how to add notes on presentations

How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint (Tutorial)

Speaker notes in PowerPoint can be a lifesaver for presenters who need a quick reference during their talk. Instead of struggling to remember key points or losing your place during a presentation, you can have your notes right in front of you.

Whether you're a seasoned presenter or new to public speaking, this tutorial will help you feel more confident and prepared for your next presentation. With insights and practical tips from our in-house presentation designers , you'll have all the tools you need for success.

Let's dive in and explore how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint, taking your presentations to the next level!

In this tutorial, we’ll cover the following topics :

• Starting with the basics: How to add speaker notes in PowerPoint
• Ready to Captivate Your Audience? Let’s see how to view speaker notes while presenting
• From PCs to Macs, learn how to print speaker notes in PowerPoint
• Get answers to your FAQs and unlock tips for better presentations

Let’s start with the basics - or feel free to skip to your preferred section using the list above.

Adding speaker notes in PowerPoint

Adding notes to PPT is a reasonably straightforward process, regardless of your operating system. Here's how to add notes in PowerPoint:

• Select a slide you want to add notes to.
• View the Notes pane located beneath each slide. If it's not visible, you can make it appear by clicking Notes on the bottom taskbar.
• You will see a blank space with the prompt "Click to add notes." That's where you can enter your speaker notes.

Pro tip: Add Notes Via Notes Page view

Are you looking to give an impeccably organized presentation? Feronika Wulandari , design manager from 24 Slides, has a pro tip for you!

"For presentations that will be copied or distributed to the audience as a reference later, it is crucial to provide detailed speaker notes. Merely looking at our presentation slides may leave the audience struggling to grasp the context.”

If you're aiming for an impeccably organized and informative presentation, Feronika's advice is invaluable. Take your presentations to the next level by utilizing the powerful Notes Page view in PowerPoint . This feature allows you to incorporate comprehensive speaker notes into your slides, ensuring your audience can fully grasp the context after the presentation.

In the Notes Page view, you have complete control over the content of your speaker notes. Customize the font size, and enrich the notes with images, shapes, charts, and more. You can even tailor the background color to suit your preferences or corporate branding. As Feronika says:

“In the notes view, we can include ample text to facilitate the audience's understanding of the presentation's context. It also is an excellent tool for attaching references and citations, particularly for content-heavy presentations like scientific ones.”

Ready to try it out? Here's how you access the Notes Page view:

• Click View .
• Look for the Presentation Views section .
• Select Notes Page .

If you want even more control over how you want your notes to look, you can check out the Notes Master . This is how you can try it out:

• Look for the Master Views section .
• Select Notes Master.

Here you can choose the design and layout of the notes page and select options for your page setup. This is what the Notes Master looks like:

Now that you know how to add notes to PowerPoint, let's see how to present PowerPoint with notes.

Ready for your next presentation? Check out how to see speaker notes while presenting

To prepare for your next presentation, follow these steps so you can have your notes on hand without your audience being able to see them. First, click on the Slide Show tab , and select the box Use Presenter View . This is what the Presenter View in PPT looks like:

To access the presenter view, start your slideshow and then click on the left button of your mouse. From the options that appear, select Show Presenter View .

And last, learn how to print notes in PowerPoint

Printing PowerPoint presenter notes can be done in different ways, depending on your operating system. Let's look at each one of them.

How to print Speaker Notes (PowerPoint - Windows)

• Click File in the top left corner.
• Choose Notes Pages from the Settings dropdown menu.
• Adjust any other printer settings.
• Click Print .

How to print Speaker Notes (PowerPoint - macOS)

• Click File .

3. Click Show Details .

4. Select Notes from the Layout dropdown menu.

5. Adjust any other printer settings.

6. Click Print .

You may also want to know: How to print notes without slides?

If you want to print speaker notes only, this is what you should do:

• Go to the View tab and click Notes Page . On each page, you’ll see a thumbnail of the slide and the notes it has.

2. Select the thumbnail on each page and press delete . Repeat this step for each notes page.

3. Finally, go to the File tab and click Print. Now, repeat the note-printing process shown in the section above.

How to print PowerPoint slides with notes: Multiple per page

If you want to print multiple slides on the same page, including the notes, follow these steps: 1. Open the File menu, select Export , and click on Create Handouts.

2. Select Notes next to slides , and click OK.

This will begin the export to Word, where you can finish printing your slides and notes as a document.

Customer Frequently Asked Questions

What are speaker notes in powerpoint.

Speaker notes on PowerPoint presentations are a feature that allows presenters to add additional information that won't appear in the presentation slides.

PowerPoint notes can be used to provide additional context and details about the content on the slide, such as statistics or critical messages. They can also help emphasize specific points without cluttering their slides with too much information. They are a valuable tool for presenters to keep essential points at hand while giving a presentation.

These are some examples of speaker notes in PowerPoint:

Benefits of using speaker notes in PowerPoint

Why add speaker notes to PowerPoint? Learning how to use notes can be a game-changer , it can benefit you in many ways.

Speaker notes on PowerPoint can help you recall important points and key messages as you give a presentation. They also provide a security blanket, giving you the confidence to deliver your speech without worrying about forgetting something.

Remember, not worrying about memorization can help you prioritize inflection and tone and make you look more professional and connected with your audience.

How do I edit slide Notes?

A good thing to remember is that you can edit your speaker notes anytime you want. So, if there is a last-minute change or a new detail you would like to consider, you can follow these steps:

• Select the slide where you want to edit notes.

You will be able to see the Notes written in the Notes Pane . Click inside it so you can edit de content. Click outside the Notes Pane to save your changes.

What is the use of Notes Page view?

The Notes Page view is a PowerPoint feature that can help you upgrade your note-taking experience . Rather than presenting your notes in a simple text format, this feature presents them as individual pages with diverse layouts, colors, and formatting options for you to explore and customize.

If you would like to check out this feature, check out our Notes Page View section .

What is the advantage of the Notes Page view?

So, why is this feature impressive? Well, the Notes Page view offers several advantages that simplify the management of your notes:

• Organization: When it comes to giving presentations, being organized is essential. You can't afford to waste time deciphering your notes. With the Notes Page view, you effortlessly organize them into distinct pages, sections, or categories, allowing you to find what you need quickly.
• Personalization: The Notes Page view also puts you in complete control. It lets you customize the appearance and layout of your notes according to your preferences. You can explore a wide array of templates, themes, and styles, making your note-taking experience unique.

