Extract Presentation Content

Oct 27, 2025
11 minutes to read

Code samples in this help topic extract various content from presentations: shape text, images, slide notes, and so on.

Use the following collections to obtain slides and their content:

Presentation.Slides - stores all slides in the presentation.
Slide.Shapes - stores shapes in a slide. Use shapes to access content such as text, images, figures, and so on.

View Example

Implementation Details

Examples below use the following techniques to obtain slide content correctly:

The order of elements in the Shapes collection does not necessarily match the visual order. To process shapes from top to bottom or left to right, sort them by coordinates. Examples in this topic use the System.Linq namespace to sort elements.
You can identify and skip certain shape types. For example, the Shapes collection includes a slide number placeholder shape. Use the CommonShape.PlaceholderSettings.Type property to identify and skip this shape.
You can obtain only shapes that contain text. Check that the TextAreaBase.Text property is not an empty string.

Extract Slide Text

Use the Shape‘s TextAreaBase.Text property to obtain the shape text.

Extract Text from a Specific Slide

The following code sample obtains text from the second slide of the Sample.pptx presentation. Shapes with text are obtained in the following order - top and leftmost shapes go first:

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));
    // Extract text from the second slide 
    string slidesText = "";

    #region Sort shapes
    var sortedShapes = presentation.Slides[1].Shapes
        .Where(shape => shape is Shape && ((Shape)shape).TextArea != null)
        .OrderBy(shape => shape.Y)
        .ThenBy(shape => shape.X);
    #endregion

    foreach (var shape in sortedShapes) {
        if (shape is Shape textShape) {
            string shapeText = textShape.TextArea.Text;

            #region Filter shapes
            if (textShape.PlaceholderSettings?.Type == PlaceholderType.SlideNumber
                || string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(shapeText)) continue;
            #endregion

            slidesText += shapeText + "\r\n";
        }
    }
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))
    ' Extract text from the second slide 
    Dim slidesText As String = ""

    ' Sort shapes
    Dim sortedShapes = presentation.Slides(1).Shapes _
        .Where(Function(shape) TypeOf shape Is Shape AndAlso CType(shape, Shape).TextArea IsNot Nothing) _
        .OrderBy(Function(shape) shape.Y) _
        .ThenBy(Function(shape) shape.X)

    For Each shape In sortedShapes
        If TypeOf shape Is Shape Then
            Dim textShape As Shape = CType(shape, Shape)
            Dim shapeText As String = textShape.TextArea.Text

            ' Filter shapes
            If textShape.PlaceholderSettings?.Type = PlaceholderType.SlideNumber _
                OrElse String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(shapeText) Then
                Continue For
            End If

            slidesText &= shapeText & vbCrLf
        End If
    Next
End Sub

Show Extraction Result

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The company also backs its products with a 60-day unconditional money-back guarantee.

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Extract Text from all Slides

The following code sample obtains text from all slides of the Sample.pptx presentation. Shapes with text are obtained in the following order - top and leftmost shapes go first:

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));
    // Extract text from all slides
    int slideNumber = 0;
    string slidesText = "";
    foreach (var slide in presentation.Slides) {

        #region Sort shapes
        var sortedShapes = slide.Shapes
            .Where(shape => shape is Shape && ((Shape)shape).TextArea != null)
            .OrderBy(shape => shape.Y)
            .ThenBy(shape => shape.X);
        #endregion

        foreach (var shape in sortedShapes) {
            if (shape is Shape textShape) {
                string shapeText = textShape.TextArea.Text;

                #region Filter shapes
                if (textShape.PlaceholderSettings?.Type == PlaceholderType.SlideNumber
                    || string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(shapeText)) continue;
                #endregion

                slidesText += shapeText+"\r\n";
            }
        }
        slideNumber++;
    }
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))
    ' Extract text from all slides
    Dim slideNumber As Integer = 0
    Dim slidesText As String = ""

    For Each slide In presentation.Slides
        ' Sort shapes
        Dim sortedShapes = slide.Shapes _
            .Where(Function(shape) TypeOf shape Is Shape AndAlso CType(shape, Shape).TextArea IsNot Nothing) _
            .OrderBy(Function(shape) shape.Y) _
            .ThenBy(Function(shape) shape.X)

        For Each shape In sortedShapes
            If TypeOf shape Is Shape Then
                Dim textShape As Shape = CType(shape, Shape)
                Dim shapeText As String = textShape.TextArea.Text

                ' Filter shapes
                If textShape.PlaceholderSettings?.Type = PlaceholderType.SlideNumber _
                    OrElse String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(shapeText) Then
                    Continue For
                End If

                slidesText &= shapeText & vbCrLf
            End If
        Next

        slideNumber += 1
    Next
End Sub

Show Extraction Result

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User Feedback

Developers who use DevExpress products often highlight the following key benefits:

💹 Comprehensive product lineup

DevExpress offers a wide range of tools — 19 products, including 15 control libraries — along with cross-platform packages. Developers can select exactly what they need for a specific project or use a full-featured suite.

