how to add slides in powerpoint presentation

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How to Add a New Slide in PowerPoint

Last Updated: February 10, 2022

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd . Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 53,338 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow will teach you how to add a new slide to your PowerPoint presentation. Adding a new slide in PowerPoint is super simple, but the exact process depends on whether you're using a Mac or PC. Either way, we've got you covered! The steps below will walk you through exactly what you need to do.

Step 1 Double-click your PowerPoint presentation if it isn't open.

If you decide to reposition your slide, you can click and drag it up or down in the sidebar to do so.

Step 1 Open your PowerPoint presentation if it isn't open.

You can click and drag your slide in the sidebar to reposition it in the presentation's order.

Expert Q&A

If you want to copy a slide from an existing presentation into your current presentation, simply right-click (or two-finger click) the slide's icon in the sidebar and click Copy . You can then right-click a space in your current presentation's sidebar and click Paste . Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
You can also insert a new slide at any time by clicking the sidebar and then pressing either ⌘ Command + M (Mac) or Ctrl + M (Windows). Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

how to add slides in powerpoint presentation

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Mac - Click the Insert tab, then click New Slide . Windows - Right-click the slide sidebar, then click New Slide . Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Add a New Slide to PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Adding a new slide to your PowerPoint presentation is easier than you think. If you’ve got your content ready and need to know how to insert a new slide, you’re in the right place. After reading this quick overview, you’ll be able to add a slide to your presentation like a pro!

Step by Step Tutorial on How to Add a New Slide to PowerPoint

Before diving into the details, let’s clarify what we’re about to achieve. Adding a new slide to your PowerPoint presentation helps you expand on your ideas and organize your content effectively. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

Open the PowerPoint presentation where you want to add a new slide.

Once you’ve opened your presentation, make sure you’re on the slide after which you want to insert the new one. This is important for keeping your presentation’s flow logical and seamless.

Step 2: Go to the Home Tab

Click on the “Home” tab in the PowerPoint ribbon.

The “Home” tab contains the most commonly used PowerPoint features, including the option to add a new slide. It’s like your trusty toolbox for all things PowerPoint.

Step 3: Click on “New Slide”

In the “Slides” group, click on “New Slide.”

You’ll see a dropdown menu with different slide layout options. Choose the layout that best fits the content you’ll be adding.

Step 4: Choose a Slide Layout

Select your desired slide layout from the dropdown menu.

Each layout has placeholders for various types of content, such as text, images, or charts. Consider what type of information you’ll be presenting when selecting your layout.

After completing these steps, you’ll see your brand new slide inserted into your presentation, ready for you to add your content.

Tips for Adding a New Slide to PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + M) to quickly add a blank new slide with the same layout as the previous one.
Right-click between two slides in the slide sorter view to add a new slide in that specific location.
Customize your new slide by adding background colors or images for a more visually appealing presentation.
Use the slide master to create custom layouts that you can reuse throughout your presentation.
Keep your slides consistent by using the same font styles and sizes across all slides.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adding a New Slide to PowerPoint

What is the quickest way to add a new slide.

The quickest way is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + M, which will add a new slide immediately after the selected one.

Can I add a new slide at the end of my presentation?

Yes, you can add a new slide at the end by clicking on “New Slide” when the last slide is selected.

How do I change the layout of a new slide?

After adding a new slide, right-click on it and select “Layout” to choose a different layout.

Can I duplicate an existing slide instead of adding a new one?

Absolutely! Right-click on the slide you want to duplicate and select “Duplicate Slide.”

How do I add multiple new slides at once?

You can’t add multiple slides at once, but you can duplicate an existing slide multiple times and then modify them as needed.

Summary of How to Add a New Slide to PowerPoint

Open your PowerPoint presentation.
Click on the “Home” tab.
Click on “New Slide.”
Choose a slide layout.

There you have it! Adding a new slide to your PowerPoint presentation is a simple task that can make a huge difference in how you convey your message. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can effortlessly insert new slides wherever needed, ensuring your presentation is organized and engaging. Remember, the key is to keep your audience captivated, and a well-structured presentation is a crucial step in achieving that.

Additionally, the tips provided can help you enhance your PowerPoint skills, making your presentations stand out. Whether it’s through keyboard shortcuts or custom slide layouts, these little tweaks can save you time and add a professional touch.

Keep in mind the frequently asked questions as well, as they cover common concerns that arise when adding new slides. And, if you ever find yourself stuck, refer back to the summary for a quick reminder of the steps to take.

Creating a compelling PowerPoint presentation is an art, and like any artist, you need the right tools and techniques. Adding a new slide is just one of those essential skills that you now have up your sleeve. So, go ahead, give your presentations the structure and flair they deserve, and watch as your ideas come to life on the screen. Happy presenting!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

How to create or add a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint

Illustration: Create or add a slide in PowerPoint

In Microsoft PowerPoint , a presentation is made up of multiple slides. There are several ways to create or add a slide in a PowerPoint presentation. After adding slides, you can move the slides around to adjust the order or sequence, and delete slides.

For instructions on how to add, move, and delete slides in PowerPoint, click a link below and follow the steps.

Insert new slide.
Copy and paste existing slide.
Insert slide from another presentation.
Move a slide.
Delete a slide.

Insert new slide

To insert a new, blank slide in a presentation, select your version of PowerPoint and follow the steps.

PowerPoint Online (web version)

Powerpoint desktop application.

In the slide preview pane on the left, click the slide immediately above where you want to insert a new slide. Then, right-click the highlighted slide and select New Slide in the pop-up menu. The new, blank slide is inserted into the presentation below the slide you clicked.

Add a new slide in Microsoft PowerPoint Online.

In the slide preview pane on the left, click with your mouse in-between two slides where you want to insert a slide.

Click between two slides in Microsoft PowerPoint desktop application.

In the PowerPoint Ribbon , on the Home or Insert tab, click the New Slide option.
In the drop-down menu that opens, select the type of slide to insert from the slide layout . The new slide is inserted into the presentation where you clicked in step 1 above.

Add a new slide in Microsoft PowerPoint desktop application.

Copy and paste existing slide

To add a copy of an existing slide to a presentation, follow the steps below.

In the slide preview pane on the left, find the existing slide you want to copy.
Using your mouse, right-click that slide and select Copy in the pop-up menu .
Determine where you want to add the copied slide. Right-click the slide above where you want to paste it.

Insert slide from another presentation

To add a slide from another presentation, follow the steps below.

Inserting a slide from another PowerPoint presentation is only possible in the Microsoft PowerPoint desktop application. PowerPoint Online does not support this capability.

In the slide preview pane on the left, left-click with your mouse in-between two slides where you want to insert a slide.
In the PowerPoint Ribbon, on the Home or Insert tab, click the New Slide option.
In the drop-down menu that opens, click the Reuse Slides option at the bottom.

Reuse Slides option in Microsoft PowerPoint Add slide menu.

In the Reuse Slides pane that opens on the right, click the Browse button.
Find and select the PowerPoint presentation file with the slide you want to add to the currently open presentation, and click the Open button.
A preview of the slides is displayed below the Browse option. Click the slide you want to insert into the currently-open presentation. A new slide is inserted, with text from the selected slide included in the new slide.
To also apply the formatting of the selected slide to the newly-inserted slide, right-click the selected slide and select Apply Theme to Selected Slides .

Insert slide from another presentation in PowerPoint.

Move a slide

To move a slide to another location in a PowerPoint presentation, follow the steps below.

In the left preview pane, find the slide you want to move.
Press and hold the left mouse button on the slide, then drag the slide up or down to where you want to move it.
Release the left mouse button when you have dragged the slide to its new location.

Click and drag a slide to another place in a PowerPoint presentation.

Delete a slide

To delete a slide in a PowerPoint presentation, follow the steps below.

Open the PowerPoint presentation.
In the left preview pane, click the slide you want to delete.
Press the Delete or Del key to delete the slide.

Related information

How to change the background color of a slide in PowerPoint.
How to insert a picture in Microsoft PowerPoint.
How to add or remove slide transitions in Microsoft PowerPoint.
How to add a video to a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
How to insert a sound file into a PowerPoint presentation.
How to start and stop a PowerPoint slide show.
See our PowerPoint page for related links and information.
Microsoft PowerPoint help and support.
Computer software help and support.

Working With Slides in PowerPoint [A Complete Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

To create a powerful presentation – the kind that resonates with your audiences, you need to create great slides! But, all this work really starts with knowing how to work with slides in PowerPoint!

In this article, I will share with you all the basic details of working with slides such as adding, deleting, duplicating slides, and much more! Plus, in the end, I will also help you understand how you can design your slides to make your presentation visually appealing with great ease!

So, let’s get started!

1. How to Add or Insert a Slide in PowerPoint?

Let’s start with the basics first. Adding or inserting a slide in your PowerPoint presentation is as easy as a click of a button.

To add a slide in PowerPoint, first, click on any slide in the slide navigation panel on the left part of your screen. Then, click on the “Home” tab, and select the “New Slide” option. A new slide will be added. Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+M”.

