how to make a powerpoint presentation with audio

3 Simple Ways to Record Audio on PowerPoint Presentations

Sara Wanasek

Enhance your PowerPoint presentations by incorporating music and adding your own narration or unique sound bites. This not only keeps your audience engaged but also complements your written content. Learning how to add and record audio in PowerPoint is a valuable skill, enabling you to create compelling presentations for professional, educational, and personal purposes.

Recording audio in PowerPoint offers significant advantages, especially when delivering remote or asynchronous presentations. You can:

• Record yourself giving the presentation and share the recording for viewers to access at their convenience, or
• Include audio clips to emphasize transitions, key points, or significant moments within your presentation.

Continue reading to discover how to record audio live in PowerPoint on Windows devices, add pre-recorded audio, and find useful tips for editing!

Step-by-step guide: How to Record Audio on PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, you have the capability to record two types of audio:

• Recording for exporting as a video: This method is ideal for narrating your presentation, making it perfect for sharing with others to watch at their own pace.
• Recording short audio clips: This method allows you to incorporate audio into your live presentation.

Let’s walk you through both methods of recording audio directly within PowerPoint:

Option 1: Record Narration for All Slides

Step 1: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

Launch PowerPoint and open a new or existing PowerPoint file. If your are starting from scratch, make sure to complete the slides with design and interactive elements (make sure your presentation is engaging !) before adding your audio. 

Step 2: Choose the Starting Position

• Go to the ‘SlideShow’ tab and click on the arrow next to ‘Record Slide Show.’
• Choose between ‘From Current Slide’ or ‘From Beginning’ based on your requirements.
• This will open the recorder window, where you can make necessary adjustments to the settings.

Step 3: Adjust Settings

You can select the microphone, view your notes, and toggle your camera on or off.

Step 4: Begin Recording

When you are ready, click the ‘Play’ button to begin recording. You will see a 3-second countdown, then the recording will start and you can begin speaking. 

Use the side arrows for smooth navigation through your presentation while recording. Pause or stop the recording at any point. To review the recorded audio, click ‘ Replay .’ To delete any recordings, click the ‘x’ next to the speaker icon.

At the bottom left, you’ll find two timers: one for the entire presentation and one for the specific slide, helping you keep track of the recording length.

Step 5: Stop Recording

When done, click the ‘X’ in the top right-hand corner. Your audio recordings will be saved to each slide, indicated by the speaker icon at the bottom right corner of your slide. 

Step 6: Share Recording

To share your recording, export the PowerPoint file as a video , selecting ‘Use Recorded Timings and Narrations.’ Then, easily share it via email or add it to a Learning Management System for convenient viewing.

Option 2: Record Audio for Specific Slides

Step 1: Navigate to the Desired Slide

Select the specific slide where you want to record audio. This could be for narration, background music, or sound effects, depending on your presentation’s needs.

Step 2: Insert Audio

To add audio, click the ‘Insert’ tab on your PowerPoint ribbon. Then in the Media section, select ‘Audio’ then ‘Record Audio’. 

Step 3: Name Audio Sound

Name the sound uniquely for easy future retrieval.

• Click the red ‘Recording’ button to start.
• Use the green ‘Play’ button to review the audio.
• If it’s satisfactory, click ‘OK.’
• The speaker icon will be added to your slide, and you can reposition it as needed.

Step 5: Set Audio Playback Options

After adding audio to your slide, you can specify how and when you want it to play. Click on the Audio icon and select the ‘Playback’ tab in the PowerPoint ribbon. 

In PowerPoint, utilize editing tools to refine your audio. Trim, adjust volume, and apply fade-in or fade-out effects for a professional touch. You can also set the start and stop points for the audio and save it for future use.

Step 6: Test Your Audio

Before your important presentation, test the audio to ensure it works smoothly. Play through your presentation to confirm that everything sounds and plays correctly.

Option 3: Adding Pre-Recorded Audio to PowerPoint

Already have the audio you want to use? No problem! Adding audio to your PowerPoint can be done in 4 simple steps:

Step 1: Navigate to the Slide

Select the slide where you want to addyour pre-recorded audio.

Click the ‘Insert’ tab and choose ‘Audio’ from the Media Section. Select ‘Audio on My PC’ and search for your pre-recorded audio to be uploaded. 

Step 3: Configure Playback Options

Customize your playback settings to suit your needs, such as when the audio should start and how it should play.

Step 4: Test it out

Ensure that the audio plays well and syncs up with your slide transitions and animations for a seamless presentation.

Expert Tips for the Best Recording

Use these tips to get the best recording in PowerPoint: 

• Choose the Right Microphone: Opt for a high-quality microphone for clear and professional audio. For frequent recordings, consider an external microphone.
• Minimize Ambient Noise: Record in a quiet space to reduce background noise. Close doors and windows, and use noise-canceling software if necessary.
• Prepare Your Narration: Outline your narration to ensure a structured delivery, preventing pauses or monotony. Avoid reading line by line.
• Practice Your Delivery: Practice your narration multiple times for improved flow and clarity. Utilize PowerPoint’s Speaker Coach for help with pace, tone, and filler words.
• Edit Minor Mistakes: Don’t worry about small errors during recording; you can edit them out later using PowerPoint’s editing tools.
• Enhance Accessibility: When recording the entire presentation, add closed captions or subtitles to make it accessible to a broader audience, including those with hearing impairments.

Bonus: Recording Interactive PowerPoint Presentations

Want to take your PowerPoint recordings to the next level? Include interactive elements in your PowerPoint recordings to engage your audience more effectively with ClassPoint.

ClassPoint is an interactive teaching tool that integrates directly into PowerPoint, Coffering live presentation engagement features such as interactive questions , gamification , and presentation tools !

When recording your presentation, use third-party recording software like Zoom, Teams, Loom, or Screencast-O-Matic, and incorporate ClassPoint features alongside your audio narration, like so:

1. Live Annotations

Use Pens , Highlighters , Shapes , and even Text Boxes to add notes and highlight the important information on your slides while recording.

2. Added Whiteboard Slides

Add variety to your presentation by annotating on a blank whiteboard slide of your choosing.

3. Laser Pen

ClassPoint’s laser can be used as a pen with disappearing ink and a spotlight when you press the ‘S’ key on your keyboard, allowing you to guide your audience’s attention more effectively.

4. Draggable Objects

Enhance audience understanding by moving objects on your slide as you explain , emphasize key concepts, and create visual associations.

5. Embedded Browser

If you need to search the web to emphasize a key point or show a video, simply open a browser within your presentation without interrupting your seamless presentation and recording.

6. Timer or Stopwatch

If you want your audience to reflect on a question or complete an activity independently, use the timer or stopwatch to create a brief pause before resuming your recording.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re narrating a presentation for asynchronous viewing or incorporating audio into a live session, you’re now equipped with the knowledge of how to record audio on PowerPoint in the best way. 

With added audio, you can engage your audience in a way that ensures your message resonates, no matter where or when they access your content.

Begin experimenting with these techniques, and see how recording audio on PowerPoint and leveraging ClassPoint can transform your PowerPoint presentations, both live and virtually.

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About Sara Wanasek

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How to Add Audio to PowerPoint: The Quick Step-by-Step Guide

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By Al Boicheva

in How-To Tutorials

2 years ago

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In most cases, your PowerPoint presentation will serve as a visualization for your main points during your speech. This, however, doesn’t mean you can’t take a break and enrich your presentation with additional media to further immerse your audience . If you’ve landed on this article, you probably already have something in mind and wish to try to diversify your slides with some music, sounds, or narrations. With no further ado, welcome to the quick step-by-step guide on how to add audio to PowerPoint.

