Manage library content

Choose which slide, image, and icon sources appear in the think-cell Library. You can add slide and image assets from local or shared storage, slide templates that come with think-cell, online stock image and icon providers, and digital asset management providers.

By default, the library displays the sources that are free to use with your think-cell license. For a list of all library sources, see Library sources. If some of these sources are unavailable, your organization may have its own library settings.

Add, remove, and reorder library sources

To add, remove, and reorder library sources, follow these steps:

1. Open the library: on the PowerPoint ribbon, go to the Insert tab. In the Slides group, select Library .
2. In think-cell Library, in the library sources pane, select Configure Library .
3. To add a source, select the plus sign (🞡) beside its label. To remove a source, select the X mark (✕) beside its label. To reorder sources, drag their labels.
4. To save your changes, select Save Configuration . To exit configuration mode without saving your changes, select Cancel Configuration .

Add your slide and image assets to the library

You can add folders that contain slides and images to the think-cell Library. The folders can be on your local computer, network drives, SharePoint, or OneDrive. It's easier and faster to find your assets in the library than in your file manager.

Add assets to the library on Windows

Windows only

On Windows, you can add an asset folder to the think-cell Library from your local computer, a network drive, or OneDrive.

To add your slide and image assets to the think-cell Library, follow these steps:

1. Open the library: on the PowerPoint ribbon, go to the Insert tab. In the Slides group, select Library .
2. In think-cell Library, in the library sources pane, select Configure Library .
3. Select New folder. The Select a folder dialog will open.
4. Select a folder that contains PowerPoint files, images, or both. To select a folder, do one of the following:
   • In the Select a folder dialog, select the folder that you want to add, then select Select Folder. If you don't see Select a folder, in the think-cell Library dialog, select Browse .
   • In the think-cell Library dialog, in Folder Path, enter the path of the folder. Then select Enter.
5. In Label, the folder label automatically matches the source's name on your computer. If you want to, you can enter a new folder label.
6. When you're finished, select Save Configuration .

If you don't see your assets in the library, press F5 to refresh the search results. If you're adding a large number of assets at once, you might need to wait several minutes before all the assets appear in the library. You can close PowerPoint and the library will continue to add the assets in the background.

Any subfolders within the folder that you add also appear in the library sources. To expand and collapse the folders, select the arrowheads ( and ).

If you add, edit, or delete assets in a folder, these changes automatically appear in the library. If you don't see your changes, press F5 to refresh the search results.

For a list of supported slide and image formats, see Supported file formats.

Add assets from SharePoint to the library

Windows only

On Windows, you can add a folder from SharePoint to the library.

1. In SharePoint, go to the folder that you want to add and select Add shortcut to OneDrive (see View SharePoint files in File Explorer).
2. After adding the shortcut, you can see the SharePoint folder in File Explorer. You can now add the folder's contents to the think-cell Library (see Add assets to the library on Windows).

Add assets to the library on Mac

If you want the library to update whenever you edit the asset folder, see Add folders to the library on Mac via a network drive.

If you don't plan to update the assets in the folder, see Add folders to the library on Mac via local storage.

Add folders to the library on Mac via a network drive

If you want the library on Mac to update whenever you edit an asset folder, add the folder to the library via a network drive.

1. Add the folder to a network drive, with the following criteria:
   • The network drive is shared across Windows and Mac (see Connect your Mac to shared computers and servers).
   • The folder is shared with a Windows computer where someone regularly uses think-cell. This ensures that the index files will update when the folder contents change.
2. On Windows, add the asset folder to the library (see Add assets to the library on Windows).
3. On Mac, open the library: on the PowerPoint ribbon, go to the Insert tab and select Library .
4. In think-cell Library, in the library sources pane, select Configure Library .
5. Select New folder. The Open dialog will open.
6. Select the folder on the network drive. To select a folder, do one of the following:
   • In the Open dialog, select the folder that you want to add, then select Open. If you don't see the Open dialog, in the think-cell Library dialog, select Browse .
   • In the think-cell Library dialog, in Folder Path, enter the path of the folder. Then select Enter.
7. In Label, the folder label automatically matches the source's name on your computer. If you want to, you can enter a new folder label.
8. When you're finished, select Save Configuration .

Add folders to the library on Mac via local storage

If you don't plan to update the assets in a folder, add the folder to the library via local storage.

1. On Windows, make sure that the asset folder isn't synced to a cloud storage provider such as OneDrive, otherwise the index files may not appear in the folder. To ensure that the folder isn't synced to cloud storage, you can copy the folder to a USB drive.
2. On Windows, add the folder to the library (see Add assets to the library on Windows). If the folder is on a USB drive, add the folder to the library from the drive.
3. Copy the asset folder with the index files to local storage on Mac—for example, using a USB drive.
4. On Mac, open the library: on the PowerPoint ribbon, go to the Insert tab and select Library .
5. In think-cell Library, in the library sources pane, select Configure Library .
6. Select New folder. The Open dialog will open.
7. Select the folder that you want to add to the library. To select a folder, do one of the following:
   • In the Open dialog, select the folder that you want to add, then select Open. If you don't see the Open dialog, in the think-cell Library dialog, select Browse .
   • In the think-cell Library dialog, in Folder Path, enter the path of the folder. Then select Enter.
8. In Label, the folder label automatically matches the source's name on your computer. If you want to, you can enter a new folder label.
9. When you're finished, select Save Configuration .

How think-cell protects your data

When you add assets to the think-cell Library, your data stays where it is: think-cell neither uploads your files to a cloud service nor copies them to another location. This also applies to the index files that think-cell generates when you add assets to the library. If your files are stored locally on your computer, you can access them in the library even when you're offline.

The library also preserves user permissions for files. Users who can't access a file in your company network can't see that file in the library either. Additionally, the index files that think-cell generates when you add assets to the library have the same user permissions as the files that they index.

Supported file formats

You can add PowerPoint files and images with the following formats to the library.

Add slide templates to the library

By default, Slide Templates is available in the think-cell Library. Slide Templates contains over 450 professionally designed slide templates and objects that come with your think-cell installation, including geographical maps, box plots, and decision trees.

To add your own slide templates to the library, see Add your slide and image assets to the library.

To remove Slide Templates from the library sources, see Add, remove, and reorder library sources.

Add image and icon providers to the library

You can use Pexels, Unsplash, and Freepik in the library without an additional subscription. If you have a subscription to Brandfolder, Canto, or Getty Images, you can add these sources to the library as well.

Add Pexels, Unsplash, and Freepik

By default, icon provider Freepik and stock image providers Pexels and Unsplash are available in the library. You don't need an account with these providers to use them in the library.

To remove these providers from the library sources, see Add, remove, and reorder library sources.

Add Brandfolder

Add a Brandfolder account to the library.

Add Canto

To add a Canto account to the library, follow these steps. The Canto account URL must end in canto.com.

1. In the think-cell Library, select Configure Library , then add Canto.
2. In the browser window that opens, select Grant access and provide your account details.
3. In the think-cell Library, select Save Configuration .

To switch Canto accounts, in the think-cell Library, select Configure Library , then select Canto > Change User.

Add Getty Images

To add a Getty Images Premium Access account to the library, follow these steps:

1. In the think-cell Library, select Configure Library , then add Getty Images.
2. In the browser window that opens, select Grant access and provide your account details.
3. In the think-cell Library, select Save Configuration .

To switch Getty Images accounts, in the think-cell Library, select Configure Library , then select Getty Images > Change User.