for a non-designer because the templates are specific.

8. Piktochart

Piktochart allows you to make infographics, presentations, and printables quickly. Primarily known for its easy customizable infographics, Piktochart also has simple presentation templates and the company is constantly trying to update its library.

Example by Piktochart Knowledge Base

Best Features:  Turning data-heavy content into simple visuals; nice transitions between slides Price:  There is a free version and a paid one, starting at $29 per user/month. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  It requires time to get used to the options available and to navigate through Available for:  Online Perfect for:  Designers, teachers; it does not offer collaboration options, which might be needed by teams, students, etc.

Compared to other online presentation software is a bit costly and we could still ask a bit more from the presentation templates. We’d recommend it to someone who often uses infographics and wants to use a single platform to combine the infographics with a presentation. But why not check our free infographics as well?

Slides is online presentation software, initially aimed at developers and covering their presentation needs. Thus said, it does not offer offline editing, but you can present offline, after exporting your presentation.

Best Features:  It allows you to use your phone as a remote control; Live Present Mode allows you to control what your audience sees; drop in code, iframes, and SVGs with ease. Price:  Free, with paid plans starting at $7.00/month and $14-$18/month for pro and team packages. They offer a free trial. Learning curve:  friendly interface, but too many functions and options, which might overwhelm the average user and beginner Available for: Online Perfect for:  developers, designers, a little bit too specific for newbies

To summarize, it’s a very cool tool, giving you complete design freedom, but that is also why we do not recommend it to teachers, non-designers, or marketers. Developers and design gurus will love it.

Canva is a web-based solution that started with a mission – to make beautiful designed content available to everyone. The whole platform is organized so that a person without any prior design knowledge can easily create graphs, images, and presentations to impress. Although it is not the best tool for data visualization, it scores high in any other category. Needless to say, it has become a popular choice amongst non-designers.

Image by Iconfinder

Best Features:  Plenty of beautiful templates to choose from and Canva school has plenty of tutorials and tips for free. It offers more free functionalities compared to other competitors. Price:  Free, the offer different subscription plans, starting at $9.95 per user/month Learning curve:  Very easy to use, most of the actions can be performed by drag-and-drop Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  newbies, marketers (who need a unified look across all their social media), non-profits, and teachers

Canva is becoming one of the most popular tools amongst non-designers for creating beautiful unified content. You can create entire presentations, flyers, and other materials with a single drag and drop.

11. Slidebean

Slidebean is the go-to online presentation software for last-minute projects, that look original and professional. Slidebean offers clean and easy-to-use templates and keeps track of your audience’s engagement.

Source Slidebean

Best Features:  It allows you to arrange your content with the help of AI, which saves time creating a beautiful layout. You just pick a template, upload content, and let the AI offer you a nice layout. Premade animations, effects, and alignments are automatically applied to your content and create a cohesive look. Price:  Free, paid versions starting from $8/month Learning curve:  very easy to use since everything is made to fit the premade templates Available for:  Windows / Mac / Android / iOS Perfect for:  financial, academic, pitch, marketing, sales; everything quick with a clear structure

To summarize, if you are in a hurry, Slidebean will offer several layouts for your slides and speed up the process of creation. The platform targets primarily sales, marketing, and financial fields, and the available templates reflect that.

12. Google Slides

Google Slides is part of the G Suite business application. Its popularity has increased in the last years since it’s a web-based platform, allowing you to store, edit, and share your presentation, without the need of installing presentation software on your computer. All you need is a Google account and you are good to go.

Image by G Suite Updates blog

Best Features:  It’s free for personal use, and offers great paid features for business – for example, seamless collaboration and commenting on a presentation, converting other presentations to Google Slides. Some other great features are the wide variety of fonts available (GoogleFonts, not need installing), easy embedding, plus it’s super intuitive and easy to use! Price:   It’s free for individual use. For business use, the price starts at $5/user/month and plans of $10 and $25/user/month, for unlimited cloud storage and extra features Learning curve:  Simple interface, but it will require some time to pick up. Similar to PowerPoint, only a bit lighter. Available for:  Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for:  businesses, freelancers, who need a user-friendly app with elementary features; great for collaborating teams, not so perfect for complex designs and tools, required by big enterprises

Perfect for personal use, well synchronized across different devices, similar to PowerPoint. Maybe you are a teacher and you like GoogleSlides because it is free and easy to use? Well, we’ve gathered some awesome FREE GoogleSlides and PowerPoint templates , specially made for education needs.

If you need something along the lines of PowerPoint but need the option for collaboration – a paid plan for GoogleSlides is your go-to choice.

13. Keynote

Keynote is an Apple product, very similar to Google Slides. All you need to do is create an iCloud account (similar to a Google account) and start using Keynote from there. Running Keynote on Windows also requires an internet connection and a modern browser. The latest version can also import and export PowerPoint formats if needed. All this sends Keynote higher in the list regarding the accessibility and shareability of this presentation software.

Image by Envato tuts+

Best Features:  Simplicity of design, great drag and drop functions, polished transitions and animations, easy image editing/cropping; works great with multimedia; design templates with better aesthetic than an average slide deck; Price:  Free for macOS and iOS Learning curve:  Pretty easy to use for Mac users, a bit of learning curve for users, having experience with other software. Available for:  Mac / Windows / Online Perfect for:  businesses, marketers, people with not much of a design experience

Bottom line, if you are a Mac user, you love the sleek design and you are looking for cool aesthetics – Keynote is simple to use and free, why not use it?

14. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is a web and mobile-based media creation application, which helps you create social graphics, short videos, and web pages. What is immediately noticeable is the clean, crisp, simple, and modern designs, which focus you on the content. If you are looking for a funky, ornate design – Adobe Spark is not the right pick for you.

Example by Cikeys

Best Features:  Beautiful templates, user-friendly interface, step-by-step creation, you can add audio to your slides (narrating) Price:  There is a free version, the paid on starts at $9.79. The best templates, as with the competitors, are paid. They do not offer a free trial. Learning curve:  Easy to use Available for:  Online / iOS / Android Perfect for:  quick presentations, teachers, basic presentations without jamming them with too much cool stuff.

Adobe Spark eliminates the cluster of design options and leads you step-by-step in creating elegant, simple presentations. Ideal for basic presentations, not the best for sales and marketing.

15. PowerPoint

PowerPoint certainly is a “classic” – it’s has been the most popular tool for creating presentations so far. What first started as a component of the Microsoft Office suite, now has improved shareability and accessibility. It can be used on the web (as part of Office on the web), works with Android, and iOS, and there is a Mobile app, as well as presentation software for mac.

Example by Abris DC

Best Features:  Many people are familiar with the software, a wide variety of templates; improved accessibility across platforms; extensive tools and options Price: If you want to enjoy the full features of PowerPoint, you’ll need to subscribe to Microsoft 365 – they have payment plans for personal or business use. The price for personal use starts at $5.99/month or $59.99/year, and business plans start at $12.50 per user/month with an annual commitment. You can find more information here . The mobile applications are completely free to use, of course with some limitations. You can compare the available features across different platforms  here. Learning curve: Due to the variety of options and the complexity of the menus, it might take some time to master all of its features. Something that could take a lot of time is editing the text, arranging the visuals, and picking the right transitions – overall, is time-consuming. Still, the interface remained easy to navigate over time and if you trust your design sense, you can achieve satisfying results. Available for: Windows / Mac / Online Perfect for: business, medical, accounting and students; creating concise presentations; but not so suitable for teachers, educators, start-ups and marketers who want to create more interactive and story-based presentations.

To this date, PowerPoint is keeping the lead as the most popular tool for creating presentations. Some of the downsides are that sometimes it can be time-consuming to come up with a good design and PP doesn’t offer collaboration tools and compared to other platforms. But we have a solution for at least one of your problems – we’ve selected 31 Modern PowerPoint templates to set the right tone for your presentation. 

We made a quick summary for you…

Ok, not that we’ve looked at the 15 best presentation software for 2021, we decided to go one step further and compare them by price and popularity. Let’s have a look first at the new-comers:

As you can see, the leaders from the uprising platforms are Canva and Mentimeter, with relatively low prices and with huge success amongst users . Powtoon, Piktochart, and Renderforest are a bit costly , but they are popular since they offer a lot of animation and interactive elements. Hey, but maybe some of the other tools are right for you? We encourage you to go on their websites, contact their support team, and see what they have to offer.

Then, let’s see how the veterans are ranking:

It’s no surprise that PowerPoint and Google Slides are at the top – people are used to their products, have familiar interfaces, and offer a lot of functionalities at a good price. Although, for quick, unpretentious results, their competitors are a very attractive solution.

Final words

We can conclude that there are many useful tools to help you create beautiful presentations. Some of them are well-known and have been here for a while, while others are uprising… No matter the case, we notice a trend for presentation tools catering not only to the designers’ needs but also to the newbies, marketers, and teachers. That way, enabling everyone to create stunning presentations in no time and share them easily.

We hope this presentation software list shed some light on different options out there and that we helped you evaluate quickly what would work for your situation best.

You may also be interested in these related articles:

• 12 PowerPoint Presentation Tips To Dramatically Boost Your Efficiency
• 35 Free Google Slides Infographic Templates to Grab Now
• 23 Online Collaboration Tools for Your Remote Team

