how to create a video presentation using powerpoint

How to Make a PowerPoint into a Video in Under 5 Minutes

• how to make a powerpoint into a video

PowerPoint is, by far, the most popular tool people use to make presentations , whether for school projects or work-related activities, such as staff training or pitching a product idea to investors. 

PowerPoint is genuinely a great tool. It’s simple and easy to use, offers hundreds of themes, and if you spend a bit of time playing around with all the different options inside the program, you can make professional presentations that will captivate your audience. 

The only issue regarding PowerPoint—more specifically, presentations in general—is the limited usability of PPT files. You can’t upload a presentation on YouTube , for example. You could technically share it on your website or on social media, but a presentation without a presenter is just a random compilation of images.

Unless the person who created the presentation takes the time to weave the story, explain all the concepts, and expand on the bullet points the audience sees on the slides, the presentation won’t have the desired impact. 

Does that mean that presentations are only viable in a face-to-face setting? Not exactly. There are a number of different ways to utilize presentations, but they all involve converting the PPT file into a video . 

Now, the question begs itself— how do you make a video out of a presentation?

Turn PPTs into engaging videos

With InVideo’s online editor

Creating a Video from PowerPoint

The first thing that will go through most people’s minds is a webinar. When you stop to think about it, a webinar is nothing more than a glorified presentation. Someone takes the time to record themselves as they’re going through all the different slides and explaining everything in detail. 

A webinar is a rather specific form of content, and it takes a lot of time and effort to put one together and to get enough people to watch it to make it worthwhile. Unless you’re an experienced salesperson who is adamant about selling a product and firmly believes that the best way to do so is to blabber about it for two hours, you’re probably looking for a faster, less painstaking way to turn a PowerPoint into a video.

Thankfully, there are a number of different ways to do so. In fact, PowerPoint itself gives you the option to convert the presentation into a video. In this article, we’ll walk you through the entire process step by step and show you how to make a video PPT using all the different versions of the program. 

How to make a video from PowerPoint?(Office 365, PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016)

Although the option is there, keep in mind that it’s not as simple as clicking a Convert to video button. You do need to record narration and laser point gestures (mouse movement on-screen) beforehand.

The reason for that is simple and technical in nature—unless you record narration and timings beforehand, PowerPoint will default to five seconds per slide when creating a video. 

You can change this by clicking the upward arrow next to the Timing under the Create a Video option, but keep in mind that you’ll be adjusting the time for all slides simultaneously. There is no option to adjust how long each individual slide will appear on the screen.  

If you want to use different timings per slide, as well as record narration, select the Recording option inside PowerPoint and create a video. 

Here’s how you’ll enable recording inside Office 365 PowerPoint, as well as PowerPoint 2019 and 2016:

1. Click on File and select Options on the left-hand side of the screen 2. Choose Customize Ribbon (A) from the drop-down menu 3. Check Recording (B) in the pop-up window and hit OK (C)

Image source: Microsoft

You’ll see a new option appear on your screen under the Recording tab, titled Record Slide Show. Clicking on the downward pointing arrow will allow you to choose whether you want to start recording the slideshow from the start or from the slide you’re currently on. 

You can also choose to record the narration as audio or video, and you will be able to leverage a variety of different tools, such as pens and markers, to highlight certain elements on your slides.  

As you’re recording, the red circle next to the Record Slide Show button will be blinking, indicating that the audio and/or video is being captured. Once you go through all the slides, you can either:

- Click on the square Stop button - Press S on your keyboard. 

Exporting your video

The easiest way to export the video you just recorded is to navigate to the Recording tab and select Export to Video . This will open up a new menu, and PowerPoint will prompt you to choose the video quality. 

One thing to keep in mind is that the Ultra HD option is available only on Windows 10 . 

Next up, you’ll need to either set the timings for the slides or select the Use Recorded Timings and Narration option. 

Then, click on Create a Video , name your file, and choose where you want to save it. 

Finally, select the Save as Type option and choose between two available formats:

- MPEG-4 Video - Windows Media Video

PowerPoint will start converting the slideshow into a video automatically. Depending on the video quality and length, this process might take a while, so we suggest timing it so that you don’t have to use the computer during that time. For larger, Full HD or Ultra HD videos, it’s best to keep the program running overnight.

PowerPoint 2013

One notable difference with the 2013 version of PowerPoint is that the video quality options are slightly different. Ultra HD (4K) was just entering the scene, and not a lot of people owned devices that supported the 3840 × 2160 video resolution, so it’s no surprise that the option doesn’t exist in this version. 

The interface didn’t change much over the years, so if you happen to be running PowerPoint 2013, you’ll go through the exact same process as with the newer versions of the program:

1. Navigate to File , click Export , and choose to Create a Video 2. Select the resolution 3. Set timing parameters or use recorded timings and narration 4. Click on Create Video 5. Choose Save as Type and select between MPEG-4 or Windows Media Video 

PowerPoint 2010

If you are still using the 10-year-old version of PowerPoint, the options for creating a video out of your slideshow will be a bit different. 

The first thing to keep in mind is that PowerPoint 2010 only supports .mp4 files and that the maximum resolution for the videos is 1290 x 720, which isn’t exactly ideal. If you want to create a professional-looking video from your PowerPoint presentation to share with business partners or your audience, you might want to consider a less restrictive alternative. 

Here’s how you would turn your slideshow into a video in this outdated version of the program:

1. Select Save & Send under File 2. Choose the option Create a Video at the very bottom of the right-hand side of the screen 3. Find the Create a Video tab if you want to see the available video quality options 4. Click on the downward-pointing arrow next to the Computer & HD Displays option and choose from the three available options 5. Choose between Use and Don’t Use Recorded Timings and Narration depending on whether you want to use recorded timings and narration 6. Click on Create a Video , name it, choose the destination folder, and hit Save 

PowerPoint Video Drawbacks

It’s always great when you can use the same tool for various different tasks. In the case of PowerPoint, you can both create the presentation within the program and convert it into a video on the spot. 

