BioRender for PowerPoint lets you bring BioRender figures and graphs into your presentations and keep them up to date as your work changes. This guide covers how to set it up, who has access, how to add files, edit and update your figures.
Choose how to bring figures into PowerPoint
| Route | Stays in sync with BioRender | Best for |
| BioRender add-in (recommended). Select "Add figure" in PowerPoint, or use "Copy to PowerPoint" in BioRender and paste. | Yes. One click brings in your latest changes. | Any deck you'll present more than once: lab meetings, project updates, talks. |
| Export a PowerPoint deck from BioRender. Export a presentation or selected slides as an editable .pptx file (Premium). | Only if you open it with the add-in. | Building a whole deck in BioRender, for example from a presentation template. |
| Export an image. Download a PNG or JPG and insert it like any picture. | No. | One-off use, or figures you can view but don't own. |
We recommend the add-in for most presentations. Your figures stay connected to BioRender, so you edit a figure once and update every slide that uses it.
Flat image or editable
When you add a figure, you choose how it comes in, and whether it goes on this slide or a new slide.
| Flat image | Editable (Premium) | |
| What you get | One high-resolution picture | PowerPoint shapes and text you can change |
| Updates from BioRender | "Update image" swaps in the latest version | "Update slide" brings in the latest version and replaces your PowerPoint edits. Choose "Add as new slide" to keep both. |
| Best for | Final figures you want identical everywhere | Tailoring a figure to one deck's audience |
Edits you make in PowerPoint stay in that deck and never sync back to BioRender. To change the figure itself, edit it in BioRender or use "Quick edit".
Set it up
Available on all plans. Premium gives you unlimited updates and editable figures. This works in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows and Mac, and PowerPoint on the web. If your organization blocks add-ins, ask your Microsoft 365 admin to install BioRender for everyone.
- If BioRender isn't already on your "Home" tab, install BioRender for PowerPoint from Microsoft Marketplace and select "Get it now".
- In PowerPoint, select "BioRender" on the "Home" tab.
- Sign in. Enter your email and select "Continue", or select "Continue with Google" or "Continue with Microsoft". If your organization uses single sign-on, you'll go to your organization's login.
Add figures
- From PowerPoint: in the BioRender panel, select "Add figure", choose your figures, then pick "Editable" or "Flat image" and "This slide" or "New slide".
- Graphs: select "Add figure" and choose a graph file. Each graph comes in as its own image, and you can add several at once. Graphs always come in as flat images.
- From BioRender: select "Copy to PowerPoint" in the share menu or a slide's menu (Premium; it appears once you've used the add-in). Paste into PowerPoint with the BioRender panel open. For a single slide, choose "Paste as image" or "Paste as new slide".
- From a deck you exported: open it with the BioRender panel open and select a slide. You can update it, revert it, or re-import it as a new slide.
Keep figures up to date
- When a figure changes in BioRender, the panel shows "Updates found". Select "Update image" or "Update slide". Ensure you are in the correct slide you want to update.
- Graphs update the same way. When you change a graph file, every graph you added from it shows "Updates found".
- Updating an image keeps its position and height. Cropping, rotation, and picture effects are reset.
- Quick edit (Premium) opens the figure in BioRender without leaving PowerPoint. For graphs, select "Open in BioRender instead". "Save & Apply" saves the original file. Other slides and decks that use the figure show "Updates found" the next time you select them.
Good to know
- People you share the deck with see your figures as ordinary pictures. They don't need BioRender.
- Co-authors can update figures too, if they have the add-in and access to the BioRender file. Without access, the panel offers "Request edit access".
If something goes wrong
| What you see | What it means and what to do |
| "Microsoft 365 has been configured to prevent individual acquisition and execution of Office Store add-ins." | Your organization blocks add-ins. Ask your Microsoft 365 admin to install BioRender for everyone. |
| BioRender isn't on the Home tab after your admin installed it | It can take up to 72 hours to appear. Restart PowerPoint. If it still doesn't appear, update Office or contact support. |
| "Something went wrong" when editing a figure | Sign in with the same email in PowerPoint and BioRender. |
| You pasted from Copy to PowerPoint and only see text | Open the BioRender panel, then paste again. |
| "You are currently not a collaborator on this BioRender file." | Select "Request edit access", or ask the file's owner to share it with you. |
| Figures have a watermark, or "Update image" says you're out of updates | The free plan adds a watermark and includes two image updates every 30 days. Ask your admin for a seat or upgrade to Premium. |
| Pop-ups after uninstalling the add-in |
If pop-ups continue after uninstalling the BioRender Add-in, remove any remaining references: Remove inactive add-ins
Remove add-ins from presentations
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| Compatibility | The add-in is incompatible with Office Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) versions of PowerPoint. |
Your data
To learn how BioRender handles your data, see BioRender's security whitepaper for PowerPoint.
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