powerpoint slide preview

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

Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view

Using Presenter view is a great way to view your presentation with speaker notes on one computer (your laptop, for example), while only the slides themselves appear on the screen that your audience sees (like a larger screen you're projecting to).

If you're using PowerPoint 2013 or a newer version, just connect the monitors and PowerPoint automatically sets up Presenter View for you.

If Presenter view appears on the wrong screen, you can swap the display quickly .

Turn off Presenter view if you prefer not to use it.

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Start presenting

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

Use the controls in Presenter view

To move to the previous or next slide, select Previous or Next .

To view all the slides in your presentation, select See all slides .

Click Slide Navigator to view all slides

Tip: You’ll see thumbnails of all the slides in your presentation (as shown below), making it easy to jump to a specific slide in the show.

A grid with thumbnail images of all slides in the presentation.

To view a detail in your slide up close, select Zoom into slide , and then point to the part you want to see.

For more details on zooming in, see Zoom in to part of a slide .

To point to or write on your slides as you present, select Pen and laser pointer tools .

Use the pen or laser tool to point to or write on slides

Press the Esc key when you want to turn off the pen, laser pointer, or highlighter.

To hide or unhide the current slide in your presentation, select Black or unblack slide show .

You can use PowerPoint on your smartphone as a remote control to run your presentation and view your speaker notes. See Using a laser pointer on your smartphone when presenting in PowerPoint for more information, including a brief video.

Swap the Presenter view and Slide view monitors

To manually determine which screen shows your notes in Presenter view and which shows only the slides themselves, on the task bar at the top of Presenter view, select Display Settings , and then select Swap Presenter View and Slide Show .

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 your presentation see Add speaker notes to your slides.

This button starts a slide show, beginning from the first slide in the presentation.

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 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

To change the size of the panes in Presenter View, point your mouse at the vertical line that separates them, then click and drag.

Tip: If you don't need to see the current slide in Presenter View at all, and would like your notes to be larger, drag that vertical separator line all the way to the left.

Turn off Presenter view

If you want Presenter view turned off while you are showing your presentation to others:

On the Slide Show tab of the ribbon, clear the check box named Use Presenter View .

The Slide Show tab in PowerPoint has a check box to control whether Presenter View is used when you show a presentation to others.

Keep your slides updated

If you're working with a team of people to create your slide deck it may be that changes are being made to the slides right up to the last minute. Traditionally once you've started your presentation your slides wouldn't update. If you're using PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 you have the option to let your slides be updated by your team even as you're presenting so that you always have the up-to-the-minute changes.

You can turn this on by going to the Slide Show tab of the ribbon, selecting Set Up Slide Show , and checking the box for Keep slides updated .

The Show options group of Set Up Slide Show with Keep slides updated enabled.

If you've already started your presentation and you want to make sure that setting is on, you can do that from Presenter view. Select the More slide show options button (which looks like three dots) and on the menu make sure Keep Slides Updated is checked.

The More slide show options menu in Presenter view.

Using a laser pointer on your smartphone when presenting in PowerPoint

To start using Presenter view, select Slide Show > Presenter View .

To move to the previous or next slide, select the Previous or Next arrow.

To turn off the pen, laser pointer, or highlighter, press the Esc key.

To make the screen black or to un-black the screen, Press b on the keyboard.

Toggle subtitles on or off in Presenter view.

Extend your Mac desktop to the second monitor

On the Apple menu, select System Preferences .

Open the Displays app.

Click the Arrangement tab in the dialog box.

Clear the Mirror Displays check box.

By doing this process, you now have a two-monitor setup. You can present a PowerPoint slide show on one screen while having other applications open on the other screen, keeeping those other apps private to yourself.

To manually determine which screen shows your notes in Presenter view and which shows only the slides themselves, on the task bar at the top left of Presenter view, select Swap Displays .

When your computer is connected to a projector and you start Presenter View, it appears on your computer's screen, while only the slides appear on the projector screen.

Presenter view includes a pane for speaker notes on the right and a navigation pane at the bottom.

The notes appear in a pane on the right:

The text wraps automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears if necessary.

You can edit the text in the Notes pane.

You can change the size of the text in the Notes pane by using the two buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane:

Font-size controls for the Notes in Presenter view.