That said, PowerPoint isn’t a video editing tool . What we mean by this is that you are severely limited in terms of what you can do with the video you create from your PPT. There are no transitions, you can’t leverage fade-ins and fade-outs, and there is no music, among other things.

No matter how you look at it, the videos created through PowerPoint will be bland. PowerPoint’s PPT to video conversion might get the job done if your only goal is to share a presentation internally with your team. Even then, it only makes sense in a remote work environment, where you can’t physically hold the presentation to your coworkers. 

If you’re planning on using the presentation as a core part of your marketing strategy , then the video quality—and we don’t mean the resolution here—you’ll get from PowerPoint won’t suffice. No matter how professional you sound during the narration, the videos created through PowerPoint will still give off the impression that you didn’t try all that hard. 

When you see the production value of the videos that businesses share on their websites, YouTube channels , and social media, it’s painfully obvious that PowerPoint videos can’t compete. This doesn’t mean you have to spend months learning video editing or spend a small fortune hiring a professional videographer to make and edit the videos for you. 

With InVideo, a powerful yet easy-to-use online video editor , you can create stunning videos from your presentations in minutes! We’ll walk you through the whole process to show you how easy it is to create breathtaking videos from presentations with InVideo . 

How to make a video from a PowerPoint Presentation using InVideo?

Videos are quickly becoming an integral part of every business’s marketing strategy. Whether you’re a startup, an enterprise, a medium-size business, or a solo entrepreneur, you will need to use videos if you want to attract as much traffic to your website as possible. The same goes for influencers and bloggers—videos beat any other type of content when it comes to user engagement. 

InVideo makes video editing quick, easy, and fun. Thanks to our intuitive, drag-and-drop video editor , professionally designed video templates , and an extensive library of photos and audio tracks, you can create killer videos in no time, even if you have absolutely no video editing experience.

Our platform is cloud-based, meaning you can access it from any browser on your computer and laptop. This also means that your video editing capabilities won’t depend on how powerful your machine is, meaning you can create HD and Ultra HD videos even with a low-end PC or laptop.

The best part about InVideo is the fact that you can export up to 60 videos per month for free! With our free plan , you’ll have access to all of InVideo’s features so that you can play around with all the different options and learn video editing at your own pace. We also have dozens of video editing tutorials for different use-cases, so you can get started right away. 

Creating videos from photos and PowerPoint presentations is one of many things you can do with InVideo. 

Here’s are the simple steps you can follow to create a stunning video from your presentation with InVideo:

Step 1: Create an account

To get started, you’ll need to create an account.  

Navigate to our website and click Sign Up in the top right corner. Input your email, set up your password, and you’re good to go. We’ll never ask you for your credit card information or phone number. We won’t bombard you with emails either—we hate spam as much as you do. 

Step 2: Select a Template or start from scratch

Once you log in, you’ll see several different options on the homepage:

The Pre-made Templates option will be selected by default. While there are over 5000 stunning video templates in our library, we strongly suggest that you go with the Blank Template option for this purpose. 

You will be starting from scratch, but it’s not as scary as it might sound. The blank template is the most convenient option since you’ll be treating each slide as a separate scene and editing them individually. Here’s how to do it: 

- Choose how long each slide appears on the screen - Add the appropriate narration - Throw in effects , filters, transitions , etc.

Step 3: Upload your media

Assuming you are the one who created the presentation, you should have all the necessary media on your device—photos, slides, and the script . To add it to the video, you’ll first need to upload it through our video editor .

From the menu on the left, select the Uploads option and click on the Upload button at the bottom of the screen. 

You can upload files up to 800MB at a time. If you have all the photos neatly sorted into a folder, you can upload the entire folder in one go. All the media you upload will be available immediately to the left of your video—for this and all future projects—and you can drag and drop images to the center of the screen to add them to the timeline.

Step 4: Add the photos

Let’s start with a single scene—the intro of your presentation. Drag and drop the desired image from the Uploads library onto the screen to add it to the scene. 

The video editor will show you what the image will look like in the video. When you drop the photo, you’ll need to select one of the two options:

- Replace - Add as a layer

If the slide consists of a single image, choose Replace. Since we’re not using a pre-made template here, the image you chose will replace the black background.

If you would like to add additional images on top of it—such as graphs, screenshots, product photos, or lifestyle images—drag and drop them to the center of the screen once again, but this time select the Add as a Layer option. This will put the new image on top (in front) of the background one, making the first one act as a backdrop. 

Step 5: Edit the Scenes and add text

By default, scenes will be about five to six seconds long, which probably isn’t sufficient for the narration. You can edit how long each slide—referred to as a scene in the video editor—will be on the screen for on the timeline.

The image above shows the basic timeline, which is great for having an overview of all your scenes. To edit a specific scene, click on it on the timeline and select the Advanced Timeline option in the top right corner. 

On the left side, you’ll see all the different elements that make up the scene. Select each one you’d like to edit, whether it’s a logo, the text, or the image itself. 

The middle of the timeline is reserved for the length of the scene. To adjust how long this scene will be in the video, move the sliders left or right. The duration of the scene will always be displayed in the center.

On the right side, you’ll be able to zoom in and out, so you can edit the timeline more easily. 

As far as text editing is concerned, you can do so either from the timeline or by selecting the text box on the screen. You’ll be able to drag and drop the text box to adjust the positioning, rotate the text, change the colors and font, and more. To add multiple text boxes, select the Text option from the left-hand menu and drag and drop the new box onto the screen.

