powerpoint open in presentation mode

PowerPoint: How to Launch a Presentation Automatically as a Slide Show

What is a PowerPoint Show?

By default, PowerPoint saves your slide presentation as a PowerPoint presentation file with the .pptx file extension which, when double-clicked, launches PowerPoint. The presentation opens in whatever view was open when you saved it, such as the Normal view or Slide Sorter view. If you want your slide show to immediately launch in the Slide Show view, however, you need to save your file as a PowerPoint Show. In this article, find out how to create a PowerPoint slide show file and learn 2 bonus tips .

To Save a PowerPoint Presentation as a PowerPoint Show:

• Choose the  File  tab.
• Select  Save As .
• Pick the  Save as type  as  PowerPoint Show .
• Type a name for your slide show in the  File name  text box (you can use the same name and location as your .pptx/presentation file) and click  Save . Your PowerPoint slide show file is saved with a .ppsx extension.

Now, the next time you or anyone else opens your presentation from outside of PowerPoint, your slide show immediately launches in Slide Show view. When you navigate past the last slide, the file automatically closes. To open the file for editing, launch PowerPoint first and open it as you would a standard presentation. If you have access to the original presentation, you may prefer to open the .pptx file to edit and save it again as a slide show file. Most importantly, make sure to manage your files, so you are working with the most current version.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips

BONUS TIP:  When I save my presentations as a PowerPoint Show, I save the file to my desktop for easy access during speaking and training engagements. If needed, I can also quickly close and re-open the file without launching PowerPoint and without showing everyone all of my slides. Working with a PowerPoint Show also saves a number of steps because it automatically launches with a simple double-click of the mouse.

To move to a specific slide in a presentation while in the slide show view (as either a presentation or show format), just type the slide number and press  [Enter] . To make these moves easier, print out a handout of your presentation, which includes slide numbers of each slide for quick navigation. Or, create a simple manual cheat sheet to reference when you want to jump to different slides.

BONUS TIP #2: In addition to saving PowerPoint shows to my desktop, I also add a generic slide to the beginning. For instance, a slide with your organization logo or simply a black slide. Although this may not apply to your presentations, I often navigate in and out of my slide show as I am also demonstrating software features and facilitating discussions within my training classes and conference sessions. With a generic or simple slide at the start, I can launch the slide show with a neutral, blank slide and then use the keyboard shortcut to type the slide number and press [Enter]  to move to a specific slide within the presentation.

Were these PowerPoint tips helpful? Grab your handout of other quick and easy PowerPoint shortcuts and discover more PowerPoint techniques  here .

© Dawn Bjork, MCT, MOSM, CSP®, The Software Pro® Microsoft Certified Trainer, Productivity Speaker, Certified Speaking Professional

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Can I start a PPT or PPSX automatically as a slideshow presentation?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Ever wonder if you can create a file that directly runs in slide show mode? Today, we are going to learn a few things about how this can be done. Plus, we look at this one simple hack that will save you a ton of trouble if you wish to create non-editable files.

So, in case you are still wondering, can you start a presentation automatically as a slide show? Yes, you can definitely set your PPT file to directly open as a presentation in a slide show mode automatically. This can be done by saving your presentation as a PPSX file.

I know what you must be thinking, “What the heck is this PPSX file? I’ve never heard of it!”. Don’t worry, you are not alone. This is because we usually use a more common file format to save a presentation such as a PPT, PPTX or a PDF format.

What is a PPSX file format?

A PPSX file (also known as PPS file) stands for PowerPoint Show file. It is a type of PowerPoint file that is created to directly run as a presentation or a slide show automatically . A PPSX file format, by design, doesn’t allow for editing as it opens up directly as a slide show.

So, what is the difference between a PPS and a PPSX file format? Both PPS and PPSX file format are meant for a PowerPoint Show file. While PPSX is a more modern format, in case you are using Office 2007 or older, you won’t be able to open a PPSX file. In such a situation, the best way to save a PowerPoint Show file would be to use a PPS format. A point to note here is that a PPS file can be opened using not only the older versions of Microsoft Office, but also in the newer Office versions.