To learn this part in further detail, make sure to check out my other article on how to add a slide in PowerPoint !

Nevertheless, the process is described below in detail –

Step-1: Place the cursor in your preferred sequence

The first step is to click on your preferred sequence in the “ Slide Navigation ” bar, which is the sidebar to the left of your screen showing thumbnails of all the slides in your PowerPoint presentation. There will be an orange line indicating the selected sequence.

Step-2: Click on the “New Slides” icon

In this step, all you have to do is first click on the “ Home” tab to click on the “ New Slides ” icon. It is the icon above the button that says, “ New Slides ”. The icon looks like a plus ‘+’ sign over a square with comparative tables on it. This will immediately add a slide in the sequence of the selected area in the “ Slide Navigation ” sidebar.

2. How to Create Slides in PowerPoint?

Creating a new slide is very easy in PowerPoint. Open a new PowerPoint file and follow the two simple steps described below, to create a slide of your preferred layout in your PowerPoint presentation.

Step-1: Click on the “New Slides” button

The first step of the process is to click on the “ New Slides ” button, which is below the icon that looks like a plus ‘+’ sign over a square as described in the previous step. This will open a drop-down menu.

Step-2: Select your preferred layout

In this step, simply select your preferred layout for the new slide. Once you click on the preferred layout, the new slide will be added to your PowerPoint presentation with the selected layout.

3. How to Copy Slides in PowerPoint?

I covered this topic in complete detail in my other article on how to copy and paste in PowerPoint . You may want to check that out for more methods and secret tips!

But, in a nutshell, there are two ways in which you can copy a slide from your PowerPoint presentation. One way is to use the mouse and the other is to use the keyboard. The two methods are described below.

Method-1: Using the Mouse

You can use the mouse to copy the slide on your presentation.

Step 1 – Copy the Slide

“ Right-click ” on the slide that you want to copy, and it will open the drop-down menu. From the drop-down menu, click on the “ Copy ” option.

Once you’ve clicked on the “ Copy ” option, the slide will be temporarily saved in the clipboard of your computer.

Step 2 – Paste the Slide

Just how you managed to copy a slide, you can paste the slide as well. Navigate to the location where you want to paste the slide. Then, right-click on the slide, and from the dropdown, click on “ Paste “.

Method-2: Using the keyboard

You can also use the keyboard shortcut keys to copy the slides. Let’s take a look at how it’s done.

In this method, all you have to do is to select the slide that you want to copy and while the slide is selected, click on the two buttons “ Ctrl + C ” together on your keyboard.

Once you’ve copied the slide, you can paste it to a destination location. Simply use the “ Ctrl+V ” keyboard shortcut for the same.

4. How to Delete Slides in PowerPoint?

Similar to copying a slide, there are two methods that you can use to delete a slide in your PowerPoint presentation. Both of these methods are described in the section below.

Method 1: Using the Mouse

In this method, you have to “ Right Click ” on the slide that you want to remove and then select the “ Delete Slide ” option from the drop-down menu.

After you click on the “ Delete Slide ” option, the selected slide will be removed from your PowerPoint presentation.

Method-2: Using the Keyboard

This method is simpler than using the dropdown menu. All you have to do is select the slide that you want to delete and then hit the “ Delete ” button or the “ Back Space ” button on the keyboard of your computer and the slide will be removed from your PowerPoint presentation immediately.

5. How to Group Slides in PowerPoint?

Grouping slides together is a very effective way of keeping your PowerPoint presentation organized. To group slides with different purposes into a different collection of slides, you have to add sections to the “ Slide Navigation ” sidebar.

The whole process is described in 5 easy steps below.

Step-1: “Right-click” above the first slide of the group

The first step is to move your cursor right above the first slide of the group that you are trying to make and then “ Right-click ” on that area. This will open a drop-down menu.

Step-2: Select the “Add Section” option

In this second step, you have to click on the “ Add Section ” option from the drop-down menu. It is the last option in that drop-down menu. After clicking on it a pop-up window will appear on your screen.

Step-3: Rename the section

In the pop-up window, you opened in the last step, rename the group with an appropriate title, and hit the “ Rename ” button which is the button to the left of the two buttons at the bottom of the pop-up window.

This will add the starting point and the title of the group you are making.

Step-4: Make another section under the last slide of the group

After you have created the title section of the group, make another group under the last slide of your preferred group of slides. This will set the parameter for which slides are to be grouped together.

Step-5: Collapse the group

Click on the small arrow pointing to the right, just before the name of the group of slides. After you do so, you will see that the slides have been grouped together under the newly added section and the number in the bracket beside it indicates how many slides are in that group.

6. How to Hide Slides in PowerPoint?

To hide a slide in your presentation your PowerPoint presentation, you have to use the “ Slide Sorter ” view and hide the slide from there. The whole process is described step-by-step below.

Step-1: Select the “Slide Sorter” view

The first step of the process is to go to the “ View ” tab. In the “ View ” tab, click on the “ Slide Sorter ” view from the “ Presentation ” views of the tab. This will change the viewing mode of your PowerPoint presentation and you will be able to see all the slides in smaller thumbnails grouped together.

Step-2: “Right-click” on the slide

In this step, find the slide that you want to hide in the “ Slide Sorter ” view and then “ Right-click ” on it. This will open a drop-down menu.

Step-3: Select the “Hide Slide” option

After you have opened the drop-down menu, select the “ Hide Slide ” option. This will immediately hide the slide from your PowerPoint presentation. The thumbnail of the slide will be greyed out and the slide number will also be crossed, indicating that the slide is hidden.

7. How to Number Slides in PowerPoint?

To number the sequence of the slides in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to go to the “ Slide Master ” view and checkmark the slide number from the “ Header and Footer ” option. The whole process is described in easy steps below.

Step-1: Open the “Slide Master” view

The first step is to go to the “ View ” tab which is the second to last tab of the ribbon. In the “ View ” tab, click on the “ Slide Master ” view in the “ Master Views ” section. This will change the PowerPoint view to the “ Slide Master ” view.

Step-2: Select the “Header & Footer” option

In this step, select the “ Master Slide ”. The “ Master Slide ” is the first slide in the “ Slide Master ” view and you will notice that it is the only slide that is a little bigger and to the right than the rest of the slides in the navigation bar.

After selecting the “ Master Slide ”, go to the “ Insert ” tab on the ribbon and select the “ Header & Footer ” option, which is located in the “ Text ” section of the tab. A pop-up window will appear on your screen.

Step-3: Tick mark the “Slide number” option

In this step, select the box of the “ Slide Number ” option and then hit the “ Apply to all ” button which is the second button of the 3 buttons at the bottom right corner of the pop-up window.

Step-4: Exit the Slide Master

Make sure that you exit the slide master. To do that, first, go back to the “ Slide Master ” tab. Then, from the ribbon, click on “ Close Slide Master “.

After that, the slide number of all the slides will be added to your PowerPoint presentation.

8. How to Link Slides in PowerPoint?

To link different slides in your PowerPoint presentation to each other, you have to type in a text, that can be hyperlinked to the slide in your PowerPoint presentation.

Type in a text that you can click to go to the linked slide and then follow the process described in easy steps below.

Step-1: Select the “Link” option

To begin, “ Right-click ” on the word that will lead you to the linked slide. A drop-down menu will appear on your screen. From the drop-down menu, select the “ Link ” option. This will open a pop-up window.

Step-2: Select the “Place in this document” option

After you have opened the “ Insert Hyperlink ” pop-up window, select the “ Place in this document ” option in the sidebar. This will take you to another page in the pop-up window.

Step-3: Select the slide you want to link

On this page of the pop-up window, select the slide that you want to link the current slide to and then hit the “ Ok ” button at the bottom right corner of your screen.

This will add a link to the word in the slide and upon clicking on the word while holding the “ Ctrl ” key on your keyboard, you will be taken to the linked slide.

9. How to Design Slides in PowerPoint?

Designing your slide to fit the theme of your message will make your presentations more engaging. There are two ways in which you can design the slides in your PowerPoint presentation. Both of the methods are explained in the following section.

9a. Using Design Ideas

By using the “ Design Ideas ” tool in Microsoft PowerPoint, you can instantly and seamlessly design slides to make them more attractive and engaging.

To use the “ Design Ideas ” tool, you have to go to the “ Design ” tab and click on the “ Design Ideas ” feature which is located in the “ Designer ” section. It is the last option in the “ Design ” tab.

I’ve covered the “Design Ideas” tool in great detail in another article where I also provide you tips on how to use it to automatically design your slides in PowerPoint! So, make sure you check out the article on how to use design ideas in PowerPoint !

However, a quick glance will remind you that these templates provided by default in PowerPoint are quite old-fashioned. I will not recommend using the built-in themes and templates in PowerPoint if you want to make your presentation look professional!

9b. Using Presentation Templates

Another method of designing a presentation is using templates.

Templates in PowerPoint are pre-designed sets of slide layouts that can be adapted to the content on your slide and make your presentation look visually appealing!

You can use the presentation templates provided by the PowerPoint software from the “ Design ” tab to instantly design the slide in your PowerPoint presentation.

