When you use a PowerPoint 2007 presentation to convey confidential or sensitive information, it can be a good idea to secure the presentation with a password.
To set a password for your presentation, do the following:
Click the Microsoft Office Button, and click Save As.
Click Tools, located at the bottom-right corner of the Save As dialog box.
Click General Options to open the dialog box, shown next.
Type a password in the associated box for either the first or both of the following options:
Password To Open. This choice allows readers to view the presentation but not make any changes to it.
Password To Modify. This choice allows readers to both view and edit the presentation.
Click OK.
You should be prompted to retype your passwords for confirmation. Do this, and then click OK.
Click Save.
You might be prompted to replace an existing presentation. Click Yes if this prompt occurs.
Previous versions of PowerPoint allowed you to select Allow Fast Saves, which saved only those changes made since the last time you saved a document. This option is not available in PowerPoint 2007. Instead, PowerPoint 2007 scans your entire presentation every time you save it to help improve security.
Preventing Changes Using the Mark As Final Command
You can use the Mark As Final command to make a presentation read-only, but be careful—this command is not a security feature. When you mark a presentation as final, editing commands, proofing remarks, and typing are disabled for people viewing the document. The problem is that anyone can turn editing commands back on by simply turning off Mark As Final. In addition, a document marked as final in PowerPoint 2007 will not be read-only if it is opened in an earlier version of PowerPoint. This feature is useful only to help prevent readers from accidentally making changes.
To mark a document as final, follow these steps: