What happens when you convert PPS to MD
- The PPS is opened by LibreOffice, the open-source office suite, on our conversion server and exported to PDF, and MuPDF reads the text of each slide from it, in order.
- Each slide becomes a section headed "## Slide 1", "## Slide 2" and so on, with each line of the slide as its own paragraph, ready for notes, wikis and documentation.
- Only the words on the slides are kept. Pictures, shapes, charts, colours and layout are left out, speaker notes are not included, and text that is part of an image cannot be read.
- A slide show file holds the same slides as an ordinary presentation; it is only flagged to start presenting when opened.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert PPS to MD online
- Press "Choose PPS files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to MD". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each MD with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PPS and the MD by then.
Why convert PPS to MD?
PPS files usually come from slide shows sent by email to play full screen. People convert them to MD because Markdown is readable as it is and fits wikis, documentation sites and note apps such as Obsidian.
In short, PPS is good at what it was made for, and MD is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PPS opens in PowerPoint straight into the slide show; LibreOffice Impress and Keynote open it too, while MD shows as plain text in browsers; editors such as Obsidian, Typora and VS Code render it.
How to convert PPS to MD on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PPS files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each MD is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the PPS files from Finder onto the drop zone and the MD files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose PPS files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted MD appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose PPS files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The MD is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PPS to MD
There are no settings: every slide is read in order, and the text keeps the line breaks it has on the slide.
Bullet points come out as lines that start with the bullet character (•) rather than as Markdown list items, because a slide stores them as positioned text. Tidy them in your editor if you need a real list.
PPS vs MD: the differences
| PPS | MD | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | PowerPoint 97 to 2003 slide show | Markdown |
| Type | presentation | document |
| Created by | Microsoft | John Gruber |
| First released | 1997 | 2004 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| What it holds | slides with text, images and animations in a binary file | plain text with simple symbols for headings, lists, links and emphasis |
| In a browser | opens in PowerPoint straight into the slide show; LibreOffice Impress and Keynote open it too | shows as plain text in browsers; editors such as Obsidian, Typora and VS Code render it |
| Common uses | slide shows sent by email to play full screen | documentation, README files, notes and blogging tools |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint | text/markdown |
About PPS and MD files
What is a PPS file?
A PPS is a PPT saved to open straight into a full-screen slide show instead of the editor. The contents are identical to a PPT, which is why renaming it to .ppt lets PowerPoint open it for editing.
What is an MD file?
Markdown marks formatting with plain characters: # for headings, * for lists and emphasis. It reads naturally as text and converts cleanly to HTML, which is why developers and note apps use it.
PPS to MD not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Compress the images inside the file, or split it, and try again.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- The file will not convert. It may be password protected, damaged, or saved in a newer or unusual version of the format.
Convert PPS to MD from the command line
LibreOffice and MuPDF give you the text of each slide on your own computer, ready to add the headings to:
soffice --headless --convert-to pdf input.pps
mutool draw -F txt -o output.txt input.pdfConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
PPS to MD converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PPS to MD?
The words on every slide are kept exactly; the design is not, because Markdown has no place for it.
Why is the MD a different size from the PPS?
Much smaller than the PPS, because only the words are kept, without pictures, fonts or layout.
Are my PPS files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful PPS to MD conversion needs LibreOffice and MuPDF, two open-source tools, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the MD as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several PPS files to MD at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open an MD file?
MD shows as plain text in browsers; editors such as Obsidian, Typora and VS Code render it. MD is common for documentation, README files, notes and blogging tools.
Is this PPS to MD converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert PPS to MD on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the MD is saved to your Downloads folder.