Simply go to the design tab, expand the themes section and choose a theme. This will help your slides look different from the plain and simple presentation.

Instead, I would suggest choosing a platform like Envato that provides you with ton of different options that are very affordable! I personally use templates from Envato all the time. (in fact, the images that you see in this article are also from a template!)

I’ve listed some of my personal favorite templates for your presentations. Check them out in the next section!

10. Top 5 Templates for Amazing Presentations

Our recommended templates have been chosen to give you a set of all the necessary types of slide designs that you might need. These will be helpful not just to get you started, but also with multiple presentation that you may want to design later on as these templates are quite versatile.

Here is a list of our top 5 picks of templates to make your presentations amazing!

1. Startup X - Perfect Pitch Deck Template

Startup X – Perfect Pitch Deck Powerpoint Template includes all the necessary infographics, charts, icons and hundreds of slide templates that you can use to make your business pitch more elegant and professional.

2. Massive X Presentation Template

The Massive X Presentation Template v.5.5 Fully Animated includes 760 ready-to-use slide templates and more than 930 fonts and vectors. You can use this template for virtually all purposes, but it is best for business proposals, pitch decks, portfolios, agency presentations, marketing presentations, and more!

3. Business Proposal PowerPoint Template

The Business Proposal PowerPoint Template is fully focused on giving your business presentations an edge and making them look more professional. It uses attractive infographics, charts, and messages and its soft turquoise color makes it easier on the eyes.

4. Multipurpose Infographic PowerPoint Template

Multipurpose Infographics PowerPoint Template provides you with a bundle of more than 3000 designed slides with over 50 color variations to make the information in your PowerPoint presentation more engaging.

These templates are great to represent the data in a particular fashion, and you will find it extremely useful for your presentations.

5. Clean PowerPoint Template

We chose the Clean PowerPoint Template mainly for its aesthetics. The template provides over 700 very simple yet beautifully designed slides with over 5 color variations that make your PowerPoint presentation look more professional.

If you are looking for a minialistic look, go for this template!

Credit to cookie_studio (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Are you struggling with PowerPoint? You need a quick design in PowerPoint but don't know where to start? Don't worry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

In this article, we're going to refresh the most important PowerPoint basics so you can take advantage of this Microsoft software and create high-impact presentations at any time!

Millions of users worldwide use Microsoft 365 services , making PowerPoint the presentation design software with the highest market share. And with good reason! PowerPoint's features stand out for its usability and originality . We can tell you that PowerPoint is pretty intuitive software, and it's a great option to choose when working with presentations on a daily basis. So, are you ready for a quick PowerPoint 101 class?

Let ' s see what you ' re going to learn today with this PowerPoint Guide :

What is PowerPoint?

What are the best uses of powerpoint, powerpoint basics: what are the components of powerpoint workspace, mastering powerpoint: what are the main features of powerpoint, what are powerpoint templates and where to find them, time to practice how to make a presentation in powerpoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation design software that is part of Microsoft 365 . This software allows you to design presentations by combining text, images, graphics, video, and animation on slides in a simple and intuitive way.

Over time, PowerPoint has evolved and improved its accessibility to users. For this reason, it has been adapted to the main operating systems and modalities:

PowerPoint Online

Additionally, you can use Word and Excel in this online version. That way, you'll be able to make real-time changes in the cloud without fearing losing your files. Sounds great, right?

PowerPoint has a versatile range of uses. Here's a list of the different tasks you can complete with this presentation design software:

Business presentations or Pitch decks.
Marketing, Sales and HR plans.
Project briefs and timelines.
Inductions to new employees.
Seminars and educational classes.
Professional portfolio of photos or designs.
Presentations of a research summary.
Presentations for special occasions.

These are just a few examples of the multiple possibilities this Microsoft software offers. Your imagination is the only limit!

Stay tuned as we continue with this PowerPoint 101 Guide...

PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

In order to deeply understand this presentation design software, you need to recognize its main components. Now it's time to learn about the PowerPoint basics!

A quick note before going any further: when opening PowerPoint, some of the commands in the ribbons will look grayish and won't be highlighted when you hover the mouse over them.

This happens since some commands need to be selected in order to function. For example, if you want to change the color of a text, you first need to select it.

That being said, let's start with this Guide for PowerPoint beginners:

PowerPoint Main Window

The first aspect to learn is PowerPoint Main Window. To facilitate the explanation, we've organized its main elements with numbers from 1 to 10:

Based on that, the main components of PowerPoint window are the following:

1. Quick Access Toolbar: allows you to customize commands to have them at hand. You only have to select it and go to "More commands."

2. Title Bar: shows you the name of your file and other "Suggested options" like Slide Master View . These options will vary depending on the use you give to the commands.

3. File Tab: you will see the Home Menu (PowerPoint backstage) by selecting it. There, you can create a new presentation, save it, print it, export it, and many other options.

4. The Ribbon: it's where PowerPoint tabs and tools are. These tools can also be called "commands" or “features.”

5. More Button or Down Arrow: these arrows allow you to view more tools or layout options in PowerPoint.

6. Slides Pane: shows your slides in thumbnail size. By right-clicking, you can access additional options for customizing each slide. Perfect for PowerPoint beginners!

7. Slide: PowerPoint's blank canvas and the frame to be seen when presenting the file.

8. Placeholders: they are dotted boxes that will store your content.

9. Status Bar: allows you to view the slide number, grammatical errors, speaker notes, and the comments on your file.

10. Zoom: allows you to enlarge or minimize your PowerPoint workspace. The range goes from 10 to 400%.

PowerPoint Tabs

The PowerPoint tabs are the control desk of your presentation . Since PowerPoint's features are too many, they're organized in tabs.

You can come and go between tabs as you need. Once you click on a tab, it will open its ribbon, and there, you'll be able to see all the tools related to that particular category.

This PowerPoint tutorial for beginners will give you an overview of all PowerPoint tabs . Pay attention to the following list:

Transitions Tab
Animations Tab
Slide Show Tab
Recording Tab

1. Home Tab

The Home tab is the most common tab of PowerPoint. This is the tab you'll probably use the most if you're designing a presentation deck from scratch.

It allows you to add new slides and change the text characteristics : font, size, boldness, underlining, alignment, etc. If you've ever used Microsoft Word, these features will be familiar to you.

Also, you will find commands to edit the characteristics of the geometric shapes you insert. This includes: fill color, line color, sharpe effects, among others.

2. Insert Tab

The Insert tab is exactly what its name says it is. In this ribbon, you'll find all the options concerning adding a new element to your PowerPoint presentation .

You can insert a picture, some geometric shapes, icons, WordArt graphics, among others. We can tell you that this tab is really helpful for PowerPoint beginners!

For example, if you have a lot of data in PowerPoint , you could add a chart or diagram to show your information in a more visual way. Also, you can embed videos or music into PowerPoint really easily.

PowerPoint tip for beginners: To be able to write text on your slides, you need a text box. So, if you're designing your presentation from scratch, remember to go first to the Insert tab and add a text box to start writing.

3. Design Tab

If you are one of those people who enjoy choosing the design of a PowerPoint presentation, this tab will be your favorite.

The Design tab offers a wide range of premade designs , allowing you to get more polished slides. Even better, if you explore its ribbon, you can adjust the color palette and change the overall style of your PowerPoint deck.

The PowerPoint interface, as this basic PowerPoint Tutorial, is really intuitive. We believe that you won't have any problem with this tab!

4. Transitions Tab

Using transitions in PowerPoint is a dynamic way to move from one slide to the next during a presentation. This feature is PowerPoint's stamp, so don ' t miss it!

Some PowerPoint transitions are really classic, like wiping the old slide to present the new one. Others are somewhat over the top, like the “Vortex” or the “Airplane” effect.

If you click on each kind of transition, you'll see a preview on how it would look when presenting. Really cool, right?

5. Animations Tab

In case you want to add special effects for certain elements in your slides , the Animations tab in PowerPoint will interest you.

Like the Transitions tab, you will find various animation effects in this ribbon. It's a matter of trying and choosing the best one according to your needs!

6. Slide Show Tab

As its name says, the Slide Show tab is about presenting your slides . We really like that it gives you several options to show up your presentation!

Considering that you're a PowerPoint beginner, you're not likely to use the Slide Show tab very much.

But if you're curious about this command, you must read our article: How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?

7. Review Tab

The Review tab is not often used by PowerPoint beginners either.

However, if your job is related to writing or if you work at an international company, this tool can be extremely useful!

With this tab, you can check the slide's spelling, translate the text in real-time, and add comments to your slides . This last function can be helpful to give feedback to a colleague.

8. View Tab

This View tab allows you to change the view of your PowerPoint slides and make handouts from them, among other things.

As you can see, the majority of its commands are really specific. So you won't have any issues while designing, test and see!

In this section, our favorite command for PowerPoint beginners is Slide Master . Explore more about this tool in our guide!

9. Recording Tab

In the last versions of this design presentation software, PowerPoint added the Recording tab. As its name says, it allows you to record all your presentation slides .

