Publish

Publishing guide

Part A

Before you drop the file

What this does

You drop a .pptx. You get a web link. Anyone with the link opens your deck in a browser, on any device, with no PowerPoint and no download.

It is your deck, published as you built it. Not an AI rebuild, not a reinterpretation, not a summary. The slides you made.

What it does not do

It is not an editor. Your original file is never modified and never replaced.

It does not convert your slides into editable HTML text. We render each slide and layer structure on top, which is why layouts hold instead of reflowing into something you did not design.

File requirements

.pptx only. Not .ppt, not Keynote, not Google Slides. Export to .pptx first.
90MB maximum. Larger files are rejected before upload starts.

If you are over 90MB, the usual cause is uncompressed images. In PowerPoint: File, Compress Pictures, uncheck "apply only to this picture," choose 150 ppi. That routinely halves a deck with no visible difference on screen.

What to expect from fonts, stated plainly

Common fonts render as designed.

If your deck uses a font our rendering servers do not have, we substitute the closest available match. That can change letterform shapes and shift where lines break. We are expanding the supported set.

This is worth knowing before you publish something client-facing. Open your published deck and compare it against your slides before you send the link on.

Part B

Publishing

How long it takes

Most decks finish in one to three minutes. Large or image-heavy decks take longer. We have seen a legitimate publish take just under three minutes and complete perfectly.

The progress display tells you what stage it is at. If it says "still working," it is still working.

Do not close the tab during the first publish. The link is generated at the end.

If it passes ten minutes, something has gone wrong and you will be told, with your link handed to you rather than an error.

Your link is live immediately

The link works as soon as it appears. Open it, check it, send it.

Copy it somewhere you will find it again. The link is the deck. If you lose it, see D2.

Free publishing

Link lasts 3 days, then stops working for everyone
Small "Made with SparkSlides" badge in the corner
5 publishes per day from one browser

Free is a real publish, not a preview. The deck is fully functional, hosted, and shareable for those 3 days.

Making it permanent

One credit, $2. The link never expires, the badge disappears.

The moment to do this is while the deck is still open in front of you. The buy option is right there.

If you close the page and come back to a share link days later, there is no route back to that buy moment. That is deliberate: a shared link cannot tell the difference between you and your audience, and we will not put a buy button in front of your readers. If you missed the window and the 3 days have passed, publish the deck again and buy then.

Cancelling a purchase mid-way is different. That returns you to where you were, with the option still available.

Part C

Credits

How they work

Credits are bought in packs and spent one per deck. There is no subscription and no expiry on the credits themselves.

Buying more at once costs less per deck. One credit is $2; fifty are $40.

→ Buy credits on the SparkPublish page

Your code is the important thing

After purchase you receive a code by email: SPARK-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.

Keep the email. The code is how you spend remaining credits, how you find your decks later, and how you delete one.

Enter it once in a browser and the balance is remembered there. On a new browser, phone, or after clearing your cache, enter it again.

Re-entering your code never costs a credit. It can be entered on any number of devices, any number of times. It is a lookup, not a purchase.

If you lose the code

Search your email for "SparkSlides." The receipt has it.

If you cannot find it, reply to any SparkSlides email from the address you purchased with. We can look it up.

Part D

Managing your decks

The manage page

publish.sparkslides.com/manage

Enter your code to see every deck you have made permanent with it, plus your remaining balance.

Bookmark it. It is the only page that answers "what did I publish and where are the links."

If you lose a deck link

Go to the manage page, enter your code, and every permanent deck you own is listed with its link.

This works only for permanent decks. Free decks are not tracked, since they expire in 3 days regardless.

Deleting a deck

From the manage page. Deleting needs two things: your code and the email address you purchased with.

That is deliberate. Codes get shared in screenshots and support tickets, so a code alone can list your decks but cannot destroy one.

Deletion is permanent. The link returns a "no longer available" page and cannot be restored. No refund, because the credit bought the publish and the publish was delivered.

Part E

What permanent means

Permanent means the link does not expire. Not a longer trial, not a renewal you will be reminded about later.

We do not delete permanent decks for inactivity. We do not charge again for the same deck. If you want a deck gone, you delete it yourself.

If that ever has to change, existing decks would be honoured and you would be told directly. It is not something we would discover in a policy page.

Part F

Quick answers

Can I update a published deck?

No. Publish the updated file as a new deck. Each publish is its own link.

Can I password protect it?

Not yet.

Will it work on phones?

Yes. Any modern browser.

Do my viewers need an account?

No. No account, no install, nothing to accept. They open a link.

Do I need an account?

No. Your code is your identity.

Can I use one code for several decks?

Yes. One credit per deck, from the same code, until the balance runs out.

What happens at the 3-day mark on a free deck?

The link stops working for everyone. Publish again for a fresh link, or make it permanent before then.

Something looks wrong in my published deck.

Reply to your receipt email with the link and tell us what you expected. If it is fonts, see A4.