Turn PowerPoint Slides Into Study Notes
Updated · By the Revizly team
Upload a .pptx file and Revizly turns the slides into organized study notes in about 30 seconds. It reads the text on every slide, the tables and the speaker notes, puts the ideas back in order, and builds flashcards and a practice quiz from the same deck.
Real example
Photosynthesis
What went in: A PowerPoint deck from an intro biology class, uploaded by a student.
Learning Points: Define the keyword photosynthesis. Describe the two photosynthetic reactions that take place in plants when capturing energy from the sun. Outline the factors affecting photosynthesis.
Revizly’s actual notes for that deck. Formatting is simplified for this page.
The study guide
1. Photosynthesis Definition and Location
Memory hook: A green chloroplast capturing sunlight inside a leaf cell
- Photosynthesis: a chemical process in plants that uses light energy to produce glucose and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water.
- Chlorophyll: a green pigment that absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.
- Chlorophyll is located in chloroplasts, which are organelles found in plant cells, particularly palisade cells near the leaf surface.
2. Inputs and Overall Reaction
Must-know: The overall photosynthesis equation is carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen.
Memory hook: Light, carbon dioxide, and water → glucose and oxygen
- Carbon dioxide enters leaves through stomata, water enters through the roots and travels to the leaves through xylem in the stem, and light energy is absorbed by chlorophyll.
- Oxygen formed during photosynthesis is a waste product, although some oxygen can be used for plant respiration.
Glucose products and functions
| Product | Function |
|---|---|
| Starch | Carbohydrate storage |
| Lipids | Fat storage in seeds |
| Cellulose | Builds and strengthens cell walls |
| Amino acids | Used to make proteins |
The flashcards
Why lecture slides are hard to study from
Slides are written to be talked over, not studied. They’re full of fragments, repeated titles and half-sentences that made sense in lecture but don’t on their own a month later. Notes put the ideas into full sentences, in order.
The photosynthesis deck above is a good example. It lists learning points, then asks questions on one slide and answers them on the next. Revizly’s notes turn that into definitions, an equation and a table you can actually memorize.
How to turn a PowerPoint into notes
Sign in, upload the .pptx file your professor posted, and Revizly reads every slide. You get notes organized by topic, plus flashcards and a quiz, in about 30 seconds.
- Download the slides from your class site (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle or wherever your professor posts them).
- Upload the .pptx file. If you only have a PDF export of the slides, upload that instead.
- Read the notes, edit anything you want, and study with the flashcards and quiz.
What Revizly reads in your slides
The text in every title and text box, the content of tables, and the speaker notes under each slide. Speaker notes often have the explanation your professor gave out loud, so they’re worth having.
| In the slide | Used in the notes |
|---|---|
| Titles and bullet points | Yes |
| Tables | Yes, one line per row |
| Speaker notes | Yes |
| Text inside images | No (take photos of those slides and upload them instead) |
Is it free?
Yes, you can start for free with 2 classes a month and a preview of each set of notes. Essential is $6.99 a month for 20 classes and full notes. Premium is $9.99 a month with no monthly limit.
Try it with your own class notes
Sign in, upload your lecture slides, a PDF, photos of your notes or a YouTube link, and Revizly builds a study guide, flashcards and a practice quiz in about 30 seconds. The free plan covers 2 classes a month.
PDF, photos, Word, PowerPoint or a YouTube linkYou can upload right after you sign inFrequently asked questions
Can I convert a PowerPoint to notes for free?
Yes. The free plan covers 2 classes a month and shows a preview of each set of notes, with a short quiz and flashcards.
Does it work with Google Slides or Keynote?
Download your deck as a .pptx (File, Download, Microsoft PowerPoint in Google Slides; File, Export To, PowerPoint in Keynote) or as a PDF, then upload it.
Does it read the speaker notes?
Yes. Speaker notes are included, which often adds the explanations from lecture.
What if my slides are mostly images?
Take photos of those slides (or screenshots) and upload them instead. Revizly reads the text in photos, so nothing on the slide gets lost.
Can I also get flashcards from my slides?
Yes. Every set of notes comes with flashcards and a practice quiz built from the same slides.