A PowerPoint Show file format is great when you don’t want the end user to make changes to the design or the content when you share the presentation with him or her.

How to Save a presentation in PPSX format?

Any PowerPoint presentation can be saved as a PPSX file. The good part is that this process is very straightforward. So, let’s just dive right in to know how we can save any PPT as a PPSX file.

There seems to be only two possible methods to achieve this desired result. Let’s have a look at it.

Step 1 – Open the PPT

Open the PowerPoint presentation that you want to save in the PPSX file format.

Step 2 – Go to the File option

Click on the “File” option for your PowerPoint. On the dropdown, select “Save as..”

Step 3 – Click on the “File Format” option

Upon clicking the “File Format”, you will notice a dropdown quite a few options to save your presentation.

Step 4 – Choose the PPSX or PPS file format

On the dropdown, scroll all the way until you see an option for “PowerPoint Show” with either PPSX or PPS file format. Select one of the two file formats that you wish to save the file in.

Step 5 – Save the file 

You can choose to rename the file. Once that is done, simply click on “Save” as illustrated in the picture above.

Step 6 – Verify

Go back to the folder in which you have saved the file and verify that the file has indeed been saved in a PowerPoint Show file.

Advantages of a PowerPoint Show (PPSX) file format?

While both PPT & PPSX file are a PowerPoint file, there are a few advantages that a PPSX file format has over a PPT file format –

• Retain Animations & Transitions – a PowerPoint Show file functions just like a typical PowerPoint file would when running it in a slideshow mode. This means all your animations and transitions that you have built in your presentation are retained!
• Share a non-editable file – There are times when we simply want to share a presentation with its full bells & whistles. At the same time, we don’t want the intended receiver of a PPT file to be able to access/edit the content of the file. Converting a PPT file in a PowerPoint Show file and then sending it can solve this problem to a great extent.
• Impress your clients – Most clients today receive a partnership proposal or a business presentation in a pdf format. This is done so to lock the design format and , at times, to restrict the client from editing the content. But, a pdf format removes all animations and transitions. Thus, sending a PowerPoint Show file can make you stand out from the crowd. We have seen many of our clients completely impressed and perplexed when they receive a file that not just contains slide transitions but also restricts them from editing the file!

Can I open a PPSX file without Microsoft PowerPoint?

A PPSX file is still a PowerPoint file. Thus, in order to open a PPSX file, you definitely need to have a presentation software installed on the computer of the recipient. However, it is not necessary to have PowerPoint installed. Nevertheless, in order to best retain all the effects and to open it directly in a slide show mode, Microsoft PowerPoint is the most suited presentation software to open a PPSX file .

There are quite a few options available in case you wish to open the PPSX file using another software. Open Source Softwares such as OpenOffice and LibreOffice are great alternative options. If you are using a MacBook, Apple’s default presentation software i.e. Keynote can be used to open a PowerPoint Show file. All these options are completely free and can easily be downloaded for the official website of these softwares.

To open a PowerPoint Show file using any one of these above softwares, simply select the file, right click on it, click on “Open with” from the menu that pops up and choose the software (choose LibreOffice or Keynote based on what you have installed).

A few things to keep in mind when opening a PowerPoint Show file using another software –

• You may lose animations and transitions – this is not because of the PPSX file format but because of the compatibility issues with some of the PowerPoint features with other OpenSource softwares.
• Files may become editable – Opening a PowerPoint Show file using a software apart from Microsoft PowerPoint can mean that the recipient will be able to access the slides and its content. Thus, the PPSX file may no longer be non-editable.

What if I want to open a PowerPoint Show (PPSX) file in edit mode?

