powerpoint presentation slide notes

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How to add notes to your Microsoft PowerPoint slides

When you present a slideshow, it’s likely that you have more to say than what displays on the slides. You may want to expand on the text you’ve included, or if the slide only contains visuals, explain them further.

Add speaker notes to a slide in PowerPoint

Hide notes while editing a slideshow, view speaker notes during a slideshow.

Luckily, Microsoft PowerPoint provides a built-in feature for speaker notes. This allows you to add notes to each slide and then see them in Presenter View when you start the show.

What You Need

Microsoft PowerPoint

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

Step 1: Go to the View tab and choose either Normal or Outline View . This allows you to see your slide along with the note you plan to add.

If you’re wondering how to add a note in PowerPoint without changing the view, the short answer is: You can’t. But if you prefer not to use Normal or Outline View, you can check out the Notes Page view in the same section of the ribbon.

While still technically a “view,” this displays your slide and a text box for your note as a printed page, as shown below.

Step 2: Display the Notes panel below the slide if it’s not visible using one of the following:

• Click the Notes button in the Status Bar at the bottom.
• Move your cursor to the bottom of the window. When you see the two-sided arrow, drag up until the panel displays.
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Step 3: When the panel is empty, you’ll see “Click to Add Notes” within it. Place your cursor in the box and type your note.

Step 4: You can apply simple formatting to your note using the tools on the Home tab or in the floating toolbar. This is handy if you want to add bullet points or emphasize the font with bold, italics, or an underline.

Step 5: If you have a lengthy note within the panel, you’ll see a scrollbar appear on the right so that you can move down and see the entire note. You can also drag up on the panel to enlarge it.

If you want your slide in full view as you're assembling or editing your slideshow, you can hide the presenter notes. This does not delete them; it merely moves the notes panel out of view.

Do one of the following to hide your notes:

• Drag the notes panel downward until it no longer displays.

When it’s time to present your slideshow, you can use Presenter View to see your speaker notes. This allows you to view the notes for each slide on your monitor while presenting the slideshow on another. Your audience will not see your notes.

Step 1: Go to the Slide Show tab. On Windows, check the box for Use Presenter View in the Monitors section of the ribbon. On Mac, click the Presenter View button in the Start Slide Show section.

If you’ve already started the slideshow, you can still turn on Presenter View. Click the Three Dots in the Presenter Toolbar and choose Show Presenter View (Windows) or Use Presenter View (Mac).

Step 2: You’ll then see your notes display on the right side of the screen, with your slide on the left. As you advance each slide, the notes will display accordingly.

Step 3: The text for your note wraps automatically to the next line, and you have a scrollbar to move through those lengthy notes.

To adjust the font size for the notes, use the buttons below the notes panel.

Whether you want to add notes to PowerPoint to talk through your slideshow or simply as references while you assemble your slides, be sure to take advantage of this built-in feature.

For additional ways to work in Microsoft PowerPoint, check out how A.I. can help you create your slideshows .

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PowerPoint makes it easy to give a great presentation thanks to intuitive software that lets anyone craft an eye-catching deck. What's even better, however, is the option to use Presenter View. This lets you leave notes for yourself that can be viewed on your computer screen while everyone else is only seeing your presentation.

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Fortunately, there are several different tools you can use to monitor this important statistic. Some are built right into your operating system, while others will require a separate download. You can also purchase certain external devices to keep tabs on your desktop’s energy output.

Choosing the right font for your presentation is important. While Google Slides has a good selection of fonts, you may want something different. Even though you cannot upload or use a font from your computer in Google Slides, there are ways to get more font choices.

Here's how to get and add fonts in Google Slides:

How-To Geek

How to use speaker notes in powerpoint.

If you're worried about forgetting important points during your presentation, jot down some speaker notes. Here's how to prepare and use them.

Quick Links

Add speaker notes in powerpoint, use speaker notes during a powerpoint presentation.

Adding speaker notes to a PowerPoint presentation provides reference material for the speaker when they're presenting a slideshow, allowing them to stay on track without forgetting key message points. Here’s how to add and use speaker notes.

To add speaker notes in PowerPoint, you’ll first need to be in the Normal view. If you’re not already there, you can switch to Normal view by going to the “View” tab and then selecting “Normal” in the “Presentation Views” group.

Next, in the pane on left, select the slide where you'd like to add speaker notes.

Next, click the “Notes” button at the bottom of the window.

A small box reading “Tap to Add Notes” will appear beneath the slide. For Mac users, this will say “Click to Add Notes.”

Now, simply type the speaker notes for that slide. Repeat this process for each slide you'd like to add notes to.

There are two ways to use speaker notes during a presentation: by presenting on a secondary monitor or by printing out the speaker notes .

Using a Secondary Monitor

It’s safe to assume that most presentations will be presented on a secondary monitor. If this is the case for you, there’s not a whole lot you really need to do.

Related: How to Add an Extra Monitor to Your Laptop

The first thing you need to do is change the view to Slide Show. You can do this by selecting the Slide Show icon at the bottom-right corner of the window.

In this view, the audience will see only the slides as you’re going through the presentation. However, on your primary monitor, you’ll see the current slide, a preview of the upcoming slide, and your speaker notes for the current slide.

This is a convenient way to have a virtual copy of the speaker notes while you’re giving a presentation, but it never hurts to have a hard copy.

Printing the Speaker Notes

To print the speaker notes of your presentation, first select the “File” tab in the Ribbon.

Related: How to Print Multiple PowerPoint Slides to Each Piece of Paper

In the pane on left, select the “Print" button.

In the “Settings” group, select the option that says “Full Page Slides.”

A drop-down menu will appear. Here, select “Notes Pages” in the “Print Layout” group.

Finally, click “Print.”

You’ll now have a physical copy of your speaker notes.

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How to Use Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

Speaker notes keep a presenter on track during a presentation

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What to Know

• To add a note, go to Slide pane > select slide's thumbnail > enter notes into Notes pane.
• To see notes during presentation, go to Slide Show > Use Presenter View .

Here's how to use and print PowerPoint notes, accompanied thumbnail versions of the appropriate slides, as a handy reference when making an oral presentation. Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010; PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint for Mac, and PowerPoint Online.

How to Add Notes in PowerPoint

Keep on track during your slideshow by adding speaker notes to each slide of your presentation. You don't need to write down everything you want to say, just add enough information to keep your speech flowing.

Go to View and select Normal . In PowerPoint Online, toggle the notes pane on and off by selecting View > Notes .

In the Slide pane, select the thumbnail of the slide you want to add a note.

Place the cursor in the Notes pane. The text in the Notes pane reads, Click to add notes .

If you don't see the Notes pane, go to View and select Notes . On a Mac, drag the bar below the slide upward to reveal the notes section.

Type or paste your notes into the Notes pane.

Save the changes to your presentation.

How to See Your Notes During a Presentation

If your computer is connected to another monitor or projector, you can enable Presenter View in PowerPoint 2016, 2013, and 2010.

Go to Slide Show and select Use Presenter View .

Select the monitor that you want to use to view your speaker notes in the Display Settings dialog box. Place a check next to This is my main monitor .

If available, select From Current Slide , Custom Slide Show , Present Online , or Broadcast Slide Show . Each of these views displays your slideshow notes during the presentation.

PowerPoint for Mac works a little differently than the Windows version. To see your notes during a presentation, go to Slide Show and select Presenter View .

PowerPoint Online is unable to open a presentation in Presenter View because it can't connect to an additional monitor.

Tips and More Information on PowerPoint Notes

Speaker notes are notes added to PowerPoint presentation slides as a reference for the presenter . Notes in a PowerPoint slide are hidden during the presentation and only visible to the one presenting the slides.

Presenter View works only if your computer is connected to another display. The purpose of Presenter View is to show something different on your screen than on the one your viewers are watching.

While in Presenter View, you'll see the current slide, the upcoming slide, and your notes. Presenter View includes a timer and a clock that shows if your presentation is running too short or too long.

To exit Presenter View, and end the presentation, select End Slide Show at the top of the screen. If you don't see that option, right-click the slideshow and select End Show .

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How to add notes to your Microsoft PowerPoint slides for presentation reminders or editing collaboration

• To add notes to your PowerPoint slides, you'll need to have your presentation set to "Normal" view. 
• You can add notes to individual slides through a button using the "Notes" button. 
• Presentation notes appear next to your slides on the screen as your slideshow plays, but they can also be printed out with the slides.
• You can add notes to your PowerPoint slides to have you with the editing process or while you're presenting a project. 
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories .

PowerPoint presentation notes are meant to help you remember some of your slideshow's finer details in a quickly accessible format. During a presentation, the notes show up on the screen in Presenter view, but not on the screen of anybody else seeing the slideshow. 

If you're presenting in front of a room and can't keep returning to your laptop, you can still use your presenter notes. Just print the slideshow out with the notes. You can also hand these notes out to your audience if you think they'll need them, or the group with whom you're collaborating on the presentation. 

