Numbering Slides from 1, Multiple Times in PowerPoint

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Here’s a question I received today: In my deck of slides, I need to have slide numbers 1 to 8 for the first section of slides. I then need the next section to be numbered 1 to 6 for another section. Is this doable?

The short answer is that this is not doable, at least not so at the time of writing this post. Hopefully, this feature will be added in a future release.

The long answer is that there is a workaround for those who want this feature at all costs. Remember, this is a workaround, and not a solution! Follow these steps to understand better:

First of all, make a backup copy of your existing PowerPoint presentation.
You can do this task by first saving all changes in your existing presentation (keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + S on Windows, and ⌘ + S on Mac)
Next, choose the Save as command (keyboard shortcut: F12 on Windows, and ⌘ + Shift + S on Mac)
Now split your presentation into multiple presentations.
You can do this by deleting the slides no longer needed in individual presentations. Then save as a file with a new name.
Remember that we already saved a backup copy of your presentation, just in case we delete any content unintentionally.
Add individual slide numbers, as needed to these individual presentations.
We created two presentations, of three slides each, and added slide numbers to both of them, as can be seen in Figure 1, below.
Figure 1: Add slide numbers to both decks
Do note that both presentations were saved within the same folder.
This is a very important step, and ensures that both presentations continue to be linked to each other, even if you move the presentations to another computer.
Yes, we haven’t linked them yet, but you must place them in the same folder before you link, rather than after the linking!
So, as you can see in Figure 2, both PowerPoint files were saved within the same folder.
Figure 2: Saved in the same folder
Now open the first presentation, and go to the last slide of that presentation.
Insert a small shape such as a square, in any of the four corners of the slide, as can be seen in Figure 3, below.
Figure 3: Add a shape
With the shape selected, add a hyperlink.
You can bring up the Insert Hyperlink dialog box by pressing the Ctrl + K keyboard shortcut on Windows, or ⌘ + K on a Mac.
In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, make sure you choose the Current Folder location, highlighted in red within Figure 4, below.
Choose the second presentation deck that you want to link to. Then click the OK button, highlighted in blue.
Figure 4: Add hyperlink
You can now change the fill color of your hyperlinked shape to match the color of your slide background. You can choose a solid fill color, or choose the Slide Background Fill option.
Now when you play your first presentation, make sure you click on the visible or invisible link in the last slide, so that you are seamlessly led to the first slide in the second presentation. Your audience will not even be aware that you changed from one presentation to another!
If you want to go back to the earlier presentation, just click the Esc key, and you will be back in the last slide of the first presentation.

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Numbering Slides from 1, Multiple Times in PowerPoint

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