What is the difference between Slide Sorter view and Notes Page view?

The Slide Sorter view and Notes Page view are two different viewing options in PowerPoint .

The Slide Sorter view in PowerPoint provides a condensed and sequential display of all the slides in your presentation. It presents miniature versions of each slide in a grid layout, allowing you to manage the order and structure of your presentation easily.

This view is beneficial when you need to reorganize your content or gain a quick understanding of your entire presentation at a glance.

On the other hand, the Notes Page view allows you to see your slides along with any accompanying speaker notes . It is ideal for creating and reviewing speaker notes, providing a dedicated area to jot down the additional information you want to reference during your presentation.

You can customize and format your notes as needed, making them a valuable resource for guiding your delivery or providing more in-depth explanations.

Get outstanding presentations that make you stand out from the crowd!

If you want to improve your presentation skills and give a more professional image to your business, this tutorial can help. However, the design for your presentation is crucial, and that's where our presentation design solutions come in.

At 24Slides , we transform presentations from "good" to "extraordinary," saving you time and effort. Say goodbye to long working hours on PowerPoint and let our design experts amaze you overnight!

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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.

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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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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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint? A Quick Guide with Video Tutorials

How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint? A Quick Guide with Video Tutorials

It can be hard to remember all the information you intend to discuss during a presentation. To avoid text-heavy slides and missing out on important information, some presenters use notes or flashcards. A more elegant method of presenting your slides is to use speaker notes in PowerPoint .

What are Speaker Notes in PowerPoint?

Speaker notes in PowerPoint are hidden notes in your PowerPoint slides that can be added to help you remember bits of information. Speaker notes are only visible to the presenter and can also be printed with slides for reference. You can use the printed version of speaker notes for yourself or the audience for later reading.

Speaker notes are visible to the presenter during Presenter View, which enables viewing the slide and notes side by side. This enables the presenter to show the audience only the slides, as he/she presents with the aid of notes visible on their screen.

What are the Benefits of using Speaker Notes?

Speaker notes can have a number of benefits and can enable you to not only appear more confident as you present but to also better organize your slides.

1. Speaker Notes Help Avoid Text-Heavy Slides

One of the benefits of using speaker notes is that you can avoid adding too much text to your slides and insert related points as Speaker Notes. This can provide your audience with a clutter-free view of your slides, as you use the notes to ensure you remember all the important bits of information during the presentation.

2. Speaker Notes can Help Replace Paper Notes

Flashcards or paper notes can look inelegant and can cause confusion if they get mixed up. Many presenters end up stuttering or scrambling their notes during a presentation due to this very problem. Presenters can avoid this hassle by simply using speaker notes in PowerPoint.

3. Speaker Notes can be Helpful in Recalling Information

Speaker notes can be helpful in remembering important information when you find it difficult to recall the information. In such a case the notes can be added as a precaution so that you can quickly recall that important piece of information when you have a hard time recalling something.

4. Speaker Notes can Enable You to Stay on Point

With a presentation with a bit of text and an elaborate theme, a presenter can easily lose focus. To stay on point, you can add speaker notes to set the right sequence for you to follow as you present your slides.

5. Speaker Notes can Help you Appear More Confident

The audience appreciates a presenter when he/she has the confidence to look them in the eye and speak their heart out. Presenters who scramble for notes or keep looking at their flashcards can appear less confident.

How to Add Notes to PowerPoint?

Adding speaker notes in PowerPoint is very simple. In this short tutorial we explain how to add notes to PowerPoint depending on your preferred platform.

How to Add Speaker Notes to PowerPoint for Windows?

Step 1. Select the Slide you want to add speaker notes to.

Step 2. Select Notes in the bottom right section of your screen.

Step 3. Add the notes you want below the PowerPoint slide.

How to Add Speaker Notes to PowerPoint for macOS?

How to Add Speaker Notes to PowerPoint for web?

PowerPoint in the web version lets you create Speaker Notes but does not let you view them when you are presenting.

Which option is used to create speaker notes in the PowerPoint Slide?

On the View tab of the ribbon, in the Show group, select Notes.

The pane appears across the bottom portion of the PowerPoint window, with the cursor blinking, ready for you to begin typing.

Also, you can add speaker notes in PowerPoint by clicking the Notes option at the bottom of the slide to open the notes pane. The option can be used to open or hide the pane anytime.

Expand Notes Pane: To expand the notes pane, hover your mouse to reveal the vertical scroll bar and drag to adjust the size of the pane according to need.

How to View Speaker Notes in PowerPoint while Presenting?

How to present with speaker notes? Now that you know how to add notes to PowerPoint, you can use this feature to deliver your presentation while visualizing the speaker notes as a presenter. Here we will see how to view speaker notes in PowerPoint in Presenter View.

Enable Presenter View: You can view Speaker Notes in PowerPoint in Presenter View . To make sure this option is enabled in PowerPoint, go to the Slide Show tab, and check Use Presenter View .

Select Monitor Settings: From the Slide Show tab, you can also select which monitor you want your presentation to appear on. This can help you ensure that the monitor selected for the speaker notes does not swap with the monitor screen intended for the audience. Usually, setting the monitor settings to Automatic should automatically show speaker notes on your laptop and the view with only your slides to the audience. However, checking these settings beforehand can help you avoid swapping the screens.

Adjust Text Size for Notes: When in Presenter View, you can also expand or reduce the size of the text using the buttons on the bottom right corner of the screen.

Navigate Slides: The arrow keys enable you to move between slides in Presenter View.

Annotate Slides: You can enable the Pen tool or highlighter to annotate slides during your presentation or use the Laser Pointer to focus on parts of your slide using an onscreen laser tool. These options are available via the Pen and Laser Pointer Tools option at the bottom of the Presenter View menu.

Zoom Slides: You can zoom in to a specific slide by selecting the Zoom option and then clicking on a specific section of the slide that you intend to zoom in.

Switch to a Specific Slide: You can also jump to a specific slide via the See all slides option. This can help you instantly change your slide in a single click, without moving back and forth to find it.