Adding presentation notes to your PowerPoint slideshow is easy, you merely have to know where to look. Here's how to do it.

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Microsoft office (from $149.99 at best buy), apple macbook pro (from $1,299.00 at apple), acer chromebook 15 (from $179.99 at walmart), how to add notes to your powerpoint presentation.

1. Launch your PowerPoint presentation. 

2. Go to the "View" tab in the toolbar at the top of the screen.

3. Choose "Normal" view on the far left of the toolbar if it isn't already selected. 

4. Click the slide you want to add a note to.

5. At the bottom of the screen, towards the right side and to the left of "Comments," click the button that reads "Notes." 

6. Type any notes you want to make in the box and hit the Enter key or click away from the box.

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May 9, 2022

Edit your notes in Presenter view in PowerPoint

Victoria Tran

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Hey, Officer Insiders! My name is Victoria Tran, and I’m a Program Manager on the PowerPoint team. I’m thrilled to share that you can now edit notes in Presenter view in PowerPoint for Windows. No more switching to Editor view to type or change your notes, even during a presentation!

Edit notes in Presenter view

Accessing and editing your slide content whenever the need arises is a key part of the PowerPoint workflow. Whether you’re making an important edit to your speaker notes during a presentation rehearsal or jotting down feedback during your presentation, the ability to edit notes in Presenter view increases your productivity and eliminates the need to toggle between views.

We are excited to add this highly requested feature and expand the use of PowerPoint notes. In the future, we’ll continue to add support for editing notes in other views, such as Teleprompter view.

How it works

Ready to edit notes in Presenter view?

NOTE:  You can also press the F6 key to select the Notes pane in Presenter view. When a white outline appears around the pane, press Enter and start typing to make any updates you want.

Known issues

Presenter view currently only allows basic formatting of notes, such as bold, italics, and underlining (via keyboard shortcuts). Formatting such as text color, highlighting, and other options aren’t yet available.

Tips and tricks

• If you are using keyboard commands to navigate through your slides during a presentation, make sure the text insertion point is not showing in the Notes pane. If it is, the arrow keys will move the insertion point around in the pane instead of navigating the slides.
• If you have two monitors, a full-screen slide will show on one monitor and Presenter view on the other monitor, featuring a view of the next slide, your speaker notes, a timer, and more. If you have just one monitor, you can press Alt + F5 to try out Presenter view.

Availability

We will be rolling the edit notes in Presenter view feature out to Office Insiders running Beta Channel Version 2204 (Build 15225.20000) or later.

Don’t have it yet? It’s probably us, not you.

Features are released over some time to ensure things are working smoothly. We highlight features that you may not have because they’re slowly releasing to larger numbers of Insiders. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as an Insider, have had the opportunity to try it.

We want to hear from you! Please click Help > Feedback to submit your feedback about this feature.

Learn what  other information you should include in your feedback  to ensure it’s actionable and reaches the right people. We’re excited to hear from you!

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Blog > All about notes in PowerPoint Presentations

All about notes in PowerPoint Presentations

08.06.21   •  #powerpoint #tips.

Not only is a well-prepared PowerPoint presentation essential, but also a red thread and a fluent presentation. With the help of notes in PowerPoint, this is no longer a problem! In this blog post, we will not only explain how you can add powerpoint notes, but also how you can edit them and make good use of them during a presentation. We will also show you how to print out the notes and how to delete them again.

Inserting and editing notes in PowerPoint

• First open your presentation.

There are two ways you can print out the notes. With the slides or without.

Print notes with the slides

Print notes without the slides

Using notes during a presentation.

If you want to share your PowerPoint on Zoom without showing the audience your notes, there are several options. A very simple and straightforward option would be to simply print out your notes. If you have two monitors, PowerPoint will automatically set up the Presenter View for you. If you do not have a second screen, you only have to go to the three dots at the very bottom left during the presentation, there you can easily display the speaker view under "Speaker view".

Now, turn the tables! - Let your attendees take private notes

With the help of SlideLizard (a cool software for live audience interaction in PowerPoint), your participants can make private notes directly on their own smartphones during the presentation. These notes remain linked to the slides and at the end of the presentation, all participants receive their own notes via email. In addition, your audience can mark the most important slides with a star to make them easier to find again later. Moreover, with SlideLizard you can add live polls & quizzes directly in your PowerPoint. You can try SlideLizard for free today !

Deleting notes in PowerPoint

Of course, there is also the option of deleting the notes. You can delete them directly on the respective slides or you can delete them all at once. Proceed as follows:

Keyboard shortcuts for notes in PowerPoint

How can I add notes in PowerPoint?

To add notes in PowerPoint, go to "Notes" in the "View" tab or you can also insert notes via the status bar at the bottom right with just one click.

How do I print notes in PowerPoint?

Go to "Print" in the "File" tab. Then select "Notes pages" in the print layout instead of "Full page slides".

How can I use the notes in PowerPoint during my presentation?

In order to see your PowerPoint notes during your presentation, you must check the box "Use Presenter View" in the tab "Slide Show" beforehand. They will then be displayed automatically during your presentation.

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About the author.

Miriam Rapberger

Miriam supports SlideLizard in the area of marketing and design. There she uses her creativity for blog posts, among other things.

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How to Add Notes to PowerPoint Presentations: A Comprehensive Guide

Sara Wanasek

Presenting a slideshow can be a daunting task, especially when you’re speaking to a large audience. Thankfully, most presentation software comes equipped with the ability to add notes to your slides, making it easier for you to stay on track and deliver a seamless presentation – no full memorization needed.

In this blog, we will explore two different ways that you can to add notes to PowerPoint:

• Presentation notes that you prepare in advance and only you can see or
• Adding live notes to your presentation for your audience to see

By leveraging these techniques, you’ll be able to engage your audience effectively and deliver memorable presentations. Let’s dive in.

How to Add Presenter Notes in PowerPoint

Presenter Notes in PowerPoint are notes that you can view on your screen while you are presenting. Your audience will not see these notes, just you, so you can stay on track, remember important points, and deliver your information clearly and easily. Presenters, here’s everything you need to know to add notes to PowerPoint.

Add Notes in Edit Mode

Notes can be added to any slide in PowerPoint. Follow these steps:

• Start by clicking on the Notes button located beneath each slide. If you don’t see it, click on the View tab at the top of the screen and then click on Notes Page.
• Begin typing your notes for that slide, providing additional details, reminders, or cues to guide your presentation.
• Repeat the process for each slide you want to add notes to.

Once you’ve added your notes, you’re ready to deliver your presentation with confidence!

Present with Notes

Now that your notes are added to your presentation, let’s learn how to use them during the presentation. Do note that to present with the Presenter Notes, you will need to be connected to another screen or projector.

• First, select the Slide Show tab in the PowerPoint ribbon
• In the Set Up section, click the check box for Presenter View
• Enter Presentation Mode! You should see your presentation on one screen (such as your projector) and your notes displayed on the other screen (such as your laptop).

⚠️ If the Presenter view appears on the wrong screen, you can swap this by clicking on the Display Setting on top of the Presenter view screen.

As you move through your slides, your notes will automatically advance with the slides, keeping you right on track.

Print Notes

If you prefer a physical copy of your notes to present with or want to share it with your audience, you can print them from PowerPoint.

To do this go into File → Print → and under Settings , choose Notes Pages . Now, you can Print .

Presenting with notes in your PowerPoint presentation helps you stay on track, maintain confidence, engage your audience, adapt to unexpected situations, and appear professional and organized, ultimately leading to a smoother, more impactful delivery. But what if you want to further explain a concept with notes and annotations during your presentation? You can with annotation tools! →

Add Notes During a Presentation

Need to add notes to aid your presentation and help your audience understand, follow along, and stay engaged? Presenter tools such as annotations are great tools to help your presentation delivery and pace. By interacting with your slide information throughout your presentation, you can encourage active learning and audience participation in the presentation. There are a few ways you can add notes to PowerPoint:

Add Notes to Any Slide

During your presentation, you can add notes in two main ways:

1.You can use PowerPoint’s built-in simple pen and highlighter to add notes to your slide. This is found in the bottom left corner of the screen click on the pen and choose your color to begin drawing.

2. For sightly more advanced pen tools, text boxes, and shapes, you can use the free PowerPoint add-in ClassPoint, to add notes to PowerPoint sides . Once downloaded, ClassPoint , an audience engagement tool, will add a toolbar at the bottom of your presentation screen with these additional annotation & presentation tools .

This gives you different thickness options and color options for the pens , highlighters , shapes , and text boxes on your slide.

Insert Whiteboard Slides

Did you know you can even add a blank whiteboard slide into your PowerPoint presentation while you are presenting? With ClassPoint, it’s true!

Perfect for when you run out of space, want to brainstorm, or have fresh details to convey to the audience.

To add a whiteboard slide to your presentation, click on the Whiteboard icon on the ClassPoint toolbar. From there, choose a template provided, or add your own whiteboard background design . This slide will be opened & inserted right into your presentation and you can begin adding your notes. All annotations added will be saved once you exit out of the presentation mode.

Add disappearing laser ink

With ClassPoint’s presentation toolbar, you can also use the laser pointer to write with disappearing ink!

Although this will not save to your slide, it is a great way to help your audience follow along and make connections to your slide information.

Share Notes

Just like when you printed your Speaker Notes above, you can also share all the notes you added to your PowerPoint slides. Print your presentation, or share it with your audience via a QR code.

Click on the Share PDF icon on the ClassPoint tab in the PowerPoint ribbon. Select to include the whiteboard and annotations that you made and click Generate . A QR code will appear that your audience can scan to access your PowerPoint slides and see all the notes you have added!

Overall, adding annotations to your PowerPoint presentation is a great way to enhance your message, engage your audience, and make your presentation more effective. So if you haven’t tried it before, why not give it a go and see the difference it can make to your next presentation?

Adding notes to your presentation is a simple but effective way to elevate your overall performance. Whether you’re adding notes in edit mode or during your presentation, PowerPoint offers a variety of tools to help make your presentation a success. Start implementing these strategies with ClassPoint, and watch as your presentations become more engaging and impactful than ever before!

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How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

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• April 8, 2019

In this article, you will learn the ins and outs of how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint. This includes printing, presenting, deleting, and formatting your speaker notes so that your handouts look professional.

If you are brand new to adding notes to your PowerPoint presentations, there are three common ways professionals use speaker notes in PowerPoint.

#1. Presenter View: Use your speaker notes as prompts during your presentation. This is the most common use case for adding speaker notes in PowerPoint. You present your slide on a monitor, and you have your main points bulleted out in the Presenter View of PowerPoint.

#2. Normal View: Use your notes as reference documentation for your slides. Instead of listing out the main points for your slides, some professionals use the Notes Pane to capture where their information came from. In this case, you never present or print your speaker notes, you simply keep the links or references to your materials in the Notes Pane.

#3. Notes Page View: use your notes as the final client deliverable like a Word document. The Notes Page View displays your slide at the top of the page and all your speaker notes below it, detailing your comments, recommendations, or action steps like a Word document. While the Notes Page View is NOT as easy to use as Microsoft Word, the fact that the notes stay with each PowerPoint slide makes this very convenient.

How to add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

There are two different places where you can type your speaker notes in PowerPoint. You can either type them in the Notes Pane at the bottom of your PowerPoint Window, your you can type them in the Notes Page view.

Which of these two views is better? It depends on what level of formatting you want to see your speaker notes in.

The main difference between using these two views when working on your speaker notes is the level of formatting that is displayed. The Notes Pane only displays plain text formatting, whereas the Notes Page View displays all formatting just like Microsoft Word.

Notes added in either view are both viewable and editable in the other view. So, you can flip back and forth between the views depending on what you are doing.

Note: You can only add text as your speaker notes in PowerPoint. You cannot add pictures, charts, tables, etc.  Any picture, chart, or graphic you want to reference in your notes must remain on your slide.

#1. The Notes Pane in the Normal View

#2. The Notes Page View

The other way you can add and edit your speaker notes in PowerPoint is using the Notes Page View. The advantage of this view is it displays all your text formatting including font size and font color.

There are four different ways you can open the Notes Pane to add your notes in PowerPoint listed below (and referenced in the picture above).

• Navigate to the View tab and click the Notes command.
• Hit Ctrl+Shift+H on your keyboard to open the Notes Pane.
• Click the Notes command at the bottom of your PowerPoint workspace.
• With your mouse, click and drag the Notes Pane up from the bottom of the PowerPoint workspace.

Regardless of how you open the Notes Pane, once it is open, you can directly type or edit your speaker notes into it. As you will see in the formatting section below, the Notes Pane only displays plain text formatting like bold, italics, numbered lists, bulleted lists, etc.

To add or edit your speaker notes using the Notes Page view in PowerPoint, simply:

• Navigate to the View tab
• Select the Notes Page view
• Click into the input box to type or edit your notes

Note: If you type a lot of text in this view, your notes will run off the bottom of the page. You do not have to worry about losing any of these notes. Any runoff notes will properly display in the Notes Pane and will print properly on the correct number of pages as needed.

Formatting Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

You can apply formatting to your notes in both the Notes Pane and the Notes Page view. That said, not all your formatting properly displays in the Notes Pane .

For example, in the picture below, the red font color I applied in the Notes Pane only displays in the Notes Page view. In this way, only the Notes Page view fully displays all the formatting that has been applied to your speaker notes, so make sure to check this view before you print your notes.

The Notes Pane and the Presenter View only display simple formatting like bold, italics, underlines, bulleted lists, etc. On top of that, these views do not display Font Size. Instead, they only display a zoom level. If you zoom in or out within the Notes Pane or the Presenter View , your Font Size appears to change, but it is only the zoom level changing, not your Font Size.

If you need to see all the formatting applied to your speaker notes in PowerPoint before you print them, the best place to do that is the Notes Page view. See section above for opening the Notes Page view in PowerPoint.

How to remove all your speaker notes at once

You can remove all your speaker notes (known in PowerPoint as Presentation Notes) before you share your presentation with someone using the Inspect Document feature . To remove all your notes at once, simply:

• Navigate to the File menu
• Click the Info
• Open the Check for Issues drop down
• Select Inspect document (select Yes if a dialog box opens)
• Make sure the Presentation Notes option is selected
• Click Inspect
• For Presentation notes, select Remove all

After you select Remove All , all your speaker notes will be removed from your presentation. Just keep in mind that once you remove them, you cannot undo this selection.

So, if you want to keep a copy of your notes, you should first save a copy of your presentation.

How to view your speaker notes in Presenter View

Regardless of how you add your speaker notes to PowerPoint, you can view them in the Presenter View of PowerPoint. You can access this view using shortcuts, or you can set it to run automatically if you are connected to a second monitor.

To set up the Presenter View to run automatically when you connect to an overhead projector or monitor, simply.

1. Navigate to the Slide Show tab 2. Put a checkmark next to Use Presenter View

After selecting Presenter View, the next time you hook up to a monitor or overhead projector and run your presentation, your slides will display on the screen and the Presenter view will display on your computer.

You can alternatively launch the Presenter View at any time using the Alt+Shift+F5 shortcut. To expand your knowledge and learn a variety of ways to present a PowerPoint slideshow (including hidden shortcuts), read our guide here .

How to print your PowerPoint with notes as handouts

To print your PowerPoint speaker notes as handouts, simply:

• Select File then Print (or hit Ctrl+P)
• Change the slides dropdown to Notes Pages
• Click Print

If you want to print your speaker notes next to your slide, you’ll need to first export your slides to Microsoft Word (discussed below).

To expand your knowledge and learn other nuances and tips for printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

To learn how to print your presentation with multiples per page as handouts, read our guide here .

Below are some important things to keep in mind as you start to print your PowerPoint notes as handouts.

1. Slide Numbers are different than page numbers

The number you see in the lower right-hand corner in the print preview are your slide numbers, not the actual page numbers. This can cause a lot of confusion when you are printing your slides with lots of notes, like when using your speaker notes as the client deliverable.

For example, in the picture below, notice that the number is the same on both pages. That is again because it is the slide number, not the page number. So, if you have five pages of notes for slide number 2, the number for all five pages of printing speaker notes will be 2.

Slide numbers in PowerPoint are notoriously tricky to get right. They are much more difficult than managing page numbers in Microsoft Word. If you need help adding and managing your slide numbers in PowerPoint, read our guide here .

2. Slide thumbnails only display on the first page of notes

When printing speaker notes, the slide thumbnail only displays on the first page of your notes. So, if you have four pages of notes for a single slide, your thumbnail only displays on the first page (as pictured above).

3. Formatting your Notes Master for professional handouts

If you want your printed speaker notes to look professional, you will need to format your Notes Master. Notice in the picture below the difference in professionalism between formatted and non-formatting handouts.

If your presentation is important, I highly recommend formatting your Notes Master with your company logo, website address, etc. That way when you print your slides as handouts, they will look sharp, clean, and professional.

To navigate to your Notes Master to format your handouts, simply:

• Click the Notes Master command.

You can add anything you like to your Notes Master just as you would add it to a PowerPoint slide. At a bare minimum, I recommend adding your company logo (as a PNG) and website address. If you are holding a training seminar, I also recommend adding your contact details too.

How to export your speaker notes to Microsoft Word

Another option for printing and editing your notes is to first push them to Microsoft Word.

This gives you the additional option to have your speaker notes on the right of your slides. On top of that, once in Word, you can format and edit your speaker notes in the full Microsoft Word editing environment.

