Best PowerPoint Courses Online in 2026 (Ranked & Reviewed)

Last updated: October 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.

QUICK VERDICT

See our top pick on Coursera →

Almost everyone uses PowerPoint; few use it well. The gap between a wall-of-bullets slide and one that lands a point is a learnable set of skills: layout, hierarchy, animation, and the shortcuts and templates that save hours. A focused course closes that gap fast, and some of the best material is free.

We ranked six courses by what you need: learning the tool, designing better slides, presenting persuasively, a short business course, and video. We reopened every course on 22 October 2026 and recorded its rating, enrollment, length and last update. Two numbers in our June version were wrong and are fixed: 365 Careers’ course has 58,117 students (not millions) and Andrew Pach’s course has 7,555 ratings (not 24,000). We earn a commission if you enroll through some links, which never changes the order.

Best PowerPoint courses at a glance

Ratings, enrollment, length and update dates read on each course page on 22 October 2026.

How we picked

We weighed whether the course has you build real slides (not just tour the menus), the instructor’s authority, ratings at scale, how recently it was updated, and whether each pick serves a distinct need. We dropped courses that had been retired and flagged any pick not updated in years. We did not take every course end to end; the details of how we review are in our review methodology.

1. Best overall (official): Work Smarter with Microsoft PowerPoint (Coursera)

Taught by Microsoft, this is the most authoritative way to learn the tool: 4.7 from 1,248 reviews, 125,551 learners enrolled, five modules, and about two weeks at 10 hours a week. It covers the full workflow: creating, saving and presenting a deck, formatting, adding pictures and multimedia, tables and charts, transitions and animation, and preparing to present. Coursera lists it as part of several programs, so it can count toward a longer Microsoft 365 certificate later.

Best for: beginners and self-taught users who want official, thorough training.  Worth knowing: Coursera lets you enroll free with a trial; the graded work and certificate need a paid plan, such as Coursera Plus at $59 a month.

Enroll on Coursera →

2. Best for design and animation: PowerPoint Masterclass (Udemy, Andrew Pach)

Knowing the menus is one thing; making slides that look designed is another. Andrew Pach’s PowerPoint Masterclass: Presentation Design & Animation is the strongest design course we found: 4.7 from 7,555 ratings, 42,024 students, 10.5 hours of video, and an update in September 2026. It covers basic and advanced features, slide design, animating any object or slide, simple explainer videos and building templates quickly, all inside PowerPoint. Because it is current and highly rated, it is now our top paid pick.

Best for: people whose slides work but look amateur.  Worth knowing: it assumes you know the basics; pair it with the Microsoft course if you are new.

View the course on Udemy →

3. Best for presenting: Effective Business Presentations with PowerPoint (Coursera, PwC)

This PwC course, taught by Alex Mannella, is less about the software and more about the presentation: storytelling, data visualization and business communication, with peer-reviewed work. It holds 4.5 from 1,094 reviews with 116,375 learners and runs about a week at 10 hours. It is part of PwC’s Data Analysis and Presentation Skills specialization on Coursera. If your problem is that your decks do not persuade, this is the one to take.

Best for: professionals who already know PowerPoint and need to present data persuasively.  Worth knowing: it is a communication course built on PowerPoint, not a button-by-button tutorial.

Enroll on Coursera →

4. Best short business course: Beginner to Pro in PowerPoint (Udemy, 365 Careers)

365 Careers’ Beginner to Pro in PowerPoint: Complete PowerPoint Training was built for business and finance graduates. It is short at 4.5 hours, carries 4.4 from 14,877 ratings with 58,117 students, and was updated in January 2026. Choose it over the longer courses if you need a polished business deck soon.

Best for: analysts and business users who want a fast, practical course.  Worth knowing: it overlaps with the Kyle Pew course; this one is shorter and more recent.

View on Udemy →

5. Most thorough feature tour: Microsoft PowerPoint From Beginner to Advanced (Udemy, Kyle Pew)

Kyle Pew’s course is the most-enrolled PowerPoint course in this list: 100,358 students and 4.6 from 24,969 ratings over seven hours, taking a complete beginner through to advanced features. The caveat is age: Udemy shows its last update as November 2019, so screens will differ from current Microsoft 365 PowerPoint and it does not cover Copilot. The core skills still apply, which is why it stays on the list, but we no longer rank it second.

Best for: learners who want a complete tour of features on a budget.  Worth knowing: last updated November 2019; expect older menus.

View on Udemy →

6. Best for video: How to Create Animated Videos with PowerPoint (Udemy, Paul Nekh)

PowerPoint can export animated explainer videos, and Paul Nekh’s course teaches that workflow: 4.5 from 6,106 ratings, 28,551 students, 4.5 hours, updated February 2026. It is a niche pick, but a cheap way to make short product or training videos without learning a video editor.

