What Format Does a Funeral Home Need for a Slideshow?

Most funeral homes need a PowerPoint file (.pptx) on a USB drive. This is the standard format. Funeral directors deal with .pptx files every week, they work on any computer with PowerPoint installed, and no internet connection is needed. MP4 video files work as a backup option. Avoid Google Slides links (unreliable Wi-Fi) and PDFs (no transitions or auto-advance).

Here's the full compatibility rundown.

The short answer: PowerPoint on a USB drive

The vast majority of funeral homes run slideshows from a laptop connected to a TV or projector. They almost all have Microsoft PowerPoint installed. A .pptx file on a USB drive is the safest bet and what most funeral directors will ask for.

Format options ranked

PowerPoint (.pptx): Best option

This is the standard. PowerPoint files are what funeral homes are used to dealing with. They can open it, make last-minute changes if needed, and run it in slideshow mode. Everything is self-contained. Photos are embedded in the file, so no internet connection is needed.

• Works on every version of PowerPoint
• Also opens in Google Slides and LibreOffice Impress
• Easy for the funeral home to adjust timing or slides if needed
• Can be set to auto-advance or looped

Video file (.mp4): Good alternative

An MP4 video plays on virtually any device: TVs with USB ports, media players, laptops. Once it's rendered, what you see is what you get. No font issues, no layout surprises.

The downside: if you need to change something, you have to re-render the entire video. The funeral home can't pop in and fix a typo. Also, some services (like online slideshow makers) export to PowerPoint, not video, so you might need an extra conversion step.

Google Slides: Only if they have Wi-Fi

Google Slides lives in a browser, which means the venue needs a reliable internet connection. Many funeral homes don't have great Wi-Fi, or they don't want to rely on it for something this important. It's great for building the slideshow but export to .pptx before handing it off.

PDF: Not recommended

PDFs show photos fine but have no transitions, no auto-advance, and no looping. Someone has to sit there and click through each page. It works in a pinch but it's not a real slideshow experience.

How to deliver the file

USB drive (first choice)

Copy the file onto a USB flash drive, the kind you can buy at any drugstore for a few dollars. Use a new or recently formatted one. Some older funeral home computers don't like drives formatted as exFAT, so FAT32 is the safest format if the file is under 4GB (which a slideshow almost always will be).

Bring two drives. One for the funeral home, one as your backup.

Email (backup)

Email the file to the funeral director as a secondary delivery method. PowerPoint files with 20-30 embedded photos are usually 30-80 MB, too large for some email providers. Use a file-sharing link (Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer) if the file is over 25 MB.

Things to check before handing it off

• Open the file on a different computer. This catches font issues and missing images. If it looks right on a second machine, you're good.
• Run the slideshow in presentation mode. Make sure auto-advance timing works and photos aren't cropped in unexpected ways.
• Check the aspect ratio. Ask the funeral home if their screen is 16:9 (widescreen) or 4:3 (standard). Build the slideshow to match. If you don't know, 16:9 is the safer bet in 2026.
• Keep the filename simple. Something like "John_Smith_Memorial.pptx". No special characters, no spaces if you can avoid them.

Ask the funeral home first

Every funeral home is a little different. Some have a fancy setup with multiple screens. Some have an old laptop and a projector from 2012. One five-minute phone call ("What format do you need for the slideshow and how should I get it to you?") can save you from a lot of stress on the day of the service.