📝 Note: In order to record or hear the audio in PowerPoint, make sure you equip your device with headphones and a microphone.

How to Add Audio in PowerPoint from PC

Let’s say you already have some tune in mind that you wish to add to a particular slide. In terms of sounds, PowerPoint allows you to add multiple files to a single slide, so your options are limitless. For this guide, for example, we will create a slide for a presentation on Farm Animals directed at children. We will add a sound responding to each of the animals in the picture.

Go to the ribbon menu in your PowerPoint and choose Insert > Audio .

When you click Audio , PowerPoint will open a dialogue window. From there, navigate to the location where you store your audio files. Once you select the audio file you wish to add to your slide, click Open .

PowerPoint will insert your audio file in the form of a speaker icon with a player that allows you to play your file and adjust its volume. You can drag the icon and place it wherever you find it suitable, and you can also adjust its size .

If you select the speaker icon, the Audio Menu will appear in the main ribbon menu. Select the Audio menu and take a look at the options. 

This option allows you to adjust the volume of your audio.

This option reveals a drop-down menu to help you choose how the audio starts. Depending on the version, you can choose the following options. When Clicked On plays audio only when you click the speaker icon. Automatically plays your audio file immediately when you land on the slide where you’ve placed the audio file. In some versions, you will get a third option of In Click Sequence , which plays the file automatically with a click.

Audio Options

In order to choose how the audio plays during your presentation, this drop-down menu gives you the following options.

• Play Across Slides plays the audio files across all the slides.
• Loop Until Stopped allows you to play your audio file on loop until you manually choose to stop or pause it with the respective button in the mini player.
• Hide During Show hides your speaker icon. Use it only if you set your audio to play automatically.
• Rewind After Playing rewind your audio clip more than once while you are still on the same slide that originally contains your audio clip.

Play in Background

This option allows you to have your audio clip play continuously across all slides in the background.

Make sure you test your audio in Slide Show. Now let’s see how our Farm Animals and their sounds presentation works out. We chose to play each sound When Clicked On .

📝 Note: In order to delete an audio clip, select the speaker icon on the slide and press Delete .

How to Record Your Own Audio 

You also have the option to record your own audio directly in PowerPoint. In order to do so, go back to the Insert > Audio menu and choose Record Audio .

PowerPoint will open a Record window. Here you type the name of your audio file and click Record before you start speaking to your microphone.

In order to review your record, select Stop and then hit Play to listen.

You can also select Record to re-record your file. Hit OK when you’re satisfied with the clip.

Same as with audio files from your computer, PowerPoint will insert your clip as a speaker icon . Drag the icon where you want it on the slide. 

If you select the speaker icon, the Audio Menu will appear in the main ribbon menu. Select the Audio menu and take a look at the options. They are exactly the same for your recording clip as with audio files from your PC.

Final Words

We hope this step-by-step tutorial was useful to you. Now get wild and impress your audience with immersive audio in your presentation.

It seems that you are interested in the subject of Powerpoint. Why don’t you throw a glance at these related articles?

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How to Add, Record or Edit Audio or Music in PowerPoint

Do you want to set the right mood and keep your audience engaged and entertained during your next presentation? In this new Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll learn how to add audio or music to your presentations . You’ll also find out how to edit them to your liking .

Adding Audio from your Computer

Recording audio from powerpoint, editing audio, adding online audio, adding music from youtube, playing several clips in succession during your presentation.

• Before we begin, please note the following: in PowerPoint 2010 or older, you should use .wav or .wma files in Windows, and .wav files in Mac. If you’re using a newer version, we recommend that you work with AAC .m4a files.
• Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add audio.
• On the Insert tab, in the Media group, click the Audio drop-down arrow. You’ll see two options: the first one allows you to add audio from your PC, whereas the second one allows you to record audio (you’ll need to have a microphone set up in your computer).
• Select Audio from My PC. A new window will open, where you have to locate the audio file you want to add to your presentation.
• Once located, click the drop-down arrow next to Insert. You’ll see two options:
• If you choose Insert , the audio will be directly inserted into your presentation, increasing the size of the document.
• If you choose Link to File , a link to the file will be created, reducing the size of the document. However, there could be issues if you use the presentation in a different computer, forcing you to link the audio file to the presentation again.
• Select the option that best suits your needs.
• If you want to export any audio included in your PowerPoint presentation, right-click its icon → Save Media As (you can only do this with audio inserted from your PC).
• Please note that if you want to play a different audio in each slide, you’ll need to add the audio files one by one. You’ll also need to uncheck “Play Across Slides”. You can refer to the “ Editing Audio ” section in this tutorial if you want more information.
• On the Insert tab, in the Media group, click the Audio drop-down arrow. Select Record Audio. A new window will open.
• Enter the name of the audio file you’re about to record.
• Press Record to start recording. To stop, press the Stop button. To play what you’ve recorded, press Play.
• If you’re happy with what you’ve recorded, click OK. If that’s not the case, click Cancel.
• Select the audio whose format you want to adjust. A new set of tabs, called Audio Tools, will appear on the toolbar.
• In the Bookmarks group, you’ll find an option to add bookmarks, which will be visible in the timeline. These can be helpful if you want to quickly find the main points in your audio during the presentation.
• In the Editing group, there are options to add a fade in and a fade out. You’ll also find the Trim Audio option. If you click it, a new window will open, where you can set the start point and the end point of the audio clip.
• In the Audio Options group, you’ll find the following options to adjust the behavior of the audio clip:
• Volume: It allows you to set the volume of the clip.
• Start: Click the drop-down arrow to choose how you want the audio to start. If you’re using Office 2010, you’ll also find an option here to play the audio clip during the entire presentation.
• Loop until Stopped: Once the audio clip finishes, it starts again indefinitely until you stop it.
• Play Across Slides: If you enable this, the audio clip will be played during the entire presentation. If “Loop until Stopped” is enabled too, it won’t stop playing until you reach the end of the presentation.
• Hide During Show: Check this option if you want to hide the icon.
• Rewind after Playing: Check this option if you want the timer of the audio clip to go back to the beginning when it reaches the end.
• If you’re using newer versions of PowerPoint, you’ll find a group called Audio Styles. Choose “No Style” if you don’t want additional effects. Choose “Play in Background” if you want the audio clip to be played in the background during your presentation.
• You can change the icon of the audio clip. To do so, on the Format tab, in the Adjust group, click Change Picture.
• Insert an icon or a picture. We’ll use it to link the online audio. Please refer to the How to Add and Modify Icons tutorial to learn how to insert icons.
• Add the link to the online audio resource. If you don’t know how to do it, please refer to the How to Insert a Hyperlink in PowerPoint tutorial.
• Once added, click the icon of this audio. A new window will open, where you must click the Play button. Some audio platforms, such as Soundcloud, allow you to generate an autoplay sharing link. With that, you just need to click the icon to play the audio automatically.
• If you want to pause the playback, you’ll need to exit the presentation mode and do it manually.
• Insert the video containing the audio or music you want. If you don’t know how, please refer to the How to Add a Video in PowerPoint tutorial.
• Decrease the size of the video and place it outside the visible part of the slide.
• We need to set it to automatically play in presentation mode. To do this, on the Playback tab, in the Video Options group, click the Start drop-down arrow and select “Automatically”. If you need more information, please refer to the How to Add a Video in PowerPoint tutorial.
• Please note that the audio will stop when changing slides.

To create a playlist that plays across all slides during your presentation, you need to use an audio editing software, such as Audacity or Adobe Audition, and edit the clips so that they come one after another. When you’re done, export it as a single audio file, which you can now use in your presentation.