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Keynote User Guide for Mac

• What’s new in Keynote 14.0
• Intro to Keynote
• Intro to images, charts, and other objects
• Create a presentation
• Choose how to navigate your presentation
• Open or close a presentation
• Save and name a presentation
• Find a presentation
• Print a presentation
• Undo or redo changes
• Show or hide sidebars
• Quick navigation
• Change the working view
• Expand and zoom your workspace
• Customize the Keynote toolbar
• Change Keynote settings on Mac
• Touch Bar for Keynote
• Create a presentation using VoiceOver
• Add or delete slides
• Reorder slides
• Group or ungroup slides
• Skip or unskip a slide
• Change the slide size
• Change a slide background
• Add a border around a slide
• Show or hide text placeholders
• Show or hide slide numbers
• Apply a slide layout
• Add and edit slide layouts
• Change a theme
• Add an image
• Add an image gallery
• Edit an image
• Add and edit a shape
• Combine or break apart shapes
• Draw a shape
• Save a shape to the shapes library
• Add and align text inside a shape
• Add 3D objects
• Add lines and arrows
• Animate, share, or save drawings
• Add video and audio
• Record audio
• Edit video and audio
• Add live video
• Set movie and image formats
• Position and align objects
• Use alignment guides
• Place objects inside a text box or shape
• Layer, group, and lock objects
• Change object transparency
• Fill shapes and text boxes with color or an image
• Add a border to an object
• Add a caption or title
• Add a reflection or shadow
• Use object styles
• Resize, rotate, and flip objects
• Move and edit objects using the object list
• Add linked objects to make your presentation interactive
• Select text
• Copy and paste text
• Use dictation to enter text
• Use accents and special characters
• Format a presentation for another language
• Use phonetic guides
• Use bidirectional text
• Use vertical text
• Change the font or font size
• Add bold, italic, underline, or strikethrough to text
• Change the color of text
• Change text capitalization
• Add a shadow or outline to text
• Intro to paragraph styles
• Apply a paragraph style
• Create, rename, or delete paragraph styles
• Update or revert a paragraph style
• Use a keyboard shortcut to apply a style
• Adjust character spacing
• Add drop caps
• Raise and lower characters and text
• Format fractions automatically
• Create and use character styles
• Format dashes and quotation marks
• Format Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text
• Set tab stops
• Format text into columns
• Adjust line spacing
• Format lists
• Add a highlight effect to text
• Add mathematical equations
• Add borders and rules (lines) to separate text
• Add or delete a table
• Select tables, cells, rows, and columns
• Add or remove rows and columns
• Move rows and columns
• Resize rows and columns
• Merge or unmerge cells
• Change the look of table text
• Show, hide, or edit a table title
• Change table gridlines and colors
• Use table styles
• Resize, move, or lock a table
• Add and edit cell content
• Format dates, currency, and more
• Create a custom cell format
• Highlight cells conditionally
• Format tables for bidirectional text
• Alphabetize or sort table data
• Calculate values using data in table cells
• Use the Formulas and Functions Help
• Add or delete a chart
• Change a chart from one type to another
• Modify chart data
• Move, resize, and rotate a chart
• Change the look of data series
• Add a legend, gridlines, and other markings
• Change the look of chart text and labels
• Add a chart border and background
• Use chart styles
• Animate objects onto and off a slide
• Animate objects on a slide
• Change build order and timing
• Add transitions
• Present on your Mac
• Present on a separate display
• Present on a Mac over the internet
• Use a remote
• Make a presentation advance automatically
• Play a slideshow with multiple presenters
• Add and view presenter notes
• Rehearse on your Mac
• Record presentations
• Check spelling
• Look up words
• Find and replace text
• Replace text automatically
• Set author name and comment color
• Highlight text
• Add and print comments
• Send a presentation
• Intro to collaboration
• Invite others to collaborate
• Collaborate on a shared presentation
• See the latest activity in a shared presentation
• Change a shared presentation’s settings
• Stop sharing a presentation
• Shared folders and collaboration
• Use Box to collaborate
• Create an animated GIF
• Post your presentation in a blog
• Use iCloud Drive with Keynote
• Export to PowerPoint or another file format
• Reduce the presentation file size
• Save a large presentation as a package file
• Restore an earlier version of a presentation
• Move a presentation
• Delete a presentation
• Password-protect a presentation
• Lock a presentation
• Create and manage custom themes
• Transfer files with AirDrop
• Transfer presentations with Handoff
• Transfer presentations with the Finder
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Keyboard shortcut symbols

Create a presentation in Keynote on Mac

To create a new presentation, you first choose a theme to use as a starting point. Themes use coordinated fonts and colors for a unified look and often include placeholders that you can replace with your own content.

Create a presentation from a theme

To open Keynote, click the Keynote icon in the Dock, Launchpad, or the Applications folder.

If the theme chooser (shown below) doesn’t appear, click New Document in the bottom-left corner of the dialog. You can also choose File > New (from the File menu at the top of your screen).

Note: If you’d like the ability to format table and chart data using the conventions of another language, choose the language in the bottom-left corner before choosing a theme. See Format a presentation for another language .

In the theme chooser, browse the themes by category, then double-click the one that looks closest to what you want to create. To narrow the choices, click a category along the sidebar on the left.

Some themes aren’t downloaded to your computer until you choose them or open a presentation that uses one. If your connection is slow or you’re offline when this happens, placeholder images and slide backgrounds in the presentation may appear at a lower resolution until you’re online again or the theme finishes downloading.

Each slide layout offers a different arrangement of text and images that you use as a starting point for your content.

To add your own content to the presentation, do any of the following:

Add text: Double-click placeholder text and type your own.

Choose File > Save, enter a name, choose a location, then click Save.

Keynote automatically saves your changes as you work, so you don’t need to worry about saving your presentation manually. However, it’s a good idea to rename your presentation so you can easily find it the next time you want to work on it. You can change the name of the presentation or change where it’s saved at any time.

If iCloud Drive is set up on your Mac, Keynote saves the presentation to iCloud Drive by default.

To end the presentation, press the Esc (Escape) key. For more ways to show a presentation, see Play a presentation on your Mac .

To close the presentation, click the red close button in the top-left corner of the window.

Select a default theme for new presentations

You can set Keynote to always open a new presentation in a particular theme instead of from the theme chooser.

Choose Keynote > Settings (from the Keynote menu at the top of your screen).

Click General at the top of the window, then select “Use theme” in the For New Presentations controls.

The name that appears after “Use theme” is the currently selected theme.

Click the Change Theme button, select a theme, then click Choose.

To close the window, click the red close button in the upper-left corner.

After you change this setting, you can still open a new presentation with a different theme. Hold down the Option key, then choose File > New from Theme Chooser (from the File menu at the top of your screen).

5 Keynote Alternatives to Make Creative Slideshow Presentations on the Mac

Can't get used to Apple's Keynote app on your Mac? Here are your other options to create stunning presentations.

It's impressive and convenient that all Macs come preinstalled with robust and well-integrated presentation software like Keynote. For most people, it means they do not need to purchase third-party software.

However, while Keynote works great with your Mac and other Apple products, it's often not enough when you want to come up with creative slideshow presentations.

Fortunately, you can explore several Keynote alternatives to find something better. In this guide, we have covered the five best Keynote alternatives to create better slideshow presentations.