Black or Unblack Slideshow: You can hide or unhide a slide by using the Black/Unblack Slideshow option.

Toggle Subtitles: In a previous post, we showed you how to enable subtitles and captions in PowerPoint . The subtitle button in Presenter View enables you to toggle the subtitles on or off.

Hide Presenter View: To turn off Presenter View anytime, you can select Hide Presenter View from the More slideshow options button.

How to print PowerPoint with Speaker Notes?

Print PowerPoint with Speaker Notes is very simple:

Printing Speaker Notes with Slide Thumbnails: You can print speaker notes directly in PowerPoint by going to File -> Print -> Settings -> Notes Pages.

Printing Speaker notes without Slide Thumbnails: If you would like to print the notes without thumbnails, go to View – > Notes Pages, delete the thumbnails for each slide, and then print your notes via File -> Print -> Settings -> Notes Pages.

Creating and Printing Handouts using Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

You can create handouts from your speaker notes by exporting them to a Microsoft Word file or printing them directly from PowerPoint.

Export Handouts to Word

To export your handouts to Word, go to File -> Export -> Create Handouts .

This will provide you with the option to select whether you would like to export notes next to slides or export blank lines next to slides, notes below slides, blank lines below slides, or the outline only.

Below is an example of handouts exported to Microsoft Word from PowerPoint. You can print these handouts from Word anytime via File -> Print.

Final Words

Speaker notes in PowerPoint can help presenters create uncluttered slides and present information without worrying about messy paper notes or missing out information because of an oversight. Speaker notes provide much needed support to cater to the needs of the modern presenter, with the added advantage of printing or providing handouts to the audience after the presentation, such as citations and links for further reading.

If it’s your first time presenting with speaker notes in PowerPoint, you should try to acquaint yourself with the necessary settings and features of speaker notes to avoid getting confused when using them for the first time. Sometimes, monitor settings can flip, especially amidst an online presentation via Zoom or other video calling apps. To prevent that from happening, you can have a mock call with a colleague to make sure speaker notes aren’t visible. To do that, you can rehearse your presentation by adjusting your screen share view while hiding speaker notes.

Discover our step-by-step guide on how to make a presentation .

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How to Add Speaker Notes to PowerPoint Quickly and Easily

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Are you having trouble staying on track as you give your presentation? PowerPoint speaker notes are a great way to add reminders of what you should say when giving your presentation. 

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint. It's the key to keeping essential details nearby while presenting. When you know how to insert notes in PowerPoint, you can recall those key cues during a presentation.

Knowing how to insert notes in PowerPoint is a key skill that elevates your presentations. It makes you confident and helps you ensure that you remember key points. And it’s amazingly easy to do. Let's learn how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint - and use them to their max.

Download Our FREE eBook and Make Great Presentations Today!

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Add Speaker Notes to PowerPoint (Quickstart Guide)

A great way to learn how to insert notes in PowerPoint is with the help of a screencast. We've recorded all the steps you need to master this skill. Check out the screencast below to learn the art of adding notes to PPT.

If you want a written guide that teaches you how to add notes on PowerPoint, we've got you covered. Read on for an illustrated tutorial to master PPT with speaker notes techniques.

Jump to content in this section:

How to Use Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

Learn more great powerpoint tips and tricks (for 2024), more powerpoint templates (for amazing slide designs in 2024), the top source for the very best speaker notes powerpoint templates (for 2024).

Knowing how to add notes on PowerPoint is a great skill to have. Why?

Because it helps you present with more confidence. You can leave helpful PowerPoint speaker notes that only you can see. This way, you can refer to a “ cheat sheet ” without the awkwardness of reading off a printed page, for example.

In today’s tutorial, we’ll use the popular Green Modern Presentation template from Envato Elements. Download it today to follow along.

Elements is an all-you-can-download service that offers great presentation templates. And it's the perfect supplement as we learn how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint.

Let’s learn how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint. Once you know how, you’ll be adding notes to PPT every time you present.

1. Open the PowerPoint Notes Panel

In PowerPoint, let's click on Notes on the bottom of the app to open the Notes Panel . These notes will show up only on your screen when presenting. Or you can have them on your slides when you print them.

A PPT with speaker notes is the perfect way to ensure you never forget what to say. Think of speaker notes in PowerPoint as cue cards that remind you what to say. 

2. Add Your Presenter Notes to Individual Slides

When you're adding notes to PPT, remember that they work on a slide-by-slide basis. In other words, every slide has its own set of speaker notes. 

You can type notes down here as a reminder of what to say when you're presenting. The notes will be added to the slide when you're finished. 

Add speaker notes when you need those important cues about what to say. I like to add my key talking points here to help me stay on message when speaking. That's how speaker notes in PowerPoint help you stay on track too. 

3. Switch to Presenter View to Use Your Notes

A PPT with speaker notes really shines when you use Presenter View. To open Presenter View click on the Slide Show option in the ribbon. Then click on the Presenter View icon.

This works anytime you’re connected to a second display, like a monitor or projector. Because of this, learning how to add notes on PowerPoint gives you more confidence!

When you use Presenter View, you’ll see a different view from your audience. They’ll see only your slides in full screen. You’ll see your current and next slide. And, most importantly, your PowerPoint speaker notes will be on display.

I love to use speaker notes in PowerPoint with Presenter View. It really keeps me focused, and I avoid forgetting key details in the moment as I share with my audience.

How to Use PPT With Speaker Notes

You can add speaker notes PowerPoint to all the slides in your presentation. That way, when you're giving your talk, you'll have handy notes to refer to if you get stuck. The audience won't see them. Instead, they're just available to help you stay on track during your presentation. 

You can also print your slides and have those presenter notes at hand. That's great if you prefer to have a paper copy of your speaker notes PowerPoint to reference. Learn how in this quick video tutorial: 

Envato Tuts+ has a vast collection of helpful PowerPoint tutorials . With them, you can elevate your presentation skills in just moments! 

You’ve learned how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint. But what slide designs will you choose? Envato Elements templates are your best bet. Here are several collections of the very best to help you choose:

Envato Elements is the top source for the best speaker notes PowerPoint presentation designs. The vast library has thousands of PPT templates to choose from , with more added every day.