To convert your speaker notes into Microsoft Word document, simply:

• Navigate to the File tab
• Click the Export command
• Select Create Handouts once
• Select Create Handouts a second time
• Pick either Notes next to slide or Notes below slide

Clicking okay, your slides and speaker notes are pushed to a new Microsoft Word document where you can edit them.

Special note when exporting to Microsoft Word. The Create Handouts dialog box gives you the option to Paste Link . In my experience this linking feature is unreliable and rarely works the way you’d expect it to. So, I do not recommend using it.

To expand your knowledge and learn how to convert Microsoft Word to PowerPoint, and some of the common pitfalls that can take place, read our guide here .

How long should your speaker notes be?

Although you can add as much information as you want to your notes, if you are using them as presentation prompts, I recommend keeping them short and punchy. Just enough to remind you of your next topic, or your key points.

Most people hate it if you stand up on stage and read your slides aloud, right? Well, the same is true if you stand on stage and read your speaker notes to them. This is the classic death by PowerPoint.

In addition, hiding behind your computer during your presentation creates an awkward relationship between you and your audience. So, if you are using your notes as speaking guides for your presentation, then use them sparingly.  Instead of writing long sentences or paragraphs, try adding short prompts or highlights to jog your memory.

If you are looking for ideas on how to start your presentation with a bang, read our guide here .

If you need help ending your presentation on a high note, read our guide here .

Speaker notes in PowerPoint can be used in a variety of ways depending on what you are using PowerPoint for. Some use them as presentation prompts, others for research documentation, and others as the final client deliverable. Thankfully, PowerPoint gives you the flexibility to use your speaker notes any way you like.

Just remeber that the formatting of your notes appears differently in the different PowerPoint views.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other useful resources here .

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How to View Notes in PowerPoint While Presenting With One Monitor

Presenting a PowerPoint is a great way to engage and inform an audience, but it can be challenging to keep track of your notes while you’re presenting. Fortunately, PowerPoint includes a feature that allows you to view your speaker notes on one monitor while your audience sees the presentation on another. This makes it much easier to stay on track and deliver your message effectively. In this guide, we’ll take a detailed look at how to view notes in PowerPoint while presenting with one monitor, as well as some tips for getting the most out of this feature.

Table of Contents

Why Viewing Notes While Presenting is Important

When giving a presentation, it’s important to have access to your notes to stay on track and avoid missing important points. Viewing your notes while presenting can also help you remember key details and ensure that you’re delivering the information in an organized and effective manner. This can be especially important if you’re presenting complex or technical information. By having access to your notes, you can make sure you’re covering all the necessary points and answering any questions that might come up.

Another benefit of viewing your notes while presenting is that it can help you feel more confident and prepared. Knowing that you have your notes to refer to can alleviate any anxiety or nervousness you may feel about presenting. It can also give you a sense of security, knowing that you have all the information you need at your fingertips. By feeling more confident and prepared, you’re more likely to deliver a successful presentation that engages your audience and effectively conveys your message.

Understanding the Need for One Monitor

Using Presenter View in PowerPoint allows you to view your notes on your laptop or primary monitor while the audience sees only the presentation on the projected screen, even if you only have one monitor. This feature is particularly useful when you don’t have a dual-monitor setup. Presenter View provides a separate interface for the presenter that includes the current slide, speaker notes, and upcoming slides, ensuring that you can deliver your presentation smoothly without revealing your notes to the audience.

How to Access Notes in PowerPoint

Accessing your notes in PowerPoint while presenting on a single monitor is straightforward with Presenter View. To use Presenter View, start your PowerPoint presentation and go to the “Slide Show” tab in the ribbon menu. Then, check the “Use Presenter View” box. When you start the slideshow, your presentation will appear on the projected screen, while your notes and controls appear on your primary monitor. This allows you to reference your notes discreetly during the presentation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Viewing Notes in PowerPoint

Here’s a step-by-step guide to viewing your notes in PowerPoint using Presenter View:

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Navigate to the slide on which you wish to start presenting.
• Select the “Slide Show” tab in the ribbon menu.
• Check the “Use Presenter View” box.
• Start your presentation by clicking on “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide.”
• Your notes will appear on your primary monitor, while the audience will see only the slides on the presentation screen.

Remember, your audience will not see your notes, allowing you to discreetly reference them during your presentation.

Tips for Presenting With One Monitor

Here are some tips for presenting with one monitor:

• Practice your presentation beforehand to make sure you’re comfortable with the software and know how to access Presenter View.
• Use the Presenter View to keep track of key points and ensure that you’re covering all the necessary information.
• Put your notes in bullet-point format to make them easy to follow and read while presenting.
• Use concise language and avoid excessive text on your slides.
• Maintain eye contact with your audience as much as possible, even when referencing your notes.

How to Customize Your Notes View in PowerPoint

PowerPoint allows you to customize your notes view to suit your preferences. To do so, enter Presenter View and hover over the notes section. You can then adjust the font size and formatting to make your notes easier to read. Additionally, you can rearrange the on-screen elements in Presenter View to suit your presenting style.

Shortcut Keys for Easy Navigation Through Notes

PowerPoint includes a number of keyboard shortcuts that can help you navigate through your presentation easily. Here are some of the most useful ones:

• Use the “N” key or the right arrow to move forward one slide at a time.
• Use the “P” key or the left arrow to move backward one slide at a time.
• Press “Ctrl” + “S” to access the “All Slides” view, where you can select a specific slide to jump to.

Troubleshooting Common Issues When Viewing Notes

If you’re having trouble viewing your notes in PowerPoint using Presenter View, ensure that Presenter View is enabled in the “Slide Show” tab. If the notes are not appearing, try restarting PowerPoint or your computer to resolve any temporary glitches. Additionally, check that your screen resolution and display settings are correctly configured to support Presenter View.

Alternative Methods for Viewing Notes While Presenting

If you prefer not to use Presenter View or encounter difficulties, you can print out your notes and refer to them as needed. Another option is to split your screen, displaying the presentation in a window on one half and a document with your notes on the other half. This method requires you to manually scroll your notes, but it can be a useful alternative.

Best Practices for Using Notes During a Presentation

Here are some best practices for using notes during a presentation:

• Don’t rely too heavily on your notes–practice your presentation beforehand and aim to deliver your message in a natural, conversational tone.
• Use your notes as a guide rather than a script.
• Keep your notes organized and easy to follow.
• Make sure to address any questions or concerns that come up during the presentation.
• Try to engage with your audience and create a rapport with them.

Benefits of Using One Monitor While Presenting

Using one monitor while presenting with Presenter View has several benefits. It allows you to reference your notes discreetly, helps you stay organized and on track, and enables you to maintain better eye contact with your audience. This setup can also simplify your presentation space and reduce the risk of technical issues.

Advanced Techniques for Managing Your Presentation and Notes on One Monitor

As you become more comfortable with Presenter View, you can explore additional features such as the thumbnail strip to preview upcoming slides, the timer to keep track of your speaking duration, and the ability to zoom into a particular slide detail during your presentation.

How to Switch Between Different Views During Presentation Mode

To switch between different views during presentation mode, you can use the following methods:

• To access Presenter View, start your slideshow and press the “Alt” + “F5” keys.
• To exit Presenter View and return to the normal view, press the “Esc” key.
• To black out the screen during the presentation, press the “B” or period key.

How to Control Slides, Animations and Media During the Presentation with One Monitor

During your presentation, you can control slides, animations, and media with the following actions:

• To advance to the next slide or animation, press the right arrow key or click the left mouse button.
• To return to the previous slide or animation, press the left arrow key.
• To play a video or audio file, click on it directly or use the media controls in Presenter View.
• To pause or stop the media, use the media controls in Presenter View.

With these tips and techniques in mind, you should now be well-equipped to view your notes in PowerPoint while presenting with one monitor. Remember to practice beforehand and experiment with different techniques to find the ones that work best for you. With a little bit of preparation and practice, you can deliver a confident and effective presentation that engages and informs your audience.

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Notes Master in PowerPoint (Everything You Need to Know!)

By: Author Shrot Katewa

There are times when I often forget to talk about every single point that I had planned for when giving a presentation. This is not an uncommon phenomenon. That is exactly when PowerPoint notes can come in handy! But, to leverage the power of notes in PowerPoint, you need to understand the notes master in PowerPoint thoroughly.

The notes master in PowerPoint is a feature that allows you to control the settings of the notes section of PowerPoint. It allows you to change layouts, font size, font type, font style, and much more. To enable the Notes Master in PowerPoint, click on the “View” ribbon and then on “Notes Master”.

Through this article, I am going to talk about how you can use the Notes Master for making presenter notes. I’m also going to share the type of problems you might face in the Notes Master and how you can solve them. Plus, I’ll also provide you with some ninja tips to make this tool helpful for you!

So, let’s get started!

What are Presenter Notes in PowerPoint?

When you are presenting in front of an audience, they will either look at the information written on the presentation slide or listen to what you are saying.

If there is too much information on the presentation slide, it will be hard for the audience to process all the information. This is why presentation design often follows a minimal design style.