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How to add audio to PowerPoint

Slideshows are about more than just what you see. By adding audio like music, voiceover, or sound effects, you can enhance your PowerPoint presentation or make it more useful to your audience.

How to add audio from your computer

How to record audio in powerpoint, how to control the audio playback.

You might include background music that evokes emotion, record your own voice to explain the slides, or add sound effects for that extra bit of flair. We’ll show you how to add audio to PowerPoint so that you can improve your next presentation.

What You Need

Microsoft PowerPoint

Windows or Mac computer

You can insert a saved audio file in your slideshow on both Windows and Mac. This can be a song, voice, or sound effect.

PowerPoint supports these audio file formats: AIFF, AU, MID, MIDI, MP3, MP4 , M4A, WAV, and WMA. Note that versions older than PowerPoint 2013 may not support all listed file types. Visit Microsoft Support for additional details.

Step 1: Open your presentation and head to the slide where you want to insert the audio clip. If you’d like the audio to start immediately and play continuously through the slideshow, select the first slide.

Step 2: Go to the Insert tab and the Media section of the ribbon on the right.

Step 3: Click Audio to view your options.

• On Windows, choose Audio on My PC .
• On Mac, pick either Audio Browser or Audio from File .

Step 4: Browse for the audio file, select it, and click Insert .

If you use the Audio Browser on Mac, drag the audio file onto the slide instead.

Step 5: You’ll then see the audio icon on your slide with a toolbar of basic controls beneath it.

Click the Play button to listen, rewind or move forward, or adjust the volume.

Maybe you’d like to record your own audio for the presentation. You might want to provide audio instructions or record a sound effect.

You can do this in PowerPoint on Windows and Mac as long as you have a microphone enabled on your computer.

Step 1: Open your presentation and go to the slide where you want to insert the recorded audio.

Step 2: Select the Insert tab and click the arrow next to Audio in the ribbon.

Step 3: Choose Record Audio .

Step 4: Click the round, red Record button and start recording.

• On Windows, you’ll see this display in a pop-up box that also prompts you to name the recording.
• On Mac, you’ll see a Record Audio panel on the right with no option for a name.

As you record, you’ll see the duration, which is helpful if you have to limit the length.

Step 5: When you finish, click the square, red Stop button.

Step 6: You can listen to the recording before you insert it by clicking the Play button. If you’re not happy with the results, you can re-record the audio.

• On Windows, click the Record button again. The new recording will replace the original.
• On Mac, click Discard and then click the Record button to start again.

Step 7: If you like what you hear, click OK on Windows or Insert on Mac to add the audio to the slide.

Like inserting a saved file, you’ll see the audio icon and basic controls to play, forward, rewind, or adjust the volume.

Once you add the audio to your PowerPoint slide, you can adjust several playback settings. Select the Audio icon on the slide and go to the Playback tab.

Here are several helpful ways to customize the playback for your audio:

• Trim Audio : If you want to shorten the audio, select this option. Use the start and end boxes or slider to trim the clip. Then, click OK on Windows or Trim on Mac.
• Fade Duration : Maybe you’d like to start the audio by fading it in or end it by fading it out. Use the Fade Duration section to select the timing.
• Volume : You can set the volume for the audio to low, medium, or high for when it plays during the slideshow .
• Start : Choose how you want the audio to start playing. You can pick In Click Sequence, Automatically, or When Clicked On.
• Play Across Slides : If you want the audio to play continuously through each slide, check this box.
• Loop Until Stopped : To loop the audio until you stop it, check this box.
• Hide During Show : To hide the audio icon on your slide, check this box.
• Rewind After Playing : To rewind the clip to the beginning after it’s played, check this box.
• Play in Background : This option uses both Play Across Slides and Loop Until Stopped.

Whether you want to add a song, the sound of applause, or your own voice, it’s easy to add audio to your PowerPoint slideshow.

For more, take a look at how to add notes to your slides or for other applications, see what’s new in Microsoft Office .

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How to Add Audio to a Powerpoint Presentation

Inserting or recording audio can help to improve the impact of a PowerPoint presentation. Here’s how to do it.

Adding different forms of media to a PowerPoint presentation can make it more engaging for your audience and appeal to different learning types. Recently I showed you how to add a video to your Powerpoint presentation , and today I’m going to explain how to insert audio. Whether it’s part of a speech or a piece of music, adding audio can really help keep your audience engaged in your presentation.

You can add an external audio file or record your own audio in PowerPoint itself. Here’s how to do it.

Recording Audio in PowerPoint

If you want to add audio to your PowerPoint presentation  but don’t have an external file to insert, you can record it yourself. This requires a microphone connected to your PC to allow you to record your voice or any other sounds.

To record your own audio, open your PowerPoint presentation and select a slide. Click Insert > Audio > Record Audio to begin recording.

In the  Record Sound window, provide a name for your recorded audio in the  Name box.

When you’re ready to begin recording, press the record button .

Once you’ve finished recording, press the stop button.  You can play the recorded audio by pressing the play button .

Press  OK to insert the recorded audio file into your PowerPoint presentation. The audio file will appear as a small speaker icon.

Selecting the file during editing will display the playback controls for the file. Hover over this icon during a live presentation to view these controls instead.

These controls will allow you to play or stop the audio, move forward or backward by 0.25 seconds, and change the playback volume.

Adding External Audio to a PowerPoint Presentation

You can insert external audio files into a PowerPoint presentation rather than record the audio in PowerPoint directly. You’ll need to use a supported audio file type such as WAV, MP3, or MID. If the audio is in a different format, you’ll need to convert it to MP3 or another supported format instead.

To insert your audio file, open your PowerPoint presentation and select a slide. Click Insert > Audio > Audio on my PC to begin selecting your audio file.

Locate the file on your PC, select it, and then click the Insert button to place it on your slide.

As with a recorded audio file, the inserted audio will appear as a smaller speaker icon in your presentation.

Selecting the speaker icon during editing or hovering over it during a live presentation will display the playback options for your audio.

Changing Playback Settings for PowerPoint Audio

PowerPoint offers several playback settings for inserted or recorded audio. You can set your audio to play automatically on one or all slides or continuously loop throughout your presentation.

If you want to enable the file to play automatically or on a loop, you’ll need to access the Audio Tools menu on the ribbon bar.

Select your inserted audio file, then click the Playback tab to view this.

To loop the audio when the slide is in view during your presentation, click to enable the Loop until Stopped checkbox.

If you want your audio file to play across all of your slides, click to enable the Play across Slides checkbox.

You can also set how your audio file will begin playing. By default, this is set to  In Click Sequence .

Choose  Automatically for the audio file to begin playing automatically. Alternatively, choose When Clicked On for it only to begin playing when you click on the icon.

You can also select the  Play in Background audio style button. This will change multiple audio settings for your file at once.

This will allow your file to begin playing automatically, for playback to loop, and for the speaker icon to be hidden, making it a good option for background music.

You can click the No Style option to remove all of the audio settings from your inserted file if required.

Making the Most of PowerPoint

To make the most of your PowerPoint presentation, you should insert different types of media content. You can create your own PowerPoint template to make things easier, especially for multiple presentations.

If you’re using lots of different media types, like audio and video, don’t forget to reduce the file size of your PowerPoint presentation to make it easier to share.

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How to record a PowerPoint presentation with audio for sharing

• October 12, 2023

Wondering how to make a video with PowerPoint? If you want to create a video presentation from your PowerPoint slides, you can use PowerPoint's in-built recording feature. The feature allows you to narrate your slides, add annotations, and insert webcam video. You can then export your recording as a video file that you can share with your audience.