You can adjust the size of the current slide, and notes and next slide panels, by using your mouse to grab and drag the vertical line that separates the two panels.

Turn off Presenter view before a presentation begins

On the PowerPoint menu, select Preferences .

In the PowerPoint Preferences dialog box, under Output and Sharing , click Slide Show .

In the Slide Show dialog box, clear the Always start Presenter View with 2 displays check box.

Close the dialog box.

Turn off Presenter view during a presentation

At the top of the Presentation view window, click Use Slide Show .

This button closes Presenter view. As a result, both your personal computer screen and the projector screen show the slide show.

If you're working with a team of people to create your slide deck it may be that changes are being made to the slides right up to the last minute. Traditionally once you've started your presentation your slides wouldn't update. If you're using PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac you have the option to let your slides be updated by your team even as you're presenting so that you always have the up-to-the-minute changes.

You can turn this on by going to the Slide Show tab of the ribbon, and checking the box for Keep Slides Updated .

The slide show tab of the ribbon showing "Keep Slides Updated" selected.

Create a self-running presentation

Record your slide show

Keep slides updated

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Preview a slide show in PowerPoint

One of the main reasons most people create a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint is so that the information can be presented to an audience. It is important that you test your presentation throughout the development process to ensure the formatting, layout and other elements are appearing exactly as you intend. You should also be able to easily navigate the program when working in slideshow mode.

Shocking as it may seem, I have attended presentations where the presenter has actually shown their entire slideshow in the normal view within PowerPoint, essentially meaning the audience can see the full PowerPoint window, future slides, and notes. This also means that the slide is taking up a fraction of the screen when compared to it being displayed in slideshow mode which provides you with a full-screen view as well as the added bonus of some handy slideshow tools.

Let’s have a look at how to run a presentation in slideshow mode.

I hope this information has helped you to be able to run your presentation in slide show mode and use keyboard shortcuts where possible.

PowerPoint Slide Show preview plus Notes view as an alternative to Presenter View (1 monitor/screen, Windows)

Perhaps the single biggest challenge to presenting virtually from home has been how to see your speaking notes and share your slides in PowerPoint if you only have one screen or monitor (likely your laptop screen). This has been a challenge for presenters on all platforms: Zoom, Teams, Webex, Google Meet, and others.

I have published previous articles and videos with solutions such as sharing a portion of the screen in Zoom ( Windows or Mac ), adding a ghost monitor to have a second screen ( Windows or Mac ), and using a PDF of your notes beside your slides running in a window ( general approach and additional tips for low-res screens ).

In this article I want to share another approach that uses a feature in PowerPoint on Windows called Slide Show Preview. This feature has been around for many years and is usually used as a way to quickly check animations and transitions when developing slides. The Mac version of PowerPoint does not have this feature.

This approach involves running the Slide Show preview that covers the top left quarter of your screen with the slide show so you can share the slides in the meeting. On the right side of the screen you view and scroll through the Notes view in PowerPoint so you can see the current slide and notes while you are presenting. The lower left of your screen can contain the meeting chat or attendee videos. Here’s what this looks like when presenting.

Set up & Display Notes View

The Notes Master controls how the Notes view looks on the screen. Click on the Notes Master button on the View ribbon to edit the Notes view. I recommend increasing the font for the notes text so it is easier to read. You can also adjust the size of the slide image. If you have a lot of notes or need to make the font very large, you can make the slide image smaller. Click the Close Master View button once you have the Notes view the way you want it.

Display the Notes view by clicking on the Notes Page button on the View ribbon. This shows you the current slide and notes in the format you set in the Notes Master. Resize the PowerPoint window so it takes up only the right side of the screen and it is oriented in a portrait direction similar to the Notes page.

To make the page even larger, hide the ribbon using the up arrow in the lower right corner of the ribbon. Adjust the zoom level of the view using the zoom controls in the lower right of the PowerPoint window. Make sure that when you scroll with the mouse wheel it moves one page for each wheel click. If it takes two clicks to scroll to the next page, make the zoom slightly lower as PowerPoint thinks it needs to scroll down the page before going to the next page.

If the text is not large enough, go back and adjust it in the Notes Master.

Open Slide Show preview

Since you only have one screen, you should not have to turn off Presenter View on the Slide Show ribbon or set the Monitor to your primary monitor (if you are using this approach with multiple monitors you will need to change both of these settings).