You can add speaker notes in PowerPoint to any of them. It’s a surefire way to make a great impression when you present.

The Elements offer is powerful: unlimited downloads. For a flat monthly rate, you can download and use as many premium Microsoft PowerPoint templates as you want.

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Elements includes millions more digital assets. Among these are fonts, stock photos, music, and more. They’re the perfect companions to your next PPT presentation.

Find PowerPoint Templates

Choose a premium Elements slide deck and enjoy:

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• Easy-to-use designs
• Drag-and-drop placeholders
• Sleek charts, infographics, and more

Envato Elements also has an AI-assisted search tool . So, you can find exactly what you're looking for quickly.

As you can see, Envato Elements is the best value for creatives in 2024. Join today  and start exploring! 

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We have the perfect complement to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully. 

Download our new eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. 

Start Using Speaker Notes in PowerPoint Today

In this tutorial, you learned how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint. Think of it as the ultimate way to ensure success when presenting. Gone are worries about forgetting key details or losing your place.

Speaker notes PowerPoint are a breeze to add, and you can place them on every slide in your deck. When combined with Presenter View, they’re your helpful companion as you share slides with your audience.

So, what are you waiting for? Choose a stunning PowerPoint presentation template today. Then, build out your slides and add speaker notes. Knowing how to insert notes in PowerPoint is the best way to stay on track and master your presentation content. Try it now. 

Editor's Note: This tutorial has been completely reviewed and revised by Andrew Childress to make sure that it's accurate and relevant.

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!

About Sara Wanasek

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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.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

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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How to download and access microsoft powerpoint on your mac computer, how to convert google slides to a powerpoint presentation in 4 easy steps, how to change your language settings in microsoft powerpoint in 3 different ways, how to copy or duplicate a powerpoint slide and put it anywhere in your slideshow, how to change and format the background of your powerpoint slides to custom designs.

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Everything you need to know about using speaker notes in PowerPoint®

Chariti Canny

Through preparing for our training , Slide Design , we realized there’s a feature that many presenters don’t realize plays a key role in slide design and speaker support: speaker notes in PowerPoint®.

To use your speaker notes in PowerPoint most effectively during your next talk, follow the tips below.

What are speaker notes in PowerPoint?

Speaker notes in PowerPoint help presenters recall important points, such as key messages or stats, as they give a presentation. The speaker note panel lives at the bottom of your screen in Normal view, although some users may have this section hidden.

Use the speaker notes to add more nuanced information about a slide’s graphics, or instructions for how to click through an animation. It can also be handy to add links to important files or just use this space as a general note taking section—like someone would use a scratch piece of paper.

What are the benefits of speaker notes in PowerPoint?

You are the storyteller, and your slides are your support, forming the atmosphere and emphasizing your key points. Because there’s a limit to how much information people can process at one time— they will either listen to you or read your slides —it’s important to show only information essential for your story.

Speaker notes in PowerPoint allow you to move nonessential text and stats off your slides so that your audience can fully absorb your message. Having the info in the speaker notes allows you to be ready should your audience ask questions about your data, or other points in your presentation that may require additional information.

Though speaker notes should be a somewhat simplified version of what you are saying, using them for the high-level points of your script will help you match your talk track to what’s happening on the slide behind you.

Spending a little time structuring speaker notes in PowerPoint can also be an easy way to turn your presentation into a dual-purpose file. Not only can you use your file to present, you can use it as a standalone document that can be effectively shared without you presenting. This more advanced feature is described below.

How do I add speaker notes in PowerPoint?

There are two ways to add speaker notes in PowerPoint.

Method One: Directly edit in slide editing mode (aka Normal View). Click the notes section of the window and begin typing. If the notes are hidden, click the Notes button found in options on the bottom right of the PowerPoint screen.

Method Two: Edit your notes in Notes View. Click on the View tab in the ribbon and click Notes Page. Here you have more room on the screen to write your notes and adjust the font size and layout.

How should you write speaker notes in PowerPoint?

We typically advise speakers not to write their script word-for-word in the speaker notes section, as this can tempt a presenter to break a connection with an audience, as well as begin to sound inauthentic.

The first bullet point of your speaker notes can convey that overarching idea, and your other points can support it. I call these speaking touchpoints, and often they are short words or phrases that will remind me of what I want to say.

If one of your supporting concepts involves telling an anecdote or story, you can trigger your memory by leaving a note to yourself in brackets. For example, you could type:

• As a company, we’ve been through difficult times before
• [Story: 2008 financial crisis]

It’s also important to keep these simple because the space to view them is limited. Though, there are times when a more elaborate note needs to be included. I’ve found that including a very important phrase in full is one of my favorite things about speaker notes. We often spend a lot of time crafting that pivotal moment, the pace of it, and the wording. Leave room to easily see it in presenter view.

Once, I sat through a presentation where the presenter stayed on one slide for quite some time. He was telling a long story that was coming back to resolve and tie together various points of information on the slide. To help himself stay on track, he wrote about six key speaking touchpoints in a list in the speaker notes, duplicated the slide (so it looked the same to the audience), then completed his next few speaking touchpoints for the slide. When he reached the bottom of the first six touchpoints he clicked the slide without missing a beat and continued the talk track. The audience had no idea that he just moved slides and he was able to use his notes, even though they were long.

The speaker notes are also an opportunity to include “stage directions.” These can be anything from reminding yourself to click and advance an animation, gesture to a co-speaker or member of the audience, or even take a breath and pause.

How do you project speaker notes in PowerPoint during a presentation?

PowerPoint is set up to show notes only to the speaker when a presentation is connected to another output, such as a monitor, a projector, a video conferencing app, etc. Just select the Slide Show tab and click Presenter View to enable a display that only you can see on your computer.

You’ll see your slides, speaker notes, and even a timer, but your audience will only see slides projected on a monitor or screen.

How else can I use my speaker notes in PowerPoint?

I mentioned that you can structure the notes pages to act as a standalone document that can be shared without you presenting. This is a more advanced way to use notes, but extremely valuable.

Let’s say your presentation wowed your audience so much that they requested copies of your slides so they can reference them later, or share with others. Because you created a presentation meant to be shown, not read, chances are that your file won’t make sense to someone who wasn’t in the room.