Okay, so a PPSX file by default comes as a non-editable file as it directly opens up in a slideshow mode. At the end of the presentation, when you press “Esc” or the escape button, the presentation closes. Thus, you may think that you cannot access the slides and it’s content for editing purposes.

However, there is a way to open a PowerPoint Show file in edit mode. To be able to do that, simply follow the steps mentioned below –

• Step 0 – DO NOT double click on the PPSX file directly. This will open the file.
• Step 1 – Open Microsoft PowerPoint on your computer.
• Step 2 – Click on “File”, and then select “Open”.
• Step 3 – PowerPoint will ask you to choose the destination of the PPSX file. Simply navigate to the folder in which the file has been saved.
• Step 4 – Select the file and click “Open” at the bottom of the window.

The above steps will open a PPS file in edit mode. You can now make the required changes and edit the file. You can also now save the file as a PPT. To do that, simply navigate to the “File” tab, click on “Save as”, select the “PPT” file format and click “Save” (similar to the process described above, however, choose PPT file instead of PPS file).

COOL HACK to truly create a non-editable PowerPoint file

So here’s a cool little ninja trick that you can follow if you truly want your presentation to be in a non-editable file format. There are multiple ways you can do this, but THE MOST SIMPLE and quickest way  would be to convert your PPSX or PPT file into a MP4 video format.

Now, you might be wondering “can I really convert a PPSX file to an MP4 video format?”. The short answer is – Yes, you can definitely convert a PPSX file to an MP4 video format in a few quick steps. To do that, we will first need to open the PowerPoint Show file in the edit mode and then save it as an MP4 file format.

First, simply open the PowerPoint Show file in edit mode using the steps defined in the point above. Next, once we have managed to open the PowerPoint Show file in edit mode, all we have to do is save it as a video file format.

To do that, navigate to the “File” tab, click on “Save as”, select the “MP4” file format from the dropdown and click “Save”. Now, PowerPoint will automatically convert the presentation into a video format.

For Mac users, the process is slightly different. Follow the steps mentioned below –

First, open the PowerPoint Show file in the edit mode as described earlier in the post. Next, navigate to the “File” tab, click on “Export”. In the window that opens up, click on the dropdown next to “File Format”, and choose the “MP4” option. Next, simply click “Export”

To sum it up, PPSX files have a great WOW factor and can be very helpful if we want to start a presentation directly in a slide show mode. However, contrary to what most people may believe, PowerPoint Show files can be opened in an edit mode to access and change the content of the presentation. Thus, a cool little hack to create a completely non-editable presentation would to convert your PPT to a MP4 video.

I hope the tips mentioned in the article were helpful to you, and that it saves you time in the future as well to create effective presentations going forward.

Our goal on this blog is to create content that helps YOU create fantastic presentations; especially if you have never been a designer. We’ve started our blog with non-designers in mind, and we have got some amazing content on our site to help you design better.

If you have any topics in mind that you would want us to write about, be sure to drop us a comment below. In case you need us to work with you and improve the design of your presentation, write to us on [email protected] . Our team will be happy to help you with your requirements.

Lastly, your contribution can make this world a better place for presentations!  All you have to do is simply share this blog in your network and help other fellow non-designers with their designs!

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How to Use the Presentation Modes and the Screen Recording Features in PowerPoint

After designing all the slides for your presentation, the next and last step is presenting in front of your audience. In this new Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll see how the presenter view works and how you can record your presentation .

Presentation Modes

Presentation modes — set up slide show, presentation modes — record slide show.

• There are different presentation modes in PowerPoint, besides the one you can find at the bottom of the screen.
• To access the presentation modes, go to the Slide Show tab.
• The first two options allow you to start the presentation from the beginning or from the currently selected slide.

