Sway
About this article
This article provides an overview of Microsoft Sway and links to additional learning materials. It is intended for all members of the WSU community.
What's Sway?
Microsoft Sway is a presentation authoring tool. It's similar to PowerPoint in that you add text, images, media, links and other content to slides or what Sway calls cards. Just like PowerPoint slides, Sway cards are organized into a deck or a storyline. You can then apply effects and designs to enhance your presentation. So why not just use PowerPoint? Sway is not intended to be a replacement for PowerPoint, but it has some very nice features that you may find useful for some presentations:
- Sway is completely web-based. You build your Sways using your favorite web browser and they are saved to the web immediately. You can create and edit your Sways on any web-connected device, including your tablet or smartphone.
- Because they already live on the web, Sways are very portable, easy to share with anyone, and they look great on any device. They are particularly well-suited for display on devices with touch screens, like tablets.
- Sway is integrated with other cloud-based services where your content may reside, such as OneDrive, Google Drive, Instagram, and iCloud). You can also upload files from your devices and drag-and-drop other Microsoft office files to transform them into Sway content.
- It's easy to collaborate on Sways with other authors. Just send them an edit link and away you go.
- Although Sway doesn't have all the design bells and whistles available in PowerPoint, it has just enough to allow you to create compelling presentations very quickly, making it perfect for some projects.
Backing Up Sway Presentations
The Sway application operates entirely online and to back up these presentations you will share and then create a copy of it on a personal OneDirve account or on your new OneDrive for Business account. The process of backing up is covered in the following video Backing Up Sway Presentations and Creating Duplication