Unless, of course, they can read and make sense of your speaker notes. Speaker notes can be used to create beautiful presentation artifacts for your audiences. By giving people a physical reminder of your presentation content, they’ll keep thinking about your talk long after you give it, and they’ll more easily share your message with others.

David Allen, the author of the bestselling series Getting Things Done , leaves information behind after his talks to ensure that his audience remembers his key principles and methodologies.

After we created a cinematic presentation for David, we translated the rich, evocative images and layouts of his presentation into handouts that anyone could read and understand.

How can I use speaker notes in PowerPoint to create handouts?

Here’s how to do it:

1. Click on View in the ribbon and select Notes Page. You’ll see that the slide visual takes up the top half of the page and the text below the slide defaults to a bulleted list.

This basic note layout is extremely modifiable. Not only can the Notes Master be adjusted, but each Notes Page itself can have text, charts, quotes, and images added as separate and additional content to augment what’s on the surface slide.

2. ​To make changes that will impact the basic structure of all your notes pages, navigate to the Notes Master View: View tab > Master > Notes Master.

3. Make changes to the layout in the Notes Master, keeping in mind that changes here will be reflected on all the notes pages. In the image below, an example of a default Notes Master is shown at left, with a modified master page at right.

You can scale your slide thumbnail to any size and place it anywhere on the master. Headers, footers, and the note placeholder can be moved into any position you’d like. You can add objects to the Notes Master, but remember that objects added in Notes Master will appear on every slide’s notes page. Thus, you must be strategic about what you add. To that point, adding a logo or some other universal image would make sense in the Notes Master.

4. Once the Notes Master has been restructured, return to Notes View: View tab > Notes Page.

5. For each page, add any custom graphics, data, text, or other items that relate to that slide. Remember, these will not appear on the slides; they only appear in these notes.

In the layouts we created for David Allen below, we placed a small image of the slide on the top left of the page and a graphic and quote at the top right.

How do I print speaker notes in PowerPoint?

Perhaps you’d rather print out your notes instead of viewing them digitally on a monitor. Or maybe you’ve gone the extra step and customized your notes and now you’re ready to distribute them to your audience.

1. Click the File tab and select Print to open the print dialog.

2. Pull down the second menu within the Settings options. PowerPoint defaults to the Full Page Slides option, and you’ll need to switch it to Notes Pages option.

Now you can print the file in Notes View to give a hard copy to your audience.

*Note: Image resolutions may be slightly less in printed or PDF Notes View. Text and shapes will remain the same.

By putting thought into how you prepare, use, and re-use your speaker notes, you ensure that your message resonates long after you and your audience leave the room.

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Everything You Need to know About Notes in PowerPoint

• Post author: Jacob Stauttener
• Post published: October 11, 2021
• Post category: Presentations
• Post last modified: August 15, 2022
• Reading time: 23 mins read

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Do you have a presentation to make and find yourself wondering how to add notes to PowerPoint?

Adding notes to your PowerPoint Presentation is a simple and effective way to make presenting easier. In this article, we will go over how you can add notes to PowerPoint, tips on using those notes, and how to print some fancy PowerPoint notes.

Now, let’s get right into it!

Why Would I Want Notes in my PowerPoint?

PowerPoint Slides are not meant to be your script. They are meant to enhance your message and help guide the attention of your audience. Generally, you want the audience’s focus to be on you and your spoken word – not your slides.

The temptation for many first starting with PowerPoint is to place all of the information they need to discuss on the slides. The problem with this is that the audience begins to read your slides and lose concentration on the words from your mouth. When the audience reads your slides ahead of you, they often lose their interest fast and their attention is split between your words and what is on the slide.

PowerPoint gives you a simple way to add notes to your slides that your audience never sees. These notes are there to help you so you never have to use your presentation deck as your script. Instead, you the notes section.

So, how do we add notes to PowerPoint?

How to Add Notes to PowerPoint

Microsoft made adding notes to PowerPoint extremely easy. All you have to do is go down to the bottom of the screen where it says “Click to add notes”. Once you click there, you can add in your notes for the presentation.

I recommend that you use this for a point form. For my videos made from converted PowerPoint files, I like to write my full script there. I have also seen marketing, communications and presentation professionals use this space for stage and technical directions too.

What to do if you Don’t See the Notes Section

If you don’t see the notes section, there is a little tab at the bottom of the screen that you can click to make the notes appear.

I want to point out that the you can adjust the separating bars between sections. You can change the size of the notes area by hovering over the line and then clicking, holding and dragging that line to resize the area.

Different Views and Adding Notes

Speaking of different views, you don’t need to write out all your notes on the default slide design page (also known as the “Normal” View). You can also access these notes in the “Outline View” and the “Notes Page” too.

Personally, I like editing my notes in the “Normal View”. Remember that you can resize your notes window by hovering over the bar above it. When you see the two sided arrow, click and drag to resize the window. That will give you ample room to edit your notes while viewing your slides. The “Notes Page” is also a good view for editing your notes.

How Should I Write Up my Notes in PowerPoint?

How you write up your notes for your presentation is completely up to you. My opinion is that the best method is to write out a series of point form notes that remind you of your salient points and to act as a guide to keep you on track. This way, you don’t get off track, cover everything you want and maximize your potential interaction with the audience.

To me, so long as you know the content, this is the best way to present to your audience as it allows flexibility in your delivery to cater to the room. It his harder to adjust to your delivery if your presentation is fully scripted out.

• My opinion – point form notes are the best
• State only your salient points
• Use as a guide to stay on topic and to remember important points
• There are also plenty of reasons to fully type out your presentation script

While I prefer bullet point scripts when I present, your support crews would likely prefer that you stick to a fully written script with stage directions. This helps the show go smoothly for larger events where you have people helping the presenter in the delivery of their message. When the presenter follows a full script completely it helps everyone involved in that delivery stay on track and not miss queues such as when to change the slide, join in the conversation, or adjust an AV setting (like lighting).

As mentioned earlier, you could add stage directions in the PowerPoint notes section for the presenter or tech crew. Let’s talk a little bit about that now.

