PowerPoint File Properties: How to Edit Author and Last Saved By

When you share PowerPoint presentations, the file properties store metadata such as the author name and the last saved by user. This information can reveal personal details or outdated credentials that you want to remove or update. Windows and PowerPoint track this metadata automatically based on your Office account or local user profile. This article explains how to edit the Author and Last Saved By fields in PowerPoint using built-in tools and Windows File Explorer.

Why PowerPoint Tracks Author and Last Saved By

PowerPoint stores two related but distinct metadata fields in every presentation file. The Author field is set when the file is first created. It comes from the user name configured in PowerPoint Options or your Microsoft 365 account. The Last Saved By field records the name of the user who most recently saved the file. This field updates automatically each time someone saves the presentation.

These fields are part of the Office document properties system. They are stored inside the file itself, not in a separate database. When you email a presentation or upload it to a shared drive, anyone who can view the file properties can see this metadata. This can cause privacy concerns if the file contains personal names or if you want to present a document as a team effort without individual attribution.

The Last Saved By field is especially tricky because it refreshes every time the file is saved. Even if you manually edit the Author field, the Last Saved By field will change to the current user name the next time someone saves the file. To fully control both fields, you must either change the global Office user name or remove the metadata entirely.

Prerequisites Before Editing

To edit file properties, you need write access to the presentation file. Files stored on read-only locations such as network folders with restricted permissions or CDs cannot be modified. You also need the file to be a standard .pptx format. Older .ppt files from PowerPoint 97-2003 support some properties but may not allow in-app editing of the Last Saved By field. Always make a backup copy before making bulk changes to metadata.

How to Change the Author in PowerPoint

You can edit the Author field directly inside PowerPoint using the Advanced Properties dialog. This method works for the current presentation only and does not affect the Last Saved By field.

1. Open the presentation in PowerPoint
   Launch PowerPoint and load the file whose author you want to change. Make sure no other programs are locking the file.
2. Go to File > Info
   Click the File tab on the ribbon, then select Info from the left sidebar. You will see the Properties panel on the right side of the screen.
3. Click Properties and choose Advanced Properties
   At the top of the Properties panel, click the Properties dropdown button. Select Advanced Properties from the menu. A dialog box titled presentation name Properties opens.
4. Edit the Author field on the Summary tab
   In the dialog, click the Summary tab. You will see a text field labeled Author. Delete the existing name and type the new author name. You can also add or edit the Title, Subject, and Comments fields here.
5. Click OK and save the file
   Press OK to close the dialog. Then save the presentation using Ctrl+S or File > Save. The Author field is now updated for this file.

How to Change the Default Author for New Presentations

If you want every new presentation you create to use a specific author name, change the global Office user name. This does not modify existing files.

1. Open PowerPoint and go to File > Options
   Click the File tab and select Options at the bottom of the left sidebar. The PowerPoint Options dialog opens.
2. Select the General tab
   In the dialog, make sure General is selected on the left panel. Look for the User Name and Initials fields under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office.
3. Type the new user name and initials
   Enter the name you want as the default author. The initials field is optional but appears in some comment and revision features. Click OK to save.
4. Restart PowerPoint
   Close and reopen PowerPoint. Any new presentation you create will use this user name as the Author and Last Saved By. Existing presentations remain unchanged.

How to Remove or Change Metadata Using Windows File Explorer

You can edit or delete the Author and Last Saved By fields without opening PowerPoint at all. This method is faster when you need to clean metadata from multiple files at once.

1. Locate the presentation file in File Explorer
   Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to the folder containing the .pptx file.
2. Right-click the file and select Properties
   From the context menu, choose Properties. The Properties window appears with several tabs.
3. Go to the Details tab
   Click the Details tab. You will see a list of metadata fields including Author and Last Saved By under the Origin section.
4. Edit or remove the Author field
   Click the value next to Author. A text box appears. Type the new name or delete the text to remove it. To remove Last Saved By, click its value and delete the text. You cannot edit Last Saved By directly in some versions of Windows; if the field is grayed out, use the Remove Properties feature instead.
5. Click Remove Properties and Personal Information (optional)
   At the bottom of the Details tab, click Remove Properties and Personal Information. Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed to generate a clean copy, or select Remove the following properties from this file and check the boxes for Author and Last Saved By. Click OK.
6. Click Apply and OK
   Press Apply, then OK to save the changes. The file metadata is now updated.

What to Do If Last Saved By Does Not Change

The Last Saved By field updates automatically when any user saves the file. If you manually edit it in File Explorer and then save the file in PowerPoint, PowerPoint overwrites Last Saved By with the current user name. To permanently set a specific Last Saved By, you must either change your Office user name before saving or use the Remove Properties option to strip the field entirely.

Last Saved By Keeps Reverting to Your Name

This happens because PowerPoint reads the user name from File > Options > General > User Name every time you save. To prevent this, change your Office user name to the desired value before saving the file. Alternatively, use the Remove Properties feature to delete the Last Saved By field entirely. After removal, the field will appear blank until the next save.

Author Field Is Grayed Out in File Explorer

Some Windows 11 versions or file system permissions can lock the metadata fields. If the Author field is grayed out, open the file in PowerPoint and use the Advanced Properties method described earlier. If that also fails, the file may be corrupted or stored on a network location that prevents metadata editing. Copy the file to your local desktop and try again.

PowerPoint File Properties: In-App vs File Explorer Editing

Item	Edit Inside PowerPoint	Edit in File Explorer
Author field	Editable via Advanced Properties	Editable via Details tab
Last Saved By field	Cannot edit directly; controlled by user name	Editable via Details tab or Remove Properties
Multiple files at once	Not supported; must open each file	Select multiple files and edit Details tab
Removes all personal info	File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document	Right-click > Properties > Details > Remove Properties
Requires file open	Yes	No

You now know how to edit the Author and Last Saved By fields in PowerPoint using both in-app settings and Windows File Explorer. To permanently stop your name from appearing in shared files, change the default Office user name to a generic label such as Presentation Author or your team name. For an extra layer of privacy, run the Document Inspector from File > Info > Check for Issues before distributing any presentation.