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How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow (w/ Shortcuts)

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• May 11, 2019

There are a variety of ways to start a PowerPoint presention, depending on:

• Where you start your presentation (from beginning or from current)
• Which PowerPoint view you prefer to present in (Slide Show view or Presenter view)
• How comfortable you are with keyboard shortcuts

Why would Microsoft include so many ways to present a presentation? My guess is that everyone learns PowerPoint differently, and has personal presentation styles.  The more options you have, the easier your life will be as there will always be a way to start your presentation the way you want to (or jump back into it when you need to).

See all the options below and find the method that works best for you and let the slide show begin !

NOTE: If you are running two presentations side-by-side, each presentation needs to be started as it’s own slide show. To see how to set up two PowerPoint presentations to run side-by-side like this before you start your slide show, read my guide here .

Table of Contents

Start slide show from beginning.

To start a slideshow from the beginning of your presentation using the ribbon, simply.

• Navigate to the  Slide Show tab
• Select  From Beginning

Selecting  From Beginning  starts your presentation from the very first non-hidden slide in your presentation, regardless of which slide you are currently inside of your deck.

You can also start your slide from the beginning of your presentation by hitting the Slideshow From Beginning keyboard shortcut,  F5 .

Regardless of which method you use, this is the classic way to start your presentation in full screen from your first title slide (regardless of where you are in your slide deck).

Let the slide show begin!

NOTE: To expand your knowledge and learn how to use PowerPoint’s FREE and HIDDEN built-in laser pointer to point things out during your presentation, read my guide here .

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start slide show from current.

To begin your slide show from the slide you are currently on using the ribbon, simply

• Navigate to the Slide Show tab
• Select  From Current Slide

Selecting From Current Slide starts your slide show from whatever slide you are currently on, even if the slide is hidden.

You can also start your slide from the current slide you are on by hitting the  Shift+F5  keyboard shortcut.

Because it’s often easiest to catch errors when building your slides in this full screen mode, I highly recommend learning the  Shift+F5  shortcut and using it frequently as you build your slides to spot them for errors.

If you don’t want to bother learning the From Current Slide shortcut, you can also start your slideshow by clicking the  Slide Show  icon at the bottom of your screen.

This is a fantastic way to spot check your slides as you are building them. On top of that, it’s a fast and uncomplicated way to re-start your presentation from where you left off after demoing something on screen.

Start a mini-slide show in PowerPoint

You can also use the following hidden PowerPoint shortcut to run a mini slide show over the top of your current deck.

To run a mini slide show, simply:

• Hold down the  Alt key  on your keyboard
• With your mouse, click the  Slide Show  icon

Doing so starts a small slide show of your presentation that you can see below, from the current slide you are on.

Presenter View

The Presenter View is an alternate way to run your presentation in PowerPoint. In this view, your slides are projected on screen, and the details of your presentation are displayed on your computer as pictured below.

The presenter view includes your next (non-hidden) slides that is coming up, your current slide projected on screen, how long you’ve been talking and your speaker notes.

To launch the  Presenter View  from the beginning of your presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

• Navigate to the  Slide Show  tab
• Hold down the  Alt key on  your keyboard
• Click  From Beginning

Holding down the  Alt key  and clicking  From Beginning , the Presenter View will launch from the very first (non-hidden) slide in your presentation.

You can also launch the presenter view from the beginning of your presentation at any time by clicking Alt + F5  on your keyboard.

Start Presenter View in PowerPoint From Current Slide

Did you know that you can access different views in PowerPoint by adding keys as you click commands in the PowerPoint ribbon?

To start the Presenter view from your current slide using your Ribbon, simply:

• Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard
• Click  From Current Slide

Holding the Alt key and clicking From Current Slide launches the Presenter View from your current slide. So, this is another way you can quickly practice your presentation, see your speaker notes and see what’s coming up next.

You can also launch the Presenter View from the beginning of your presentation at any time by hitting Alt+F5 on your keyboard.

Showing and Hiding Presenter View

Regardless of which view you start your PowerPoint slide show; you can switch between the two different slide show views without exiting presentation.

To switch between the two slideshow views (while giving your presentation), simply:

• Right-click your slide in whichever presentation view you are currently in
• Select either Show Presenter View or Hide Presenter View

When would you use a feature like this during a presentation? One example is if you want to view your notes without leaving the slide show mode.

NOTE: The letter r  for both  Show Presenter View  and  Hide Presenter View  is underlined. This means that it is a keyboard shortcut. So, if you want to quickly flip between these two presentation views, you can simply right-click your slide and hit the letter r on your keyboard. Doing so automatically switches the view you are in.