Use Your Notes for Stage Directions Too

Using the Notes section of PowerPoint, you can add in reminders for yourself (and anyone helping) about stage and technical directions. Perhaps you have an external video that you want queued up or a secondary source shown for a live demo. You can add this there to keep everyone on track. If you have multiple presenters delivering different parts of the presentation to your audience, you can also use the Notes section to direct who will be presenting each part.

[Square Brackets] are a common way to differentiate the spoken script words from the presentation directions. Italics also work well .

Highlights will show up in your handouts “Notes Page”, but they don’t generally show in other modes of PowerPoint. I advise sticking to Square Brackets, Italics or whatever you find already works with you and your support staff.

Again, how you choose to write your script in PowerPoint notes is up to you. As a presenter, I prefer bullet points. When I use PowerPoint to create hobby videos, I like to use a full written script. While supporting presenters as a media technician, I prefer a fully scripted notes section with stage directions.

You will have to find what works best for you. Now, let’s chat about how to actually use the notes section of PowerPoint when it comes to Presenting, Recording and printing Handouts.

How to use PowerPoint Notes – Presenting, Recording and Handouts

Now that we have the notes in our presentation, how do we use them? Microsoft gave us three effective ways to use these notes. You can use them as your speaker notes while you present to an audience, notes while you record a presentation, and as part of a handout for your audience. Let’s go through how to do all three of these uses for PowerPoint notes.

How to Present with Speaker Notes

Just like adding notes, presenting with speaker notes is extremely easy. All you have to do is present in Presenter view with two screens. This second screen could be your home monitor, a TV at the office or a projector at a convention center.

To make sure that your presentation is set up to take advantage of presenter view, go to “Slide Show”. From there, make sure that “Use Presenter View” is selected. When you go to show the presentation, the computer will automatically set up one screen with the presenter’s view and the other with the full screen slides.

You can change which screen the slides show on by changing the “Monitor”. The other will become your Presenter View screen.

A Quick Look at the Presenter View

This is a fantastic tool for both anyone who has to control a PowerPoint presentation in front of a live audience or anyone presenting to a virtual audience too. As a media technician I use this view all the time. It is great for following the scripts of the presenters and also works out great while running webcasts too. The only problem about this view is that you need two monitors to get the option to function.

The screen shot above shows a PowerPoint deck that I turned into a video for a YouTube channel. This is the presentation showing in “Presenter View”. The slide is on the left, the next slide is on the right and under it is my script (or the notes section).

When you go to record your slide deck, you can also still access your notes. Let me demonstrate below.

How to Record with Speaker Notes

To record a presentation, you go to “Slide Show” followed by “Record Slide Show”.

There you will find the notes on a toggle button near the top middle of your screen.

I find this one annoying to use because it is so small, but its location forces you to look almost directly into your laptop’s webcam (as most laptops have it located at the top of the computer screen). If you are recording video with you content in PowerPoint, this is a huge bonus! I can’t think of a better place to put the script other than right under the camera for giving the audience the impression that you are talking to them when you are reading your script.

How to Print Speaker Notes with Slides in PowerPoint

Even though we live in a paperless society, we still need to make printouts and hand outs. You can make them electronically (as PDFs) or physically on paper. One great way to access your notes is through the Notes Page. You can find this by clicking on “View” and then “Notes Page.”

If you have any presenters that want a printed copy of the notes for the podium (or technical or communications staff that also need the notes), I recommend that you print off the slide deck’s “Notes Page”.

To print your notes, select “File” and then “Print”. Here you will find a drop down for the slide layout. It likely says “Full Page Slides” to start. Change this to “Notes Pages”. You will see an image of the printer page further down in the article when I show you how to make fancy handouts with this same view.

Below is how the printout will look by default. Personally I find this layout very straight forward to work with.

“But wait, you mentioned I can turn this view into good looking handouts. How do I do that?”

Creating Impressive Handouts with Notes – Altering the Layout of Handout Notes in PowerPoint

Now let’s look at how to take the notes (or script) of your presentation and turn that into a nice handout to give to your audience.

As a tip, I like to back up my files before I mess around with the layouts, but that is up to you on whether you do that or not.

To print, I went to “File” and then “Print”. On the print screen, I make sure that I choose the “Notes Pages” under the settings.

You can then print these handouts as PDF files or as physical copies.

Creating PowerPoint Handouts with Word

As with all things computers, there are usually multiple ways to doing things. Sometimes, those ways lead to different results but cover the same end goal. Here is another way to do handouts. This time, we utilize Microsoft Word.

You may want to back up your work before you go through with this just to be on the safe side.

As a note, the function to export PowerPoint to Word takes a lot of memory. If you run into problems or see the message “PowerPoint couldn’t write to Microsoft Word,” restart your computer. Then run the Export with all other programs closed. If that still does not work, split the PowerPoint into two separate presentations. One with the first half of the slides and the other with the second half. Export both of those presentations and then combine them in Word.

Relevant Links…

In this post, I made reference a few times to my hobby videos On top of Tech Presenters, I run another website focused on tabletop gaming. That website also has a YouTube channel connected to it. I made all of my early videos on that channel using PowerPoint. Now I use video editors instead, but it is surprising how much you can do with PowerPoint.

If you are interested in video editors, check out my article “ The Best Free Video Editors Out There For the PC” . You can also find more PowerPoint Tips right here on Tech Presenters. One article that I would like to direct your attention to is “ The Hottest PowerPoint HotKeys for Presenters “. Be sure to check that article out for some HotKeys that could help you present better in front of an audience.

Turning back to this article, the PowerPoint files that I screen captured are from the videos listed below. I made them using PowerPoint and even wrote my scripts into the notes section of the program.

• LED Lamp Review for Painting, Building and Photographing Miniatures – Lamp by GameCraft Miniatures
• 28mm WW2 Soviet Train Station Review – MDF Terrain by Things from the Basement soon on Kickstarter
• Monster Scenery Terrain Review – Broken Ground – Pre-painted terrain for miniature gaming and RPGs

On top of these videos, I also have a related Website called Must Contain Minis .

For those wondering, I am using Office 365 on Windows 10.

Now, let’s finish up this article.

Bringing it Together…

In this article, we went over how to add notes to PowerPoint. Not only that, but we went further and also discussed how to use the notes during presentations, for recording and for printing off handouts.

