Using an Atlas Map in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint

This map tutorial will teach you how to integrate your map into Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. This tutorial assumes that you have already created and downloaded a map, and un-zipped its files. (For help, see How to Make a Map – Intermediate Tutorial on Download a Map). We will use the map we created in the Intermediate Tutorial in this exercise.

If at any time you encounter an unfamiliar term, please consult our Glossary.

Microsoft Word

Open Microsoft Word from the Start Menu, which is in the lower left corner of your screen.

A blank Microsoft Word document will appear.

Next, click on the “Insert” menu at the top of your screen. Go down to "Picture” and over to “From File…”. Click on "From File...".
TIP: Click to expand the menu if you do not see the "Picture" or "From File..." commands.

An Insert Picture window will appear. Search for and select your unzipped folder.

TIP: If your Insert Picture window is not a split screen where you can view your image, click at the top right of your screen, and select .

Using our example from the Intermediate Tutorial, there are three picture files (your map, the overview map, and the legend). Each file must be inserted separately. Double click the first file to insert your map.
TIP: An alternative way is to insert your map is to highlight your file by clicking once on it, then click .

Your map will be incorporated into your Word document.

Follow these same steps to insert your other two pictures. Finally, your main map, the legend, and the overview map will all be incorporated into your Word document.

Next, to insert the text that you saved with your map, go to “Insert” and click “File…”
TIP: Click  to expand the menu if the command is not seen.

An Insert File window will appear. Search for and open your unzipped folder. Then, select "Text Files” in the Files of Type box at the bottom of your screen. Your text will appear.

Double click the text file to insert the text.
TIP: An alternative way to insert your text is to highlight your file by clicking on it once, the click .

Your text has been added to your Word document.

TIP: You may rearrange the images in your document by clicking on an image and dragging it with the mouse, or by cutting the image and pasting it to its new location.

Microsoft PowerPoint

For this tutorial, a basic understanding of PowerPoint is assumed.

First, open Microsoft PowerPoint from the Start Menu.

A PowerPoint window will appear.

To insert your text file, click "File" in the Tool Bar, and select “Open.”

TIP: An alternative way to open a file is to simply click in the Tool Bar.

An Open window will appear. Locate and open your un-zipped folder. Select “All Files" in the Files to Type box at the bottom of your screen so that you can see all the files in your folder.

To insert your text file, double click .
TIP: An alternative way to insert your text is to highlight your file by clicking on it once, the click .

Your text will be incorporated into a PowerPoint slide.

You can adjust the text and change the font size in the Title box of the PowerPoint slide.

To insert your map and other images, go to the “Insert” menu, slide down to "Picture," and then over to "From File...".
TIP: Click to expand the menu if you do not see the "Picture" and "From File..." commands.

An Insert Picture window will appear.
TIP: If your Insert Picture window is not a split screen where you can view your image, click at the top right of your screen, and select "Preview."

Search for and select your unzipped folder. Using our example from the Intermediate Tutorial, there are three picture files (your map, the overview map, and the legend). Each file must be inserted separately. Double click the first file to insert your map.
TIP: An alternative way is to insert your map is to highlight your file by clicking once on it, then click .

Your map will be incorporated into your PowerPoint slide.

Follow the same steps to insert the other two images onto the same PowerPoint slide.

All of the inserted files are now shown in the Microsoft PowerPoint document. While in PowerPoint, you can rearrange the images on the slide for a nice presentation by clicking on each image and dragging it with the mouse. You can also select background designs and color schemes, and be creative!

Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to put your images into a Microsoft Word document and into PowerPoint!