💭 Try before you buy

DevExpress provides access to online demos and a free 30-day trial, allowing developers to evaluate whether the tools are intuitive and meet their needs.

The company also backs its products with a 60-day unconditional money-back guarantee.

❣️User-friendly Tools

Many developers highlight the clarity and optimization of DevExpress controls compared to alternatives. With an intuitive API, the tools are easy to set up and use across a variety of scenarios.

Extract Text from a Specific Paragraph of a Specific Shape

The following code sample uses the Shapes.Find method to find the TextBox 3 shape on the first slide and then extracts the text from its second paragraph:

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));
    //Extract text from the specific shape's paragraph
    string paraText = "";
    Shape shape = presentation.Slides[0].Shapes.Find<Shape>(s => s.Name == "TextBox 3");
    paraText = shape.TextArea.Paragraphs[1].Text;
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))
    ' Extract text from the specific shape's paragraph
    Dim paraText As String = ""
    Dim shape As Shape = presentation.Slides(0).Shapes.Find(Of Shape)(Function(s) s.Name = "TextBox 3")
    paraText = shape.TextArea.Paragraphs(1).Text
End Sub

Show Extraction Result

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Extract Note Text

Use the Slide.Notes collection to obtains notes of a specific slide.

Extract Note Text from a Specific Slide

The following code sample obtains the note text from the first slide of the Sample.pptx presentation:

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));
    // Extract note text from the first slide 
    string slideNoteText = "";
    foreach (var noteShape in presentation.Slides[0].Notes.Shapes) {
        if (noteShape is Shape textNoteShape) {
            string noteShapeText = textNoteShape.TextArea.Text;
            #region Filter shapes
            if (textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings?.Type == PlaceholderType.SlideNumber
                || string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(noteShapeText)) continue;
            #endregion
            slideNoteText += noteShapeText + "\r\n";
        }
    }
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))
    ' Extract note text from the first slide 
    Dim slideNoteText As String = ""

    For Each noteShape In presentation.Slides(0).Notes.Shapes
        If TypeOf noteShape Is Shape Then
            Dim textNoteShape As Shape = CType(noteShape, Shape)
            Dim noteShapeText As String = textNoteShape.TextArea.Text

            ' Filter shapes
            If textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings IsNot Nothing AndAlso
                textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings.Type = PlaceholderType.SlideNumber Then
                Continue For
            End If

            If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(noteShapeText) Then Continue For

            slideNoteText &= noteShapeText & vbCrLf
        End If
    Next
End Sub

Show Extraction Result

Introduction text about DevExpress.

Extract Note Body Text from a Specific Slide

The following code sample obtains the note body text from the second slide of the Sample.pptx presentation:

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));
    // Extract body note text from the specific slide
    string notesText = "";
    foreach (var noteShape in presentation.Slides[1].Notes.Shapes) {
        if (noteShape is Shape textNoteShape 
            && textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings.Type == PlaceholderType.Body) {
            string noteShapeText = textNoteShape.TextArea.Text;
            #region Filter shapes
            if (textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings?.Type == PlaceholderType.SlideNumber
                || string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(noteShapeText)) continue;
            notesText += noteShapeText + "\r\n";
            #endregion
        }
    }
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))
    ' Extract body note text from the specific slide
    Dim notesText As String = ""

    For Each noteShape In presentation.Slides(1).Notes.Shapes
        If TypeOf noteShape Is Shape Then
            Dim textNoteShape As Shape = CType(noteShape, Shape)

            If textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings IsNot Nothing AndAlso
                textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings.Type = PlaceholderType.Body Then

                Dim noteShapeText As String = textNoteShape.TextArea.Text

                ' Filter shapes
                If textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings.Type = PlaceholderType.SlideNumber _
                    OrElse String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(noteShapeText) Then
                    Continue For
                End If

                notesText &= noteShapeText & vbCrLf
            End If
        End If
    Next
End Sub

Show Extraction Result

Key Benefits

Extract Note Text from all Slides

The following code sample obtains note text from all slides of the Sample.pptx presentation. Note shapes with text are obtained in the following order - top and leftmost shapes go first:

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));