• If you choose Present Online, an URL will be generated, which you can then share with your potential online viewers. After clicking this button, a new window will open, displaying info about the Microsoft Office online presentation service and a checkbox to enable remote download for your online audience. To enjoy this service, you need an Office 365 account. When you’re ready, click Connect to generate the URL.
• If you choose Custom Slide Show, you can select which slides to display in your presentation.  First, create a new custom slide show and select the slides that you want to display. Then, click Add, enter the name of the presentation and click OK. This new custom presentation will appear on the list. Select it and click Show to begin the presentation.
• In the Set Up group you’ll find options to set up the presentation, hide slides, rehearse your presentation and even record it.
• Click Set Up Slide Show to adjust several settings regarding your presentation. You’ll find more information in the next section of this tutorial .
• If you click Hide Slide, the selected slide won’t show up during your presentation. Hidden slides will appear faded out on the list and their numbers will be crossed out.
• If you click Record Slide Show, you’ll be able to record your presentation from the beginning or from the current slide. We’ll go into detail in the last section of this tutorial.
• There are several checkboxes regarding whether to play narrations, use timings and show media controls.

• In the Monitors group you can choose which screen to display your presentation.
• The last group, Captions & Subtitles, is only available in Office 365. You’ll find options to enable subtitles, which will be generated out of your speech (so you’ll need to have a mic). There are settings to change the language and the position of the subtitles.
• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Go to the Slide Show tab.
• In the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show. A new window will open, where you’ll find several options.
• In the top-left corner, under “Show type”, you can choose whether the presentation will be in fullscreen with speaker notes, windowed, or in fullscreen without speaker notes or the menu bar.

• Under “Show options” you can choose whether to show the presentation without narration or animations, or disable the hardware graphics acceleration (for better performance). You can also set the pen and laser pointer color.

• Under “Show slides”, you can choose which slides to show in your presentation. You can select all of them, a specific range or a custom slideshow.
• There are other settings to determine how to advance slides (manually or using timings), what the resolution will be and whether to use the presenter view.
• Click Record Slide Show. From the drop-down menu, select From the Current Slide or From the Beginning.
• A new window will open, along with the presentation in fullscreen mode. At the top-left you’ll find a button to start recording.

Do you find this article useful?

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How to Use the Presenter View in Google Slides

Google Slides, like PowerPoint, has different presentation modes that can come in handy when you’re presenting and you want your slideshow to look smooth. Whether you’re looking for slides only, speaker notes or the Q&A feature, in this new Google Slides tutorial, you’ll learn about these and their respective settings. Ready? Then let’s explore the presenter view! 

How to Download Google Slides Templates

When preparing a presentation, many people start panicking because they realize how much time it will take to edit each and every slide. Creating them from scratch, filling them in, looking for pictures, moving the elements...How stressful! But there is a solution that saves you a lot of time. We're sure that you've browsed the internet for templates, or basically, pre-established designs and elements, that can be downloaded for free and can be edited to your liking. Are we right? Then, we have some good news for you!

Discover our collection of printable templates

With the advance of technology, printing has become something that is no longer a necessity. Smartphones have made the paper format less and less frequent, but there are still certain cases in which having physical resources is much more convenient. Whether it's for taking notes, handing out assignments, making worksheets or handing out business cards or invitations, it's necessary to print your customized designs.From now on, in every Slidesgo printable presentation that you download, you will find the instructions for printing on the third slide. Depending on the style, colors or format of each presentation, we will tell you if you can...

How to Add Superscript and Subscript in Google Slides

Let’s take the most famous formula: E=mc^2, Einstein’s relativity equation. It wouldn’t be the same if it was E=mc2, right? Okay, yes, some people write it like that because it’s very famous and it won’t be misunderstood. But technically… It can! This is where the sophistication of superscript or subscript enters the room! Do you know how to write them in equations, copyright brands or even footnotes in your presentations? Let’s figure out how.

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PowerPoint Tips  - Open a File in Slide Show Mode

Powerpoint tips  -, open a file in slide show mode, powerpoint tips open a file in slide show mode.

PowerPoint Tips: Open a File in Slide Show Mode

Lesson 4: open a file in slide show mode.