Step 6: Add narration

All that’s left to do is add narration. If you’ve recorded the audio already, you can add it through Uploads , the same way you did with photos. If not, you can add a voice-over to each individual scene. Select the Add VO option and import an existing voice-over or choose to record it on the spot. 

Step 7: Export the Video

After you record or upload the VO, add the photos, and edit the length of each scene, you’re good to go. You can play around with filters, effects, and transitions if you’d like, but the base video is complete and ready to be shared with the world! 

All that’s left to do is to click on Export in the top right corner and wait for the video to render. After a few minutes, depending on the video’s length, you’ll be able to download it, post it on YouTube and social media, or copy the shareable link and use the video in your marketing campaigns. 

Turn your PPTs into epic videos

Without spending hours on editing

That’s how easy it is to create stunning videos with InVideo. Click here to get started today for free and turn your PowerPoint presentations into breathtaking videos in no time! 

Let’s create superb videos

How-To Geek

How to add a video to a microsoft powerpoint presentation.

If a picture speaks a thousand words, a video speaks a million words!

Quick Links

Embedding videos versus linking to videos, supported video formats in powerpoint, how to insert a video into a powerpoint presentation, manage an embedded video's playback in powerpoint.

Videos can make presentations even more interesting or exciting. If you're looking to add a video to your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, it's easy to do so. We'll show you how.

In PowerPoint, you can either embed a video or link to a video from your presentation. If you embed a video, your video becomes part of the presentation, which increases the overall size of the presentation file.

Related: How to Send PowerPoint Presentations With an Embedded Video

If you link to a video, PowerPoint only adds a reference to that video in your presentation. The downside of this method is that you need to send the video file separately if you share your presentation with someone. We have written a guide on how to send PowerPoint presentations with videos , so check that out.

In this guide, we'll focus on embedding a video in your presentation so you don't have to worry about sending separate files. And, if you're looking to add a YouTube video to your presentation , there's a way to do that, too.

Related: How to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint

PowerPoint supports multiple video formats, including ASF, AVI, MP4, M4V, MOV, MPG, MPEG, and WMV. If your video is already in one of these formats, you can quickly add that to your presentation.

If your video is in another format, you can convert it to a supported format and then add it to your presentation.

Related: How to Use Handbrake to Convert Any Video File to Any Format

First, make sure the video you want to add to your presentation is saved on your Windows or Mac computer. Then, open your presentation with PowerPoint on your computer.

On the PowerPoint window, in the left sidebar, click the slide in which you want to add a video.

At the top of the PowerPoint window, click the "Insert" tab.

In the "Insert" tab, under the "Media" section (which is to the extreme right side of the interface), click "Video."

You'll now see an "Insert Video From" menu. Here, select "This Device."

Your computer's standard "open" window will open. In this window, access the folder that has your video file. Then double-click your video file to add it to your presentation.

You'll see your selected video in your presentation. To resize this video, click it and use the handles around the video to change its size. Then drag the video to place it at its desired location in your slide.

If you'd like to test the video, at the bottom-left corner of the video, click the play icon.

And you're all set.

Now that you have added a video to your presentation, you might want to change how it plays in your slides. In PowerPoint, you have multiple ways to change your video's playback.

To access these playback options, first, click your video in your presentation. Then, at the top of the PowerPoint window, click "Playback."

In the "Playback" tab, under the "Video Options" section, you will find various options to manage your video's playback.

For example, to change how your video starts to play in your presentation, click the "Start" drop-down menu and select one of these options:

• In Click Sequence : This plays your video in the click sequence. This means if you press the button for the next slide, your video will play.
• Automatically : This option automatically plays your video when the slide with your video opens.
• When Clicked On : Select this option to play your video only when you click it.

The other options are "Play Full Screen," which opens your video in full screen, and "Loop Until Stopped" that plays your video over and over again until you manually stop it.

Before you close PowerPoint, make sure you save your presentation so that your embedded video is saved with it. Do this by clicking File > Save in PowerPoint's menu bar.

And that's how you make your PowerPoint presentations even more engaging by including videos in them. Exciting!

If you don't want to add a video but you do want audio, you can add music to your presentations . This also helps enhance your presentation quality.

Related: How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

How to embed a video in PowerPoint for a more engaging presentation

What type of content do you primarily create?

Making an engaging PowerPoint presentation is no easy feat.

You have to figure out what to say, and what you want your audience to grasp. Then, decide how to bring the two together to deliver a compelling presentation.

One popular way to add flair is by embedding video into the content, like what Dr. Frans de Waal did in his TED Talk on inequity aversion . To emphasize his points, he included videos of animal experiments, turning a mind-numbingly boring topic into an engaging and viral presentation—which now has over 5 million views.

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to embed a video in PowerPoint so you can create exceptional presentations that grab your audience’s attention and help them remember what you said.

How to embed a video in PowerPoint from your PC or Mac

First, of course, you’ll need a video, either one online or from your media library. The next step is to find a way to make it play during your PowerPoint presentation. You could do it manually by bringing up the video from another website or program while you’re speaking, but that process is clunky and you might end up facing technical challenges.

Luckily, there are simpler and easier methods of embedding videos in PowerPoint. You can link to your video file externally or embed it directly in your presentation. 

Use the tutorial below to insert videos in PowerPoint from a computer.

How to embed a video in PowerPoint in Windows

Step 1: select the powerpoint slide.

Launch Microsoft PowerPoint on a Windows computer and open a blank or existing PowerPoint file. 

Then, go to the slide you want to embed a video and select the Insert tab in the toolbar.

Step 2: Click Video > This Device

Select the Video option. Here, you can either embed a video from your computer or from an online source, like a website or YouTube and other supported platforms.