Controlling how your presentation runs

Another way to control how your presentation runs (including the default laser pointer and pen color), is the Set Up Slide Show dialog box.

To open the  Set Up Slide Show  dialog box, simply:

• Select the  Set Up Slide Show  command

Doing so, opens all your PowerPoint slide show settings and options as pictured below.

Inside the slide show settings dialog box, you can select:

• How your presentation runs (full screen, window or in kiosk mode).
• Your default pen and laser pointer color options ( see our laser pointer article here ).
• Which slide you want start from, or which slides you want to show. You can also setup a custom show here.
• How your slides progress (manually or using slide timings).
• Which of your computer monitors (or screens) your slide show runs on.

The  Set Up Slide Show dialog box is also the secret to running multiple presentations at the same time in PowerPoint. To expand your knowledge and learn how to set this up, read our guide here .

Setup Slide Show SECRET Shortcut

To use the SECRET shortcut to open the Set Up Slide Show dialog box, simply:

• Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard
• With your mouse, click the Reading View icon at the bottom of your screen

This is useful when you need to quickly cycle through lots of PowerPoint presentations and change how those presentations run. Instead of wasting time clicking through the Ribbon, simply hold the Shift key and click the  Reading View icon. This is also a friendly conversation starter with a fellow PowerPoint enthusiast at Happy Hour.

NOTE: The color of your Reading View icon might be different than in the picture above, as it is dependent on the Office Theme you selected for PowerPoint.

How to exit a PowerPoint presentation early?

Regardless of how you start your full screen presentation, you can end your presentation at any time by hitting the Esc key on your keyboard.

Hitting  Esc  immediately takes you out of the   PowerPoint presentation mode and back to the normal editing view of your slides, on whatever slide you were last presenting.

Here is how you can use a combination of all the different keyboard shortcuts to spot check and practice your presentation in full screen before you finalize your presentation.

• Hit  F5  on your keyboard to   start your presentation in full screen from the very first slide in your presentation. You can then use your arrow keys to advance, spot checking your slides for errors.
• When you find an error, simply hit  Esc  key to return to the normal PowerPoint editing view to fix your slide.
• When you are done, hit  Shift + F5  to return the full screen presentation mode from the slide you just updated. You can then continue spot checking your presentation (without having to start over from the beginning).

In this way you can quickly work your way through your slides and practice your presentation, fixing and adjusting your content as you go.

Understanding how to run your presentations is CRITICAL to the success of your presentation. Not only in presenting them live, but also in knowing how to spot check your slides as you build them.

I personally find it easiest to spot check your slides and quickly fix errors by running your presentation in slide show mode (or full screen). The last place you want to discover an error is during your presentation.

Using the commands and shortcuts above, you can quickly start, exit and step back into your slide show. Once you have these commands and features down, you will also look like a whiz during your presentations.

If you enjoyed the depth of this article, you will love our other PowerPoint training courses and free resources. To learn more, visit us here .

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Simple Steps to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

Last Updated: April 19, 2024 Fact Checked

Creating a New PowerPoint

Creating the title slide, adding a new slide, adding content to slides, adding transitions, testing and saving your presentation.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. 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 4,321,448 times. Learn more...

Do you want to have your data in a slide show? If you have Microsoft 365, you can use PowerPoint! PowerPoint is a program that's part of the Microsoft Office suite (which you have to pay for) and is available for both Windows and Mac computers. This wikiHow teaches you how to create your own Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on a computer.

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

• Open the PowerPoint app, select a template and theme, then like “Create.”
• Click the text box to add your title and subtitle to create your title slide.
• Click the “Insert” tab, then “New Slide” to add another slide.
• Choose the type of slide you want to add, then add text and pictures.
• Rearrange slides by dragging them up or down in the preview box.

Things You Should Know

• Templates make it easy to create vibrant presentations no matter your skill level.
• When adding photos, you can adjust their sizes by clicking and dragging in or out from their corners.
• You can add animated transitions between slides or to individual elements like bullet points and blocks of text.

• If you don't have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, you can use the website instead of the desktop app. Go to https://powerpoint.office.com/ to use the website version.
• You can also use the mobile app to make presentations, though it's easier to do this on a computer, which has a larger screen, a mouse, and a keyboard.

• If you don't want to use a template, just click the Blank option in the upper-left side of the page and skip to the next part.

• Skip this step if your selected template has no themes available.

• If you're creating a PowerPoint presentation for which an elaborate title slide has been requested, ignore this step.