1. Microsoft PowerPoint

It has become almost customary for many Mac users to install Microsoft Office when setting up their Mac desktop or notebook. In their defense, Microsoft PowerPoint offers a better environment to build creative slideshow presentations for different purposes. More importantly, PPT files from PowerPoint also get broad support across popular platforms like Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS.

First, PowerPoint offers a richer and more up-to-date collection of templates to choose from. You can also download PPT templates from third-party sources. Second, compared to Keynote, PowerPoint offers more options for customizing the presentation. For instance, you can expect a more versatile collection of fonts, animations, transitions, etc.

We should also remember that PowerPoint uses a UI that most people are familiar with. So, if you use other Microsoft Office products, PowerPoint will be easy to manage than Keynote.

Download : Microsoft Office ($6.99 per month, free trial available)

While Canva is not as old as Keynote or primary alternatives, it helps several times better when you want an eye-catching slideshow presentation. Canva is primarily a web-based designing tool, but its Mac app also does a decent job.

We don't think it's as customizable as PowerPoint, but Canva has many innovative features . You can, for instance, bring in modern design elements and stock photos in a single click. Similarly, you can use design assets from previous projects on Canva. You also have the option to export your presentation into various formats like PDF, PNG, and MP4.

Compared to Keynote, Canva offers a dynamic collection of purpose-oriented templates. So, you can choose between starting from scratch or using a rich template. In the long run, Canva lets you create striking presentations and saves time. While some Canva features are premium-only, the free version works for most people.

Download : Canva (Free, premium subscription available)

3. Prezi Present

Prezi Present is another great option for creating conversational presentation slideshows. It's powered by significant design refreshes and interactive slides, which make everything look more attractive. As a result, it becomes easier to communicate complex concepts through slideshows. So, it is unsurprising that many educators and business professionals use Prezi for Mac.

Even though you can use the web-based app for the same experience, the macOS app of Prezi is pretty impressive, as it's easier to include content stored on your Mac. It is also a better option when you want to present the slideshow from your MacBook. However, despite how aesthetically pleasing Prezi slideshows are, the file formats are not widely compatible.

Nevertheless, you can convert an existing PowerPoint presentation into a Prezi presentation. We should also remind you that a premium subscription for this tool gives you access to a video creation and design suite.

Download : Prezi Present (Free, premium subscription available)

Unlike the other Keynote alternatives we have covered till now, Focusky has a slightly different objective. It is designed to help you create HTML5 slideshow presentations that work great on the web. Most of its core features are aligned with helping you build innovative business presentations. Therefore, you can easily find common elements like flow charts, graphs, and diagrams.

First, you can choose one of the many presentation templates from Focusky, which updates the collection often. But, even if you start with a blank project, you can choose between standard outlines for business presentations. Then, once you start, you can use Focusky to insert almost everything into the presentation, including shapes, screen recordings, images, and documents.

Things become more impressive when you want to export or publish the presentation. For example, you can convert the presentation into HTML5 or create a Windows app, macOS app, PDF, or video.

Download : Focusky (Free, premium subscription available)

5. WPS Office

WPS Office is a competitor to Apple's iWork Suite and a popular alternative to Microsoft Office 365 . So, its presentation app is better than Keynote in many aspects.

More importantly, the presentation app from WPS Office works with popular formats, including Microsoft PPT and Google Slides . However, compared to Keynote or Slides, WPS Office offers a versatile collection of creative templates.

We also love that the presentations app uses a UI design similar to that of Microsoft Office. So, if you switched from Windows to macOS, you can retain your workflow. The collection of transitions, fonts, and effects is also impressive. So, you'll find it easy to create a lesson plan for your course, a pitching presentation at work, or something out of the box.

Unlike Keynote, WPS Office works well with other third-party apps and offers multiple export options. Therefore, it will be easier when you want to convert your presentation into a video or PDF file.

Download : WPS Office (Free, in-app purchases available)

Creating a Better Presentation Without Keynote

While each Keynote alternative on this list packs a unique set of features, you should understand that having a good presentation app is only one part of the story.

You should also employ effective communication methods and professional tips to make your slideshow presentation engaging.

Presentify - Screen Annotation 4+

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• 4.3 • 78 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

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Description.