Click This Device from the drop-down menu to embed a video from a folder on your computer.  

PowerPoint supports MP4 files encoded with H.264 video and AAC audio. So, you can upload videos in file formats, such as M4V, MOV, ASF, AVI, MPG, MPEG, or WMV.

If you don't want to play a video full screen, resize it to your preferred dimensions.

For precise height-to-width proportions:

• Select Format (PowerPoint 2013 or newer) or Options (PowerPoint 2010) in the Size group
• Click the Dialog Box Launcher Icon image
• Click Size, then select the Lock aspect ratio checkbox under Scale 
• Enter your preferred height and width under Size and rotate or enter the percentage of size that you want in the Scale height and width boxes

Then, select Video Format to access formatting options like borders and effects or right-click the video for more options. You can also use the Designer tool to choose from professional slide templates. 

Then, click the Playback tab to trim your video, add captions, choose playback options, like In Click Sequence, Automatically, or When Clicked On.

Note: In PowerPoint for Microsoft Office 365 or PowerPoint 2016 version 1709 or later, you can use the In Click Sequence option. This way, your video can play in sequence with other actions you’ve programmed on the slide, like animations or transitions. 

To insert a web video, select Video > Online Videos . 

Note: PowerPoint supports YouTube, SlideShare, Vimeo, Stream, and Flip video providers.

Step 3: Click Insert

If you choose to embed an online video, copy the link to the video you want to embed and paste it in the blank field. A preview of your video will appear in the Insert video pop-up.

Click the Insert button to embed the video in your presentation. 

PowerPoint will download and insert the video on the selected slide. You can drag the edges of the video thumbnail to resize it, then use Video Format options, like shape, border, and effects to enhance the video. 

Select the Playback tab to insert captions or choose how your video plays (automatically or when clicked). 

Note: You can’t change when an online video starts. But if you’re embedding a YouTube video, you can copy the video URL at the current time to link from a specific start time. 

Click the Slide Show tab to preview the video with all the formatting changes you made. Then, save your presentation to your computer or click the Share button to move or copy it to the cloud.

How to embed a video in PowerPoint on a Mac

To embed a video in PowerPoint for Mac, you’ll need to save the video file in the same folder as your presentation.

Launch PowerPoint and open a blank or existing presentation, then select the slide you’d like to add a video to. 

Select Insert .

Step 2: Click Video > From File

Click Video to access video embed options from the drop-down menu:

• Video browser
• Video from file
• Stock videos
• Online film

Select Video from file to insert a video file from your Mac.

In the Choose a Video dialog box, select the video file you want to insert, then click the Insert button to embed the video on the slide.

If you want to put a link to the video on the slide, click Show Options in the lower left corner of the dialog box. 

Then, select the Link to file box, and click Insert .

Select the Video Format tab to add effects and choose whether your video will play automatically or when clicked.

Tip: If you’re using the 2016 version of PowerPoint (or newer), you can play back videos with multiple audio tracks. These versions also support closed captions and subtitles embedded in video files.

Select the Playback tab to do the following:

• Trim your video
• Add fade in and fade out effects
• Play the video on full screen or hide during the show
• Insert captions
• Select start time options (in click sequence, automatically, or when clicked)
• Loop the video to play repeatedly and continuously during the presentation
• Rewind your video

How to embed a video in PowerPoint from YouTube

Embedding a YouTube video to a PowerPoint presentation is simple. You can use the video URL or integrated search function to embed a video you uploaded to YouTube or someone else’s video (with permission).

To add a video to your PowerPoint presentation, you’ll copy the video embed code and paste it into the slide you want. The code will load the video at the source and play it on the platform you’re using. 

You won’t need to download and upload the video from YouTube and the video will load and play faster regardless of the file size. Plus, you can share video content that’s covered under copyright, so you’re not in danger of crossing any legal lines. 

Follow these steps to embed a video in PowerPoint from YouTube on a Windows PC or Mac. 

How to embed a video in PowerPoint from YouTube in Windows

Step 1: click “insert video”.

Open a PowerPoint presentation and select the slide you want to embed your video.

Click Insert > Video .

Step 2: Choose “Online video”

Select the Online Videos option.

Step 3: Insert the URL from YouTube

Right-click the video to copy the video link or embed code, or click Share to get the embed code. Then, paste the URL or embed code in the link field. 

A preview of your video will appear in the Insert video dialog box.

Click Insert to embed the video in your presentation. 

Resize the video thumbnail, then use the video formatting options to enhance it. 

Click Playback play the video automatically or when clicked or add captions. Then, preview the video with all the edits you made and save or share your presentation.

Note: YouTube’s video file formats are similar to those PowerPoint supports, so your video will likely play without issues. However, YouTube supports some formats that PowerPoint doesn’t, including FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, HEVC (h265), and CineForm. If your video isn’t playing, check to make sure it’s a supported file format.

How to embed a video in PowerPoint from YouTube on a Mac

Step 2: choose “online film”.

Select Online Film . 

A URL pop-up will appear prompting you to enter the link to the YouTube video.

Go to YouTube and copy the link or embed code of the video you want to embed in your presentation. You can right-click the video and select copy video URL or copy embed code, or click Share and copy the video link or embed code.

Paste the video link or embed code in the URL pop-up in your PowerPoint presentation, then click Insert .

Resize your video and polish your slides before saving the presentation to your computer.

How to insert a video file link in PowerPoint

Embedding a video in PowerPoint may be convenient, but it increases the size of your presentation. 

To reduce your presentation file size, insert a video file link to create a linked video. The downside with linked videos is that links can break, but you can prevent this by copying and storing your presentation and linked videos in the same folder, then linking to the video there.