• You can change the font and size of text used from the Home tab that's in the orange ribbon at the top of the window.

• You can also just leave this box blank if you like.

• You can also click and drag in or out one of a text box's corners to shrink or enlarge the text box.

• On a Mac, you'll click the Home tab instead. [1] X Research source

• Clicking the white slide-shaped box above this option will result in a new text slide being inserted.

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

• Naturally, the title slide should be the first slide in your presentation, meaning that it should be the top slide in the left-hand column.

• Skip this step and the next two steps if your selected slide uses a template that doesn't have text boxes in it.

• Text boxes in PowerPoint will automatically format the bulk of your text for you (e.g., adding bullet points) based on the context of the content itself.
• You can add notes that the Presentation will not include (but you'll still be able to see them on your screen) by clicking Notes at the bottom of the slide.

• You can change the font of the selected text by clicking the current font's name and then clicking your preferred font.
• If you want to change the size of the text, click the numbered drop-down box and then click a larger or smaller number based on whether you want to enlarge or shrink the text.
• You can also change the color, bolding, italicization, underlining, and so on from here.

• Photos in particular can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging out or in one of their corners.

• Remember to keep slides uncluttered and relatively free of distractions. It's best to keep the amount of text per slide to around 33 words or less. [2] X Research source

• Slide content will animate in the order in which you assign transitions. For example, if you animate a photo on the slide and then animate the title, the photo will appear before the title.
• Make your slideshow progress automatically by setting the speed of every transition to align with your speech as well as setting each slide to Advance . [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

• If you need to exit the presentation, press Esc .

• Windows - Click File , click Save , double-click This PC , select a save location, enter a name for your presentation, and click Save .
• Mac - Click File , click Save As... , enter the presentation's name in the "Save As" field, select a save location by clicking the "Where" box and clicking a folder, and click Save .

Community Q&A

• If you save your PowerPoint presentation in .pps format instead of the default .ppt format, double-clicking your PowerPoint presentation file will prompt the presentation to open directly into the slideshow view. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• If you don't have Microsoft Office, you can still use Apple's Keynote program or Google Slides to create a PowerPoint presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Your PowerPoint presentation (or some features in it) may not open in significantly older versions of PowerPoint. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
• Great PowerPoint presentations avoid placing too much text on one slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=DBDCE00C929AA5D8!252&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AH4O9NxcbehqzIg
• ↑ https://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-the-timing-and-speed-of-a-transition-c3c3c66f-4cca-4821-b8b9-7de0f3f6ead1#:~:text=To%20make%20the%20slide%20advance,effect%20on%20the%20slide%20finishes .

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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 .

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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How to Loop a PowerPoint Slide Show to Repeat Automatically

Set up a PowerPoint Presentation That Loops or Repeats Continuously

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated November 12, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft ®  PowerPoint ®  2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can set up a PowerPoint slide show to loop or repeat automatically. A looping presentation can be used at events, trade shows or even in a reception area in an office. The easiest way to set up a slide show to loop or replay continuously is to apply automatic transitions and then configure Slide Show settings.

Recommended article: 5 PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Run a Slide Show

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person PowerPoint courses >

Screenshots in this article are from PowerPoint 365 but are similar in older versions of PowerPoint.

Step 1: Apply transitions to automatically advance slides during a slide show

Transitions occur between slides when you run a slide show.

To apply transitions to automatically advance slides during a slide show:

• In Normal View or Slide Sorter View, display or select a slide.
• Click the Transitions tab in the Ribbon.
• Select a transition in the Transitions gallery (such as Fade).
• Click Effect Options and choose the desired option. Effect Options change depending on the transition you selected.
• In the Timing group, click the arrows beside Duration to set the timing you want (in seconds) for the transition. You may also type a duration.
• In the Timing group, under Advance Slides, deselect or uncheck On mouse click and beside After, select or click the up and down arrows to set the timing to transition to the next slide. You may also type a duration.
• In the Timing group, click Apply to All.

In the Transitions tab in PowerPoint, you can select the type of transition (such as Fade) as well as timing options:

Step 2: Set up a presentation to loop during a slide show

To set up a PowerPoint presentation to loop during a slide show:

• Click the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon and then click Set Up Slide Show. A dialog box appears.
• Under Show type, if you select Presented by a speaker (full screen), the speaker or those watching the slide show will have control over when they advance slides. This is the default setting for slide shows. If you select Browsed by an individual (window), those watching the slide show do NOT have control over when slides advance. If you select Browsed at kiosk (full screen), those watching the slide show do NOT have control over when slides advance and the presentation automatically loops until those watching press Escape (Esc).
• Under Show options, select Loop continuously until 'Esc'. You will be able to select this option if you selected one of the first two options under Show type.