But, keeping minimal text on the slide can also be a problem – now your audience needs to pay close attention to what you are saying in order to understand the context of the presentation. While that is great if you want to grab their attention, this also means you need to make sure that you don’t miss out on a point! This is where presenter notes can come in handy.

Presenter Notes, also known as speaker notes, are the key points, important messages, or information in a summarized format on an individual slide. Making the notes handy helps the presenter to deliver his or her message clearly to the audience.

Presenter Notes helps the presenter navigate each slide while providing relevant information for that particular slide.

Think of the presenter Notes as a scratch piece of paper, where you can put all the key messages or important stats so that the audience can understand what you are saying.

You can also use presenter Notes to add more information about your presentation slide’s animations or to add important links and how to navigate through your PowerPoint slides.

What is Notes Master in PowerPoint?

Notes Master is a powerful tool in the Microsoft PowerPoint application that allows you to create, edit, and customize your presenter Notes.

The note Master is located in the “View” tab inside the PowerPoint application. Select the “View” tab. Now choose “Notes Master” from the “Master Views” group. This will open the Notes Master menu.

What Can You Do with Notes Master?

You can use notes master to create, edit, and customize the settings and appearance of your presenter notes in the PowerPoint application.

The notes master also allows you to customize the appearance of your speaker notes when they are printed out.

For instance, you can change the page layout, text format, text color, page orientation of the presenter notes using the Notes Master tool. This truly is a powerful editing tool that gives you complete control over the appearance of your presenter note section.

How to Use Notes Master in PowerPoint?

To use the notes master for your presentation slide, first, you have to open the notes master tool. To do that, follow the steps given below –

Step 1 – Click on the View Tab

The first thing is to open your PowerPoint slides presentation. Once the slide is open in the PowerPoint application, click on the “ View ” tab located in the menu bar of your PowerPoint application.

Step 2 – Choose Notes Master

Clicking on the “ View ” tab will open a command window. From there, choose the “ Notes Master ” from the “ Master Views ” group. This will open the “Notes Master” menu.

Step 3 – Customize the Notes Master

From the notes master editor menu, you can customize your presenter notes.

To do that, first, check the placeholders that you want to use and uncheck those that you don’t want in your presenter Notes. There are several parameters included in the “Placeholder” group. These are- date, slide image, body, header, page number, and footer.

You can view the changes that you make in the Notes Master preview section (the white section displayed).

You can also change the presenter note page orientation into either landscape or portrait mode. There are also some additional editing tools like text font size, text color, background style, and much more that you can mess around with to make your Notes much more attractive.

Once you are done customizing your presenter notes pages you can close the “Notes Master” menu. To do that, just simply click on the “Close Master View” button located on the Notes Master menu.

How to Print PowerPoint Presentation Notes?

Now that you know how to customize your notes in a PowerPoint presentation, it is time for you to add notes to your slides.

Once you have created your notes in the PowerPoint presentation slides, you can easily print them along with the slides and prepare for giving the presentation even when you are not in front of a computer.

Step 1 – Click on the File Option

To print notes in PowerPoint, click on the “File” tab located in the top left corner of your screen.

Step 2 – Click on Print from the Options on the Left

When the file option is clicked from the menu bar, a new window will be presented. From there, select “Print”. Another window will open as a result.

Step 3 – Choose the “Notes Pages” Print Layout Option

From the new window, choose the “Full Page Slides” located in the “Settings” menu. From there, select “Note Pages” as your print layout. You will see a preview of how your presenter note pages will look like.

Step 4 – Click on Print

If you want to make changes to any other print settings, you can do that too. Once you are done, all you have to do is to click on the “Print” button. And your Notes will be printed.

How to Apply Notes Master to All Slides?

Like other Master tools in the PowerPoint, any changes in the Notes Master command menu will be applied to all the slides in the presentation file. But the Notes Master tool is still undergoing some development and it is still missing some features.

When you are using this tool, sometimes many random things can happen to your note pages. For example, if you change anything in the Notes Master menu, it may not be applied to all slides. And Notes Master has no feature that you can use to apply the changes to all the slides at once. In such a case, you will need to apply Notes Master to individual slides.

This can be quite bothersome and time consuming if there are a lot of slides in the presentation file and you need to check each slide and apply the changes individually. But there is an alternative method that you can use to apply Notes Master to all slides using a Microsoft Visual Basic script.

To use this method, follow the step-by-step guide given below:

First, go to the “ Developer ” tab located on the top of your screen. The developer menu will open.

From the developer menu, click on the “ Visual Basic ” option. A new window will open.

From the new window, click on “ Insert ” located on the top left corner of the screen. From the dropdown menu, select “ Module ”. An editor window will open.

In the editor window, paste the following Microsoft Visual Basic script:

After pasting the script to the editor window, press “ F5 ” or click on “ Run>Run Sub/UserForm ” It will take some time to reapply Notes Master to all the slides depending on the number of slides in the presentation file. Once the reapply process is done, you will see that your problem is solved.

Note: This method works on Microsoft PowerPoint version 2007 or above. For some of you, you might notice that the “Developer” tab is missing in your PowerPoint application. In this case, read the following section to enable the developer tab in PowerPoint.

How to Enable the Developer Tab in PowerPoint?

In order to expedite certain processes in PowerPoint, you can always use the visual basic codes through the developer tab just as we showcased in the previous example. But, you often don’t get to see the “Developer” tab by default in PowerPoint.

In fact, I covered this topic of Enabling Developer Tab in PowerPoint in thorough detail a little while ago. Please go through this article as it also includes the process for PowerPoint on Mac!

[Tutorial!] How to Enable Developer Tab in PowerPoint?

In case you prefer reading on this page, below is a summarized version of the steps that you need to take to enable the developer tab in PowerPoint.

Step 1: First, click on the “File” tab located in the top left corner of the application. A new window will open.

Step 2: From there, select “Options” located in the bottom left corner of the application.

Step 3: Now from the newly opened window, select the “customize ribbon” option. From there, locate “Customize the ribbon” and under that select “Main Tab.”

Step 4: Now locate the “Developer” tab and make sure that there is a checkmark beside it. Now press “Ok”. Now if you return to your presentation slide, you will notice that the “Developer” tab has been added to your PowerPoint application’s ribbon.

How to Reset Notes Master in PowerPoint?

As mentioned before, Notes Master is still a bit buggy. Sometimes you might see that the size of your note page is not what you set earlier or some texts or graphics in the slide might appear in some weird spots in your presenter Notes. In these circumstances, resetting the Notes Master can solve these problems.

Here’s how to reset notes master in PowerPoint –

• Go to the “View” Ribbon.
• Select “Notes Master”
• Uncheck all options under “Placeholders”
• Then, recheck all options under “Placeholders”
• Set the “Notes Page Orientation” as Portrait

In case you need visual aids, here’s the step-by-step process with pictures.

Open the presentation slide, go to the “ View ” tab located on the main ribbon of your PowerPoint application. Select “ Notes Master ” from there.

Uncheck all the options that are grouped under “Placeholder” and make sure that you check them again. This should reset the Notes Master in the PowerPoint application.

Make sure that the “Notes Page Orientation” of the “Notes Master” is set to “ Portrait ” as that is the default orientation of the notes master in PowerPoint.

How to Present PowerPoint without Showing Notes?

Presenter Notes will allow you to keep track of the key points and important stats of your presentation. But you need to make sure that your Notes remain hidden while you are presenting in front of an audience. And to do that, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: First, you will need to connect the projector screen or a second display to your computer. The second display or projector screen will be the one that your audience will be able to see.

Step 2: Now Open the “Display settings” from the control panel. From there, make your computer monitor your primary display by simply checking the “Make this my main display” option.

Step 3: Now choose “Extend These Displays” from the display settings window and close it.

Step 4: Now open your PowerPoint presentation slide and click on the “Slide Show” tab located on the main ribbon of the application.

From there, checkmark the “Use Presenter View” located in the “Monitors” cluster. You will see that the monitors are added on the “Monitors” option.

From there, select the secondary monitor or projector screen as your presentation display.

Step 5: Now press the slide show icon located on the taskbar of the PowerPoint application.

As a result, the presentation display will only show the slides whereas you will be able to see both the slides and Notes on your computer monitor.

Notes Master vs. Handout Master – What’s the Difference?

Notes Master and handout Master in the Microsoft PowerPoint application are more or less similar when it comes to customization and formatting Notes. However, there are some key differences present between them.

How does Notes Master Compare to Handout Master?

Notes Master tool is designed to create, edit, and customize presenter Notes. The Notes created in the presentation slide can help the speaker to keep track of key points while presenting his or her slides in front of an audience. Typically, each note page contains only one slide.

On the other hand, “Handout Master” is a tool created to make audience handouts. These handouts contain key points from the presentation slide which can help the audience to understand the presenter’s message much more clearly. Handouts usually contain more than one slide per page.