Ensure you have a stable internet connection, then use the steps below to insert a video file link in PowerPoint on a PC or Mac.

Insert a video file link in PowerPoint on a PC or Mac

Step 1: take a screenshot of the video.

Find the video you want to link to in PowerPoint and take a screenshot of the clip. 

To take a screenshot in Windows, you can either use the Snipping tool, press the PrtScn (print screen) key and Windows Logo key on your keyboard. 

If you’re using a Mac computer, you can take a screenshot by pressing and holding SHIFT + COMMAND + 3 keys together (for full screenshot) or SHIFT + COMMAND + 4 keys to screenshot a specific area. 

Step 2: Insert the screenshot in your presentation

Alternatively, navigate to the slide you want to add your screenshot to, select Insert > Pictures > Picture from File . Then, find the screenshot you took, select Insert to add it to the slide, then crop, resize, and position it to your liking.

Step 3: Hyperlink the image to your video

Right-click the image and select Link . 

If your video is in Descript, copy the video link from your dashboard.

 Insert the video link in the address field then click OK .

The hyperlink will be connected to the image itself, not other elements on the slide or the entire slide.

Click Slide Show to test your video and ensure it links to the right video. When you click on the image, it will open in a web browser, ready for you to play.

Why can’t I embed a video in PowerPoint?

Embedding videos to a PowerPoint presentation is a straightforward process, but sometimes the video may fail to play. Let’s review some reasons for playback failure and how to resolve them.

Video playback issues

Video playback may fail in PowerPoint if:

• The storage folder is corrupt
• The video’s audio is out of sync
• The video file is corrupt, damaged, in an unsupported file format, or missing certain files

How to fix: Convert your video into a supported file format, check PowerPoint playback settings, or make the video visible by unchecking the Hide while not playing option in the playback tab. You can also save your presentation using the PPT or PPTX extension, so it’s easier to open the file in older or modern Office versions. 

File size and compatibility

Your video might not play if the file is too big. To resolve this issue, compress the media file by going to File > Info > Compress Media. Then, select one of these options: 

• Presentation quality/full HD: Adjusts the video size while maintaining its quality.
• Internet quality/HD: Saves on space and video quality.
• Low quality/Standard: Saves more space but doesn’t keep overall video and audio quality. This option is ideal if you want to share the presentation with others and ensure your videos will still play.  

If your video file is incompatible with PowerPoint, it may be in an unsupported file format or missing a codec. 

How to fix: Convert the video to a supported format or add a missing codec to your computer for smooth playback.

Broken links

When adding an online video, you might accidentally enter an incorrect link or the video link may be broken at the source. This means it won’t embed correctly and won’t play when you’re presenting. 

How to fix: Before inserting or embedding an online video, install the required updates for your version of PowerPoint and check that you’ve copied the right link. Then, test your video to ensure it plays on any device.

Make the best videos to embed in PowerPoint with Descript

Embedding a video in PowerPoint is a pretty simple process with several benefits for you and your audience. To prevent yawns and glazed-over eyes, you’ll need professional-quality videos that will draw your audience in, keep them engaged, and improve message recall.

Descript’s audio and video editing software lets you record, edit, and publish studio-grade videos to YouTube, then embed them in your PowerPoint presentations in a few clicks. 

Plus, Descript’s AI-powered automatic transcription generates high-quality transcripts from your video’s audio, which you can use as notes while making your presentation. You can also use Descript’s AI features to get text summaries, auto-generate copy for social media posts, and enhance your audio with Studio Sound .

Take Descript for a spin today to make quality videos that will help you deliver exceptional PowerPoint presentations.

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Helping you with presenting, PowerPoint, and speaking

Create a video from photos in PowerPoint

July 31, 2011 by Ellen Finkelstein 6 Comments

Do you have some business photos that you would like to highlight in a presentation or post on your company’s website as a video? Or perhaps you just want to show some friends your personal photos. Either way, you can use PowerPoint’s Photo Album feature.  This feature has existed since PowerPoint 2003. In PowerPoint 2010 and 2013, you can go one step further and convert your photos to video format.

Follow these steps:

• Choose Insert> Photo Album. (In 2003, choose Insert> Picture> New Photo Album.)
• Click the File/Disk button. In the Insert New Pictures dialog box, navigate to a folder with your photos. (It helps if they’re all in one folder, but you can add more later from another location.)
• Select the photos you want to include. You can press Ctrl + A to add all of the files in the folder. To select a range, click the first file, press Shift and click the last file. To select individual files, pres Ctrl and click each one you want. When you’re done, click Insert.
• You now see the images listed in the Photo Album dialog box. You can select a photo and click the up or down arrows to rearrange them, but it’s easier to rearrange them in PowerPoint later. You can also use the Rotate, Brightness, and Contrast buttons to modify any photo. In the Album Layout section, you can leave the Fit to Slide default or choose another layout, such as 1 Picture (which doesn’t expand the image to cover the entire slide) or more pictures per slide. If you use one of these options, you might also want to use a theme, since your slides won’t be entirely covered with a photo. In the same Album Layout section, click Browse. Note that vertical photos, like the one you see below, also won’t cover the entire slide. Also, the first slide doesn’t have a photo, although you can change that–I usually delete the first slide.
• Click Create to create the photo album. Here you see the result in Slide Sorter view. These are photos I took at Henry Doorly Zoo, a great place to visit in Omaha, Nebraska!
• Feel free to re-order the slides, which is easy to do in Slide Sorter view. Just drag the slides where you want them.
• I’m not usually a fan of transitions, because I think they’re distracting. You need a real purpose to use a transition. In this case, entertainment is a good enough reason. I chose Cube for all the slides, which is a 3D transition new to PowerPoint 2010. It’s pretty dramatic, so use it only when you think it’s definitely appropriate.
• You can add music if you want! To insert and play music throughout a presentation, see my PowerPoint tip, “P lay music or narration throughout a presentation. ” However, finding free, legal music isn’t easy. I left out the music.
• If you’ll be showing the slides live, you can just click through them. But if you want the slides to advance automatically, you need to add slide timings. This is important if you want to end up with a video. For information on how to add slide timing, see my tip, “ Create a video effect. “
• To create a video in PowerPoint 2010, choose File> Save & Send> Create a Video. Check the settings on the right to make sure it will pick up your slide timings. Then click Create Video. Wait while PowerPoint outputs the video file.