Below is the Set Up Show dialog box with Presented by speaker selected and looping enabled:

If you want to set specific timings for slides to advance or to add narration, check out the article How to Run a PowerPoint Slide Show Automatically (Set Up a Self-Running Presentation) . If you have audio or video in the presentation, you'll need to set the media to play automatically (on the Playback tab in the Ribbon) and animations will also need to be set to run automatically.

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How to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint

How to Hide and Unhide Slides in PowerPoint (with Shortcuts)

How to Insert Video in PowerPoint (from a File on Your PC or a Shared Drive)

PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Play and Control Video During a Slide Show

How to Add Animation in PowerPoint (Animate Images, Text and Other Objects)

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How to Insert or Type E with an Accent Mark in PowerPoint (È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë)

You can insert or type e with an accent mark in PowerPoint using built-in tools or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The letter e can be inserted with an accent in both upper or lower case in text boxes or placeholders on slides, the slide master or layouts. The following are common accents in upper or lower case – È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë.

How to Fade a Picture or Part of a Picture in PowerPoint (Using a Gradient)

You can fade a picture in PowerPoint by drawing a rectangle shape on top of the picture and then filling the rectangle with a gradient from opaque to transparent. This technique is often used to fade an image into the background of a slide. Since the rectangle is placed on top of the image and then text may be placed on top of the rectangle, you may need to reorder the objects.

How to Lock an Image, Shape or Other Object in PowerPoint

You can now lock an image, shape or other object in PowerPoint. Objects can be locked in Normal View or Slide Master View. Only PowerPoint 365 users can lock objects to prevent moving and resizing. This is helpful if you want to select and move other objects on the slide or prevent others from moving or resizing an object. You can lock items using the context menu or the Selection Pane.

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How to Use Autoplay in a PowerPoint Presentation

So you can snooze off more easier

When you must give a presentation at work, Microsoft PowerPoint is the standard tool most people use. However, without some creativity, PowerPoint presentations can end up dull. Learning how to autoplay PowerPoint slides can add some spice to your presentations.

In this article, you’ll learn how to autoplay content in PowerPoint slides. You can automatically play an embedded video when a slide appears or autoplay animations. Finally, you can create a self-running presentation that moves through the next slide using specific timing that you’ve set up and even loop the presentation for continuous play.

Note : The following tips will work on PowerPoint, whether running on a Windows or a Mac computer.

How to Create a Self-Running PowerPoint Presentation

Why create a self-running PowerPoint presentation? You may not want to get distracted by clicking to move your presentation to the next slide. Or you’d like to set up your presentation on a kiosk at a convention. Some presentations that can run themselves may not even need a speaker.

Set Up the Slide Show

By default, PowerPoint presentations are configured to run as “Presented by a speaker”, where you have to click through each slide to trigger transitions throughout the presentation.

To set up Autoplay, first configure the presentation to autoplay how you would like.

• Select Slide Show tab from the menu, then select Set Up Slide Show from the ribbon.

• Use the options on the pop-up window to configure how your presentation will behave during autoplay.

Here’s how each option works:

• Presented by a speaker : The speaker must click through each slide using the mouse click. However, automatic slide timing is still an option if you select it on the right.
• Browsed by an individual : The viewer will need to press Play to start the presentation, but after that, it’ll play on its own.
• Browsed at a kiosk : This option will continue to loop through the presentation until you press the Esc key on the keyboard. This will automatically enable the Loop Continuously option at the bottom of the window.

Rehearse and Set Slide Times

The next step is to set up the slide timing and rehearse your presentation to ensure the time spent automatically on each slide is appropriate.

Using this rehearsal option is also a great way to practice your presentation and ensure that the overall runtime is within your limitations.

To do this:

• Select Slide Show from the menu and choose Rehearse Timings from the ribbon.

• This will start the “Recording” session. In this mode, you’ll need to speak normally using the script you will use during your presentation. When done speaking on a specific slide, select the “Next” arrow to continue to the next slide.

Note : Use the “Pause” button to pause the time for the current slide if you need to collect your thoughts or take a break for any reason. This small window will also show you the overall time for your entire presentation.

• Continue to do this through all of the slides. Finally, press the “x” at the upper right corner to finish recording on the last slide. You’ll see a pop-up message asking if you’d like to save your new slide timings.