As a presentation support professional, I find coupling my slides with notes extremely handy. As a presenter, these notes help me stay on track and to make sure that I cover all of the important points that I wanted to make. Knowing how to use these notes, and how to get the most out of them, really helps in delivering the best presentations that you can.

Personally I like to keep back up files and older versions of my files in case I run into any problems. In general, I am pretty cautious in my approach and there is not harm in keeping multiple files. Just make sure that you name them well and work on the newest version. I figured I would leave that reminder here. If you are playing around with the layout of your notes page or messing around with what appears on them, it might be a good idea to keep a back up to go to in case things don’t work as intended.

Until next time, Happy Presenting Everyone!!!

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How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• 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 Add and Work with Speaker Notes in Google Slides

Speaker notes are very useful when giving presentations. These help you highlight the key concepts that you want to talk about in each slide, and they’re not visible for your audience. In this new Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll learn how to create speaker notes and where to place them. You’ll also find out how to present using speaker notes . 

Adding Speaker Notes

Using the presenter view.

• Open your presentation in Google Slides.
• At the bottom of the screen there’s a text field with the message “Click to add speaker notes”. The text that you enter here will be visible for you during your presentation, but not for your audience.
• If you can’t see this text field, click View → Show speaker notes.
• To display the speaker notes during your presentation, you need at least two screens: one for the presentation and another for the notes.
• Click the drop-down arrow next to the Present button.
• Select Presenter view. Your presentation will be displayed fullscreen and a new window will appear, where you can see some information and options:

- Timer : You can check how much time has passed since the beginning of your presentation. You can also pause or reset the timer by clicking the corresponding buttons. 

- Previous and Next: Click the corresponding thumbnail to go back to the previous slide or move on to the next slide. 

- Zoom: Next to the slide number you’ll find a “+” button and a “-” button. These allow you to increase or decrease the size of the speaker notes. 

- Audience Tools: This tab contains a button to allow questions from your audience, which will appear here. You must share the URL that appears above (it will also be displayed at the top of the main screen). If you don’t want to receive further questions, disable this option by clicking Off. 

Once you receive the first questions, you can click Present to display them on the main screen. To hide them again, just click Hide.

Do you find this article useful?

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How to Add Notes to PowerPoint Slides

Last updated on May 4th, 2024

Many users of PowerPoint, or any other presentation software, only know the fundamental features of those applications, such as creating an excellent presentation document and running slide shows with fancy transition effects. It is quite unfortunate that many trainers forget to teach their PowerPoint class about the importance of using Speaker Notes in their presentations.

Speaker Notes are an important tool in ensuring a smooth presentation of your work. Another speaker can present your presentation as he will know what to say when every slide in the presentation appears. They are a short paragraph that reminds the speaker of the contents of the current slide in the slide show. The most exciting thing about them is that they are not viewable by the audience during a presentation.

There are two simple ways to add speaker notes to PowerPoint slides , the approaches below are useful to enrich your presentations with speaker notes, to prepare handouts but also to take meeting notes . I will show you the simplest:

Adding notes in PowerPoint using the Notes pane

In the Normal View of your PowerPoint document, select the slide that you want to add notes for by clicking on it on the tile of slides on the left-hand side of the window.

Notes pane in PowerPoint – Add notes to PPT presentations

Click on the Notes pane to position your cursor there and type your notes in the field. If you want to add a new paragraph to your notes, just hit enter and type the new paragraph. You can insert notes in PowerPoint for Windows, but also in Mac version. Inserting notes in PowerPoint can be useful at design time, rehearsal (to remember what you are going to present) but also while presenting or delivering your presentation. For example, using the Presenter View the presenter can see the speaker notes while presenting.

You can increase the size of the Notes Pane in case you want to enter more text or otherwise reduce its size.

Click on the boundary between the Notes Pane and the slide and drag while holding down your mouse button.

Example of the Notes Pain in a PowerPoint presentation. For the purpose of this demo, we have taken a screenshot from the free Strategic Planning PowerPoint template .

Adding Speaker Notes in PowerPoint using the Notes Page

Aside from editing speaker notes in the standard view of PowerPoint editor, you can edit the speaker notes via the Notes page view. This is great if you want to see how the printed version will look before you print it. This is great, for example, when preparing brochures or printed handouts from your presentations.

The other way to add notes to your slide involves:

Click on the View tab from PowerPoint’s Menu bar.

Select Notes Page button and click on it to view the window below. This shows the current slide and a text area on which you can enter your notes.

Click on the Notes Pane below the slide and type your notes.

You can scroll up or down using the scroll bar to go to the other slides in your presentation document.

Click on the Home tab on the Menu Bar to return to the original view of your presentation document. This allows you to continue editing your slides but your notes will still be viewable on the Notes Pane.

The second method is often used when you want to concentrate more on notes. This is because a bigger area is given for you to enter more notes.

The Notes Pane can still be re-sized by clicking on a handle and dragging it in either direction.

Now that you learned add speaker notes, you may want to check how to print speaker notes in PowerPoint , which is great for example if you are preparing handouts for your presentations.

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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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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Organization > How to turn your paper into a presentation

How to turn your paper into a presentation

To make your information and findings more accessible, you might need to transform an academic or white paper into a slideshow presentation. Whether you’re a student presenting your research, a professional conveying a proposal, or someone simply looking to share ideas, turning a paper into a presentation is much easier than it seems. See how you can seamlessly transition from written content to a captivating presentation.

Why turn your paper into a presentation?

How can you turn pages of dense text into an easily digestible PowerPoint ? By knowing your audience and the key points of your work, you can easily create a compelling way to convey your research and findings.

Academic and corporate papers are dense, usually written in jargon, and might be dozens of pages long—which can be a detriment in conveying your information, research, and findings to a widespread audience. If you need to make a presentation in front of a class or company meeting, it can be effective to distill your work into slides that merely touch upon the key points onscreen, while giving you enough room to further delve into detail before moving on to the next slide. See more ways you can create successful presentations .