Here’s the result. Each slide displays for 5 seconds; the entire presentation is just over 3 minutes long. Enjoy!

Related posts:

• Create a video zoom effect from photos in PowerPoint
• Add multiple images to an existing presentation
• 6 steps to create cool stickout photos in PowerPoint
• Format photos to look like old-fashioned snapshots

6 Leave a Reply

Hi Ellen Nice post and thanks for the information. There is a lot of public domain music out there that I use in various audio projects. An interesting one is this http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=African – the navigation isn’t the best, but you can browse by genre and feel from here. The music is very good.

great tutorial as usual! Looks like I might need to get the 2010 version…

hi from this information i have make video but in sound is not coming plz send me answer. i have made in powerpoint 2010

Is the sound from a separate sound file that you inserted? Is it on the first slide? One of these might help you: http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/pptblog/play-music-or-narration-throughout-a-presentation/ http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/pptblog/my-sound-wont-play-embed-narration-or-music-so-you-can-send-the-powerpoint-presentation-to-others/ Ellen

THX FOR REPLY BUT SOUND IS NOT COMING IN VIDEO BUT I HAVE INSERT SOUND IN PPT 2010 ..THEN Y IT IS NOT COMING IN VIDEO

Your the best

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• PowerPoint Insertions

5 Ways to Embed a Video File in Microsoft PowerPoint

Last Updated: March 27, 2024 Fact Checked

Embedding a Web Video

Embedding a video file, embedding a stock video, using android, linking movie files (powerpoint 2007).

This article was co-authored by Mitch Harris and by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly . Mitch Harris is a Consumer Technology Expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mitch runs his own IT Consulting company called Mitch the Geek, helping individuals and businesses with home office technology, data security, remote support, and cybersecurity compliance. Mitch earned a BS in Psychology, English, and Physics and graduated Cum Laude from Northern Arizona University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,133,401 times.

If you want to spruce up your PowerPoint presentations, you can add a video to your slides. If you have a video file on your computer, you can easily embed it into your presentation. You can also embed YouTube videos, use looping stock videos, or, on older versions of PowerPoint, link to the videos. This wikiHow will show you how to add a video to Microsoft PowerPoint using your Windows, Mac, or Android device.

Things You Should Know

• Copy a YouTube URL. In PowerPoint, click "Insert' → "Video" → "Online Videos/Movie". Paste the URL and click "Insert".
• To embed a video file, click "Insert" → "Video" → "This Device" → select a file → "Insert".
• To use a stock video, click "Insert" → "Video" → "Stock Videos" → select a video → "Insert".

• You must have a subscription to use Office 365 . [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
• Adding a video to your PowerPoint can help you make a great presentation .

• You can insert a video from supported websites such as: YouTube, SlideShare, Vimeo, Microsoft Stream, and Flip.

• On Mac, this will look like Online Movie .

• You'll see a preview of the video.

• To adjust when the video plays, click the drop-down menu next to Start: . Select In Click Sequence , Automatically , or When Clicked On .
• Check the boxes to apply any of the following: Play Full Screen , Hide While Not Playing , Loop until Stopped , and/or Rewind after Playing .
• Click Volume to adjust the video's volume. Select Low , Medium , High , or Mute .

• Select the web video and click the Video Format tab.
• Click Poster Frame on the left of the toolbar.
• Click Image from File… .
• Select From a File , Stock Images , Online Pictures , or From Icons .
• Select the image source from the chosen method, and then click Insert .

• Stock videos work best as a background graphic to your PowerPoint text, since these videos loop seamlessly

• The stock video will be added to your slide. By default, it will cover the entire slide.

• PowerPoint is available for Android in the Google Play Store .

• The menu will open.

• If you want to take a video using your camera, tap Open Camera instead.
• The video file will be added to your PowerPoint.

• Videos can only be "embedded" (included in the presentation file itself) in PowerPoint 2010 or newer.

• Click the Office button and select "Publish."
• Select "Package for CD" and then select your presentation.
• Ensure that "Linked files" is selected in the "Options" menu.

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• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-video-from-youtube-or-another-site-8340ec69-4cee-4fe1-ab96-4849154bc6db#OfficeVersion=Windows
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-audio-or-video-in-powerpoint-for-android-95e0a2af-35fb-405a-8536-cdcd934f659a
• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/My-movie-doesn-t-play-190cf574-183d-4b7f-b627-3783a14b7b07?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Add-and-play-a-movie-in-a-presentation-f3fcbd3e-5f86-4320-8aea-31bff480ed02

About This Article

1. Open the slide. 2. Click Insert . 3. Click Movie . 4. Click Movie from File or Video on my PC . 5. Select the video and click OK . 6. Click Playback . 7. Choose how to play the video. 8. Save your presentation. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Presentation Design
• January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

• Change the slide order
• Reset your layout
• Change the slide dimensions
• Use PowerPoint Designer
• Format text
• Format objects
• Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Here is how the program is laid out:

• The Application Header
• The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
• The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
• The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

• The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

• Online Pictures
• Screenshots
• Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