This ribbon has advanced commands, so the most common action for a PowerPoint beginner is to take a screenshot or record the screen sequentially .

10. Help Tab

Finally, there is the Help tab. If you have any problem or question concerning how to use PowerPoint, you may go here to look for a solution.

In the latest versions, Windows has added a “Show Training” option. You can click this command to practice the PowerPoint basics since it will download training templates.

As a beginner in PowerPoint, you must recognize the objective of each PowerPoint tab to be able to master the software . But, in order to conduct an outstanding presentation deck, you also need to dominate its most important features. Let's see some of them in the next section!

If you feel ready to delve deeper into PowerPoint's tools, this section is for you.

As you may know , 24Slides specializes in creating outstanding presentations for any Design Project . So, we asked one of our experts about her favorite PowerPoint features, and we want to share them all with you!

Carmen Navarrete , Graphic Designer at 24Slides, highlighted the following features that will make your presentations stand out from the crowd:

PowerPoint Feature #1: Crop to Shape

This first PowerPoint feature is simple but effective!

Let's see how to use it:

First, choose an image you want to cut and insert it into your workspace.
Once inserted, select it with the mouse.
Go to the "Picture Format" tab.
Press the arrow of the "Crop" button (right side of the screen).
Select "Crop to Shape."
Choose your favorite shape and customize your PowerPoint presentation!

PowerPoint Feature #2: Merge Shapes

If you don't like any figure enough, you can create one from scratch!

This is possible thanks to the "Merge Shapes" option. Follow these steps to unleash your creativity:

First choose an image you want to cut.
Check the list of PowerPoint shapes (Insert tab > Shapes).
Choose two or three figures you want to merge (they can be the same figure).
Select the figures you are going to merge (see the image).
Once selected, go to the "Shape Format" tab.
Press the "Merge Shapes" option and the type of merge you want (test and choose!).

A new figure will appear, and you must fill it with the image from the first step.
Stay on the Shape Format tab and go to "Shape Fill" (button in the middle of the ribbon).
Select "Picture Fill" and browse for your image.
Select the image to fill your new figure, and that's it!

PowerPoint tip for beginners: When your merged figure is ready, paste the image to the background of your slide to achieve a better result. This way, you can use your image as a canvas and see if both elements fit well.

PowerPoint Feature #3: Insert Icons

This PowerPoint feature is quite easy to follow for PowerPoint beginners!

Just follow these steps:

Go to the Insert tab.
Select the "Icons" option.
A Microsoft 365 library will open, where you can search for the required icon.
Now, you must insert it into your presentation and adapt it to your design.
If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you'll have access to a larger number of icons in PowerPoint.

PowerPoint tip for beginners: If you want to learn more about icons in PowerPoint, read our article on How to Use Icons to Make Amazing PowerPoint Presentations .

PowerPoint Feature #4: Insert SmartArt

PowerPoint's SmartArt is one of the most popular and accessible tools to dominate while learning about PowerPoint basics.

To use it in your slide deck, you must:

Select SmartArt.
See all SmartArt categories and choose your favorite based on your needs.
Add the text you have prepared and adapt it to your presentation.

We want to give you some ideas to master this SmartArt tool in PowerPoint: you can make timelines , flowcharts , and even a Venn diagram in just a few seconds. Try and see!

PowerPoint Feature #5: Remove Background

If you don't know how to use Photoshop and want to remove the background from an image, in this PowerPoint 101 Guide, we show you how:

First choose the image you want to remove the background from.
Insert the image in the PowerPoint workspace.
Select the image and go to the "Picture Format" tab.
Select "Remove Background" (first option on the left).
You can keep and remove parts of the image with the first two tools of the ribbon (see image).
Keep in mind that all the sections highlighted in purple will be deleted.

PowerPoint Feature: Remove Background of image

We recommend zooming in to keep or remove parts of the image with more detail.
Once you're done, press the "Keep Changes" button.
Finally, adapt the new image to your PowerPoint presentation.

PowerPoint tip for beginners: Choose a high-contrast photo or image for best results. In other words, the outline of the person or object you want to cut out must have clear edges and cannot blend with the image's background color.

PowerPoint Feature #6: Add Speaker Notes

The latest PowerPoint feature is a command you can use to prepare your speech before presenting to an audience.

Learning how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint is simple:

Select the slide that needs some notes.
Usually, there is a footer below the slide, but if not, you will have to activate it.
Go to the View tab and select "Notes."
The Speaker Notes section will appear, and you can add whatever you want!

PowerPoint tip for beginners: In case you want to practice your entire presentation and have a lot of notes, go to the View tab and select "Notes Page" (fourth command). You'll be able to see all your Speaker Notes faster!

PowerPoint Feature #7: PowerPoint Translator

If you've ever wondered how to translate your PowerPoint Slides, we'll explain the step by step here:

Go to the Review tab.
Select the text you want to translate.
Press the “Translate” button.
A panel will open on the right side of the screen.
Choose the language you need and you'll see the translation in real-time.
If you press Insert, the text will change to the new translation!

PowerPoint Feature #8: Screen Recording

The process of recording your screen in PowerPoint is straightforward and intuitive. Let's see:

Go to the “Record” or “Recording” tab.
Press the "Record Slide Show" button or the “From Beginning” button (depending on your PPT version).
A new window will open.
Select the red record button and start recording!
When you're done, select “Export.”
By default, the video will be 1080p. If you want to lower the video quality, go to "Customize export."
Name the video, save it to a folder and that's it!

As you may have noticed, this software has endless PowerPoint design options for beginners. We encourage you to try and test each functionality!

However, we're clear that PowerPoint has different features, so it can be hard to know where to start. That's why understanding PowerPoint basics is crucial if you truly want to master this software!

Our PowerPoint 101 Guide continues; stay tuned to discover more great stuff about this Microsoft software. Keep reading!

A PowerPoint template is a pre-made design that you can use for your own means, and that will save you a lot of time!

Templates in PowerPoint are a great resource for designing since all the structure is already done, and you only have to update the content . We can tell you they're the perfect resource for PowerPoint beginners!

They can be incredibly specific. For example, there are templates for a SWOT analysis or a complete Marketing report. Otherwise, templates can also be very general, with several slides with a similar design.

If you struggle with the artistic part of designing presentations, downloading PowerPoint templates will be a life changer!

How to download PowerPoint templates for free?

If you didn't know, 24Slides has an extensive repository of PowerPoint templates. But how to obtain them? It's really simple:

First, create an account on our Free Templates Website with the button “Register” (that way, you can download everything without problems!).
Think about the graphics you need and the ideal structure for your presentation deck (you can also change the color palette later!).
Download it in PowerPoint format (if you prefer it in Google Slides format, you'll also find this type in our repository).
Edit and change everything you need for your PowerPoint presentation!

24Slides Designers specialize in business and corporate PowerPoints, but you'll also find other types of templates on our website: Data templates, Timelines, Roadmaps, Matrixes, Diagrams, and more.

Keep in mind that a well-designed PowerPoint deck helps you communicate stronger messages to your audience . Don't waste this opportunity to make your presentation shine!

If you want to learn more about how to master PowerPoint, do not miss the last section. We'll show you some PowerPoint basics from the software itself!

A PowerPoint 101 Guide wouldn't be that useful with no examples. So, if you enjoy the step-by-step guides, this section is for you.

Below, we'll show you how to make a simple PowerPoint presentation. But first, here are some tips to be more efficient in the process:

Be clear about what type of presentation you're going to create (is it corporate, playful, or more creative?).
Make a draft with the most important information you need to add and, thus, generate a good structure in your presentation .
Get inspired by examples on the internet , but adapt them to your needs and audience.
If you will create a business presentation, keep in mind your brand identity .
Make sure your PowerPoint works , you may need to update to the latest version or pay for the subscription.

Step 1: Make a draft to structure your presentation

As we said before, writing a draft or script of your content will be vital to start on the right foot as a PowerPoint beginner.

This advice is so important that we choose it as the first step to learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation. Remember: Planning is key!

draft to structure a presentation in PowerPoint

Regarding the process of planning, we share some good practices:

If your presentation will be very long , write down all subtitles and content in a Word document. This will help you organize your ideas and give a correct sequence to your narrative. In addition to avoiding redundancies in the message you want to communicate.
If your presentation will use many visual resources , we recommend choosing high-quality images. This will help you have a starting graphic base. Some good free image repositories are Freepick , Unsplash , and Adobe Stock .
If your presentation is based on data , have all your results summarized or your most relevant conclusions at hand. The idea of making a PowerPoint presentation is to show your information in the simplest way possible for your audience.

Step 2: Create a new document in PowerPoint

Once you check that all the functions are working fine with the software, please open it and go to the File tab. If you've ever used Word or Excel, you'll probably find this Home Menu familiar.

In short, this is the main page of PowerPoint, where you can create a new presentation or open an older one. Let's see:

In order to follow this part of our PowerPoint Tutorial correctly, take into consideration the following points:

On the lower side of the screen, you'll find your recently opened PowerPoint files. This option is great for saving some time.
If you don't find the presentation you're looking for, click on the “Open” option at the left bar and find older files.
Don't forget to save your presentation with a relatable name so you won't lose sight of it!