This article explains how to record your PowerPoint slideshow and how to share the recorded presentation via Teams or Zoom. We'll also give you some tips on how to avoid common pitfalls and glitches that you might encounter.

Here's our step by step guide to record a PowerPoint slide show:

• Open your PowerPoint presentation and click on the Slide Show tab.

• From the PowerPoint Set Up group, click on Record Slide Show button. You can choose to record from the beginning, or from the current slide.

• A new window will open with your PowerPoint presentation in full screen mode. You will see a Recording toolbar at the top left corner of your PowerPoint screen if you are on a single monitor, or at the top of your main monitor if you are working on dual screens (as pictured in the screenshot below). You can use this toolbar to control your recording in PowerPoint, such as start, pause, stop, rewind, and forward. You can also use the pen, highlighter, and eraser tools to annotate your slides.

• To start recording your PowerPoint presentation, click on the Record button (the red circle). You will see a countdown from 3 to 1 before the recording begins.
• As you record, you can speak into your microphone to narrate your PowerPoint slides. You can also click on the Camera button (the camera icon) to turn on your webcam and insert a video of yourself in the corner of your slide.
• To move to the next or previous slide, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard or click the Next or Previous buttons on the Recording toolbar.
• When you get to the end of your PowerPoint slideshow, you can export the video immediately by selecting export and following the prompts, or you can end your recording to review, before exporting to video format. To end your recording in PowerPoint, click the Stop button (the square icon) or press Esc on your keyboard.
• You will be taken back to the normal view of your PowerPoint presentation. You will see a speaker icon and a camera icon on each slide that has audio or video recording. You can click on these icons to preview, edit, or delete your PowerPoint recordings.

• To export your PowerPoint recording as a video file, click the File tab and select Export.
• In the Export window, choose Create a Video from the menu on the left.

• In the Create a Video panel, you can adjust the video quality, resolution, and file size. You can also choose whether to use recorded timings and narrations or not.
• Click on Create Video and choose a location and a file name for your video.
• Wait for PowerPoint to create your video. You can see the progress bar at the bottom of your screen.
• Once your PowerPoint video is ready, you can play it with any media player or upload it to any online platform.

Troubleshooting issues that may arise when recording a PowerPoint presentation

If you want to record a PowerPoint presentation with narration, annotations, or video, you may encounter some issues depending on your device, software, and settings. Here are some common problems and how to fix them:

• If your microphone is not working, make sure it is plugged in, turned on, and selected as the default recording device in your system settings (for example sometimes your monitor or webcam can also have a microphone, and the wrong device has been selected). You can test your microphone in PowerPoint by going to Slide Show > Record Slide Show > Settings > Microphone.
• If your video camera is not working, make sure it is plugged in, turned on, and selected as the default camera in your system settings. You can also test your camera in the PowerPoint app by going to Slide Show > Record Slide Show > Settings > Camera.
• If your annotations are not showing up in your PowerPoint recording, make sure you have enabled the pen and laser pointer tools in the PowerPoint app. You can do this by going to Slide Show > Record Slide Show > Settings > Pen and Laser Pointer Tools.
• If your PowerPoint recording is not saving or playing back correctly, make sure you have enough disk space and memory on your device. You can also try saving your PowerPoint presentation as a video file by going to File > Export > Create a Video.

Can I share my recorded PowerPoint presentation via Zoom or Microsoft Teams?

If you have recorded a PowerPoint presentation, you can share it with your audience via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Here's how to share your recorded PowerPoint presentation in both platforms.

How to share recorded PowerPoint Presentations via Zoom To share your recorded PowerPoint presentation on Zoom, you need to have the Zoom app installed on your computer and the PowerPoint file saved on your device or on OneDrive. Here are the steps to follow:

• Start or join a Zoom meeting and click Share Screen in the meeting controls.
• Select your primary monitor then click Share. If you are not sure which monitor is your primary, select the one that PowerPoint opens in.
• Switch back to PowerPoint and click the Slide Show tab. Begin playing the recorded PowerPoint presentation by selecting the Play from Start or Play from Current Slide options.

• If you have recorded narration or video for your PowerPoint presentation, make sure to check the Play Narrations and Use Timings option in the Set Up group on the Slide Show tab.
• Your participants will see your PowerPoint presentation in slide show view with your narration and video playing along.
• To stop sharing your recorded PowerPoint presentation, click Stop Share on the Zoom toolbar.

How to share recorded PowerPoint Presentations via Microsoft Teams To share your recorded PowerPoint presentation on Teams, you need to have the Microsoft Teams app installed on your computer and the PowerPoint file saved either on OneDrive or your local computer. Here are the steps to follow:

• Start or join a Teams meeting and click Share content in the meeting controls.
• In the share content menu ensure 'include computer sound' is turn on

• Select Browse OneDrive or Browse my computer at the bottom of the 'share content' menu.

• Navigate to the folder where you have saved your PowerPoint presentation file and select it.

• To stop sharing, click Stop presenting on the Teams toolbar.

Troubleshooting issues when sharing recorded PowerPoint presentations via Teams or Zoom

If you want to share a recorded PowerPoint presentation with your audience via Zoom or Teams, you may encounter some issues that can affect the quality or the delivery of your presentation. Here are some common problems and how to solve them:

• If your recorded PowerPoint presentation has audio or video embedded, make sure you check the option to share computer sound when you start sharing your screen. Otherwise, your audience will not hear the sound from your presentation.
• If your recorded PowerPoint presentation has animations or transitions, make sure you play it in slideshow mode and not in editing mode. Otherwise, your audience will see the editing tools and the slides will not advance automatically.
• If your PowerPoint presentation has hyperlinks or action buttons, make sure you click on them during the presentation and not before. Otherwise, your audience will not see the linked content or the action result.
• If your PowerPoint presentation is too large or has high-resolution images or videos, make sure you compress it before sharing it. Otherwise, your presentation may lag or freeze during the presentation due to bandwidth limitations.

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How to Record in a PowerPoint presentation Audio & Video.

Recording audio and video in a PowerPoint presentation can improve the overall effectiveness and impact of your presentation because it can make it more interesting and keep your audience engaged.

Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 and later versions allow you to record your presentation with audio and video, so you can enhance your slides with voice narration or by recording yourself during the narration via the camera.

In this guide we show, how you can record your voice or yourself while presenting a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation and how to insert an audio or video file to a Presentation. You will also learn how to save the presentation as a video file or as a PowerPoint Show after you have finished recording audio/video.

How to Record or Insert Audio or Video in a PowerPoint Presentation.

There are two ways to include audio and video in your PowerPoint presentation: record a slide show with audio from your microphone and video from your camera, or add external audio and video to your presentation from a file.

* Note: As mentioned above, to add sound and video to a PowerPoint presentation you should have Microsoft PowerPoint 2013, 2016, 2019 or PowerPoint for Office 365.

1. Record your Audio & Video to PowerPoint.

2. Insert External Audio or Video files to PowerPoint.

Method 1. Record your Sound and Video to a PowerPoint Presentation.

To record your voice narration and/or yourself while presenting the slides in a presentation:

Step 1. Configure Microphone & Camera Settings.

Before recording your audio/video to a PowerPoint presentation, make sure that your microphone and camera settings are properly configured.

To adjust your microphone and camera settings for optimal quality:

1. Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.

2 . Go to System > Sound and under Input Settings select your microphone device and make sure the input volume is set to at least 80%

3. When done, go to Bluetooth & devices > Cameras > Connected Cameras and ensure that your camera is recognized by the system.

Step 2. Record Audio and Video to PowerPoint Slideshow.

Before you start recording audio/video in a presentation, it's important to know that audio cannot be recorded during animations and slide transitions. So, to avoid interruptions of your speech during the presentation, remember to leave a brief pause of 1-2 seconds in your narration at the beginning and end of each slide.