Once you’ve saved these changes, your PowerPoint presentation is ready to use. If you’ve kept the default Presented by a speaker setting and enabled the Using timings, if present select under “Advance Slides,” you can start your presentation manually and then let slides advance automatically as you speak.

Record Slide Show (Fully Automated)

If you want to create a fully self-running presentation for a kiosk or send people to run themselves, select the correct option in the “Set Up Show” window described above.

Then, record your presentation by selecting Slide Show from the menu and selecting Record in the ribbon. Next, select From Beginning in the drop-down menu to start recording your presentation in full screen from the first slide.

You can skip this step if you don’t want to record your voice narrating the slideshow. Just make sure you’ve enabled the Show without narration check box in the Set Up Show window.

How to Embed and Autoplay a Video

Another thing you can automate in your PowerPoint presentations is triggering an embedded video file when you click on the slide where you’ve placed it.

In the editing view, right click the video you want to automate and select the down arrow to the right of the Start button.

Select Automatically from the dropdown menu.

Save the PowerPoint presentation. Now, it’ll start playing automatically when you advance to the slide with your embedded video while in presenter view.

Should You Use a Self-Running PowerPoint Presentation?

The option to have your PowerPoint slide show advance automatically can be handy. However, it isn’t always the right approach. For example, a complete, recorded presentation is great if you’re emailing your presentation or offering a download. But a self-running presentation could backfire if you’re drawn into a side conversation or have other things you want to say on the fly. As a result, you may find yourself fumbling to pause your presentation.

If you want more control over your presentation flow, sticking with a manually run presentation might be best for your situation.

Ryan has been writing how-to and other technology-based articles online since 2007. He has a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering and he's worked 13 years in automation engineering, 5 years in IT, and now is an Apps Engineer. Read Ryan's Full Bio

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Play a PowerPoint Slideshow on TV

How to Play a PowerPoint Slideshow on TV

PowerPoint presentations are often presented via projectors, where an individual can copy files to a computer which is connected to the projector in the hall. However, sometimes the projector is replaced with a large monitor or TV. There are many ways by which you can connect your computer or mobile device to a TV for presenting your slides. Here are a few simple methods which can be used to answer the age old question that many PowerPoint newbies ask; i.e. how to play a PowerPoint Slideshow on TV.

1. Connect Your Laptop or Mobile Device Using an HDMI Cable

This is the easiest way by which you can play a PowerPoint presentation on TV. In the old days the legacy VGA cable was used for this purpose, which is still usable with even the most modern TVs. However, an HDMI cable gives better quality playback and is easier to use.

In this demo we will show you how to connect a laptop with an LED TV using an HDMI cable. However, there are different mobile devices (e.g. Android and iPad tablets) which also support HDMI to TV connectivity.

Step 1: Plug in your HDMI cable into your laptop’s HDMI Port (as shown below).

Step 2: Connect the other end of the cable to your TV’s HDMI port. Usually, there are two HDMI ports, one located on the side and the other behind the TV.

Step 3: Switch to ‘HDMI’ from your TV’s Remote. Usually, this option is available from the remote’s Menu button. You might have options like ‘HDMI 1’ and ‘HDMI 2’ appearing on-screen. This is because one of the menu options connects to your first port and the other to the second. The image below shows connectivity with my TV’s second HDMI port. The port numbers might be labeled differently depending upon your TV’s model.

The below image shows the Organizational Charts PowerPoint Template running on an LED TV connected to a laptop via HDMI cable.

2. Play Slides as Image Slideshow or Video from a USB

This is another fine method for playing a PowerPoint slideshow on a TV. However, you will require converting your PowerPoint presentation to a supported format. For example, many TV’s support image formats like JPEG or Video formats like MP4. You can convert your presentation to a video format or export your slides as images and run them as a slideshow on your TV.

To learn how to convert your PowerPoint presentations to image or video format, see our guide about:

How To Save a PowerPoint Slide As a Picture and How To Convert a PowerPoint 2013 Presentation to a HD Video .

3. Convert and Play Your Slides from a DVD Player

You can also convert your PowerPoint files to DVD video format, write it on a DVD and play it using a good old DVD player. While this method is more laborious than the aforementioned, it is a pretty functional method. To get the video format right, follow the instructions given below.

Step 1: Save your PowerPoint to video format. You can refer to our tutorial mentioned above or simply go to File –> Save As –> and save your video to either MP4 or WMV. Unlike older versions, PowerPoint supports both formats.

Step 2: Open Windows DVD Maker, and select Choose Photos and Videos .