Step 3: Choose the perfect design for your presentation

With your information ready in a draft, it's time to choose the design of your PowerPoint slide deck. You must imagine that the available design options are endless!

For practical reasons, you have three options regarding the design:

Start a design from scratch (very difficult for a PowerPoint beginner).
Choose an established PowerPoint design or layout.
Download a PowerPoint template and modify some details.

Don't worry if you don't know how to continue! In this PowerPoint 101 class, we're going to explain step by step the second option:

How do you set a default design in PowerPoint?

First, go to the Design tab.
Open the list of options by clicking on the third arrow.
Choose the design you like the most for your PowerPoint presentation.

If you want to explore more PowerPoint designs, there is a way to research online. For that, you only need to:

Go to the File tab (first tab, next to the Home tab).
Select "More themes" (see image).

Use the search engine and write the keyword you want (it can be related to your business or it can be a color).
Check the list of PowerPoint themes and choose your favorite.
Wait a few minutes while it loads and keep designing in PowerPoint!

How do you change the layout of one slide in PowerPoint?

In this PowerPoint 101 Guide, you will also learn how to configure the layout of each slide.

Keep in mind that to have a high-impact presentation, you must adapt your slides' design to the type of content you'll add. And using layouts is perfect for this purpose.

To change the layout type in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Right-click on the slide you want to change.
Select the "Layout" option.
You will find more than ten layout models.
Choose the one that best suits your content.
Repeat these steps for each slide (if you wish or require).

How do you change the layout in PowerPoint

How do you customize your slides in PowerPoint?

The design process in this PowerPoint 101 Guide doesn't stop there.

You also can customize your presentation's color palette , font style, background format , and graphics effects .

Just go to:

Design tab > Variants.
Select Colors, Fonts, Effects or Background Styles (as you need).
If you're inspired and want to create your own background in PowerPoint, select Background Styles > Format Background.
Finally, custom your slides as you want!

Step 4: Add all your information to your presentation

Now, it's time to add all your information to your slides. If your script is long, take your time to copy each part of it.

In this PowerPoint Tutorial, we're going to show how our design is going so far. We design at your side!

Step 5: Add transitions or animations to your presentation

The stamp of PowerPoint is its transitions and animations! Naturally, our PowerPoint 101 has considered these essential commands.

If you want to add them to your presentation and make your speech more fluid, follow these steps:

Go to the tabs section of PowerPoint.
Select "Transitions" or "Animations" and try your favorite effects.
Remember that if you select Transitions, these will modify the entire slide, while Animations can be added to each element individually.

When choosing one Animation, you can eliminate it if you aren't 100% convinced. You only need to:

Select the Animation number that appears on the corner.
Press the "Delete" or "Backspace" button on your keyboard.
Choose another Animation in PowerPoint if you want!

How to add transitions or animations to PPT

This “PowerPoint for dummies” is full of tips and tricks! So here is one more: Don't overuse transitions or animations in PowerPoint ; they can make your presentation slower and unprofessional . Use this tool in a subtle way!

Step 6: Refine the final details

As always, every final product must be reviewed. Especially if you're learning the PowerPoint fundamentals with us.

We recommend reviewing each slide of your PowerPoint presentation one final time. In this process, you will be able to:

Add icons if your presentation requires it.
Change any image or illustration if they don't convince you.
Change transitions or animations.
Customize your presentation's color palette .
Proofread your slides' text or add more information.
Add speaker notes to your presentation.

Step 7: Slideshow your presentation

When your presentation is finished, it's essential to know how to make a PowerPoint slideshow. This way, you can see your slides from the exact same perspective your audience will see them.

To slideshow your presentation in PowerPoint, follow these simple steps for PowerPoint beginners:

Position yourself on your first slide.
Go to the bottom right of the software.
Select the "Slide Show" button (see image).
Have a look of your presentation by clicking on each slide or pressing the right arrow on your keyboard.
To go out from the Slide Show mode, you have to press the ESC key.

Now you can present your slides like an expert!

When you master this presentation design software, you'll be able to create amazing things in PowerPoint : infographics, diagrams, charts, pitch decks, business cards, calendars, you name it!

This was our PowerPoint Guide for beginners. We hope that our compilation today will be useful for conducting more professional presentations in the future and, why not, achieve all your goals!

Don't forget to share this PowerPoint 101 Guide with your co-workers or whoever you want!

Want to boost your beginner PowerPoint skills? Check out this content:

How to Work with Multiple Images in PowerPoint
How to Add a Timer to Your Powerpoint Presentations
PowerPoint Charts, Graphs, & Tables Made Easy | Tips & Tricks
How To Use PowerPoint Design Ideas - All Questions Answered!
36 Fun Icebreakers for Your Next Presentation
The Cost of PowerPoint Presentations: Discover the hidden expenses you might overlook!

Create professional presentations online

Tutorial: Save your PowerPoint as a Video

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How To Add Animations To PowerPoint

A step-by-step guide to captivating PowerPoint presentation design

november 20, 2023

by Corporate PowerPoint Girl

Do you often find yourself stuck with a lackluster PowerPoint presentation, desperately seeking ways to make it more engaging and visually appealing? If your boss has ever told you to "please fix" a presentation and you didn't know where to start, you're not alone. In this article, we'll walk you through a straightforward method to transform your PowerPoint slides into a visually captivating masterpiece.

Let's dive right in!

Clean up your slides

The first step in this journey to presentation excellence is all about decluttering your slides and elevating their impact. Say goodbye to those uninspiring bullet points that often dominate presentations. Instead, focus on what truly matters – the key call-out numbers. By increasing the font size of these numbers, you ensure they take center stage, immediately drawing your audience's attention.

To make those numbers pop, consider breaking the text after the numbers into the next line and adding a touch of color. The contrast created by pairing a dark color with a lighter shade, like dark teal and light teal or burnt orange with peach, can work wonders. This simple adjustment makes your data more engaging , enhancing the overall impact of your presentation.

Add dimension with boxes

Now, let's introduce an element of depth and organization to your slides. By adding boxes, you'll create a visually pleasing structure that guides your audience through the content. In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text.

To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly enhances the visual appeal of your slides.

Insert circles

To further enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your slides, let's introduce circles. In the Insert menu, navigate to Shapes and choose the circle. Adjust the circle's height and width to 1.2, ensuring it complements your content seamlessly. Match the circle's shape fill color with the corresponding text color for a harmonious look.

Avoid using colored outlines for the circles, as they may distract from the overall aesthetic. This simple addition of circles adds an element of visual interest to your presentation, making it more captivating.

Choose icons

Now, it's time for a touch of creativity. Selecting icons to complement your text can elevate the clarity and appeal of your slides. In the "Insert" menu, you can search for relevant keywords to find the perfect icon from PowerPoint's extensive library .

For instance, if your text discusses investment portfolio yield, search for "growth" and choose an upward arrow growth icon. These icons add an extra layer of visual appeal and clarity to your content, making it more engaging and informative.

Final touches

To wrap up the transformation process, we come to the final touches that give your presentation a polished, professional finish. Align your icons with their corresponding circles and change the shape fill color to white. This simple adjustment creates a crisp, cohesive look that ties everything together seamlessly.

In conclusion, by following these steps, you've embarked on a journey to enhance your PowerPoint presentation . These initial steps are just the beginning of your exploration into the world of design elements and styles that can cater to your specific presentation needs. The key to a stunning PowerPoint presentation lies in the details. By following these steps, you can turn a lackluster set of slides into a visually engaging and dynamic presentation that will captivate your audience. So, the next time your boss says, "Please fix," you'll know exactly where to start. Happy presenting!

How to Combine Multiple PowerPoints into One

PowerPoint is one of the most widespread and widely used Microsoft tools in the world, allowing you to make high quality presentations in a simple, fast and super visual way. Maybe that's why presentations have triumphed in the world of business and education!

Whether you're a professional or a student, you surely must have had to make more than one presentation throughout your career. That's a piece of cake when you have Slidesgo and its templates! In this post we want to lend you a hand and help you become a true master of this program: today you will learn how to combine different PowerPoint presentations .

How to merge PowerPoint presentations

If you want to join two or more different presentations in the same file, you want to add some extra slides or you need to merge the collaborative work of different teams, all you have to do is follow these steps:

Open the first presentation. For this example we are going to use the template Minimalist Grayscale Pitch Deck .
Go to the Start menu > New Slide. Click on the drop-down, not on the button. A menu will open with different options, select "Reuse slides".
A menu will open on the right with recommended presentations. To add yours, click on Browse. We are going to add slides from the presentation Investment Business Plan .
Go to the place in the presentation where you want the new content to appear.
Choose which slides you want to add and add them one by one by clicking Insert Slide. You can also add the whole presentation by clicking on Insert All.

Pro tip : We recommend that you keep the "Use source formatting" checkbox checked. This feature makes the presentation you are adding keep its original style instead of adapting to the layout of the new one.