The best screen annotation app recommended and used by Harvard and MIT professors. Featured by Apple three times. A macOS menu bar app that helps you give better presentations, online classes, or video tutorials by letting you annotate any screen, highlight your cursor, and more. You can annotate anything on the screen, be it images, videos, pdfs, code, you name it. Presentify is quite helpful for online teaching, recording video tutorials, giving a demo, working remotely, and the list goes on. FEATURES ======== ANNOTATION - You can draw on or annotate any screen you wish. Select `Annotate Screen` from the menu bar and start doodling. - A lot of drawing shapes to choose from. You can even write Text now. - Draw with random gradient colors instead of just plain colors. - Auto-erase your annotations. Perfect for emphasizing something specific or explaining your thoughts. Also, toggle its behavior by pressing the Control Key. - You can draw even when other applications are running in full-screen mode. Great for live presentations and during video calls when working remotely. - New Interactive Mode: This opens up Presentify in the background letting the user use other apps and allowing them to annotate by pressing and holding the Fn key. - Now users can interact with the underlying apps when annotating (in default mode) with Presentify. Just press and hold the Fn key to do so. You no longer have to toggle Presentify to advance your presentation slides, play/pause videos, etc. - Highlighter feature lets you highlight portions of text without obscuring it. - You get a Straight Line by pressing and holding the Shift Key while Freehand drawing. And, you can fill the Rectangles and Circles with a semi-transparent color by pressing and holding the Option Key. - Works on iPad connected to a Macbook via Sidecar, Astropad, or Duet. - Works with Keynote (even in Presentation mode). - Compatible with all video calling software like Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, etc. - Works with drawing tablets like XP-Pen, Wacom, etc. WHITEBOARD - Draw on a whiteboard (and not over other apps) if you wish. - You can even change the color of your whiteboard to whatever you feel like. ANNOTATE CONTROLS - A handy control panel to switch between different annotate tools and colors. - Move the control panel anywhere on the screen by dragging it. - Completely hide the control panel. UNDO/REDO SUPPORT - Do not have to worry about mistakes while annotating. KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS - You can start annotating the screen, highlighting your cursor, changing pencil colors and shapes, etc. from any app with simple keyboard shortcuts. - Customize the key shortcuts as you like. HIGHLIGHT YOUR MOUSE POINTER - With Presentify you never have to keep moving your cursor to grab the attention of your audience. - Change your cursor highlight color, opacity, size, and more. - You can even choose to highlight only when you move your cursor/mouse. UPCOMING FEATURES ================= ANNOTATION - Ability to cut and move annotations - Spotlight feature - Zoom MOUSE HIGHLIGHT - New mouse highlight designs and animations OTHERS - Change the slides of your presentation from your iPhone - And, many more PRESS ===== Featured by Apple multiple times. Also, on Hacker News, Reddit, Product Hunt, and various other blogs like ifun.de, igeeksblog.com, etc. with more than 230 upvotes in each. CONTACT ======= For any questions or concerns, you can head to presentify.compzets.com and see the faq page or click on the Support link.

Version 4.2.0

ANNOTATE - Two new favorite color options. This makes the total number of favorite colors to five. - You can now choose between two keys for Interactive mode. Choose Fn if you're a fan of press & hold, or Caps Lock if you prefer to press it just once. OTHERS - Minor bug fixed where the key shortcut wasn't getting displayed for Cursor Highlight in the dropdown menu. - Sharp new menubar icon.

Ratings and Reviews

Really close to perfect, just needs more color buttons and keystroke eraser.

This app is the closest answer I've gotten to my perfect annotator prayers. It's clear that the developer has thought this app through carefully and worked hard on it. It's so incredibly functional, fast, and easily accesible. The hotkeys, in particular, are very well thought out and puts other apps to shame. Please, please consider adding the below 2 items to get this app to top-tier level. I'll gladly rate up to 5 stars. 1. Add more color buttons to the tool bar. I use 4 colors on a daily basis and this is sorely needed. 5 would be even better. If toolbar size is a concern, perhaps make it an option to display 3, 4, or 5 color selections at a time. 2. Keystroke eraser with eraser size option (like the [ ] function) is needed so that can erase selected items only.

Pretty good - couple recommendations

Overall, decent app, and am happy I purchased it. With that being said, here's a couple recommendations for the developer to make this a 5-star application: 1. Add the ability to erase under cursor (as opposed to only being able to clear the entire screen or edit undo currently). There are manu scenarios where I want to erase something written down several minutes ago as part of problem solving. 2. When using "Interactive Mode", allow us to configure in the preferences whether we want to "hold" the button down as it is today, or instead use said button as a "toggle" to flip between so that we don't need to hold down the button for the duration. 3. Add thin, medium, thick (customizable) to the toolbar to allow for quick switching between thicknesses (I frequently need to switch between the thinnest for regular writing, and a super fat thickness when using the highlighter mode).

Developer Response ,

Thanks for such a detailed review. I will definitely work on them. However, just fyi, you can change thickness easily by pressing [ and ] keys. Have you tried it? Best, Ram

Great! Needs a keystroke eraser and one more thing to be 5 Star

Great app - I use it everyday as a virtual classroom teacher. It's minimal design isn't distracting from what I'm teaching and demonstrating. For me though, it needs 2 things. 1. A keystroke eraser - Right now its either erase everything or use the control z undo. If I need to erase something from the beginning of the writing, I have to undo every stroke or just erase it all. 2. A pointer/click/mouse ability - I cannot interact with any button while I'm writing. I would love to be able to switch back to my pointer mouse without turning off presentify and everything erasing everything.

Thanks for your insightful review. The two features you have requested are currently being developed. Will be live soon. I can update this comment once I release them. Stay tuned and thanks again for using and reviewing Presentify. Cheers, Ram

App Privacy

The developer, Ram Patra , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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More From Forbes

Apple loop: iphone 16 pro max details, folding macbook plans, ipad pro revealed.

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Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from Apple, including the launch of the new iPads and Apple Pencils, the iPad Pro M4 chipset, the awkward size of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, foldable MacBook plans, iOS backdoor investigation, and Final Cut Pro’s new camera.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes .

Apple’s Pen and Paper Launch

This week, we saw a virtual presentation from Apple, which featured the launch of new iPads and Apple Pencil. The headline belongs to the iPad Pro, bringing a new screen, improved chipset, and a thinner design:

"Available in silver and space black finishes, the new iPad Pro comes in two sizes: an expansive 13-inch model and a super-portable 11-inch model. Both sizes feature the world’s most advanced display — a new breakthrough Ultra Retina XDR display with state-of-the-art tandem OLED technology — providing a remarkable visual experience. "

( Apple Newsroom ).

The new iPad

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Design Upgrade Shines In New Leak

It s possible the russian army is tricking the ukrainian army with a fake offensive, voters will be heard billionaire mark cuban issues stark warning to joe biden over donald trump s new weapon.