Step 3: Click Add Items and select the converted video file (file converted from PowerPoint to video format). Once the video with your video slides is picked, click Next .

Step 4: Now, customize menus for your DVD according to need, insert a blank DVD to your computer and click Burn .

Note: This process can be used to burn videos and photos to create DVD slideshows using Windows DVD Maker. You can also use another third-party DVD authoring tool for this purpose.

4. Connect to Your TV Using Wi-Fi or Wired Network

There are various TV models and devices which enable connecting to the Internet. The most common example of this can be found in the form of Smart TVs and Smart TV devices. Depending upon your TV model or the supported digital box you might be using, you can play a video slideshow by converting your PowerPoint presentation to a video format supported by your TV.

The below image shows connectivity settings for a Samsung Smart TV.

Recommended reading: How to embed video in PowerPoint

5. Use a Video Streaming Device

Last but not least, you can use a video streaming device like Roku 3, Apple TV or Google Chromecast to play a slideshow (e.g. one that has been converted to video format). The below image shows connectivity options for Apple TV. The various connectivity options in a video streaming device such as HDMI, USB and Wi-Fi / Ethernet provide ample scope for streaming various file types to your TV. This makes it possible to run an image, video or PPT/PPTX slideshow of your presentation slides (depending upon the mode of connectivity).

Do you know that using a high-quality PowerPoint Template with a connected TV can give you an excellent playback experience? Instead of using templates with dull backgrounds and hazy designs, you can download these Premium PowerPoint Templates to get the best output on your high definition TV or monitor.

Like this article? Please share

HDMI, Microsoft PowerPoint, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint Tips, Presentation Videos, Presentations, Slideshow, TV, Videos, View Presentation Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

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16 Responses to “How to Play a PowerPoint Slideshow on TV”

Useful article with great options for projecting presentations on TVs. It seems to happen more often than not, that you come across a TVs in meeting rooms at e.g. customer sites. One suggestion is to add the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter as another option under pt. 5 for Wireless video streaming.

Awesome! Thanks for clearing this up.

I’m still curious if a wireless option exists. PowerPoint From computer to Smart TV via Bluetooth maybe?

Very useful article, i dont ave a laptop at home and was wondering how i could study the power-point presentations using the tv. thanks for the simplicity of the article too, very easy to apply.

So if I have a load of PowerPoint presentations with images, text and links to short film clips which if I plug into a pc at work they play on the interactive whiteboard perfectly. How do I use the same USB stick to play these in my other place of work on the Apple TV monitor?? Can I?

Your interactive whiteboard has probably a computer built-in, possibly even running some form of Windows, that can natively display PPTs as a regular presentation. But a standard monitor can only display a video signal it gets through an input, but cannot process any presentation or other files. And most, if not all, smart TVs, cannot handle PPTs, just like they cannot open Word Docs etc. Only media files file images, and videos.

Been searching for an answer for a while now, how can I play a ppt file on a tv without converting to an mp4 or jpegs?? and without connecting laptop to tv??

I have a Toshiba 50L5200U, and want to play a PowerPoint as a slideshow from a USB on the back of the TV. Is this possible on this model (if I convert the PPT to another format-if so, which one?), and if not, would a Firestick work, to enable me to transmit the powerpoint/slideshow wirelessly?

Thanks in advance!

Hi David. That model of Toshiba TV supports JPG images. You’d try to export the PowerPoint slides to JPG and then save them to the memory stick. It would be possible you need to rename the images to play in order or choose the appropriate sort by filter. This method depends purely on the TV, but if you have a Firestick or Chromecast, you can play the PowerPoint remotely from your computer.

I figured it out! If you export the slides from PPT as jpegs and change the dimensions to 1920×1080 (my laptop automatically made the second part 1081), it will be high-res and full screen when it displays on the TV from your USB. Originally, mine was 1280×720 and I had the same zoom issue, but when I tried to change the ratio in design (on power point), it messed up my formatting and some background colors. By changing the size of the jpegs when saving, there was no distortion and I was able to navigate the slides perfectly.

Hi @Tatyana. Glad to know you could figure it.

WE BOUGHT A HISENSE TV, USING A USB FOR SLIDE SHOWS (UPCOMING EVENTS) NEED TO SET THE TIME FOR THE SLIDE SHOW TO DISPLAY ON THE SCREEN FOR AT LEAST A MINUTE BEFORE THE NEXT SLIDE SHOW?

Please contact [email protected] with your question. Thanks.