Simple, isn't it? There is also another method, just as quick and easy, using the ancient technique known as "copy and paste". It consists of the following:

Open the presentation where you want the new slides to appear.
Open the other presentation and choose the slides you want to add. You can select more than one by pressing Control and clicking on them or you can select all of them by pressing Control + E. For this example we are going to add three slides from the Business Plan with Elegant Backgrounds template.
Right click and press copy or press Control + C.
Now go to the first presentation, choose the location and right click > Paste or press Control + V. Remember to select "Keep source formatting", this will keep the slides from losing their layout.

Now that you know how to put together your favorite presentations and slides, take a look at our website and download the ones that best suit your needs. You can choose resources from different designs and put them together to create the perfect presentation.

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

PowerPoint Tutorials
Presentation Design
January 22, 2024

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

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

Example of the six slides you'll learn how to create in this tutorial

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

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

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

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

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

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

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

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

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

In the backstage view of PowerPoint you can create a new blank presentation, use a template, or open a recent file

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

The PowerPoint interface

Picture of the different parts of the PowerPoint layout, including the Ribbon, thumbnail view, quick access toolbar, notes pane, etc.

Here is how the program is laid out:

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

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

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

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

The PowerPoint Ribbon

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

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

Example of the Shape Format tab in PowerPoint and all of the subsequent commands assoicated with that tab

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

Online Pictures
Screenshots
Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

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

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

Right clicking a PowerPoint slide in the thumbnail view gives you a variety of options like adding new slides, adding sections, changing the layout, etc.

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

Content added to your PowerPoint slides will only display if it's on the slide area, marked here by the letter A

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

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

The notes pane in PowerPoint is located at the bottom of your screen and is where you can type your speaker notes

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

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

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

You can click and drag to resize the notes pane at the bottom of your PowerPoint screen

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

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

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

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

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

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

Click into your content placeholders and start typing text, just as the prompt suggests

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

Example of typing text into a content placeholder in PowerPoint

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

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

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

Use the formatting options on the Home tab to choose the formatting of your text

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

Hitting the reset command on the home tab resets your slide formatting to match your template

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

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

To insert a new slide in PowerPoint, on the home tab click the New Slide command

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

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

Opening the new slide dropdown you can see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template

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

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

Example of a number of different blank slide layouts inserting in a PowerPoint presentation

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

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

Adding Content to Your Slides

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

Use the icons within a content placeholder to insert things like tables, charts, SmartArt, Pictures, etc.

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

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

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

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

Example typing bulleted text in a content placeholder in PowerPoint

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

Examples of text typed into a divider slide and a title and content slide in PowerPoint

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

A picture from the web

A picture placeholder in PowerPoint can only take an image or an icon

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

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

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

To insert a picture into a picture placeholder, click the picture icon, find your picture on your computer and click insert

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

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

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

Example slides using PowerPoint icons and background pictures

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

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

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

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

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

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

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

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

To use Designer on your slides, click the

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

Change the Overall Design (optional)

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

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

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

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

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

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

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

To change your slide size, click the Design tab, open the slide size dropdown and choose a size or custom slide size

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

B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

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

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

All PowerPoint presentations start with the default Microsoft Office theme

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

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

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

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

On the Design tab you will find all of the default PowerPoint templates that come with the Microsoft Office Suite

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

Example choosing the Frame PowerPoint theme and the third variant of this powerpoint presentation

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

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

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

To change the background style of your presentation, on the Design tab, find the Background Styles options and choose a style

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

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

What our PowerPoint presentation looks like now that we have selected a theme, a variant, and a background style

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

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

You can either right-click a PowerPoint slide and select format background or navigate to the design tab and click the format background command

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

Gradient fill
Picture or texture fill
Pattern fill
Hide background

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

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

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

Example of the theme colors we are currently using with this presentation

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

To change the theme color for your presentation, select the Design tab, open the Colors options and choose the colors you want to use

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

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

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

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

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

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

Example of custom theme fonts that might come with a powerpoint template

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

To change the default fonts for your presentation, from the design tab, find the fonts dropdown and select the pair of fonts you want to use

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

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

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

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

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

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

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

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

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

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

To add an animation to an object in PowerPoint, first select the object and then use the Animations tab to select an animation type

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

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

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

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

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

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

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

The Animations tab allows you to adjust the effects and timings of your animations in PowerPoint

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

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

You can see the animations applied to your objects by the little numbers in the upper right-hand corner of the objects

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

Navigate to the Animations tab
Select the Animation Pane

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

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

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

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

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

To add a transition to a slide, select the slide, navigate to the transitions tab in PowerPoint and select your transition

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

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

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

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

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview a transition in PowerPoint

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

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

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

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

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

Click the file tab, select Save As, choose where you want to save your presentation and then click save

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

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

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

The save shortcut is control plus s in PowerPoint

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

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

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

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

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

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

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

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

The print shortcut is control plus P in PowerPoint

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

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

In the Print dialog box, make your selections for how you want to print your PowerPoint presentation, then click print

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Slides.AddSlide method (PowerPoint)

7 contributors

Creates a new slide, adds it to the Slides collection, and returns the slide.

expression . AddSlide ( _Index_ , _pCustomLayout_ )

expression An expression that returns a Slides object.

Name	Required/Optional	Data type	Description
	Required		The index of the slide to be added.
	Required		The layout of the slide.

Return value

The following example shows how to use the Add method to add a new slide to the Slides collection. It adds a new slide in index position 2 that has the same layout as the first slide in the active presentation.

If your Visual Studio solution includes the Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint reference, this method maps to the following types:

Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint.Slides.Add(int, Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint.PpSlideLayout)

Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint.Slides.AddSlide(int, Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint.CustomLayout)

Slides Object

Support and feedback

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Coming soon: Throughout 2024 we will be phasing out GitHub Issues as the feedback mechanism for content and replacing it with a new feedback system. For more information see: https://aka.ms/ContentUserFeedback .

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Additional resources

How to Add Music to Your Canva Presentation: A Step-by-Step Guide

Learn to enhance your Canva presentations by adding music with our easy step-by-step guide. Elevate your slideshows effortlessly!

Why Add Music to Your Presentation?

Set the tone : Music evokes emotions and can set the mood of your presentation, whether you're aiming for inspiring, motivational, or calming.
Increase engagement : Background music can help maintain audience interest and engagement, especially during longer presentations.
Enhance recall : Audio elements can aid memory retention, making your key points more memorable.
Create a professional feel : Well-chosen music can add a layer of polish and professionalism to your presentation.

Step 1: Open the Audio Tab

Step 2: Find the Perfect Track

Step 3: Add Music to Your Design

Step 4: Explore More from an Audio Contributor

Best practices for using music in presentations.

Choose wisely : Select music that reflects the content and purpose of your presentation. Avoid tracks with heavy lyrics or overpowering themes that could distract from your message.
Keep it legal : Always use royalty-free music or tracks you have the rights to use, especially in professional or public settings. Canva's library is licensed for use, but double-check if you’re using external sources.
Test your setup : Before presenting, ensure your speakers or audio setup are working correctly and that the music plays as expected in the presentation environment.

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How to Add Music to PowerPoint In 4 Simple Ways (2024)

Having trouble finding a way to insert audio in your PPT? Learn 4 ways to add music to PowerPoint presentation and tips to repair your corrupted audios with 4DDiG Audio Repair

5 mins read

Updated on 2024-08-14 15:18:01 to Audio Repair Solutions

Adding background audio to a PowerPoint presentation can make it more engaging for your audience. Imagine presenting a PPT on your fried food restaurant to your investors complete with biting crispy chips & crunchy chicken sounds.

You can be sure their stomach would definitely approve to invest in your business. In this guide we’ll explain in detail how to add music to PowerPoint fron both online and offline sources in a non-complicated way. We’ll also share a bonus tip for repairing an audio file that won’t play in PPT.

Part 1: How to Add Music to PowerPoint?

Whether you have a downloaded music file, or want to record audio for your PPT slide, there are several ways to insert audio to PowerPoint. Here’s we’ve shared 4 simple ways with detailed steps:

Way 1: Add Audio from My PC

If you already have a downloaded or pre-recorded audio file on your computer you can insert it into your PPT file through “Audio from My PC” feature. You can add an audio file to a single slide or play it throughout your PowerPoint presentation and also edit music file and play button. Here’s how to add audio to PowerPoint for all slides from your PC:

Open your PPT file. Head to “Insert” tab.

Click “Audio.” Following that, pick “Audio on My PC.”

In “Insert Audio” box, choose a music file you wish to add and click “Insert.” An audio icon will appear on your slide.

Head to “Playback” tab and select either “Play in Background” or “No Style” based on how you want audio to play in your PPT file.

Play in Background - Music plays automatically across all slides.
No Style - Music plays only when you click audio icon and stops when you change slides.

Way 2: Record Audio on PowerPoint

To add a personal touch or live elements to your presentation, you can quickly record narration or commentary directly in PowerPoint slides. But make sure your device’s microphone is enabled before you do this. Here’s how to add music to PowerPoint slideshow by recording audio:

Click “Audio.” Following that, select “Record Audio.”