The Smaller iPads Are Renewed

Apple also refreshed the iPad Air and the classic iPad during the event. The latter sees a price cut down to $349, while the former comes with a processor upgrade that offers it more power to challenge the Mac range with an M2 variant now available:

"In contrast, the new iPad Air comes with a slightly bigger screen than before, 11 inches, and adds a second screen size, 13 inches, which has never been seen before. The previous Air had the Apple M1 chip on board, and that’s been bumped up to M2—the same processor that powers the latest iMac."

( Forbes ).

Welcome To The M4

Sitting at the heart of the iPad Pro is Apple’s new M4 chipset. This is the first M4 device to be launched, and it’s notable that it is not debuting with the Mac range, even though the specifications feel more like a desk-bound than an in-hand device:

"The M4 uses second-gen 3nm technology, and its 10-core CPU is configured with four performance cores and six efficiency cores, making it 50 percent more powerful than the M2 inside the prior iPad Pro, according to Apple. The M4’s 10-core GPU also supports dynamic caching, mesh shading, and ray tracing, plus a new display engine with four times the rendering speed compared to the M2."

( The Verge ).

Is The New iPhone A Handful?

Meanwhile, one of the big iPhone 16 Pro Max changes has been discussed this week. With recent leaks suggesting the Pro Max is getting bigger, is the largest iPhone screen going to be difficult to hold?

"How big are your hands? Same size as yesterday, right? Some of the most recent leaks about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro series have revealed that there could be noticeable size increases coming. According to the reliable Sonny Dickson on X a few days ago, it’s the iPhone 16 Pro Max which is going to be the grip-stretcher, thanks to its biggest-ever screen size, 6.9 inches, a noticeable increase from the current iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 6.7 inches."

The Foldable MacBook

How would you comfortably carry a 20-inch MacBook? According to analyst Jeff Pu, Apple’s supply chain is gearing up to ship such a device with a foldable screen that takes it closer to a 13-inch laptop… although we might have to wait a year:

"Apple is ramping up its work on foldable devices, according to a new investor note seen by 9to5Mac. The report, from Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu, says that Apple will begin mass production of a 20.3-inch foldable device in late 2025, followed by a foldable iPhone in late 2026.

"If today’s report from Pu is to be believed, Apple has “accelerated” its work on foldable devices. The report says that there is “increasing visibility” of Apple’s foldable devices based on supply chain checks.

( 9to5Mac ).

Investigating Backdoored iPhones

Dan Goodin is reporting the discovery of an iPhone Zero-Day Exploit for Ars Technica. This is notable both for the length of time it has been available and the process that is being used.

"Researchers on Wednesday presented intriguing new findings surrounding an attack that over four years backdoored dozens if not thousands of iPhones, many of which belonged to employees of Moscow-based security firm Kaspersky. Chief among the discoveries: the unknown attackers were able to achieve an unprecedented level of access by exploiting a vulnerability in an undocumented hardware feature that few if anyone outside of Apple and chip suppliers such as ARM Holdings knew of."

( Ars Technica ).

And Finally...

There’s a new utility in Final Cut Pro for the iPad that allows multiple cameras to be brought into the tablet Apple doesn’t call a tablet for live mixing… Say hello to Final Cut Camera, available for every camera that is called iPhone:

"Users can get a director's view of each camera in real time, and the settings can be adjusted from the Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 app. There are options for tweaking exposure, focus, white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and zoom to get the perfect shots. Preview clips are passed through to Final Cut Pro and then replaced with full-resolution files so users can quickly move from production to editing."

( Mac Rumors ).

Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here , or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes .

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• Best for a detailed budget
• Best for tracking investment accounts
• Best for taxes
• Best for a hands-on approach
• Other apps that didn't make the cut and why
• Methodology

Frequently asked questions

Best personal finance management software of 2024.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate banking products to write unbiased product reviews.

The Best Personal Finance Software

• Best for a detailed budget: Quicken Deluxe
• Best for tracking investment accounts: Empower Personal Dashboard
• Best if you like filing your taxes independently: TaxAct
• Best for a hands-on approach: Google Spreadsheets

Ready to get a better understanding of your finances? Personal finance software can be a great tool for building better money habits and learning how to budget in the long term.

If you'd like more guidance when making a budget, consider also downloading a budgeting app .

Here are four excellent options you might consider if you're searching for personal finance software.

Best for a Detailed Budget

Cost: Regular pricing is $5.99 per month

Why it stands out:  Quicken Deluxe is a desktop software program. It's available for download for Mac and Windows computers. 

With the program, you'll be able to connect and keep track of bank accounts, investment accounts, loans, and credit cards . You'll also be able to create a 12-month budget. Usually personal finance software programs only have monthly budget plans.

Quicken Deluxe also has a "what-if" tool that lets you see potential scenarios when you make certain investments or loan decisions to help you build a financial plan .

What to look out for:  Quicken Deluxe primarily focuses on basic finances and investments. If you have a business or prefer more robust features, like priority customer support, you may fare better with Quicken Premier or Quicken Home & Business.

Regular pricing for Quicken software plans varies from $3.99 per month to $10.99 per month.

Best for Tracking Investment Accounts

0.49% to 0.89%

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Free financial and wealth management tools; fees top that of traditional brick-and mortar-firms
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Investment selection includes stocks, ETFs, bonds, and private equities; portfolio management for employer-sponsored plans (e.g., 401(k)s or 403(b)s)
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Socially responsible investment strategies and tax optimization strategies
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. One-on-one financial advisor guidance
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. High management fees
• Promotion: None at this time.

Cost:  Free

Why it stands out: The Empower Personal Dashboard is another software tool that's available through a mobile app or website. You might find the Empower Personal Dashboard appealing if you want to use a well-rounded platform that also helps monitor investment accounts and retirement plans .