Hi i am looking to show a “what’s on’s” at our social club using powerpoint with repeat function on an ordinary flat screen(not smart)tv.can you explain the easiest & cheapest way,i.e. memory stick,chromecast,media box etc.as i need to export images from a laptop. Thanks in advance

Hello, please contact [email protected] . For sure we will be able to help you.

Hello, I need to set up several tv monitors in a building that will loop through powerpoint slides. There is currently no wifi in the building. Can I just export the powerpoints into a movie format (wmv) and play it right from the usb to the monitor?

We’ve done this in the past, just simply exporting the presentation as a “video”. Using the feature File>Export>Create a Video. You can select the appropriate resolution, and generate the video. The video is generated as MP4 which is generally supported by TV’s. We uploaded the file to a pendive and use it in the screen.

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Set the 'play' options for a video in your presentation

You can use the playback options in PowerPoint to control how and when a video appears in your presentation. You can play a video in full screen mode or resize it to dimensions that you specify. You can also control the volume, play the video repeatedly (in a loop), and show the media controls.

These Play options aren't available for online videos, such as YouTube videos. They are only available for videos inserted from your computer, network, or OneDrive.

To control how your video plays, use options on the Playback tab of the PowerPoint ribbon. This tab appears on the ribbon when a video is selected on a slide.

(These options for a video are available after you embed or link to a video file from your computer .)

Play a video in the click sequence, automatically, or when clicked

Important:  Set this option before adding any animations or triggers to your video. By changing this option, you will remove any animations that are associated with your video.

In Normal view, click the video frame on the slide.

On the Playback tab, in the Video Options group, from the Start list, select an option:

Tip:  While a video is playing, you can pause it by clicking it. To resume playing the video, click it again.

Play a video full screen

You can play a video so that it fills the entire slide (screen) when you deliver your presentation. Depending on the resolution of your original video file, it might appear distorted when you enlarge it. Always preview your video before you include it in your presentation so that if the video appears distorted or blurry, you can undo the full screen option.

If you set the video to be displayed full screen and it is also set to start automatically, you can drag the video frame off the slide into the gray area so that it will not be visible on the slide or flash briefly before the video goes to full screen.

In Normal view, click the video frame on the slide that you want to play full screen.

Under Video Tools , on the Playback tab, in the Video Options group, select the Play Full Screen check box.

Resize a video

If you don't want to play a movie full screen, you can resize it to the dimensions that you want.

In Normal view, select the video that you want to resize.

Do one of the following:

To adjust the formatting:

Click a corner sizing handle until you see a two-headed arrow, and then drag to size the frame.

To keep the center of the video in the same place, hold down Ctrl while dragging. By default, this maintains the proportions (locks the aspect ratio) of the video as you drag.

The default aspect ratio for presentations in PowerPoint is 16:9. If the aspect ratios of the presentation and the video differ, your video will look distorted when it plays.

To specify precise height-to-width proportions of a video:

Click Size , and then under Scale , select the Lock aspect ratio check box.

Under Size and rotate , enter sizes in the Height and Width boxes, or under Scale , in the Scale Height and Scale Width boxes, enter the percentage of size that you want, relative to the video's original size.

Tip:  To prevent videos from skipping when they are played, under Scale , select the Best scale for slide show check box.

Preview a video

In Normal view, click the video frame.

Click Play .

There is also a Play option in the Preview group, on both the Format and Playback tabs, under Video Tools .

Set the volume of a video

Under Video Tools , on the Playback tab, in the Video Options group, click Volume , and then choose one of the following:

Tip:  You can also set the volume by using the volume slider on the play control bar.

Hide a video when not playing

While delivering your presentation, you can hide your video until you are ready to play it. However, you should create an automatic or triggered animation to initiate playback or you will never see the video play during the slideshow. For more information about creating an automatic or triggered animation, see Animate text or objects .

Under Video Tools , on the Playback tab, in the Video Options group, select the Hide While Not Playing check box.

Loop a video

To play your video repeatedly and continuously during your presentation, you can use the loop feature.

Under Video Tools , on the Playback tab, in the Video Options group, select the Loop until Stopped check box.

Rewind a video after playing

To rewind your video after playing during your presentation, do the following:

Under Video Tools , on the Playback tab, in the Video Options group, select the Rewind after Playing check box.

Show the media controls

To show the media controls during your presentation, do the following:

On the Slide Show tab, in the Set up group, select the Show Media Controls check box.

Create a self-running presentation

Turn your presentation into a video

Add and play sounds in a presentation

Set the timing and speed of a transition

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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PowerPoint presentation music stopped and I can't get it to play.