• A SmartArt graphic,
• A 3D object,
• A picture from the web,
• Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

• A picture from the web

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

• Click on the  Picture  icon
• Find  a picture on your computer and select it
• Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

• Using graphics in PowerPoint
• Inserting icons onto slides
• Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
• How to embed a video in PowerPoint
• How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

• The background color automatically changes across all slides
• The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
• The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

• Gradient fill
• Picture or texture fill
• Pattern fill
• Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
• In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
• Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
• Select  Fonts
• Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

• Select the  element
• Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

• Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
• Click on the little star  next to the slide
• Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

• Navigate to the  Animations tab
• Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

• Select the  slide
• Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
• In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

• Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
• Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

• Navigate to the  File tab
•  Select  Save As  on the left
• Choose  where you want to save your presentation
• Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
• Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

• Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
• Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

• Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
• Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
• Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
• Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
• Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

• How to print multiple slides per page
• How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
• How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

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Video – How to Insert a Video into a PowerPoint Presentation

In this video, we will be showing you how to insert a video into a PowerPoint presentation. You can insert videos from your computer, video sites such as YouTube and also use free stock videos.

Read the complete article here .

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A simple guide to slideshows

Learn what slideshows are, how they’re used, common features, and how to choose a slideshow maker. Get started creating your own slideshows today with Microsoft PowerPoint.

What is a slideshow?

What are slideshows used for.

Meetings and presentations

Slideshows are most frequently used to create professional presentations for business meetings, conferences, and educational purposes. A  slideshow program  allows people to organize content, include visuals, and enhance the overall impact of their message.

Visual storytelling

Because slideshows sequentially display engaging visuals, text, and other multimedia, they’re a strong way to tell a cohesive and compelling narrative from start to finish.

Content creation

Slideshows give content creators a versatile and efficient way to organize information, increase visual appeal, and communicate effectively across different contexts.

Photo and video sharing

Slideshow makers are popular for creating photo and video presentations, especially for events like weddings, birthdays, and vacations. People can add transitions, music, and captions to fully bring the photo-sharing experience to life.

Training and tutorials

Slideshows help break down complex information into digestible chunks with the support of visuals and text, making them ideal for instructional materials, tutorials, and training modules.

Collaborative projects

In collaborative settings, teams use slideshow makers to create joint presentations or reports. The best slideshow makers enable multiple contributors to add their content simultaneously, which helps ensure a cohesive and unified presentation.

What are the features of a slideshow creator?

Slideshow creators vary in what they offer but ideally include:

A library of templates, themes, and images.

If you’re not a designer, this feature is huge. Simply browse the options available in your slideshow maker library to create a polished, professionally designed presentation in a flash. Be sure to confirm that access to the library is free and the images are approved for unrestricted usage.

Audio and video compatibility.

Keeping your audience engaged is key to any successful slideshow presentation. To mix things up, being able to add a multimedia element—like a song or a video clip—will help people stay focused and interested.

Presentation tools.

Handy presenter tools go a long way toward making your slideshow experience seamless. For example, straightforward slide navigation, slideshow keyboard shortcuts, pen and highlighter markup, and adjustable resolution settings.

AI assistance.

With AI revolutionizing content creation, using a slideshow maker that has AI capabilities will enhance efficiency and innovation. Depending on the slideshow app you have, creating an entire slideshow could be as easy as a quick prompt, like “Make a presentation about the benefits of sustainable fashion that has 15 slides.” 

Animations.

Like audio and video, animations give your audience a bit of sensory surprise that can capture their attention. 

Slide transitions.

Add some pizzazz to how you change slides with visual effects like fading, wiping, and zooming. 

Screen recording.

Being able to record your screen in a slideshow maker is helpful when giving an instructional talk, software demonstration, and other types of presentations that require visual aids.

A place to put speaker notes.

Having somewhere to jot a few notes down will help remind you of everything you want to cover as you present.

Different viewing options.

Looking at different views—for example, a presenter view, an audience view, and a high-level view of slide order—is useful when organizing your slideshow’s structure and understanding and preparing for what you’ll see versus what your audience will see.

How do I choose the right slideshow maker?

When choosing a slideshow maker, keep the following questions in mind to make sure you get the most for your money:

Is it scalable with your business?

As your organization grows and changes, it’s important to have flexible technology that adapts to new needs. Having certain features—such as cloud-based collaboration, compatibility with other work apps, and a mobile app—will help ensure that no matter how your business changes, the slideshow maker is up to the task. This also applies to pricing plans. Consider choosing a slideshow app that has a subscription plan (so the software is always up to date), volume-based pricing, or enterprise-level pricing.

Does it have a variety of visual elements?

It’s pretty much a given that a slideshow maker will allow you to add images, but think outside the JPEG box—what other visual elements are available to you? Features like preset themes, free templates, SmartArt, a built-in clip art library, shape tools, background styles, 3D models, and charts and graphs provide diverse ways to switch up how a slideshow looks without relying solely on adding your own images.

Is it easy to use?

You could have the most feature-rich slideshow maker on the market, but if it isn’t easy to use, you probably won’t use it. Or you will, but you’ll be frustrated, waste valuable time, and have difficulty convincing people you work with to use it. As you research slideshow makers, look for videos that show the apps’ interfaces in action to help you decide if they’re intuitive and will have a shorter learning curve.

Does it have collaboration and sharing options?

Because making a slideshow is often a collaborative effort, it’s worthwhile to find a slideshow creator that was designed with this in mind. Pick one that offers editing controls and commenting, as well as the ability to work on a slideshow at the same time as someone else. Having a cloud-based slideshow maker will be key here. You’ll not only save yourself time but also keep things simple by not having multiple versions of the same slideshow.

Explore more about slideshows and slideshow makers

Copilot in powerpoint.