Notes Master or Handout Master – which is better?

The editing options are somewhat similar for both handout Master and Notes Master. However, Notes Master offers more placeholder options to format note pages. And Notes are typically helpful to only the presenter. In this regard, Notes Master is better compared to handout Master.

However, you should use handout Master if and only if you need to include texts and graphics for the audience handouts. But the features and functionality are almost similar for both Notes Master and handout Master. So, even if you only know how to use Notes Master, you will face no problem using the handout Master.

How to Fix Notes Master in PowerPoint?

Notes Master has a lot of bugs. They can be quite bothersome. These bugs can occur randomly. Some of these bugs include changing the note page layout or changing the page size and orientation. In such a case, you will need to troubleshoot Notes Master in PowerPoint.

To fix the page size, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Frist, go to the “File” tab and select “Print>Print Properties.” From there, change the paper size to anything other than the “Letter” size. Now click “Ok” and return to your presentation slides.

Step 2: Follow the same methods explained in step 1 to change the page size. But this time set the page size to “Letter” and press “Ok.”

Step 3: Now go to the “View” tab and select “Notes Master.”

Step 4: When you are using the Notes Master, right-click on an empty space of your note page, and from the context menu click on “Notes Master Layout.” A dialogue box will open.

Step 5: From the dialogue box, uncheck everything and press “Ok.”

Step 6: Now repeat the process explained in step 4 and step 5. But this time, check all the options in the dialogue box and click “Ok.”

Then close the Notes Master view.

This should fix your problem with note page size problem. But your page layout will still appear a bit messy.

In order to fix the note page layout, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click on the “View” tab and select “Notes Master.”

Step 2: Now right-click on an empty space on the note page. This will open a context menu. From there select “Notes Layout>Reapply Master.”

Make sure that you check the “Body” and the “Slide image.” Otherwise, you will lose the note that you made previously in the presentation file. If they are checked by default, leave them as they were and proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Now press “Ok.” This will fix your note page layout.

Important Note: You will need to apply this method to the note pages individually. Because PowerPoint still doesn’t have the feature to apply Notes Master to all the slides at the same time.

Final Thoughts

After going through the entire article, I hope that you have learned everything there is about making speaker Notes using the Notes Master tool in the PowerPoint application. Put a lot of thoughts into how you can prepare your presenter Notes. This will make the presentation seem much more professional and you will be able to deliver your message clearly.

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PowerPoint 2021 showing some notes in Outline View but not all - how to fix?

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Replies (4) .

• Microsoft Agent |

Hello, ToddMaddison

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

Your issue is indeed a bit strange. In general, either all the notes are displayed in Outline view or none of them is visible. It's unlikely that some would appear while others wouldn't. To better understand the reason, could you please share a sample file with us? This way, we can try to reproduce the issue you're facing. You can upload it to any cloud service and share the link with us, such as OneDrive, Google Drive, Mega, Dropbox, or any other platform you prefer. If the file contains any sensitive or confidential information, please make sure to remove it in advance.

Microsoft Community Technical Support

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Thanks. Here's a sample. I took the original presentation and deleted all but four slides . All slides have presenter notes, but the notes from two of those slides (the first two) do not show up in the outline view. Sample presentation

The notes in PowerPoint are the content at the bottom of the slide page, which will not appear in the outline view on the left-hand side. What you referred to as "notes" is actually the text inside a text box. You can compare the text in the table of contents with the text on the slides, as shown below:

In the outline view, only the content within the text placeholders will be displayed. To view the objects on each slide, you can click on "Home" and then click on "Arrange" on the right side to access the selection pane. You'll notice that the first two slides do not have text placeholders.

To display the content from the body of the slides in outline view, you need to place the text content within text placeholders. This can be done by setting it up in the slide master. If your page formatting is consistent, you can directly set it up in the slide master and use that master when creating new slides:

How to add, edit, or remove a placeholder on a slide layout - Microsoft Support

This is great, thanks! So then I am completely mis-interpreting the use of the Outline view. I THOUGHT the point was to be able to print out "presenter notes" without the slides themselves, but apparently not. Is there no way to do that? I'm frequently presenting in situations where I'm using a remote to advance slides, I'm nowhere near the laptop the presentation is running on so I can't see the presenter notes. I just need the notes because they may have expanded information that doesn't appear on the actual slide, and to make sure I don't miss something about a particular slide. I don't need to see the slide in the notes - it's on the screen at that time. I don't want to print a bunch of pages with graphics I don't need to keep up with the presentation. Usually I just want a page or two of the presenter notes text printed out that I can leave on the podium and refer to as needed without having to continually turn the pages to get to the next one. In the last presentation I did, I uploaded the PPTX to Google Sheets, which has a plug-in one can use to print just the notes, but ONLY to PDF, then I have to convert to text and clean up. Very roundabout. Seems like PPT would have a more direct route.

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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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Home Blog Google Slides Tutorials Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: A Detailed Comparison

Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: A Detailed Comparison

There was a time when anyone making a slide deck using presentation software was likely to use PowerPoint, with Apple’s Keynote being a close competitor. As time progressed, presentation platforms became available online and through mobile devices. In the initial years of this transition, PowerPoint lagged behind in the wake of online presentation suites and mobile device presentation apps. One of the most obvious competitors then was Google Slides, leading to the debate about Google Slides vs. PowerPoint.

Table of Contents

Importance of Presentation Tools

Google slides and microsoft powerpoint: historical context, accessibility and device compatibility, price comparison, presentation templates, basic editing features, media embedding capabilities, annotation and presentation options, animations and transitions, file conversion capability, collaboration and teamwork capabilities, pros and cons of powerpoint and google slides, case studies: powerpoint and google slides.

Presentations have become a staple for business professionals, teachers, students, and even people in the military. As using computers and mobile devices became easier with the improvement in easy-to-use graphical interfaces, people quickly switched to slide decks, video presentations, remote meetings, and other presentation delivery methods. People no longer needed whiteboards or oral presentations, as the visual aids offered by presentation software were just too good to let go of. This meant that presentation software was continuously improved and adapted for different devices.

Over the years, different presentation software has been accompanied by several accessories, such as presentation remotes and laser pointers. All of these have been virtually replaced in recent years with virtual apps or integrated features within presentation software that allow easy remote switching of slides through mobile devices and the ability to turn a cursor into a laser pointer. Furthermore, add-ins for different presentation platforms have emerged with innovative and ever-increasing options to enhance presentations. 

The Rise of PowerPoint as a Presentation Software

Developed by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin during the 80s, it was a presentation software developed for Mac computers. Along the way, Gaskins and Austin also employed the help of a third developer, Thomas Rudkin. PowerPoint 1.0 for Mac was released in 1987, and 10,000 copies were sold. Shortly afterward, Microsoft acquired Forethought Inc., the company that made PowerPoint. It took some convincing from colleagues, leading Bill Gates to seriously think about PowerPoint being an effective software.

For a long time, PowerPoint remained the major presentation software for desktop computer users, more precisely, Windows and Mac users. 

Emergence of Google Slides as a Viable PowerPoint Competitor

Nearly 20 years after its initial release, things began to change. The Internet had started taking the world by storm, and more people could use desktop computers than ever before. Not to mention, mobile devices started becoming ‘smarter.’ Then, Google launched its Google Docs Suite with an online version of a PowerPoint-like app. This app later became Google Slides. While Google was able to provide free online presentation software that could also enable the opening, editing, and sharing of PowerPoint-compatible files, Microsoft lagged in delivering a similar product. It wasn’t until 2012 that Microsoft PowerPoint came with proper online features. With the introduction of a free version called PowerPoint Online and later integration with Office 365 (now known as Microsoft 365), Microsoft caught up to Google Slides. Furthermore, the two became available for mobile devices, catering to the needs of smartphone users.

Google Slides vs PowerPoint: Feature Comparison

The first thing to consider when it comes to the Google Slides vs. PowerPoint debate is device compatibility. Back in the day, PowerPoint was limited to Windows and Mac computers, whereas Google Slides could mostly be used only through Internet-connected browsers. Much has changed since the launch of the Google Docs Suite, which led to what we now know as Google Slides. This means that both PowerPoint and Google Slides are now more compatible with different devices than ever before.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint has Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS apps. While Windows Phone is no longer produced, Microsoft released a version back then. Other than apps, PowerPoint is accessible through Internet browsers via the free but limited version called PowerPoint Online and the full-featured Microsoft 365 suite.

Google Slides

Google Slides was initially an online presentation app available via Internet-connected browsers. Later, it produced various apps for Android, iOS, Chrome OS, and Wear OS devices. Furthermore, you can also use Google Slides offline on a desktop computer using the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension. This extension also works with other Chromium-based web browsers like Edge.

Before we discuss the features of both presentation platforms, it is worth discussing the pricing mechanism that Google and Microsoft use for their presentation software.