I've put a PowerPoint presentation together and it seem to be working just fine, then I edited a picture and now my music won't play. I've check absolutely everything a couple times. Replaced the music rebuilt it twice, an even once on a different computer. I was just about ready to call it good when it stopped. I've read absolutely everything I can find on-line. I need it next week for a memorial.

This may be a duplicate but after I sent the question the first time, I got an eMail telling me to ask my question. Sorry if it's a repeat.

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• Microsoft Agent |

Hi Tarly Shupe,

Thanks for visiting Microsoft Community.  

I understand that you are experiencing a problem with PowerPoint not playing music properly. Please don't worry, I will try to help you.

You can try the following methods：

Cancel an add-on

In Manage Places to Change to File - [Optional] - [Add-ons] - [COM Add-ons], click Document, select "Move", deselect all add-ons, press [OK], select "Move", select Manage Places to Change to "Power Point Add-ons", select "Move", uncheck all add-ons, restart PPT, and check the problem performance.

Registry Reset Office

Close all office applications. In the Run box that opens the Windows + R keys, type regedit, and then find the following key value to rename the Office folder (for example, change the name from Office to Officeold) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office, and then open PowerPoint again to see the effect.

Disclaimer : Modifying the registry or workgroup is typically aimed at advanced users, administrators, and IT professionals, and can help resolve some issues, but incorrect registry modifications can cause serious problems. So, strictly follow the steps below. For added protection, make sure to back up your registry before modifying it.

To disable hardware graphics acceleration (registry):

Press the Windows key + R and type regedit to open the Registry Editor:

Find HKEY_Current_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Graphics (if you don't have a graphic, create a new DWORD manually)

Select Graphics, right-click on "New DWORD" named Disable Hardware Acceleration, and double-click to open the key value set to 1.4.

Reopen the PowerPoint component to see what's going on.

Disclaimer : Modifying the registry or workgroup is typically aimed at power users, administrators, and IT professionals and can help resolve some issues, but incorrect registry modifications can cause serious problems. So, strictly follow the steps below. For added protection, back up the registry before modifying it. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see: How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support

I hope the information I have provided will be useful to you. Please feel free to contact us if you need further assistance. I appreciate it. Miyeon | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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How-To Geek

How to make a microsoft powerpoint presentation into a video.

Share your presentations with anyone, even if they don't have PowerPoint!

Quick Links

Why convert a powerpoint to video, convert a powerpoint presentation to a video.

Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are great, but they are not as easily accessible as videos. Luckily, you can convert your presentations to videos with a built-in option. We'll show you how.

There are many reasons to turn a presentation into a video. Maybe you want to send someone a presentation but they don't have PowerPoint installed. Or, maybe you want to upload your presentation to a site that only accepts videos.

PowerPoint has a built-in option to convert presentations to videos. When you perform this conversion, all your original animations, transitions, and media items are preserved. Your resulting video also includes all recorded timings , narrations , ink strokes, and laser pointer gestures (though you can choose not to include these if you want).

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

To turn a PowerPoint presentation into a video, first, open your presentation with the PowerPoint app on your Windows or Mac computer.

In the top-left corner of PowerPoint, click the "File" option.

From the sidebar that opens after clicking the "File" option, select "Export."

In the "Export" menu, click "Create a Video."

To the right of the "Export" menu, you will now see a "Create a Video" section. In this section, you will define the options for your video file.

First, choose the quality for your video by clicking the "Full HD" option.

You will see multiple video quality options. Select the one that you think works the best for you. Know that the higher the quality you select, the larger the file size of your video will be.

To include the recorded timings and narrations in your video, then beneath the video quality menu, click the "Don't Use Recorded Timings and Narrations" option.

Select the "Use Recorded Timings and Narrations" option. If this option is grayed out, that's because you don't have any recorded timings or narrations in your presentation.

You will now specify how long each slide appears in the video. Click the "Seconds Spent on Each Slide" box and enter the duration in seconds. By default, this duration is set to 5 seconds.

Finally, at the bottom of the "Create a Video" section, click "Create Video" to start making your video.

Your computer's standard "save" window will open. Here, select the folder to save your video in, type a name for your video, and click "Save."

PowerPoint will take you back to the main interface. At the bottom of this interface, you will see the progress of the conversion.

When your video is made, you will find it in the specified folder on your computer.

And that's how you make your presentations available to a wider audience by converting them to a video format!

Need your video in another format? Use VLC to convert your video to other formats.

Related: How to Convert a Video or Audio File Using VLC