1. Open the PowerPoint presentation in which you want to record audio and video.

2. From the Slide Show tab (or the Recording tab), click the Record Slide Show button and choose either Record from Current slide or Record from Beginning, depending on which point you want to add audio/video.

3. The presentation will open in a recording window in full-screen mode.

4. Click the SETTINGS button at the top-right corner and ensure the correct microphone and camera devices are selected.

5. Use the Microsoft and Camera icons in the bottom right corner of the screen to turn off the input of the Microphone or Camera device if it is not needed during the presentation.

6. When you are ready, click the RECORD button to start recording your voice and/or camera input and present your slides.

7. Use the arrow keys to navigate through slides (forward only). Remember that you cannot go back or forward to a slide that already has a recording. This is to prevent accidentally recording over an existing recording.

8. If there are videos in your slides, click on them to start or stop the playback.

9. Use the Pen , Highlighter , or Laser icons from the bottom right corner to annotate your slides.

10. Look at the bottom left corner to find out the time counts for the current slide and the entire presentation.

11. If a slide already contains a recording, you will see a video preview or a speaker icon displayed at the bottom right corner.

• To re-record audio/video to a slide, click CLEAR and select Clear Recording on Current Slides .
• To delete all recordings, click CLEAR and select Clear Recordings on All Slides .

12. To pause or stop recording using the Pause and Stop buttons.

13. When finished Close the recording window (or right-click and select End Show ).

Step 3. Preview your Recordings on the Presentation.

After completing the recording, it is crucial to review the recordings of each slide before exporting the file as a PowerPoint show or video. To preview your recordings in your PowerPoint presentation:

1. Go to the Slide Show tab and click either From Beginning or From Current Slide to start playback.

2. Make sure each slide has a record and timing by changing the View to Slide Sorter .

3. On each slide where audio has been recorded you will see an audio icon along with the time/duration of the recording.

4. When you are satisfied with your recordings, you can move on to the next steps and export the entire presentation, including your audio and videos, either as a PowerPoint Show as a video file.

Step 4. Save the Presentation as a PowerPoint Show.

If you want to export your Presentation as a PowerPoint Show (.ppsx), which is useful if you want your presentation to be viewed even on computers that don't have the Microsoft PowerPoint app installed, do the following:

1. Click on File and select Save As .

2. Choose the location where you want to save the file and select PowerPoint Show (*.ppsx) format from the Save as type drop-down menu.

3. Then, click Save to save the file as a PowerPoint Show.

Step 5. Save Presentation to Video.

If you prefer to export your PowerPoint SlideShow as a video file, follow these steps:

1. Click on File and select Export .

2. Then Click the Create a Video option and select the preferred video quality from the first drop-down menu (e.g., Full HD 1080p ).

3. Then select the Use Recorded Timings and Narrations option in the next drop-down menu.

4. Then adjust the Seconds spent on each slide for the slides without recordings.

5. Finally, click the Create Video button and select the location to save the video.

6. Now wait for the PowerPoint to finish creating the video, as it may take some time depending on the performance of your computer.

7. Once the video is created, you can play it using any video player of your choice.

Method 2. Add External Audio and/or Video to a PowerPoint Presentation.

Instead of directly capturing audio and video within PowerPoint, you can insert an external audio or video file in your presentation.

Step 1. Adding an audio archive to a PowerPoint presentation.

To insert an audio file from your computer (such as pre-recorded narration, background music), to a slide:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and navigate to the specific slide where you want to add the audio.

2. Then, go to the Recording tab, click on the Audio button, and select the Audio on My PC option.

3. Then, choose the desired audio file from your device and click Insert .

4. The added audio file will appear as a small speaker icon in your presentation.

5. When you click on the speaker icon, the Playback tab will appear in the Ribbon. Move to the Playback tab and click the Play in Background option if you want the audio to play across all slides.

Step 2. Adding a Video file to a PowerPoint Presentation.

If you want to insert a video file from your PC, inside a Presentation.

1. Open the presentation and navigate to the specific slide where you want to add the audio.

2. Switch to the Recording tab and click on the Video button.

3. Then, select the video file that you want to add in the slide and click Insert .

4. Resize the video window as needed, and then customize the Playback settings from the Playback tab.

Step 3. Exporting or Saving the Presentation.

Once the audio and video files are inserted, you can export the presentation to a video file or save it as a PowerPoint show. To do that:

1. Select the Recording tab:

• Select Save as Show to save the file as a PowerPoint show, or…
• Export to Video to export the file as a video.

That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

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• Presentations

How to Add Audio to PowerPoint Presentations

• Bahasa Indonesia
• العربية/عربي

Do you need to learn how to add audio to PowerPoint? Ready to add sound to transition PowerPoint between key ideas? This tutorial has you covered.

Microsoft PowerPoint offers many great ways to add music and audio to your slides. In this tutorial, you’re going to learn how to add sound effects to PowerPoint. Think of sounds as the perfect complement to your existing slide content. Let’s get started!

Why You Should Use Audio in PowerPoint

As you learn how to insert audio in PPT, you’ll see how easy it is. But you may be asking yourself: why should I add audio to PowerPoint? How will it benefit me? If you’ve never used PPT audio, it’s an opportunity that’s easy to forget. 

But in fact, you’ll enjoy many benefits from adding music and audio to your slides. Let’s look at several key reasons to try audio:

• It helps you transition between subjects. Starting a new song or audio clip can signify that you’re moving into a new area of discussion. It helps your slide deck flow seamlessly as you present. Add sound to transition PowerPoint designs to introduce them in style.
• It helps you add new voices. When you add words from other speakers, you can broaden the perspectives shared in your presentation. Plus, you can give your voice a break if you’re narrating!
• You can record presentations for later. With a recorded narration, you can prepare slides for sharing in the future. You can add your voice without having to be physically present to share in real time.
• You can share your work. Are you an audiovisual content creator? Or a musician? Consider using PowerPoint to share your portfolio, thanks to the ability to add audio. 

As you can see, when you know how to add sound to PowerPoint, you’ll enjoy many benefits. In fact, it’s a feature that you'll find yourself using every day!

How to Add Audio to PowerPoint

To learn how to add sound to PowerPoint, launch the Almanac template that we just downloaded. Then, navigate to any slide inside. This shows off the beauty of premium templates. You can add audio to any slide in a premium deck, thanks to PPT’s built-in features. You’ll be working with amazing sound effects in no time.

Now, let’s learn how to add audio to PowerPoint slide decks fast. The best way to begin is with a premium PowerPoint template from Envato Elements. For a flat rate, you've got access to unlimited downloads of millions of creative assets. With thousands of options to choose from , you’re sure to find the perfect PPT slide deck for your next project.

For this tutorial, we’ll work with the beautiful Almanac – Business PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements. Inside, you’ll find a total of 39 slides to add audio to. Download the template today to follow along.

PowerPoint offers many ways to add and edit audio. Let’s look at each one in turn to decide which one works best for your next project.

1. Insert Audio in PPT From Your Computer

One way to add PowerPoint audio is to insert an audio file that you've saved on your computer.

This may be a spoken voiceover, a clip of music, or any other recorded sound. PowerPoint supports an array of audio file formats, including .mp3, .aiff, and many more. If you’re unsure whether your audio works, click here  to check Microsoft’s handy guide.

When you've got an audio file to add to your slide, begin by navigating to the Insert tab. You’ll find it in PowerPoint’s ribbon, the list of menu tabs across the top of the screen. Click on Insert , and its options appear.