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

Tips for turning your paper into a presentation

• Understand your audience: Whether the people you’re presenting to come from a technical background, or you’re introducing a new subject to an audience that might be unfamiliar with your topic, knowing who you are speaking to will guide your content choices, tone, and overall approach to your presentation.
• Know what to read aloud: The key difference between a paper and a presentation is that you’ll be reading the latter out loud, usually in a natural and conversational tone. This means that you’ll need to pay attention to what you need to say out loud, which can entail rewriting major passages, condensing text into talking points, and eliminating jargon so you won’t stumble over your words.
• Summarize key points : Understanding the gist and overall point of each section of your paper is key to knowing how to divide your paper into different slides. Start with the headers for each section of your paper, which is an easy shortcut to summarizing your topics per slide.
• Develop a structure: A paper and a presentation have different ways of conveying information, and a presentation needs to capture attention in more direct ways—especially if your audience is unfamiliar with your subject. Begin with an introduction that grabs your audience’s attention, followed by the main body containing your key points, and conclude with a summary or call to action.
• Use speaker notes: In PowerPoint, you can add speaker notes to the bottom of a slide that can help you remember what you need to cover. These will show up on your device or monitor, but they won’t appear to your audience. Therefore, they can be immensely helpful to store talking points that you might otherwise forget. You can put elements of your paper in here that might be too unwieldy to mention out loud here, which can also demonstrate how well-versed in the subject you are.
• Add visuals and interactive elements: One of the most effective ways to captivate your audience is through compelling visuals. Create slides that complement your key points with images, graphs, and charts. These might be taken from your paper itself, or you can take the chance to reinterpret your data into graphs that can illustrate your point more effectively than in your text.
• Seek feedback: Unlike turning in a paper, when you deliver a presentation, you have the unique opportunity to seek feedback from your peers and audience. Take constructive criticism with valuable insights that can generate feedback to iterate and refine your presentations.

Turning a paper into a presentation allows you to summarize key points, add visuals that enhance your work, and allow you to reach a wider audience. Presenting takes a wide variety of skills, so it’s worth checking out presentation tips on how to handle public speaking , design captivating presentations , or use common guidelines to create a compelling presenting session .

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Creating engaging online presentations with keynote.

Transform your online presentations into captivating experiences with the power of Keynote. Discover how to craft visually stunning and engaging presentations that keep your audience hooked from start to finish.

Why Keynote for Online Presentations? 

Online presentations are now commonplace. Whether it's a teacher delivering a lecture, a workshop facilitator conducting professional development, or a graduate student defending their thesis, Keynote offers numerous advantages for creating engaging presentations. Features like speaker text formatting and playing the slideshow in a window enhance the presentation experience. This post provides tips for using Keynote effectively for remote presentations, including professional development sessions, online classes, and research presentations.

Optimizing Keynote for Online Delivery

Play Slide Deck in Window

• Select Play → Window → Play Slideshow to play the slide deck in a resizable window. This is useful when using a web conferencing app to share your screen, allowing you to tile your web conferencing windows in a control center format. 

• Display speaker notes in a window by selecting Show Presenter Display in Window if they don’t appear automatically. Adjust the text size for better readability on your device. More information on this and other Keynote features can be found in the Apple Education Learning Center .

Modify Speaker Note Text Formatting

• Emphasize key information by adjusting text formatting. For example, if you want to accentuate a word, you can bold or change the color of the text.

• Use different text colors to distinguish parts if you have a co-presenter.
• Use brackets and colors to give yourself stage directions or to indicate the speaker. This can be particularly helpful if the timing of your slides is important.  

Enhancing Slide Content with Visuals

Using Shapes and Images Effectively

• Rely on shapes and images to convey metaphorical or informational meaning, reducing text on slides.
• Keynote offers a wealth of shapes and clip art, which can be modified in size and color, and animated subtly to create movement.
• Avoid using unnecessary images or shapes that serve only as eye candy. If in doubt, large-font words or phrases work best.

💡 Accessibility Tip : Explicitly describe shapes, images, clip art, or animations in your presentation to draw attention to their conceptual meaning and aid visually impaired participants.

Customizing Rehearsal Display

• Customize your rehearsal display to show the current slide, the next slide, and speaker notes. This feature is crucial for maintaining the flow of your presentation.
• Use speaker notes to emphasize the core message you convey through your script.
• Use large fonts, high-contrast colors, and minimal text to improve readability on small screens.
• Ensure text fills the screen in large font sizes. Think in phrases or short sentences rather than bullet points. Place detailed information in the speaker notes and share it contextually, perhaps with examples or anecdotes.

Other Considerations for Maximizing Online Impact

Simplify and Engage

• Cut the number of slides and simplify content.
• Break content into smaller chunks and pause between sections to check for understanding or questions.
• Start with an icebreaker or a quick poll to engage your audience from the beginning.

Leverage Interactive Features

• Use chat or Q&A features actively. Encourage participants to ask questions or share thoughts during the presentation. Have a co-host monitor the chats to avoid getting sidetracked. When you ask for responses, pause to engage directly, acknowledge, read out loud, and comment on them.

Use Appropriate Text Formatting

• Use large, readable fonts and avoid overly decorative fonts. Ensure text contrasts well with the background.

Ready to elevate your online presentations with Keynote? Start experimenting with these tips today and transform your next remote session into an engaging and impactful experience. Share your experiences and any additional tips you have in the comments below! Let's learn and grow together.

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Cooking up a great prompt: Getting the most from Copilot

Prompts are how you ask Copilot for Microsoft 365 to do something for you — like creating, summarizing, editing, or transforming. Think about prompting like having a conversation, using plain but clear language and providing context like you would with an assistant.

1. Tell Copilot what you need

2. Include the right prompt ingredients

To get the best response, it’s important to focus on some of the key elements below when phrasing your Copilot prompts.

3. Keep the conversation going

Following up on your prompts help you collaborate with Copilot to gain more useful, tailored responses.

Helpful hints to keep in mind

Know Copilot’s limitations  Copilot is limited to your current conversation, so give lots of details.

Be professional Using polite language improves Copilot’s response.

Communicate clearly Pay attention to punctuation, grammar, and capitalization.

Use quotation marks ​​​​This helps Copilot know what to write, modify, or replace for you.

Start fresh Avoid interrupting and type “new topic” when switching tasks.

Copilot Lab

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