View on Udemy →

PowerPoint courses compared

Free PowerPoint training

You can learn most of PowerPoint for free:

• Microsoft’s PowerPoint for Windows training. Short official lessons on slides and layouts, text, pictures, presenting, animation, video and audio, and collaboration, plus downloadable practice templates.
• LearnFree PowerPoint: Foundations. The free series formerly hosted by GCFGlobal (its old address now redirects here): short episodes on the interface, OneDrive, slide basics, text, themes and transitions.
• Coursera with a trial. Microsoft’s and PwC’s courses above can be started with Coursera’s free trial.

Paying mostly buys structure, design craft and a certificate. If you only need the basics, the free routes are enough. One more tip from r/powerpoint, where people asking for a course are often told to study storytelling before features: Nancy Duarte’s books slide:ology (on slide design) and Resonate (on structuring a persuasive talk) are standard reading for people who build decks for a living.

What about a PowerPoint certification?

The recognized credential is Microsoft Office Specialist: PowerPoint Associate (Microsoft 365 Apps). You earn it by passing exam MO-310, a proctored, 50-minute exam that tests creating and managing presentations, inserting and formatting shapes and slides, creating slide content, transitions and animations, and managing multiple presentations. Microsoft suggests about 150 hours of instruction and hands-on use before you sit it. Microsoft Learn lists the price at $100 in the United States (it varies by country), and students and educators schedule through Certiport. The certification renews every 60 months.

Course certificates prove you studied; the MOS proves you passed a performance exam. Either of the first two picks above is solid preparation, then practice with timed tasks before you book. See the MOS PowerPoint page on Microsoft Learn.

Copilot and AI in PowerPoint

Microsoft now builds Copilot into PowerPoint. According to Microsoft’s support pages (updated October 2026), Copilot can create a new presentation from a prompt or from a Word document, rewrite text, add slides and images, summarize a deck and apply your organization’s Brand Kit. It only appears if your Microsoft 365 plan includes it or your organization allows it.

AI drafts a deck fast, but it does not know which point matters most to your audience. The design and presenting courses above teach the judgment to edit an AI draft into something persuasive: what to cut, what to emphasize, and how to make one slide carry one idea. None of the courses on this list is built around Copilot yet; for Copilot itself, Microsoft’s free support articles are the most current source.

How to choose the right PowerPoint course

• Learn the tool first, then design. Start with Microsoft’s course or the free training, then take Andrew Pach’s design course.
• Check the update date. PowerPoint changes every year; we flag anything older than a few years.
• Build while you learn. Rebuild one of your own decks as you go; it sticks far better than following along.
• Decide if you need a credential. If yes, aim for the MOS exam; course certificates are proof of study, not of skill.

PowerPoint pairs with the other Office skills; see our guides to Microsoft Office courses, Excel courses and Word courses, and our ranking of the best business courses. If your real goal is the talk rather than the slides, our public speaking courses and presentation skills courses guides go further.

What do PowerPoint courses cost?

Frequently asked questions

What is the best PowerPoint course?

For learning the tool, Microsoft’s Work Smarter with Microsoft PowerPoint on Coursera (4.7 from 1,248 reviews) is the best. For better-looking slides, Andrew Pach’s PowerPoint Masterclass on Udemy (4.7 from 7,555 ratings, updated September 2026) is the strongest paid course.

Can you learn PowerPoint for free?

Yes. Microsoft’s own PowerPoint training and LearnFree’s PowerPoint: Foundations series are free, and Coursera’s courses from Microsoft and PwC can be started with a free trial. Paying mostly adds structure, design craft and a certificate.

Is there a PowerPoint certification?

Yes: Microsoft Office Specialist: PowerPoint Associate (Microsoft 365 Apps), earned by passing exam MO-310. It is a 50-minute proctored exam that costs $100 in the United States and renews every 60 months.

How long does it take to learn PowerPoint?

You can be productive in an afternoon and competent in a week. The courses here run from 4.5 to about 20 hours; finish one and rebuild two of your own decks and you will be ahead of most office users.

Should I learn the tool or presentation design first?

Learn the tool first so you are not fighting the software, then design. A good path is Microsoft’s Work Smarter course followed by Andrew Pach’s design course.

Do PowerPoint courses cover Copilot?

Not yet in our picks. Copilot in PowerPoint can draft a deck from a prompt or a Word document if your Microsoft 365 plan includes it; Microsoft’s support articles are the best guide, and the design courses teach you how to edit what it produces.

Start with our top pick →