In “Record Audio” box, tap “Record” icon to start recording.

Click “Stop” icon to end audio recording. Click “OK” to add recorded audio to your slide.

Way 3: Insert an Offscreen Video

In case the audio you wish to insert into your PPT is part of a video, you can play just audio without including video in your presentation. Here’s how to add audio to a PowerPoint file from an offscreen video:

Open “Video” drop-down. Choose one option from “Insert Video from: “This Device,” “Stock Videos,” or “Online Videos” to add footage with audio.

Drag a corner of video to make it smaller and move it off slide.

Select video, head to “Playback” tab, and set it to play on click or automatically.

Step-by-Step Fixes for Audio Codec Not Supported Error

Way 4: Trim the Added Audio on PowerPoint

You can also add music to your PowerPoint by trimming audio clips to match slide durations. Simply, remove unwanted parts and adjust timing and synchronization of audio. Here’s how to add audio to PowerPoint by editing it:

Select audio clip on slide. Then, head to “Playback” tab.

Click “Trim Audio.” Then, tap “Play” to find where you want to cut, then click “Pause.”

Use “Next Frame” and “Previous Frame” for precise marker placement.

To trim, drag start point or end point to set new start or end positions.

Part 2: How to Add Music to PowerPoint From YouTube?

Here’s how to add music to PowerPoint from YouTube in 2 ways. Pick a method based on whether you want to insert audio from a downloaded YouTube video or a YouTube URL into your PPT file:

Way 1: Insert the Downloaded YouTube Music as Audio Files

If you have a downloaded YouTube music file you can insert it as audio into your PPT file for offline presentations. Besides, you can also trim, adjust the volume, and add effects to audio as needed. Here’s how to add music to a PowerPoint slide from a downloaded YouTube video:

In “Insert Audio” box, choose your downloaded YouTube music file and click “Insert.”

An audio icon will appear on your slide. Choose it and click “Playback” tab.

Adjust settings like volume, start, fade, trim, or bookmark. Then, you have 3 options to play music in your PPT file:

Check “Play in Background” to play audio file across all PPT slides.

Tick “Loop until Stopped” to loop music.

Select Automatically from Start drop-down menu to start music when a slide appears.

Way 2: Copy the URL of the YouTube Video

Find a YouTube video and copy its URL. Then, open PPT file and select your desired slide.

Head to “Insert” tab. Click “Audio,” and following that, choose “Insert Video from: “Online Videos.”

Paste YouTube video URL and tap “Insert.” The video will appear on slide and you can adjust its size and position as needed.

insert the online video url and adjust size

To play only audio, right-click video and head to “Playback “tab.

Check “Play Full Screen” and “Hide While Not Playing” to hide video when not playing.

Bonus Tip: How to Fix PowerPoint Audio Not Playing

If you’ve added audio to your PPT and it won’t play, it can be really stressful, especially with a presentation looming and no backup of audio. However, you can use a repair tool like 4DDiG Audio Repair to fix it. It can fix unplayable, corrupted, broken, RAW, and unrendered audio files with high success. This tool also offers to:

Remove background noise, static, distortion, pops, and other flaws from audio files to improve sound quality.
Remove gaps in audio signal, and unsupported format errors.
Fix audio dropouts due to transmission issues.
Batch repair multiple audio files of various formats at one time.
Support various audio formats like M4A, MP3, AAC, FLAC and WAV.
Compatible with different recording devices and downloaded sources.

Here’s how to use 4DDiG Audio Repair to fix unplayable PPT audio file:

Download, install and run 4DDiG File Repair. Then, select “Audio Repair” to choose its music file repairing feature.

Click “Add Audio” to add music file that won’t play on your PowerPoint slide.

Tap “Repair All.” The tool will start repairing unplayable audio file. Afterward, listen repaired audio file to check if its playable again.

Click “Save” to export individual files or “Save All” to export all repaired files. Choose a secure location on your computer to export them to.

How to Repair a Corrupt PowerPoint File? 6 Ways to Go

How to Add Music to PowerPoint FAQs

Q 1: can i add spotify music to powerpoint.

You can’t directly add Spotify music due to DRM protection. However, you can create themed cards or images with embedded Spotify links. Place these cards in your PPT file. Clicking them will open Spotify for online playback during your presentation.

Q 2: How to play Audio automatically in PowerPoint?

In “Normal view,” click audio icon on your PPT slide. Head to “Playback” tab. In “Audio Options” group, choose “In Click Sequence” or “Automatically” from “Start” list.

Q 3: Where can I get free music for PowerPoint?

You can get royalty-free music for PowerPoint from websites like Chosic, YouTube Audio Library, Incompetech, SoundCloud, Bensound, and Free Music Archive.

Conclusion:

By learning how to add music to PowerPoint, you can improve your PowerPoint presentations with engaging audio that captures your audience’s interest. Whether you’re adding background music, voiceovers, or sound effects, these methods allow you to create dynamic and captivating presentations. However, if your audio won’t play in PPT, a powerful tool like 4DDiG Audio Repair can help fix it with a high success rate, ensuring your presentation goes smoothly.

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Everything you need to know about animations and transitions in powerpoint.

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If your pc won't run windows 11, here are 5 great linux operating systems to try instead, 10 habits to keep resource usage low on a windows pc, quick links, what are animations, what are transitions, things to note before you begin, how to add, amend, and remove an animation, how to add, amend, and remove a transition, using the morph transition.

PowerPoint's animations and transitions can help you grab your audience's attention, present information in bite-sized chunks, and—when used sparingly—deliver a more professional presentation. In this article, we'll run through the nuts and bolts of these useful PowerPoint tools.

PowerPoint's Animation drop-down is opened, displaying the many different types of animations available.

Animations are effects you can add to your slides' text, pictures, shapes, graphics, tables, and other elements. There are four different types of animations:

Entrance animations—These are the effects you can add to make an object appear on your slide in different ways.
Emphasis animations—You can add an emphasis animation to an object already visible on your slide, such as changing its size or color.
Exit animations—The opposite to entrance animations, exit animations make objects disappear from your slide through different effects.
Motion paths animations —You can make an element on your slide move to a different place, with your audience seeing this movement from where it started to where it ends up.

You can use more than one animation on a single object. For example, you can apply an entrance animation to some text, followed by an emphasis animation.

PowerPoint's Transiton drop-down is opened, displaying the many different types of transitions available.

A transition effect dictates how your presentation progresses from one slide to the next, and you can choose from three different levels of complexity:

Subtle—These are the most basic types of transitions in PowerPoint, aiding speed and slickness as you jump from one slide to the next.
Exciting—You can make your transitions more visually entertaining.
Dynamic—A dynamic transition applies to all parts of a slide, except for the background, giving the illusion that the content is rolling through on a single page.

Only one transition effect can be added to each slide, and it's important that you apply the transition to the slide that will be visible once the transition is complete. For example, if you have two slides and want to create a transition effect as you move from slide 1 to slide 2, you will need to apply the transition to slide 2.

Before you add animation and transition effects to your PowerPoint presentation, bear in mind the following tips:

Don't add too many animations and transitions . Overusing these features can distract your audiences in ways you didn't intend to, and they can also look tacky and unprofessional. Ask yourself, "Does this make my presentation better?" If the answer is no, don't add it.
Another issue with using too many animations and transitions is that it could significantly slow down your PowerPoint file's processing speed , as it adds volume to your file size.
Keep things professional in the right contexts. For example, if you're presenting a formal business plan, you don't want to add funky transitions that take ten seconds to complete. Try sticking to slick effects that last less than a second.
Use the same transition effect for each slide and, if you can, the same animation for each item.

It's a widely shared opinion that Microsoft 365's desktop apps offer more flexibility and functionality than their web-based counterparts. However, the exact opposite can be said for adding animations, which is significantly easier to do on PowerPoint for the web than via the subscription-only app. So, to create the animations for screenshots in this section, we have used PowerPoint online, rather than the desktop app, and we recommend that you do the same.

Before you add any animations, click "Animation Pane" in the Animations tab on the ribbon. This will open a pane on the right side of your window, which will make seeing and managing your animations much easier.

The Animation Pane button in PowerPoint is selected.

Now, select the item you want to animate. If you want several items on a slide to animate in the same way at the same time, hold Ctrl while clicking them all. Then, click the down arrow in the Animations tab, and choose the appropriate effect.

An item selected in PowerPoint, and the Animation drop-down choices displayed.

You will then see an animation card in the Animation Pane for the effect you just added. Here, you can change the animation type, how it is activated (whether via a click, with the previous animation, or after the previous animation), and the duration and delay.

An animation card in the Animation Pane on PowerPoint for the web.

If you have more than one animation on a slide and want to reorder them, click and drag the six dots next to the relevant animation card upwards or downwards.

The six dots used to reorder animations in the Animation Pane is highlighted, with arrows indicating it can be moved upwards or downwards.

Finally, to remove an animation, click the trash icon on the appropriate animation card.