With the Investment Checkup feature, you can check your current portfolio allocation alongside an ideal target allocation to minimize risk and reduce volatility. It also has a fee analyzer tool that reviews hidden fees for mutual funds , investment accounts, and retirement accounts.

What to look out for:  Some tools are exclusively for Empower advisory clients. For example, clients will have access to a financial roadmap tool that can help them stick with major financial goals.

Sign up for Empower Personal Dashboard

Best for taxes.

$0.00 - $99.99 (+$39.99 or $59.99 for state return, depending on package)

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Expert help is available with every filing package
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Free federal and state filing covers student and child tax credits
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Pay less than H&R Block and TurboTax and get a comparable experience
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Efficient and streamlined interface
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Tax document upload and import for easy data entry
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Handy "double check" tool flags common errors
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. State returns aren't free, even when you qualify for free federal filing
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Middle-of-the road option when it comes to cost

TaxAct gets the job done with fewer bells and whistles than H&R Block or TurboTax, though costs can still add up. It's best for someone who appreciates a simple, streamlined interface.

• 4 plans, including a free federal option
• Simple, intuitive interface
• Free, instant access to a tax expert at all plan levels
• Good middle-of-the road option on price and efficiency
• Option to have a professional file your taxes at an additional cost

Cost:  $0.00 - $99.99 (+$39.99 or $59.99 for state return, depending on package)

Why it stands out: TaxAct is one of our best tax software picks. TaxAct has four DIY online options: Free, Deluxe, Premier, and Self-Employed plans. You'll pay one price for a federal tax return, and if you have to file a state tax return you'll pay an additional fee. 

TaxAct stands out from other tax software companies because it offers free expert support, regardless of which DIY plan you have. If you have questions while filing your tax returns, all you'll need to do is submit questions, and an expert will reach out to you over the phone.

What to look out for: Other tax software companies do not charge a fee for state returns, and they have lower fees for filing federal tax returns (although, their features may not be as robust). 

File with TaxAct

Best for a hands-on approach, google sheets.

Why it stands out: Perhaps you don't want to link all of your bank accounts or credit cards, and you don't mind taking a more active approach to money management. Then, you might consider using Google Sheets for a straightforward way of analyzing your spending and savings goals . 

Even those who aren't as tech-savvy will find that Google Sheets has a simple, no-fuss setup process. All you need to do is set up a Google account and open the Google Spreadsheets tab. Then, you can select a general template for budgets or investment tracking and follow the steps listed on the spreadsheet.

Keep in mind that you'll have to update your spreadsheet regularly to have an effective spreadsheet.

What to look out for: Creating and maintaining your budget fully depends on whether you're willing to manually input all your data. Some may like having a closer, more hands-on approach to tallying expenses or tracking changes. But if you're worried that it might become too overwhelming to make updates every month, consider one of our other options. 

Other Personal Finance Software We Considered That Didn't Make the Cut and Why

• Tiller: Tiller might be worthwhile if you prefer tracking money in a spreadsheet, but don't want to update it manually. It links your bank accounts and credit cards to Google Sheets or Microsoft sheets so your transaction and balance information automatically update. It wasn't a top pick because Tiller only has a 30-day free trial, then costs $79 per year.
• YNAB App : You may use YNAB App through the web or on an app. While it could be a good choice if you struggle with your spending in specific categories, Quicken Deluxe have more robust features. It also has a 34-day free trial, then you'll have to pay $14.99 per month or $99 annually.
• Monarch Money : Monarch Money is a personal finance app and online platform. The plan costs $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year and allows you to track investment accounts or use customizable budget categories.
• GNU Cash : This is a free accounting software for personal and small business finances. You may download the program for Windows and Mac devices. With GNU Cash, you manage your finances through a traditional checkbook system. It could be worth considering if you have a business, but for those who don't, it likely won't be an easy-to-use interface.
• Quicken Simplifi : Simplifi by Quicken is a cloud-based software program, which means you'll need to have an internet connection to use its services. In comparison, other Quicken programs can be downloaded onto your computer. Simplifi by Quicken also isn't as robust as Quicken's desktop programs.
• Quicken Starter: Quicken Starter could be worthwhile if you want a basic overview of your finances. But if you want to be able to create a 12-month budget or keep track of investment accounts, Quicken Deluxe will be a more compelling option. 
• Rocket Money : Rocket Money has an app and online platform. Its premium plan has concierge services to review bills, premium customer support, unlimited budgets, and customizable budget categories. 
• TaxSlayer : TaxSlayer was featured as the best budget pick in our best tax software guide. However, to qualify for the Simply Free Plan, you must have taxable income under $100,000, and you won't be able to claim dependents. TaxAct's free plan allows you to claim dependents. It also offers expert help with all filing packages.
• H&R Block Tax Software : H&R Block is also featured in our best tax software guide. If you want to choose a more affordable option, you may prefer TaxAct, though.
• TurboTax : TurboTax is featured in our best tax software guide and might be worth considering if you have a complex tax situation. However, TurboTax Premium plan cost more than TaxAct options. 

Methodology: How did we choose the best personal finance software?

Research is an important part of choosing a personal finance software program that fits your needs. First, we compiled a list of 13 personal finance software programs. Then, we compared each program by analyzing the following criteria: platform accessibility, pricing, money management features, and user experience. With tax software programs, we only considered the DIY online filing options. We did not consider full-service packages where an expert helps with taxes.

The best personal finance software for you depends on your financial goals and habits. Someone new to money management will likely want different features than someone who is seasoned in making budgets or prefers filing their taxes.To help you figure out which personal finance software program could be a good option for you, we highlighted the benefits and limitations of each product. 