Microsoft provides a free version of PowerPoint via a Microsoft account that you can use to access an online version. Furthermore, it also comes with OneDrive integration and up to 5Gb of free cloud storage. The full-featured version of PowerPoint has different license types, with an annual recurring fee for personal, family, business, and enterprise use. Microsoft also offers free versions for educational institutions, teachers, and students. The classic 2021 version of PowerPoint is also available for one-time purchase and is called Office Home & Student 2021. However, this is for non-commercial use and is more of a version with limited features.

As of 2024, Microsoft 365 starts at $69.99 for a personal package or around $6 per user per month. Depending on your needs, you can opt for family, business, or enterprise packages.

While Google Slides has been free for users of Google accounts for quite some time, it also comes with premium packages. Unlike the Google Drive-integrated version with 15GB of cloud storage, the paid version of Google Slides comes integrated with Google Workspace, which has various versions for business use and an enterprise package. Google Workspace for Education provides free and discounted versions for educational use.

Unlike the free version of Google’s products, Google Workspace offers advanced security, cloud storage, and custom emails with all Google products like Gmail, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and others integrated into one suite. Furthermore, it integrates with third-party apps for advanced integration for enterprise use.

Google Workspace can cost $6 per user per month or around $72 annually for a basic package. Other packages for business and enterprise use can cost more depending on the number of users.

Different presentation software has different templates, enabling end users to create customized slide decks to suit their needs. A number of native and third-party templates are available for both platforms.

Microsoft PowerPoint provides hundreds of templates that are accessible directly through its apps and online versions. You can also download PowerPoint templates from Office.com. Furthermore, more third-party developers provide customizable PowerPoint templates than Google Slides. SlideModel alone provides over 50,000 PowerPoint templates with various customizable characters, maps, diagrams, backgrounds, and layouts.

One of the things that Google Slides has lagged in is the provision of templates that are as good as PowerPoint. Not only are there fewer developers making templates for Google Slides, but the quality can also be often lacking. Compare that to the PowerPoint templates available via Office.com and third-party developers, and you will find PowerPoint to be a clear winner in this comparison. Suppose you are a Google Slides user searching for templates that can offer something similar to an experience provided by PowerPoint templates. In that case, you can either use PowerPoint templates in Google Slides or explore these Google Slides templates .

The basic editing features of PowerPoint and Google Slides are quite similar, with a few exceptions. If you are new to presentation making, you might want to first see our articles about how to start and end a presentation .

A glance at the Home tab of the Ribbon menu provides basic editing features, including the fonts, text styles, size, and alignment options. Moreover, you can use this menu or the left sidebar to create, duplicate, add, or hide slides.

Besides the left sidebar, Google Slides provides basic editing features via the Format menu. This menu caters to text, alignment, spacing, and other basic features. The Slide menu has many layout selections, slide duplication, and creation features. Many basic formatting options are also visible from the Google Slides toolbar. What sets apart Google Slides formatting options is mainly the availability of different font families, with fewer editing and enhancement features such as text stylizing options in Google Slides.

Both PowerPoint and Google Slides provide various embedding options to embed content within slides.

PowerPoint via the Insert tab offers options to add pictures from your device and online, including via Bing search stock photos provided by Microsoft. You can also insert illustrations, cutout people, stickers, and cartoon characters provided within the app. PowerPoint also comes with stock icons, shapes, 3D models, symbols, charts, and the ability to add videos and audio to slides. The videos include not only ones from within your device but also online videos and stock videos provided by Microsoft. Unlike past versions, Microsoft has come a long way in offering embedding capability for YouTube videos and other platforms such as Vimeo, SlideShare, Stream, and Flip. Additionally, you can instantly record a screencast and insert it into a PowerPoint slide.

PowerPoint supports MP4, WMV, AVI, MOV, MPEG, and SWF video formats, as well as audio formats such as MP3, WAV, M4A, and WMA.

Google Slides provides shapes, tables, diagrams, charts, and WordArt that is similar but arguably inferior to PowerPoint. The embedding options offered by Google Slides are a close replica of PowerPoint. Available via the Insert menu, you can add images from your device via URL, Google search, your device camera by taking an instant photo, and Google Drive. Similarly, you can insert Audio and videos from YouTube and Google Drive. 

Google Slides supports videos from  MP4, AVI, MOV, and WMV formats, whereas supported audio file formats include MP3, WAV, and OGG. In terms of embedding capabilities, Google Slides is more geared towards online users, whereas PowerPoint also provides enhanced offline capability to embed videos and reasonable support to embed videos from popular video streaming platforms. Other features, such as making a screencast, require using third-party add-ons for Google Slides.

PowerPoint’s Draw tab and the Pointer options in Slideshow mode (accessible via the right-click menu) can highlight and turn your cursor into an instant laser pointer. You can also move the cursor to the bottom to reveal many of these features in slideshow mode and find options to zoom into text, view slide thumbnails, etc.

Regarding annotation and presentation features, Google Slides lags far behind PowerPoint. The Line and Scribble options are pretty limited, and while you can turn your cursor to a laser pointer or highlight text in Slideshow mode, PowerPoint’s ability to zoom and sort slides and Drawing tools cannot be matched.

When it comes to animations and transitions, PowerPoint’s capability compared to Google Slides has often been overlooked.

The Transitions and Animations tab provides transitions and animations in PowerPoint. Slide switching is a pleasure if you know how to arrange the transitions from the very basic reveal, split, and fade to the advanced Morph transitions. Similarly, PowerPoint animations are divided into four major sections, including animations for Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, and Motion Paths. Motion Paths are the most complex PowerPoint animations, enabling the definition of a path for an animated object.

You can go to Insert -> Animation after selecting an object or Slide -> Transition after selecting a slide to reveal animations and transitions in Google Slides. Unfortunately, both animations and transitions in Google Slides are pretty basic and limited, unlike PowerPoint, which offers basic to advanced transitions and animations. For example, the PowerPoint morph transition can create the illusion of moving objects, and Motion Paths can reveal objects on a set path defined by the user.

Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides support file conversion to different formats. However, some conversion options require third-party apps.

PowerPoint supports converting files to PDF, XPS, MPEG 4, WMV, EMF, RTF, SVG, BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, ODP, and other formats. Many file conversion formats in PowerPoint are also native, such as the legacy PPT, PPA, POT, and PPS formats and the new formats PPTX, POTM, PPTM, PPSX, and POTX.

Google Slides provides native file conversion options to download your file as a PPTX, ODP, PDF, TXT, JPEG, PNG, or SVG file. However, to convert Google Slides to video or other formats, you must use third-party add-ons such as Creator Studio.

In the wake of COVID-19 and remote working, the need for collaboration and teamwork, even for presentations, cannot be underestimated. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace have often tried competing in this niche using various products woven into their presentation software.

The fact that Microsoft doesn’t simply produce a presentation suite but an entire environment, from operating systems to remote meeting apps, gives it quite an advantage. PowerPoint comes integrated with OneDrive, Teams, Loop, Skype, and various other apps you can use to collaborate online. Depending on your Microsoft 365 subscription, some features are limited to enterprise users, particularly for the desktop version of PowerPoint. You can share your files using OneDrive with specific people or by generating a publicly accessible link. Use the online version of PowerPoint to embed a code to share your presentation online.

Collaboration on a Live PowerPoint file can be performed through a browser, the desktop, or the mobile version of PowerPoint. Furthermore, its integration with Microsoft Teams helps integrate PowerPoint natively for remote meetings.

Google Slides initiated online collaboration and sharing long before Microsoft adapted to the concept. The initial version of Google Slides readily provided options such as sharing the file of online cooperation via a direct link that Microsoft later integrated into PowerPoint. Furthermore, you can also use the Publish on the Web option in Google Slides to embed the slides online.

In terms of collaboration, what makes the real difference is the close integration of various Microsoft products with PowerPoint. In contrast, Google Drive and Google Meet have been trying to do the same for Google Slides, with the latter being less popular for remote meetings than Microsoft remote meeting apps such as Teams and Skype. 

Unlike Microsoft, Google has struggled to leverage ChromeOS and Android as a primary choice for enterprise use since both operating systems lack the ability and compatible hardware to run heavy apps. Windows or Mac seems to be an obvious choice for end users when it comes to non-linear editing, research, graphic design, and other fields of work that require using resource-intensive apps. This also impacts the preference for Google Slides compared to Microsoft products such as PowerPoint, which integrates with the Microsoft-provided experience.

While much can be said about PowerPoint and Google Slides’ features, let’s examine some of the pros and cons of using both presentation platforms.

Pros of Using Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint has a number of handy features that make it a worthy presentation software and live up to its reputation as an industry leader.

Feature Rich

PowerPoint is a feature-rich presentation software with many advanced features to help you edit, create, design, and present your slides with many user-friendly options. 

Integration with Microsoft Products

PowerPoint, combined with the overall Microsoft experience, is based on its Windows operating systems, Teams, Skype, OneDrive, and other apps to provide support for PowerPoint.

