MAXQDA for Windows supports Windows OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), which means that audio file, PowerPoint slides, hyperlinks, and video files can be embedded in an RTF or DOC/X file. The connection between the text document and these objects remains in effect even after import into MAXQDA.

There are two ways to deal with these embedded objects, which will be explained with the example of a PowerPoint slide.

The first variation works as follows:

Highlight a PowerPoint slide (e.g. from the sort view) and copy it into the Windows clipboard. You can then paste it into a MAXQDA document by pressing Ctrl+V; the slide can then be viewed in the document in the “Document Browser.” By double-clicking on the slide, you will open it in PowerPoint, where you have the option of editing the slide. You can also code the slide, but MAXQDA handles it as a single object, so lines of text in the slide cannot be coded separately. Depending on the type and size of the object, it may take up quite a bit of memory to code it, so only code such objects if it is important for your analysis.

Second variation:

Here there is only a link created for the embedded objection. These work like hyperlinks in a web browser; you will be able to tell that a link exists, because the text will be blue and underlined. By hovering the mouse over the link, you can see the name of file linked to that spot. Clicking on the link opens the file in the appropriate program, assuming that program is installed on the program you are working with (e.g. PPT files are opened in PowerPoint, audio files in a media player, etc.). The program that will be opened depends on the computer’s settings.

With the second variation, it makes absolutely no difference how big the linked file is. With the first variation, though, it is important to be aware of the object size, so the project file doesn’t become too large. MAXQDA is first and foremost designed for analyzing text documents, so it is not recommended that you use it as a photo archive or as a multimedia program.