Exporting a Keynote presentation for use in Microsoft PowerPoint involves converting your Keynote (.key) file into a format PowerPoint recognizes, primarily .pptx. Keynote includes direct export tools specifically for this purpose, helping translate the design, layout, and media elements as faithfully as possible between the different platforms. However, because Keynote and PowerPoint are distinct applications developed by different companies, some features (like animations, transitions, or custom fonts) may not translate perfectly or appear identically.

Common practical uses involve business professionals needing to share presentations with colleagues who exclusively use PowerPoint on Windows PCs, or educators distributing lecture materials to students across mixed platforms. To perform the conversion, open your Keynote presentation, navigate to File > Export To > PowerPoint within the menu bar. Keynote handles the core conversion process seamlessly before prompting you to save the resulting .pptx file.

The primary advantage is Keynote's built-in, reliable export function directly to the PowerPoint format, enabling essential cross-platform sharing. A key limitation is that complex transitions, animations, or unique formatting might be simplified, altered, or lost entirely due to feature differences between the applications. Users should review the exported .pptx file thoroughly in PowerPoint to ensure accuracy, though this interoperability significantly eases collaboration between Apple and Microsoft ecosystems.