Offline Access

Unlike Google Slides, which works best online, the offline version of PowerPoint allows users to create and present slides offline without requiring Internet connectivity.

Availability of PowerPoint Templates

You can find PowerPoint templates on any topic imaginable, with countless third-party developers adding free and premium templates daily. This ever-expanding resource is something that presenters can always leverage to make their presentation visually appealing and with easy-to-edit templates.

Advanced Collaboration Features

While PowerPoint was late in providing online collaboration features, the ability to work remotely has been expanding and improving once integrated.

Add-ins and Integration with Third-Party Apps

PowerPoint add-ins and third-party app integration have been seamless and ever-expanding. Not only can you use a wide array of add-ins to further enhance PowerPoint features, but you can also integrate it with various third-party platforms and apps such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Zapier, Bing Translate, etc.

Integration of AI

In recent years, Microsoft has been quick to integrate AI in PowerPoint. From PowerPoint’s Designer feature and Bing Translation tool to the integration of Copilot, Microsoft has been quickly enabling end users to leverage AI to create and design slides.

Cons of using Microsoft PowerPoint

While PowerPoint has many benefits, end users should also consider a number of cons.

Expensive Cost Structure

PowerPoint can be quite costly, and not everyone will be willing or able to afford a hefty annual recurring fee. The free version and license for noncommercial use have stringent requirements from which few can benefit. The free version of PowerPoint available as PowerPoint online has limited features.

Platform Dependency

While PowerPoint has an online version with ever-increasing features and mobile versions for Android and iOS, it is still more of a desktop app. We can argue that the online version isn’t as smooth as the functionality of the desktop version, and the mobile apps still leave a lot to be desired. Other than the Mac version of PowerPoint, it has been designed to integrate with Microsoft OS and apps, making it somewhat platform-dependent.

Pros of Using Google Slides

Google Slides has various pros as a presentation app for different types of end users.

Cloud-Based and Cross-Platform Accessibility

The promise of Google Slides or Google’s suite was always ease of access through the Internet and cross-platform compatibility. Like other Google products of its kind, Google Slides provides ease of access via the Internet and accessibility regardless of what operating system you are using. Using a modern browser allows you to access and use Google Slides without any platform dependency.

Economical Option for Making Presentations

Using the full-featured PowerPoint can be quite expensive, whereas Google Slides provides all basic features in the free version, with the option to upgrade to Google Workspace for more advanced features. Furthermore, Google Drive comes with 15GB of free cloud storage space compared to the meager 5GB provided by OneDrive. This can be helpful for long-term use for storing presentations online.

Compatibility with PowerPoint Files

If you can’t afford PowerPoint, Google Slides can be the next best thing. It provides compatibility for PowerPoint files, with the option to convert files in various other file formats such as PDF, RTF, ODP, etc. You can even start a presentation using Google Slides and download it as a PowerPoint file for use with PowerPoint. While many other apps also offer such features, the compatibility of Google Slides with PowerPoint files is one of the best you can find.  

Integration of Google-Based Apps

Google Slides is integrated with other Google products, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Forms, and Google Photos. You will find Google Slides quite convenient if you’re used to these products. 

Third-Party App Integration

Google Slides integrates with a number of third-party apps such as Adobe Spark, Canva, Lucidchart, Asana, etc. You can access Google Slides add-ons via the Extensions menu. The add-ons available for Google Slides are mainly for online platforms that integrate with Google Slides.

Cons of Using Google Slides

While Google Slides has been a great free alternative to PowerPoint, it does have various limitations.

Limited Features

When it comes to Google Slides vs. PowerPoint, the latter clearly offers more enhanced features that Google Slides has yet to match. Whether it’s the use of advanced transitions and animations, AI, design features, or basic editing and presentation options, PowerPoint wins by a mile.

Weak Offline Support

Google Slides is primarily an online app with weak offline support. Unlike PowerPoint, it is very hard, if not impossible, to create, edit, and present a presentation entirely offline using Google Slides.

Use by the US Military

There have been many instances where PowerPoint stood out as a presentation software and times when it took flak for the phenomenon called death by PowerPoint. The use of PowerPoint by the American military is well documented. The concept came to light amidst criticism of how bad the presentations were. This led to an article in The New York Times titled, ‘We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is PowerPoint’. Eventually, Microsoft intervened and sent in executive communications manager Dave Karle to rectify the problem. However, the case of death by PowerPoint in the US military is attributed not to the presentation software but to how it is inaccurately used to create presentations. 

Google Slides has many examples of case studies and events where it has been a regular feature. Google’s annual developer conference, called Google I/O, is famous for featuring presentations on Google Slides. In 2018, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other senior officials used Google Slides during Google I/O as a part of the major event highlights. Google Slides has often been used in Google I/O events as a presentation platform by Google’s top management and remains the central app for keynote presentations.

While the US military might have a lot to learn about using PowerPoint, presenters at TED Talks often use it with quite some dexterity. PowerPoint and Google Slides have been regular features of TED Talks and are used by different types of presenters to express their ideas and explain various concepts.

While Google Slide provides an economical and easy-to-access alternative to PowerPoint, the latter remains an industry leader with features that Google Slides has yet to catch up to. While Google Slides had an edge in the past regarding online collaboration and sharing features, once PowerPoint became available online, Google struggled to match the features offered by PowerPoint and lacked the support of operating systems and other apps used by businesses that come integrated with PowerPoint. 

Windows-based operating systems, including client OS and servers, come integrated in an environment where the Office suite provides powerful support to PowerPoint users in an integrated environment. On the contrary, Google has failed to leverage Android or Chrome OS as a powerful operating system that can do the heavy lifting regarding enterprise-level software integration. Microsoft-based products are an obvious choice, even if some of the organization’s base infrastructure uses other operating systems, such as CentOS or Red Hat, to maintain its servers. This is because Windows is still a famous client operating system and Android and Chrome OS cannot match when running heavy applications for design, development, research, etc.

In conclusion, Google Slides serves as an economical alternative to PowerPoint. The latter is still the industry leader in presentation software and has yet to be dethroned.

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Format text in the Notes pane

The Notes pane is where you put supplemental information that doesn't appear on-slide during a presentation. You may want to make key words in the notes bold so that you can see them better, or use a smaller font size if you have a lot of notes.

The Notes pane can show bold, italic, underlines, and superscripts/subscripts. You can use numbered or bullet lists.

You can also adjust the alignment (left, centered, or right) and the indentation from the margin. 

For the printed version of notes you can customize the font and font size. These font customizations appear in printed notes pages, but they don't appear in the Notes pane or in Presenter View. 

Turn on formatting for the Notes pane

To be able to see text formatting in the Notes pane, first you must turn formatting on:

On the View tab, select Outline View .

Right-click the Outline pane on the left side, and select Show Text Formatting on the pop-up menu.

On the View tab, switch back to Normal view.

Add formatting to text in the Notes pane

Once you've done the procedure above, you add character or paragraph formatting as you would normally expect: First you select the text you want to apply the formatting to, then you apply it.  

Change the font size in Presenter View for an on-screen presentation

Presenter View shows your notes on the right side of your screen as you present. You see the notes, but your audience only sees your slides. In Presenter View, you can increase or decrease the size of the text in the Notes box. 

On the Slide Show tab, ensure that Use Presenter View is selected.

On the Slide Show tab, in the Start Slide Show group on the left, select From Beginning . 

The notes appear in a pane on the right. The text wraps automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears, if necessary.

To increase or decrease the size of the text in the Notes pane, use the buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane: 

Learn more details about Presenter View in the article, Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view . 

Change the font or font size for printed notes

You can change the font or font size that's used in printed notes. The changes you make won't appear in the Notes pane in Normal view, but you'll be able to see them in Print Preview and when you print your Notes pages.

Choose a font for printed notes

On the View tab, select Notes Master .

In the Background group, select Fonts , and then, at the bottom of the menu, select Customize Fonts . 

The Create New Theme Fonts dialog box opens.

Open the list of options under Body font (Latin) , and select the font you want to use for the printed notes.

Click Save .

On the toolbar ribbon, select Close Master View .

Change the size of the font for printed notes

On the View tab, select Notes Master . 

The "template" for the layout of printed notes appears. Two primary boxes appear in the layout: one shows a thumbnail image of a slide, and the other shows where Notes will appear. By default, in this master view, the text says Edit master text styles and it shows multiple levels of text in case you use a hierarchical outline for your notes.

Select all the text in that box.

On the Home tab, in the Font group, choose the font size you want. By default, the font size is 12 points. Change the 12 to a larger size if you want larger text in the printed notes.

Switch back to the Notes Master tab, and then click Close Master View .

To see a preview of your typed notes with the font and size you've selected, select File > Print . Under Settings , select the down arrow on second drop-down box and choose Notes Pages . 

The Preview pane shows a notes page with a slide thumbnail image and the notes that go with that slide.

Create and print notes pages

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