    // Extract note text from all slides
    string notesText = "";
    foreach (var slide in presentation.Slides) {
        if (slide.Notes.Shapes.Any()) {
            #region Sort shapes
            var sortedNoteShapes = slide.Notes.Shapes
                .Where(shape => shape is Shape && ((Shape)shape).TextArea != null)
                .OrderBy(shape => shape.Y)
                .ThenBy(shape => shape.X);
            #endregion
            foreach (var noteShape in sortedNoteShapes) {
                if (noteShape is Shape textNoteShape) {
                    string noteShapeText = textNoteShape.TextArea.Text;
                    #region Filter shapes
                    if (textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings?.Type == PlaceholderType.SlideNumber
                        || string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(noteShapeText)) continue;
                    notesText += noteShapeText + "\r\n";
                    #endregion
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))

    ' Extract note text from all slides
    Dim notesText As String = ""

    For Each slide In presentation.Slides
        If slide.Notes.Shapes.Any() Then
            ' Sort shapes
            Dim sortedNoteShapes = slide.Notes.Shapes. _
                Where(Function(shape) TypeOf shape Is Shape AndAlso CType(shape, Shape).TextArea IsNot Nothing). _
                OrderBy(Function(shape) shape.Y). _
                ThenBy(Function(shape) shape.X)

            For Each noteShape In sortedNoteShapes
                If TypeOf noteShape Is Shape Then
                    Dim textNoteShape As Shape = CType(noteShape, Shape)
                    Dim noteShapeText As String = textNoteShape.TextArea.Text

                    ' Filter shapes
                    If textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings IsNot Nothing AndAlso
                        textNoteShape.PlaceholderSettings.Type = PlaceholderType.SlideNumber Then
                        Continue For
                    End If

                    If String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(noteShapeText) Then
                        Continue For
                    End If

                    notesText &= noteShapeText & vbCrLf
                End If
            Next
        End If
    Next
End Sub

Show Extraction Result

Introduction text about DevExpress.

Key Benefits

Describe key benefits to the customer.

Extract Pictures

Extract Pictures from a Specific Slide

The following code sample obtains pictures from the second slide of the Sample.pptx presentation. The sample saves obtained images to files on disk. Topmost and leftmost pictures go first.

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));
    // Extract pictures from the second slide 
    #region Sort shapes
    var sortedShapes = presentation.Slides[1].Shapes
        .Where(shape => shape is PictureShape)
        .OrderBy(shape => shape.Y)
        .ThenBy(shape => shape.X);
    #endregion

    byte imageCount = 0;
    foreach (PictureShape pictureShape in sortedShapes) {
        pictureShape.Image.Save("Slide2_Picture" + imageCount + ".png", DXImageFormat.Png);
        imageCount++;
    }
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))

    ' Extract pictures from the second slide
    ' Sort shapes
    Dim sortedShapes = presentation.Slides(1).Shapes _
        .Where(Function(shape) TypeOf shape Is PictureShape) _
        .OrderBy(Function(shape) shape.Y) _
        .ThenBy(Function(shape) shape.X)

    Dim imageCount As Byte = 0

    For Each shape In sortedShapes
        Dim pictureShape As PictureShape = CType(shape, PictureShape)
        pictureShape.Image.Save($"Slide2_Picture{imageCount}.png", DXImageFormat.Png)
        imageCount += 1
    Next
End Sub

Extract Pictures from all Slides

The following code sample obtains pictures from all slides of the Sample.pptx presentation. The sample saves obtained images to files on disk. Topmost and leftmost pictures go first.

Program.cs
Program.vb

csharp

public static void Main(string[] _) {
    Presentation presentation = 
        new Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes(@"data\Sample.pptx"));
    // Extract pictures from all slides
    int slideNumber = 0;
    foreach (var slide in presentation.Slides) {
        #region Sort shapes
        var sortedShapes = slide.Shapes
            .Where(shape => shape is PictureShape)
            .OrderBy(shape => shape.Y)
            .ThenBy(shape => shape.X);
        #endregion

        byte imageCount=0;
        foreach (PictureShape pictureShape in sortedShapes) {
            pictureShape.Image.Save("Slide" + slideNumber +"_Picture"+imageCount+".png", DXImageFormat.Png);
            imageCount++;
        }
       slideNumber++;
    }
}

Sub Main(args As String())
    Dim presentation As New Presentation(File.ReadAllBytes("data\Sample.pptx"))

    ' Extract pictures from all slides
    Dim slideNumber As Integer = 0

    For Each slide In presentation.Slides
        ' Sort shapes
        Dim sortedShapes = slide.Shapes _
            .Where(Function(shape) TypeOf shape Is PictureShape) _
            .OrderBy(Function(shape) shape.Y) _
            .ThenBy(Function(shape) shape.X)

        Dim imageCount As Byte = 0

        For Each shape In sortedShapes
            Dim pictureShape As PictureShape = CType(shape, PictureShape)
            pictureShape.Image.Save($"Slide{slideNumber}_Picture{imageCount}.png", DXImageFormat.Png)
            imageCount += 1
        Next

        slideNumber += 1
    Next
End Sub