There are free personal finance tools that you may use online. For example, Empower, GNU Cash, and Google Spreadsheets are free. Rocket Money also has free option.

What personal finance software is easiest for you will largely depend on your needs and level of comfort with technology and finance. Google Sheets is by far the easiest to set up, but it won't help you with the finance side of things. Conversely, something like Quicken Deluxe might not be as easy to set up, but it is far more helpful for your finance needs.

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Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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How to recover unsaved Excel files on Mac in 4 ways

You’ve spent hours working on an Excel workbook on a MacBook, but now it’s gone. Or, when you exit an Excel file, you unintentionally select “Don’t Save”. Is this to say that your entire effort has been in vain? This article systematically explains how to recover lost Excel files on a Mac . With our 4 methods, you can recover unsaved Excel files quickly.

After selecting the “Don’t Save” option or shutting down the MacBook without saving files, the Excel file vanishes on the Mac. Then, you should apply data recovery as quickly as possible; there is still a good chance you can recover your lost Excel document.

Method 1. Recover unsaved Excel files on a Mac with software

The most convenient method is to use professional Mac recovery software to restore the unsaved Excel files. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can help you find unsaved Excel files and deleted documents with a single click.

It can restore an Excel document saved on a Mac and works well with other Microsoft files, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. Users without experience can recover lost files on Mac with EaseUS data recovery software. Even if the Mac’s Excel files are permanently deleted, it can restore them.

Step 1. Select the disk

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, hover your mouse over the device where you lost an unsaved file, and then select “Search for lost files”.

Step 2. Choose unsaved Excel files

After the scan, click “Type” and expand “Unsaved Documents”. Click on the file type you lost without saving, such as “Excel”.

Step 3. Preview and recover unsaved Excel files

Double-click to preview your unsaved file, select the appropriate version, and click “Recover” to save it to a different secure location on your Mac.

Method 2. Try the finder’s search feature on Mac

Finder on Mac features a built-in search capability that allows you to find files in any folder on your Mac. It is helpful when you want to retrieve vanishing desktop files or show hidden files on a Mac .

Step 1. Open the Finder and click the Search icon in the upper right corner.

Step 2. Enter the name of the file. The finder will begin searching automatically.

Step 3. If you do not know the name of the missing Excel file, you can instruct Finder to display all Excel files stored on your Mac by typing “.xls” or “.”xlsx” and picking the Microsoft Excel Workbook under Kinds.

Method 3. Recover unsaved Excel files from the Mac’s temporary folder

If you’ve been working with Microsoft, you may be familiar with temporary files on Mac. Similar to Word documents, Excel files generate temporary folders. As a result, you can retrieve the unsaved Excel files from these folders. Check out the following steps:

Step 1. Launch Terminal from the “Applications > Utilities” folder on your Mac.

Step 2. Type the command open $TMPDIR and press “Enter” to find the temporary folder.

Step 3. Select the unsaved Excel temporary files you want to recover. They are often shown as files with “.tmp” extensions. Right-click and open them with Excel on your Mac to see if you can read the files.

Method 4. Recover unsaved Excel files from AutoSave on Mac

In addition to rescuing unsaved Excel files from temporary files, Microsoft has launched the AutoRecover feature, which automatically saves copies and easily recovers files in Office for Mac .

Excel would allow you to recover the automatically saved copy of your worksheet following a closing. If Excel does not display the last opened file, check the AutoRecover folder manually:

Step 1. Launch Finder on your Mac Step 2. Type /Users/username/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery in the search box, and click “Go” to access the Excel AutoRecovery folder.

Step 3. You can then manually move the unsaved Excel file to a secure location on your Mac. When the AutoRecover function is activated, you can recover an unsaved Excel file on a Mac after a crash or unintentional closing by simply relaunching Excel and selecting the file from the list of recoverable documents.

Recover Unsaved Excel Files on Mac FAQs

Here are 3 questions users also want to learn about recovering unsaved Excel files from Mac:

How can I recover lost Excel on a Mac without Autorecovery?

If you have not enabled the AutoSave option on Mac, you can find the lost Excel’s previous version in the Time Machine backup:

Step 1. Click the Time Machine icon and enter it.

Step 2. Open the folder where the Excel document should be stored

Step 3. Return to a day, week, or month to see if your file remains.

Step 4. Select the appropriate backup version and search for the missing file.

How do I recover deleted Excel files on Mac?

Advanced data recovery software or iCloud backups can recover a deleted Excel spreadsheet from your Mac.

Here are the steps for using data recovery software:

Step 1. Run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac and select where the destroyed Excel workbook was saved.

Step 2. Click “Search for Lost Files” to see all deleted files in the selected location.

Step 3. Select the deleted Excel spreadsheet and click “Recover” to retrieve it.

How can I return to a previous version of an Excel file on a Mac?

To revert an Excel file to its prior version, follow the instructions below:

Step 1.   Open “Excel” on your Mac.

Step 2. Select “File > Revert To”.

Step 3. Choose “Last Opened”, “Last Saved”, or “Previous Save” to revert an Excel to its prior version on Mac.

Losing a crucial unsaved Excel file can be sad, but it may not be permanent. In this post, we’ve covered four methods for recovering lost or unsaved Excel files, including showing them in Finder, trying data recovery software, recovering from temporary folders, and restoring from the AutoSave feature. 

At least one will likely come in handy. Follow the step-by-step instructions to select the best approach for Mac unsaved Excel recovery and restore your valuable workbooks. If you’ve deleted Excel files, restore them from the Trash or backup on Mac.