On the Insert tab, you’ll see an array of buttons that help you add new content to your slide deck. Here, you’ll want to click on the Audio drop-down arrow. This one is found on the right side of the Insert tab, in the Media group. On the drop-down, choose Audio on My PC.

When you click Audio on My PC , a file browser window appears. Browse to an audio file that you’ve downloaded or have stored on your computer. Click to select it, then choose Insert .

PowerPoint instantly imports the selected audio. You’ll see a speaker thumbnail (with attached playback controls) appear on your slide.

Like other imported content, you can move this thumbnail around the slide to place it into an empty position. Just like that, you’ve learned how to add sound effects to PowerPoint!

2. Find the Best PowerPoint Audio for 2023

We’ve learned how to add sound to PowerPoint using quick, easy steps. As you can see, it’s a great way to bring new life and style to any slide deck that you’re working with. But you may not have any audio or music that you want to use. 

Fortunately, Envato Elements has you covered! As a subscriber, you've got unlimited access to thousands of custom sound effects  - over 600,000 and counting! These span many categories, like nature sounds, game sounds, transitions, and more. Each one can be fully licensed for use in your next PPT audio presentation.

And that isn’t all. Elements also includes royalty-free music  for your presentations! This way, you can add stunning and engaging music to your slide designs. And with fully licensed tracks, you won’t have to worry about intruding on the rights of others. 

Join Envato Elements and start downloading sound effects and music today! Then, add them to your next slide deck using the steps we just learned above.

3. Record Audio for a Slide

Now, imagine that you don’t want to add pre-built sound effects to your slides. Instead, you want to record narration or a voiceover. Again, PowerPoint has you covered.

You really have two options here. First, you can record audio for a single slide. This is useful if you’re not recording the full slide deck, but only a portion. Or you can record narration for the entire slide deck. Either way, be sure that you've got a microphone working on your computer. Otherwise, no audio will be captured.

First, let’s add audio to a single slide. Navigate to the slide where you want to record audio. Then return to the Insert > Audio drop-down. But this time, click on Record Audio. 

A control menu called Record Sound opens. Here, you can name your recording. Press Record to capture audio, then click it again to stop the recording.

When you’re finished, click OK. PowerPoint adds your recorded sound to the slide you chose. 

Now, let’s learn how to record a full narration in PowerPoint. This is the best way to record slides if you want audio on every slide. To do this, go to the Record tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon.

In the Record section, you’ll see several options. For a complete slide deck recording, click From Beginning. The Record overlay opens.

Here, you can produce a full audio (and video) recording of your slide deck in PPT. To capture audio, ensure that you’ve clicked the red Record button in the upper center. Navigate through your presentation, speaking and recording audio as you go.

When you’re finished, end the audio recording and export the finished file. Now, you've got a shareable copy of your slides to share with the world - full audio narration included!

Audio Playback in PowerPoint

We’ve learned how to insert audio in PPT. This can be done by recording audio or adding audio files to slides.

But that isn’t the end of the process. By using a few quick steps and features, you can customize audio in PowerPoint. This ensures that your music and sound effects perform just how you want them to.

Let’s learn more about working with audio in PowerPoint using the app’s handy features:

1. Edit Audio in PowerPoint

When you’ve added audio to PowerPoint slides, you may want to make edits after. For example, it’s often useful to trim audio to a specific section. In other words, you can play only selected parts of the clip that you added to your slides.

To edit audio in PowerPoint, find a slide where you've got audio added. Click on the speaker thumbnail to select the audio clip. On the ribbon, you’ll see a new tab appear: Playback . Choose Playback.

The Playback menu opens, with assorted choices and options available. The section we want to use now is called Editing , and it’s found on the left side of the menu bar. Here, you can trim the audio by clicking on the Trim Audio button.

When you select this, the Trim Audio menu pops up onscreen. To trim to a specific section, pull on the green (start) and red (finish) bars. Think of this as cropping audio, just like you would adjust a photo. 

Any audio outside the bounds of the trim bars will be deleted. Press the Play button as you work to ensure that you’re capturing the desired clip. When you’re finished, click OK , and PowerPoint trims the audio.

Finally, you can add Fade In and Fade Out effects. This helps your audio start and stop playing with gradual changes in volume. It’s a good idea to use. Music suddenly starting at full volume can be jarring and distracting.

Set fade durations in the Editing section using the Fade time menus. Your settings will apply automatically.

2. Audio Options and Styles

With trims and fades added, you still have style choices to make. These are found on the Playback tab, in the Audio Options group. 

For example, you can change how audio starts to play. By default, audio begins In Click Sequence. You'll trigger playback by clicking your cursor or clicker as you present. This can be changed on the Start drop-down menu, with options to begin Automatically or When Clicked On.

You can also check boxes that control playback behavior. These include the ability to Play Across Slides and Loop until Stopped.

Keep in mind: these are purely optional features. Consider how you want your audio to perform in playback. These options are totally up to you as you learn how to add sound effects in PPT. Then, come to the Playback tab to make these key adjustments - fast.

Envato Elements (Design Without Limits)

This tutorial has just scratched the surface of the depth of Envato Elements . The unlimited, all-you-can-download service gives you everything you need.

Sign up for Envato Elements for unlimited access to creative assets. That includes PowerPoint presentation templates , audio , and so much more. You'll incur no extra cost thanks to the flat rate model.

If you want to build your best presentation yet, you need Envato Elements. The stock audio library works perfectly as you learn how to add sound effects in PPT. Join today for unlimited access to everything you need.

5 Top PowerPoint Templates from Envato Elements

Elements has a massive library of PowerPoint templates. These work great with your new knowledge of how to add sound effects in PPT, as they support the feature. Let's check out five of the top choices:

1. Gravidient Creative Tempalte

Gravidient includes stylish gradient designs that are in vogue for 2023. You'll get over 50 slides with ideas for infographics to explain even complex ideas. Remember, templates like these work with the technique you learned for how to add sound to PowerPoint.

2. Aura PowerPoint Template

The best presentations are easy-to-customize. Aura certainly fits the bill with easy placeholders that adapt to your images. With over 450 icons, you can spice up any slide with no extra downloads needed.

3. Kula PowerPoint Template

The best templates give you options. Kula embodies exactly that with 90 slides to choose from. Whether you use the photo galleries, charts, or infographics, it's got you covered. Never reuse the same slide twice with this powerful pack.

4. B2B Marketing and Sales PowerPoint

Sales and marketing is an art. It's helpful when you've got a template that gives you the cues while you're still learning. This template has the slides you need as you make a first presentation to a potential client.

5. Toetiec PowerPoint Presentation

Choose from a light or dark style starter in this hip template. With over ten color schemes, the download adds up to over 1800 slides! Use the vector icons, graphics, and maps for practically any presentation you need.

More Top Templates for Microsoft PowerPoint

There's a PowerPoint template for every occasion. We've shown you five of our favorites, but it's just the beginning. As you learn how to add sound effects in PPT, explore even more designs.

We stay up to date with the best designs for PowerPoint. Check out even more options for PowerPoint templates below:

Make Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

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

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

You Just Learned How to Insert Audio in PPT-Try It Today

We’ve learned how to add sound effects to PowerPoint. You've seen the many options for how to insert audio in PTP and customize how it plays.

Now, it's your turn! Download a template and practice how to add sound effects in PPT with a current presentation. Look for an opportunity to hold your audience's attention as you add sound to transition PowerPoint.

Editorial Note: This post was originally written by Bob Flisser in April of 2014. It's been completely rewritten for accuracy and relevancy.

How-To Geek

How to record voiceover narration in powerpoint.

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Top tips for creating quality meeting minutes in word, whatsapp nuked 5 years of my texts and media—don't let it happen to you, quick links, preparation, record a voiceover for your presentation.