Start Slide Show preview by holding the Alt key and clicking on the Slide Show icon in the lower left footer of the PowerPoint window. This will start the slide show from the current slide in a window that takes up the top left quarter of your screen.

Share Slide Show Preview in the meeting

In the meeting platform use the window sharing mode to share the Slide Show preview window. It is important that the Notes page window does not overlap the Slide Show preview window. If it does, the audience will see the overlapping portion as well. While it appears that the Slide Show preview window and the PowerPoint window with the Notes pages are two different windows, they are actually treated as a hybrid in the operating system and will show when overlapped.

If the meeting platform controls are at the top of the screen, they may be on top of your slides. You should be able to move the meeting platform control bar by dragging it slightly to the right so you can see the top of your slides.

Advance slides and notes

When using this approach you can see the slide that is being shared with the attendees and you can see your notes (that the attendees can’t see). The operating system focus should be on the Slide Show preview. If it is not or you click somewhere else on the screen, just click on the Slide Show preview window to return focus to that window.

Use the arrow keys on you keyboard to advance the builds and slide in the slide show. Use your mouse wheel to scroll through the Notes pages. Do not click on the Notes pages to move them, just scroll with the mouse wheel. If you click on the Notes pages you move the operating system focus to the Notes pages.

A good habit to employ when using this approach to present is to use the arrow keys to advance the builds on a slide. When you move to the next slide, pause a moment to advance the Notes pages with the mouse wheel. The attendees won’t notice the pause and it gives you time to make sure that your notes and slide are in sync.

Use Slide Show tools

The Slide Show preview is full Slide Show mode so you can use all of the Slide Show tools like the drawing tools, zooming in on a slide, and jumping to another slide using the thumbnails. You can access all of these tools through the semi-transparent menu that appears in the lower left corner of the Slide Show preview when you move your mouse over the slide. The attendees will see everything you do since the window is being shared with them.

Stop Sharing and Exit Slide Show preview when done

When you are finished your presentation, stop sharing the Slide Show preview window in the meeting. You can then exit Slide Show preview by pressing the Escape key as you would when using the regular Slide Show mode.

You will likely want to resize your PowerPoint window and return to the Normal view. If the ribbon is hidden you can display the full ribbon again by clicking on the pin icon in the lower right corner of any ribbon when it is displayed.

Find an approach that is comfortable for you

If you only have the one screen or monitor for a virtual presentation, you have different options for seeing your notes and sharing your slides with the meeting attendees. The approach in this article might be the one that you are most comfortable using.

Video of this approach

See me demonstrate this approach in the video below.

1 or 2 screens? Teams, Zoom, or Webex? Windows or Mac?

Where to go next –> More articles on virtual presenting –> Training for your team on presenting virtually –> More articles on virtual & hybrid sales presentations –> Training for your sales team

Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world . His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don’t overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 3.5 million times and liked over 14,000 times on YouTube.

By Dave Paradi

Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world . His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don't overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 3.5 million times and liked over 14,000 times on YouTube.

PowerPoint 2016 - Presenting Your Slide Show

Powerpoint 2016 -, presenting your slide show, powerpoint 2016 presenting your slide show.

PowerPoint 2016: Presenting Your Slide Show

Lesson 12: presenting your slide show.

/en/powerpoint2016/printing/content/

Introduction

Once your slide show is complete, you'll need to learn how to present it to an audience. PowerPoint offers several tools and features to help make your presentation smooth, engaging, and professional.

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Watch the video below to learn more about presenting your slide show.

Presenting a slide show

Before you present your slide show, you'll need to think about the type of equipment that will be available for your presentation. Many presenters use projectors during presentations, so you might want to consider using one as well. This allows you to control and preview slides on one monitor while presenting them to an audience on another screen.

To start a slide show:

There are several ways you can begin your presentation:

clicking the Start From Beginning command on the Quick Access Toolbar

To advance and reverse slides:

You can advance to the next slide by clicking your mouse or pressing the spacebar on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can use or arrow keys on your keyboard to move forward or backward through the presentation.

You can also hover your mouse over the bottom-left and click the arrows to move forward or backward.

hovering the mouse to access navigation buttons in Slide Show view

To stop a slide show:

You can exit presentation mode by pressing the Esc key on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click the Slide Show Options button in the bottom-left and select End Show .