Transform how you make slideshows with the versatile AI in Copilot for PowerPoint.

Improve your presenting skills

Practice presenting with an AI speaker coach to get feedback on body language, repetition, and pronunciation.  

Six slideshow tips and tricks

Read up on tips about how to finesse your slideshows to give your most confident presentations.

Get free PowerPoint templates

Show your style with PowerPoint templates in more than 40 categories.

How to make a branded slideshow

Create a cohesive visual identity for your brand that goes beyond adding a logo to every slide.

Try a photo album template

Relive your favorite memories with photo album templates designed for all your unforgettable moments.

The benefits of visual aids in slideshows

Discover why using visual aids helps communicate ideas and messaging more effectively.

Slideshows that reach all learners

Explore the different ways that people learn and how to include all learning styles in your presentations.

Frequently asked questions

How do i make a good slideshow.

Making a good slideshow in PowerPoint is easy:

Plan what you’d like to include in your slideshow.

Launch your slideshow creator.

Choose the theme you’d like.

Import media.

Add text, music, and transitions.

Record, save, and share your slideshow.

Learn more about how to make a slideshow .

How do I add music to a slideshow?

To add music to a slideshow, first make sure that you’re using a slideshow maker with music compatibility. In PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add music.

Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon menu.

Click on the Audio button and select Audio on My PC.

Browse to the folder on your computer where the audio file is located and select it.

Click on the Insert button.

How do I record a slideshow?

The steps for recording a slideshow in PowerPoint will vary depending on the version that you own. Get help with slideshow recording based on your version. 

What types of files can I add to a slideshow?

File compatibility in PowerPoint includes the use of JPEGs, PNGs, TIFFs, GIFs, PDFs, MP3s, WAVs, MIDIs, MPEG-4 Videos, and Windows Media Videos.  

How do I share my slideshow?

To share your PowerPoint slideshow, follow these steps:

Open your presentation and click Share at the top right of your screen.

If your presentation isn't already stored on OneDrive, select where to save your presentation to the cloud.

Choose a permission level, like Anyone with a link , or maybe just people in your company. You can also control if people can edit or just view the doc. 

Select Apply.

Enter names and a message.

Select Send.

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Powerpoint Assistance PLEASE.

I have Microsoft Office 365. Creating a video in Powerpoint and have added an audio clip. I have changed settings to run for 10 slides. It stops after the first slide and I can't figure out how to get it to span over several slides. I have googled and clicked all the settings that I need (I believe). Please HELP...

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• Microsoft Agent |

Dear PegGaudreau

Welcome to the Microsoft Community, we are glad to assist you.

We understand that you are experiencing problems with PowerPoint audio playback settings.

We can try the following steps to set up audio playback.

First, add audio in PowerPoint by selecting the audio icon and animating it.

A number icon will appear next to the audio icon, select it and click the expand button for the animation.

In the new window that appears, select "After ten slides" and click OK.

The audio will pause on the 11th slide after 10 slides.

I hope you find the above information helpful. If you need further assistance, please feel free to reply.

Thank you for your understanding and patience and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regard

Tracy | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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Thanks for your feedback.

Thank you for the response so quickly. I have those parameters set and it stops after the first slide even though I have it set to run for 10 slides. I have tried so many different options and can't get it to continue to play through multiple slides.

Thank you for your reply.

What version of Office are you using?

If you create a new PowerPoint, re-insert the audio and set it again, can you set it successfully?

If the newly created PowerPoint has the same problem, you can try to reset the PowerPoint and close the add-in.

Reset PowerPoint:

1. Exit all Office programs

2. Press and hold the Windows key + R at the same time, type regedit , and press Enter ;

3. rename the PowerPoint folder by locating the following keys in turn (right-click on it and select Rename, e.g. rename PowerPoint to PowerPointold);

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\PowerPoint

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\PowerPoint

Close the add-in:

Open any PowerPoint file - Click " File " in the upper left - " Options " - " Add-ins " - " Manage "- select " COM Add-ins "- click " Go "- uncheck all add-ins - click" OK "

If the newly created PowerPoint runs normally, it may be the problem of the original PowerPoint file, you can try to transfer the original content to the new PowerPoint file.

Thank you for your understanding and patience, I look forward to hearing from you.

What is the current situation?

Did the reset of PowerPoint and closing of add-ons help?

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Create a presentation

Create a presentation in PowerPoint

Create presentations from scratch or start with a professionally designed, fully customizable template from Microsoft Create .

Tip:  If you have Microsoft Copilot it can help you create a presentation, add slides or images, and more. To learn more see  Create a new presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint.

Open PowerPoint.

In the left pane, select New .

Select an option:

To create a presentation from scratch, select Blank Presentation .

To use a prepared design, select one of the templates.

To see tips for using PowerPoint, select Take a Tour , and then select Create , .

Add a slide

In the thumbnails on the left pane, select the slide you want your new slide to follow.

In the  Home tab, in the  Slides  section, select  New Slide .

In the Slides section, select Layout , and then select the layout you want from the menu.

Add and format text

Place the cursor inside a text box, and then type something.

Select the text, and then select one or more options from the Font section of the Home tab, such as  Font , Increase Font Size , Decrease Font Size ,  Bold , Italic , Underline , etc.

To create bulleted or numbered lists, select the text, and then select Bullets or Numbering .

Add a picture, shape, and more

Go to the  Insert  tab.

To add a picture:

In the Images section, select Pictures .

In the Insert Picture From menu, select the source you want.

Browse for the picture you want, select it, and then select Insert .

To add illustrations:

In the Illustrations section, select Shapes , Icons , 3D Models ,  SmartArt , or Chart .

In the dialog box that opens when you click one of the illustration types, select the item you want and follow the prompts to insert it.

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