If you’re sending out your presentation instead of giving it in front of an audience, but you feel adding a vocal explanation would better help to deliver the message, record a voiceover narration. Here’s how to do it.

Before you begin your PowerPoint narration, you’ll need to make sure you’ve made the proper preparations.

Set Up Your Mic

First, you’ll need a microphone. Most modern computers have a built-in microphone that gets the job done, but investing in a USB microphone will increase the audio quality of the narration by quite a bit.

The built-in microphone will be set as your input device by default, so if you plan on using it for the PowerPoint narration, you don’t need to take any additional steps in setting it up. However, if you plan to use a USB microphone for the narration, be sure to set it as the input device.

To do this on Windows, right-click the volume icon found on the right of the taskbar. In the menu that appears, select “Open Sound Settings.”

The “Sound Settings” window will appear. Here, scroll down to the “Input” section and click the box under “Choose your input device.”

If you’re using a USB microphone, it will appear here. Select it to set it as the input device.

The steps for Mac users are extremely similar. The only difference is you should go to "System Settings" and select "Sound" instead of right-clicking the volume icon like on Windows. From there, the steps are the same.

Take Notes and Rehearse

With your mic set up, you’re ready to start recording, right? Well, not quite. While you may not be physically standing in front of the audience delivering this presentation, you still need to treat it as though you are. This means going through the basics---taking notes and rehearsing your delivery.

One thing you can do to help you record a successful narration is to write out a script. As with a live presentation, though, you don’t want to sound like you’re reading straight from your notecards. Practice reading through the script a few times so that it sounds natural and fluid.

Once you’re confident in your delivery, it’s time to start recording.

Open the PowerPoint presentation in which you would like to record a voiceover narration. Head over to the “Slide Show” tab and, in the “Set Up” group, select “Record Slide Show.” Once selected, a drop-down menu will appear. Here, you can choose to start the narration from the beginning or from the current slide. If you choose to start recording from the current slide, make sure that you’re on the slide you’d like to start recording from.

Related: How to Record Your Screen with Microsoft PowerPoint

In this example, we’ll choose “Record from Beginning.”

Now, you’ll be in full-screen mode. You’ll notice a few extra tools appear, including a record button at the top-left corner of the screen. When you’re ready to start recording, click this button.

When you select the record button, a countdown timer will appear, giving you a three-second delay between clicking the button and starting your recording.

You can now start recording your voiceover narration! Continue through the presentation by clicking the right arrow to go to the next slide.

You can pause the recording at any time by pressing the pause button in the top-left corner of the window. The recording will automatically end when you make it to the last slide. Alternatively, you can press the stop button, also located at the top-left corner of the screen.

If you want to play your narration back, you can select the replay button.

A speaker icon will appear at the bottom-right corner of each slide that has a recorded narration. You can also play your narration back on each slide by hovering over the icon and pressing the play button.

If you’re not satisfied with the narration, simply repeat these steps to re-record.

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > Six tips for recording a presentation

Six tips for recording a presentation

Your latest presentation is filled with crucial information and key concepts your colleagues need to remember. Record and archive it for easy reference and absorption.

How to record your presentation

Whether you’re recording a presentation for work, a webinar or school, both you and your colleagues will greatly appreciate having it available to reference. You can absorb information at your pace, ensuring that you retain pertinent information, without having to rely solely on your notes. While the method of recording depends on the virtual meeting platform or whether its in person, here are some guidelines on how to record you presentation:

Tell your story with captivating presentations

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

1. Choose the right equipment

High-quality recording equipment is essential for producing professional-looking and sounding presentations. Laptops are equipped with microphone and a high-resolution webcam, but it’s always a good idea to consider investing in higher quality recording equipment.

2. Test Your equipment

Before starting your presentation, it’s crucial to test your recording equipment to ensure everything is working properly. Check the audio levels, video quality, and any additional accessories you may be using, such as lighting or a green screen. Conducting a test run will help identify any technical issues that need to be addressed. Review the virtual meeting platform you are using to ensure that the recording feature is enabled, so you won’t have to search for it when the presentation time rolls around.

3. Optimize your environment

Choose a quiet, well-lit environment for recording your presentation. Minimize background noise and distractions to ensure clear audio and video quality. Consider using a neutral background or a virtual background to maintain a professional appearance. Natural lighting is ideal, but if that’s not possible, invest in good quality lighting equipment to ensure your face is well-lit and visible.

4. Organize your presentation contents

Organize your presentation materials in a logical order to facilitate smooth delivery. Create an outline or script to guide your presentation, making sure to include key points, transitions, and visual aids. Practice your presentation multiple times to become familiar with the contents and ensure a confident delivery. If you have multiple presenters, solidify the speaking order and designate one person to facilitate the presentation.

5. Engage with Your Audience

Even though you’re recording your presentation, it’s essential to engage with your audience as if they were present in the room with you. Encourage interaction by asking questions, prompting viewers to think critically, and inviting them to share their thoughts or experiences in the comments section. Respond to comments and questions promptly to foster a sense of community and connection with your audience.

6. Monitor Your Time

Keep track of time during your presentation to ensure that you stay within the allotted timeframe. Plan your presentation carefully, allocating sufficient time to cover each topic or section. If you find yourself running out of time, prioritize the most critical points and consider saving less crucial information for a follow-up or supplementary material.

For more ways to improve presentation skills, like calming presentation anxiety and connecting with a virtual audience , learn more presentation tips .

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Edit Music, Sound, or Other Audio Settings in PowerPoint

You can use PowerPoint to edit music, sound, or other audio

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In This Article

Jump to a Section

• Play Music Across Slides

Set Music Playback Options Using the Animation Pane

• Play Music Over a Specific Number of Slides
• Hide the Sound Icon During a Slide Show
• Change the Volume Setting on a Slide

Use sound and narration audio files to enhance your presentation. Play audio files across several slides, play music during specified slides, or play background music along with narration. After you've added the sound files, change the volume level and hide the audio icons on the slide.

Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007; PowerPoint for Mac, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365.

Play Music Across Several PowerPoint Slides

There may be times when you want a single audio file to play during an entire slide show or from a certain slide to the end of the show. For example, you can add a voiceover on PowerPoint that will narrate your slides for you.

To play music across several PowerPoint slides until the audio ends:

Navigate to the slide where the music, sound, or another audio file will start playing.

On the ribbon , go to the Insert tab.

In the Media group, select Audio , then choose Audio on My PC .

If you don't have a pre-recorded audio file, select Record Audio to create a narration.

Navigate to the folder where the sound or music file is stored, choose the file, then select Insert .

Select the audio icon.

Go to the Audio Tools Playback tab.

In the Audio Options group, select the Play Across Slides check box.

The sound file will play across 999 slides or to the end of the music, whichever comes first.

If you want to play several selections of music (or parts of several selections) and want the music to stop after a precise number of slides have been shown, set up the audio files as animations.

To find the animation options:

Navigate to the slide which contains the sound file icon.

On the ribbon, go to the Animations tab and select Animation Pane .

In the Animation Pane , select the drop-down arrow next to the audio file.

Select Effect Options .

The Play Audio dialog box opens and displays the Effect tab.

Use the Effect tab to set when an audio file should start playing and stop playing.

Use the Timing tab to set how the sound should start and to set a delay time.

How to Play Music Over Specific Number of PowerPoint Slides

To change the number of slides that the audio file will play across:

In the Play Audio dialog box, go to the Effect tab.

In the Stop playing section, delete the entry 999 .

Enter the specific number of slides for the music to play.

Select OK to apply the setting and close the dialog box.