The presentation will also end after the last slide . You can click the mouse or press the spacebar to return to Normal view.

returning to PowerPoint after the final slide

Presentation tools and features

PowerPoint provides convenient tools you can use while presenting your slide show. For example, you can change your mouse pointer to a pen or highlighter to draw attention to items in your slides. In addition, you can jump around to slides in your presentation or access other programs from your taskbar if needed.

To show the taskbar:

Sometimes you may need to access the Internet or other files and programs on your computer during your presentation. PowerPoint allows you to access your taskbar without ending the presentation.

Locate and select the Slide Options button in the bottom-left corner.

Slide options

You can also access any of the menu items above by right-clicking anywhere on the screen during your slide show.

To skip to a nonadjacent slide:

You can jump to slides out of order if needed.

The selected slide will appear.

To access drawing tools:

Your mouse pointer can act as pen or highlighter to draw attention to items in your slides.

Locate and select the Pen Tools button in the bottom-left corner.

You can also use the laser pointer feature to draw attention to certain parts of your slide. Unlike the pen and highlighter, the laser pointer will not leave markings on your slides. To use the laser pointer, select it from Pen Tools, or press and hold the Ctrl key and the left mouse button.

To erase ink markings:

When you end a slide show, you'll also have the option to Keep or Discard any ink annotations made during your presentation. If you keep ink markings, they'll appear as objects on your slides in Normal view.

Presenter view

If you're presenting your slide show with a second display—like a projector—you can use Presenter view . Presenter view gives you access to a special set of controls on your screen that the audience won't see, allowing you to easily reference slide notes , preview the upcoming slide , and much more.

To access Presenter view:

Start your slide show as you normally would, then click the Slide Options button and select Presenter View . Alternatively, you can press Alt+F5 on your keyboard to start the slide show in Presenter view.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using Presenter view.

End Slide Show

Click here to end the presentation.

Display Settings

From here, you can customize your d isplay settings , including the option to duplicate—or mirror—the slide show on two screens and swap the monitors if Presenter view is appearing on the wrong screen.

Show Taskbar

Click here to show the taskbar and access other programs without closing the presentation.

Here, you can see how long you've been giving the presentation. You can also pause and restart the timer if necessary.

Current Slide

This is the current slide being shown to the audience.

Slide Options

Here, you can access the same slide options you would find in normal presentation mode, including the Pen Tools and See All Slides buttons.

Advance and Reverse Slides

Use the arrows to move forward and backward through your presentation.

Here, you'll see any speaker notes for the current slide. You can use the Increase and Decrease buttons below to make the notes larger or smaller.

Here, you can preview the next slide that will appear in the presentation.

Slide show setup options

PowerPoint has various options for setting up and playing a slide show. For example, you can set up an unattended presentation that can be displayed at a kiosk and make your slide show repeat with continuous looping.

To access slide show setup options:

The Set Up Show dialog box will appear. From here, you can select the desired options for your presentation.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about various options for setting up and playing a slide show.

setting custom options for slide show playback

Here, you can choose a show type .

Show Options

Here, you choose playback settings and disable certain features if desired.

Show Slides

Here, you can choose which slides you want to show during the presentation. All is selected by default, but you can choose to show only certain slides or use any custom shows you have created from your original presentation.

Advance Slides

If you have set timings in your slide show, they will play automatically. However, if you want to disable the timings and control the slides yourself, select Manually .

Multiple Monitors

If you have more than one monitor, you can choose which one to display the slide show on. It's usually best to leave this setting on Automatic .

To advance slides automatically, you'll need to customize the slide timing on the Transitions tab. Review our lesson on Applying Transitions to learn how.

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Download PowerPoint 2016 Presentation Slide Software

VIDEO

PowerPoint 2010
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PowerPoint 2010 transitions
SNICKERS Themed PowerPoint Presentation
Another PowerPoint 2010 transition
MS PowerPoint || Slide Transition

COMMENTS

Use Presenter View in PowerPoint
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PowerPoint 2016: Presenting Your Slide Show
Use these PowerPoint presentation tips for a successful, engaging, ... This allows you to control and preview slides on one monitor while presenting them to