The trash icons on the animation cards in PowerPoint for the web.

You can also animate paragraphs of text within a text box. To do so, select the relevant text, and follow the same process.

Whether you're using PowerPoint's desktop app or the online version of the program, adding transitions involves a very similar process.

First, select the slide you want to transition to (for example, you'll select slide 2 if you want to create a transition from slide 1 to slide 2) in the slide thumbnail pane, and then click the "Transitions" tab on the ribbon.

A slide selected in PowerPoint, and the Transition tab opened.

To see more transitions, click the down arrow on the right-hand side of the Transition To This Slide group.

The arrow in PowerPoint that, when clicked, displays more transition effects.

Clicking any of the transition effects on display will do two things—first, it will show you a preview of what that transition will look like, and second, it will apply that transition to that slide.

You can then amend the options (such as the direction of the transition) and timing of the transition using the settings on the right side of the Transitions tab. This is where you can also add a sound effect to the transition, or decide whether the transition effect occurs when you click your mouse or automatically after a given length of time.

The additional options that can be added to a PowerPoint transition, such as timing, sound effects, or delays.

If you want to apply the same transition effect and options to all slides, click "Apply To All" in the Timing group of the Transition tab when you have finished setting up your transition's parameters. You can then select individual slides to make further adjustments if needed.

To remove a transition, select the slide in the slide thumbnail pane, and click "None" in the Transitions tab.

A PowerPoint file with the Transitions tab opened, and None selected as the transition type.

PowerPoint's Morph is a transition effect that recognizes differences between the same items on two slides, and smoothly transitions between them when you proceed from one slide to the next. For example, you might have an image on slide 1, and the same image in a different position on slide 2. The morph transition gives your audience the impression that you're still on the same slide, but the objects are merely moving and resizing.

This is different to the motion path animation, which you can set for different items and activate at different times on your slide. The morph transition, however, moves all items together as you move from one slide to the next, saving you from having to apply motion path animations to individual objects. Any objects on the first slide but not the second will simply fade away during the morph transition. Similarly, any new items on the second slide will appear gradually.

In this example, we have a title and an image on slide 1, and the same objects on slide 2 but in different places and different sizes. We created this scenario by copying and pasting the whole of slide 1, and then changing the text and image on slide 2. However, you can also create a blank slide, and then copy and paste the different elements you want to morph.

Two slides in PowerPoint containing the same items but in different positions and different sizes.

Then, we need to select slide 2, and click "Morph" in the Transitions tab on the ribbon.

The morph transition in PowerPoint being applied to slide 2 via the Transitions tab.

Then, press F5 to see your presentation, and witness the smooth morph transition from one slide to the next. You can also use this transition effect to zoom into an image or fade an image into the background. Just ensure that you copy and paste from one slide to the next before you create the transition, so that PowerPoint recognizes them as the same.

If animations and transitions are new to you, check out these other tips that you should also know before you design your next presentation.

Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft 365

NIST 800-53
Common Controls Hub

Open/Save of PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates, and add-in files must be blocked.

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-223379	O365-PT-000003	SV-223379r961086_rule		Medium

Description
This policy setting allows you to determine whether users can open, view, edit, or save PowerPoint files with the format specified by the title of this policy setting. If you enable this policy setting, you can specify whether users can open, view, edit, or save files. The options that can be selected are below. Note: Not all options may be available for this policy setting. - Do not block: The file type will not be blocked. - Save blocked: Saving of the file type will be blocked. - Open/Save blocked, use open policy: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked. The file will open based on the policy setting configured in the "default file block behavior" key. - Block: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked, and the file will not open. - Open in Protected View: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked, and the option to edit the file type will not be enabled. - Allow editing and open in Protected View: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked, and the option to edit will be enabled. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the file type will not be blocked.

Description

This policy setting allows you to determine whether users can open, view, edit, or save PowerPoint files with the format specified by the title of this policy setting. If you enable this policy setting, you can specify whether users can open, view, edit, or save files. The options that can be selected are below. Note: Not all options may be available for this policy setting. - Do not block: The file type will not be blocked. - Save blocked: Saving of the file type will be blocked. - Open/Save blocked, use open policy: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked. The file will open based on the policy setting configured in the "default file block behavior" key. - Block: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked, and the file will not open. - Open in Protected View: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked, and the option to edit the file type will not be enabled. - Allow editing and open in Protected View: Both opening and saving of the file type will be blocked, and the option to edit will be enabled. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the file type will not be blocked.

STIG	Date
	2024-06-10

Check Text ( C-25052r744264_chk )
Verify the policy value for User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 >> PowerPoint Options >> Security >> Trust Center >> File Block Settings >> PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates and add-in files is set to "Enabled" "Open/Save blocked, use open policy". Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key: HKCU\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\powerpoint\security\fileblock If the value for binaryfiles is set to REG_DWORD = 2, this is not a finding.

Check Text ( C-25052r744264_chk )

Verify the policy value for User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 >> PowerPoint Options >> Security >> Trust Center >> File Block Settings >> PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates and add-in files is set to "Enabled" "Open/Save blocked, use open policy".

Use the Windows Registry Editor to navigate to the following key:

HKCU\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\powerpoint\security\fileblock

If the value for binaryfiles is set to REG_DWORD = 2, this is not a finding.

Fix Text (F-25040r442357_fix)
Set the policy value for User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 >> PowerPoint Options >> Security >> Trust Center >> File Block Settings >> PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates and add-in files to "Enabled" "Open/Save blocked, use open policy".

Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view Article
Add speaker notes to your slides Article
Rehearse and time the delivery of a presentation Article
Record a slide show with narration and slide timings Article
Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes Article
Create a self-running presentation Article

Add speaker notes to your slides

When you're creating a presentation, you can add speaker notes to refer to later while delivering the slide show in front of an audience.

During your presentation, the speaker notes are visible on your monitor, but aren't visible to the audience. So the Notes pane is the place to store talking points that you want to mention when you give your presentation.

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Add notes while creating your presentation

The Notes pane is a box that appears below each slide. (It is outlined in magenta in the picture below.) An empty Notes pane will prompt you with text that says, Click to add notes . Type your speaker notes there. If you don’t see the Notes pane or it is completely minimized, click Notes on the task bar across the bottom of the PowerPoint window (also marked in magenta in the picture below).

Shows the speaker Notes pane in PowerPoint

If your notes exceed the allotted length of the Notes pane, a vertical scroll bar appears on the side of the pane. You can also enlarge the Notes pane by pointing your mouse at the top line of the pane and then dragging upward after the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow.

What the notes look like in Presenter view

Tip: You can add notes either while you’re presenting, directly from Presenter view, or as you’re editing your presentation. For information on how to add speaker notes to while editing your presentation, see Add speaker notes to your slides.

The notes appear in a pane on the right. If you need to add or delete something, simply click in the text box to edit it. The text wraps automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears if necessary. You can also change the size of the text in the Notes pane by using the two buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane:

Change the size of the text in the Notes pane in Presenter view

Presenter view isn't something you have to create. PowerPoint assembles it for you by gathering the notes you've typed for each slide and pairing them with a set of controls for navigating through your presentation.

By default, PowerPoint is set to use Presenter view when you run a slide show. You can change this setting on the Slide Show tab of the PowerPoint ribbon:

The Presenter View option is controlled by a check box on the Slide Show tab of the ribbon in PowerPoint.

Read Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view for more details about how to see and use Presenter view.

Print speaker notes

See Print slides with or without speaker notes .

Print slides with or without speaker notes

Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view

Transfer slides from one presentation to another

Add notes to your slides

To add notes to your slides, do the following:

On the View menu, click Normal .

Select the thumbnail of the slide you want to add notes to.

Shows a slide selected in the thumbnail pane in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

The notes pane will appear beneath your slide. Click where it says Click to add notes and type whatever notes you'd like to add.

Shows the notes pane in PowerPoint 216 for Mac

View your notes while you present

If you want to view your notes while you're presenting but make sure your audience only sees what you've put on the slide itself, use presenter view. Here's how:

On the View menu, click Presenter View .

You'll see the main slide that you're presenting, a preview of the next slide, and any notes you've added for the current slide below the preview of the next slide.

Shows notes in Presenter View in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

Your audience will only the slides that you're presenting in your presentation, and not your notes.

Print your slides and handouts

PowerPoint for the web lets you create speaker notes, but it doesn't have the ability to show you the notes while you're presenting your slide show.

Create speaker notes

On the View tab of the ribon, 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.

The Notes pane appears across the bottom portion of the window.

If you're a Microsoft 365 business subscriber and your presentation is stored on OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint in Microsoft 365, you can print your speaker notes. See Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes for more information.

See speaker notes while presenting

Currently you must use a desktop version of PowerPoint to see speaker notes while you're presenting.

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Open/Save of PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates, and
Check Text ( C-25052r744264_chk ) Verify the policy value for User Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 >> PowerPoint Options >> Security >> Trust Center >> File Block Settings >> PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates and add-in files is set to "Enabled" "Open/Save blocked, use open policy".
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