Go to the Slide Show tab and select From Current Slide to start the slide show at the current slide.

If you prefer to use keyboard shortcuts, select Shift+F5 .

Preview the music playback to make sure it is correct for your presentation.

Hide the Sound Icon During a PowerPoint Slide Show

A sure sign that a slide show was created by an amateur presenter , is that the sound file icon is visible on-screen during the presentation. Get on the right road to becoming a better presenter by making this quick and easy correction.

To hide the sound icon:

Select the sound file icon. The Audio Tools tab appears above the ribbon.

In the Audio Options group, select the Hide During Show check box.

The audio file icon will be visible to you, the creator of the presentation, in the editing phase. However, the audience will never see it when the show is live.

Change the Volume Setting of an Audio File on a PowerPoint Slide

There are four settings for the volume of the audio file that is inserted into a PowerPoint slide: Low, Medium, High, and Mute. By default, audio files that are added to a slide are set to play at the High level. This may not be your preference.

To change the volume of the audio file:

Select the sound icon on the slide.

In the Audio Options group, select Volume .

Choose Low , Medium , High , or Mute depending on your needs and preferences.

Select Play to test the audio volume.

If you choose a low audio volume, the audio file may play much louder than anticipated. Adjust the sound playback further by changing the sound settings on your computer, in addition to changing the audio volume in PowerPoint.

To make sure the audio plays at the right volume, test the audio on the presentation computer if this computer is different than the one you used to create the presentation. Also, preview your presentation in the location where the slide show will take place to make sure the audio sounds good with the room's acoustics.

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• How to Do a Voiceover on PowerPoint
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More From Forbes

How to make your presentation sound more like a conversation.

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The main difference between strong, confident speakers and speakers who seem nervous in front of the room is in how relaxed and conversational they appear. Here are some basic pointers that will help you create a conversational tone when speaking, regardless of the size of your audience.

1. Avoid using the word, “presentation.” Every time you say, “I’m here to give you a presentation on X,” or, “In this presentation, you’ll see…,” you are emphasizing the formal, structured, sometimes artificial nature of the interaction. No one wants to be “presented” to. Instead, use language that emphasizes a natural, conversational exchange. “We’re here today to talk about X,” or “Today I’ll be sharing some ideas regarding Y.” You can even go so far as to say, “I’m glad we have time together today to discuss Z.” Even if your talk is not going to truly be a dialogue, you can use language that suggests engagement with the audience.

2. If you are using PowerPoint, avoid using the word “slide.” Instead of talking about the medium, talk about the concepts. Swap out, “This slide shows you…,” for, “Here we see….” Instead of saying, “On that slide I showed you a moment ago,” say, “A moment ago we were discussing X. Here’s how that issue will impact Y and Z.” Casual conversations don’t usually involve slide decks. Just because your complicated presentation on tax exposure, supply chain issues, or new health care regulations requires you to use slides, doesn’t mean you have to draw attention to that fact that the setting is formal and structured.

3. For many large-group events, speakers are provided with what’s called a “confidence monitor,” a computer screen that sits on the floor at the speaker’s feet showing the slide that appears on the large screen above the speaker’s head. Avoid using confidence monitors. Our natural inclination when using a confidence monitor is to gesture at the bullet point we’re discussing at the moment. However, we are pointing to a bullet point on the screen at our feet, which the audience can’t see, so it creates a disconnect between us and the audience. Instead, stand to the side of the large screen and gesture at the bullet point you’re talking about so that the audience knows which point you are discussing at the moment.

4. Don’t tell your audience, “I want this to be interactive.” It’s your job to make it interactive. If you are delivering the type of presentation where your audience size allows you to create true engagement with your listeners, create that connecting in stages to “warm up” the audience. Stage One engagement is to ask the audience a question relevant to your topic that you know most of the audience members can respond to affirmatively. “Who here has ever bought a new car?” or, “How many of you have ever waited more than 5 minutes on hold on a customer service line?” Raise your hand as you ask the question to indicate to the audience how to respond. Whoever has raised their hand has now participated in the discussion. They have indicated a willingness to engage. Stage Two engagement is calling on one of the people who raised their hand and asking a specific, perfunctory question. Again, it needs to be a question they can answer easily. If your first questions is, “Who here has bought a new car?” you can then call on someone and ask, “How long ago,” or “What kind of car did you buy most recently?” If your first question was, “Have you ever waited on hold for more than 5 minutes,” you can’t ask, “What company were you calling at the time?” The people who raised their hands weren’t thinking of a specific instance; they were just thinking broadly about that type of experience. You could, however, call on someone and ask, “Do you prefer when they play music or ads for the company’s products?” Anyone can answer that question. At that point, you are in an actual dialogue with that person. Stage Three engagement is asking them a question where they need to reveal something more personal. “How does that make you feel when you hear those ads?” You’ve warmed up your audience and drawn them in with baby steps. Now you have actual, meaningful audience participation.

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5. Use gestures. When we’re speaking in an informal setting, we all use hand gestures; some people use more than others, but we all use them. When we try to rein in our gestures, two things happen that diminish our speaking style. First, we look stiff and unnatural. We look like we are presenting a guarded or cautious version of ourselves; we look less genuine. Second, hand gestures burn up the nervous energy we all have when speaking in front of a large group. That’s good. When we try to minimize our hand gestures, we tie up that nervous energy and it starts to leak out on odd ways, where we start to tap our foot, fidget with our notes or microphone, or tilt our head side to side to emphasize key points. Just let the gestures fly. It’s unlikely they will be too large or distracting. I have coached people on their presentation skills for 26 years. In that time, I have met three people who gestured too much. Everyone else would benefit from using their gestures more freely.

The impact we have as communicators is based on the cumulative effect of many different elements of our delivery. These suggestions alone won’t make you a terrific presenter. They will, however, add to the overall package your present of yourself when speaking to large audiences.

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• Add animation Video
• Add transitions between slides Video
• Add, format, and record video Video
• Add and record audio Video

Add and record audio

Add and record audio, such as music, narration, or sound bites, to your PowerPoint presentation and select the playback options.

Add audio from your PC

Select Insert > Media >  Audio .

Select Audio on My PC .

In the Insert Audio dialog box, select the audio file you want to add.

Select Insert .

Record audio

Select Insert > Media > Audio .

Select Record Audio .

Type in a name for your audio file, select Record , and then speak.

Important:  Your device must have a microphone enabled in order to record audio.

To review your recording, select Stop and then select Play .

Select Record to re-record your clip, or select OK if you’re satisfied.

To move your clip, select and drag the audio icon to where you want it on the slide.

Note:  If you’re using more than one audio file per slide, it’s advisable to put the audio icon in the same spot on a slide to find it easily.

Select Play .

Change playback options

Select the audio icon and then select the Playback tab. Then select which options you'd like to use:

To trim the audio, select Trim and then use the red and green sliders to trim the audio file accordingly.

To fade in or fade out audio, change the number in the Fade Duration boxes.

To adjust volume, select Volume and select the setting you prefer.

To choose how the audio file starts, select the dropdown arrow and select an option:

In Click Sequence – Plays the audio file automatically with a click.

Automatically – Plays automatically once you advance to the slide that the audio file is on.

When Clicked On – Plays audio only when the icon is clicked on.

To choose how the audio plays in your presentation, select an option:

Play Across Slides – Plays one audio file across all slides.

Loop until Stopped – Plays an audio file on loop until it’s stopped manually by clicking the Play/Pause button.

To have the audio play continuously across all slides in the background, select Play in Background .

Delete audio

To delete audio, select the audio icon on the slide and press Delete.

Add audio to your PowerPoint presentation

Play music for the duration of your slide show

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