What is compatibility mode?
In short, PowerPoint is telling you that the document uses an older file format created in PowerPoint 2003, 2002, or 2000. Because that file format does not include the new features in PowerPoint 2007, those features are either turned off or modified so that they resemble
an older version of
Word. Compatibility Mode ensures that no new or enhanced features in Office PowerPoint 2007 are available while you are working with a document, so that people who are using previous versions of Word will have full editing capabilities. You will be working in Compatibility Mode for most of the time.
How do I know I am in compatibility mode?
When you open the document in Compatibility Mode, the title bar will have the name of the file followed by (Compatibility Mode)
|
In the example
shown above, an older
PowerPoint 2003 document was
opened in the new
version of PowerPoint. Notice
that the title bar
includes
(Compatibility Mode).
And as you can see, the
Choose a
SmartArt Graphic
dialog box doesn't
appear at all — the
Diagram
Gallery appears
instead. In fact, this
Diagram
Gallery is just like
the one in PowerPoint 2003 and
has the same range of
functions.
If you were using
PowerPoint 2007 and clicked
Insert / SmartArt icon, the
following screen would
display:
These new SmartArt
Graphics options are not
available in older
versions; therefore,
they do not display. The
compatibility mode will
automatically direct you
to the Diagram Gallery
available in earlier
versions of Word.
It's a good idea to
stay in compatibility
mode if you know you'll
be sharing your
documents with a lot of
people who are using
older versions of
PowerPoint. That way,
what you see is what
they see. And you will
be able to anticipate
what they can and can't
do in their version of
PowerPoint.
When
you save the
Compatibility Mode file,
it will be saved in the
same version as the
original document.
Created:
May 21, 2008
Sr. Arlene Callahan
Training Manager
Rivier College
Nashua, NH 03060
Phone: 603.897.8660
E-mail:
acallahan@rivier.edu
