Sway is a publishing tool built used to make the most of modern digital design practices. Sway is best used to create multimedia-heavy presentations, reports, stories, and newsletters viewed in a web browser or on a mobile device.
Sway lets you organize source information (including web content) into what is essentially a templated interactive website, which can be easily embedded or shared via link.
Sways make use of functionality that other similar tools (e.g., PowerPoint) cannot. For example, Sway integrates scrolling—both horizontal and vertical—as a foundational aspect of Sway design. Additionally, while PowerPoint is catching up in its ability to self-design given text and image input, Sway’s wizard is a more natural performer.
Similar to other Office apps, Sway provides multiple templates and the ability to start a Sway from scratch. Sways are stored on Sway.com; they are not saved in SharePoint nor OneDrive, but Sways can be exported from and imported directly to Sway.com.
Sway is similar to PowerPoint in the use case of building presentations. But Sway excels at producing content that does not require a presenter, whereas PowerPoint slide decks usually require someone to speak to the content. Sway is also best used for displaying dynamic online content like social media posts, video, imagery, and other multimedia.
Note: Sway is no longer being developed or supported by Microsoft on a go-forward basis, but there is no word on it being shut down.
Resources
- Getting started with Sway [Microsoft]
- Sway Blog [Microsoft]
- Sway Roadmap [Microsoft]
- Sway vs. PowerPoint: What's the difference? [goptg.com]
Feedback
- Sway UserVoice [UserVoice]
- Sway on TechCommunity [Microsoft]
Author
- Matt Wade, Office Services MVP and Hunter Willis