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Open a file in Slide Show mode

When going from your desktop to your presentation, you normally have to open the file, wait for PowerPoint to load, then click a button to open the file. If you’re about to start a presentation, this can be a waste of time.

Instead of waiting and clicking, you can make your PowerPoint files open directly in Slide Show mode , taking you from desktop to presentation in a flash.

From the desktop, right-click your PowerPoint file, then select Show from the drop-down menu. Your file will open in Slide Show mode, where you can present it. To leave your presentation, just press Escape to return to the desktop.

Watch the video below to see how quickly you can open a file in Slide Show mode.

• Navigate to the location of your PowerPoint file on your desktop.
• Right-click on the file and select Show from the drop-down menu.
• The PowerPoint file will open directly in slideshow mode.
• Begin your presentation by clicking through the slides as usual.
• To exit the slideshow mode, press the Esc key on your keyboard. This will bring you straight back to your desktop.

This is another helpful tip for getting right down to business and starting your presentation in a jiffy! 

Next up, we’ll show you a shortcut for jumping to a specific slide.

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How to make a PowerPoint presentation open in slideshow mode

I learned this from investigating an e-mail forward I received during the Christmas holidays, but it’s a useful tip that others might like to hear.

When you’re giving a presentation, the last thing you need is more work, and I have seen numerous presenters struggle with the foreign laptop they’re on or try to get something up and running. Having your slides all ready to go on a thumb drive helps to make things go a little more smoothly and this tip will make your presentation automatically open up in slideshow mode.

It’s quite simple.

Let’s say your file is called presentation.ppt. To make it open in slideshow mode, you just have to change a single letter in the filename. Change the extension to pps instead of ppt (presentation.pp s ). When you open the file it will be in slideshow mode and you can begin talking, off to a smooth start in your presentation.

You can also make this choice when you save it, by using the file type drop-down menu and selecting Powerpoint Show (.pps)

That’s true, I forgot to mention that.

I did not find the option that Dan mentioned. I am trying to email my powerpoint presentation to staff and would like them to be able to open the attachment and have the presentation start without having to look for the icon to click on. HELP!

Actually, it was Forbes who mentioned the drop down box that I can not find.

there is no “drop down menu”, you just literally CHANGE the filename (after closing the file right-click on the filename and change it to “filename.pps” instead of “filename.ppt”.

Forbes was talking about when you’re saving the file. If you go to File -> Save As you get a dialog that has a “Save as Type” drop down menu. In this menu you can select PowerPoint Show (*.pps) to have the same affect. Both methods work.

It was very helpful. Thanks for that!

Thank you so much for the information for slideshow ….. I am thrilled that this worked…. thanks again

@Monique You’re very welcome. Thanks for letting me know.

I’ve made a PPT with 5 videos and 3 sound files and have saved it as a PPS. I plan on burning it to a CD the send it out. Is there a way I can send it without the videos and sound files on the CD and they all still work?

Not that I know of. The PPT file references those videos and sound files instead of embedding them inside the file, so if you don’t include them, they won’t be displayed in the presentation.

Would embedding the videos and sound allow me to do what I want? If so I’ve tried to embed a video file using steps from the Interactive Media Center, Univeristy Libraries. I can’t seem to get the instructions to work by their steps. Have anyone ever gone to this web site?

@Carla Yes, embedding would put all the media into one file so you could burn it to a CD.

Cliotech shows three ways of doing it.

Thanks so much! I now know how to make a slide show… I really thought it was that complicated. Hehehe! God bless you!

In the immortal words of Tiny Tim, God bless us, everyone :)

Does anyone know how to save a powerpoint slideshow and make the slides unavailable for edit? ie only available as a show

@jo Not that I know of

Thanks a lot. It helped me a lot.

Thank you. It was very very helpful.

How can you make a presentation OPEN in slide mode, but also be able to edit? When I press ESC to get out of slide mode, the presentation closes. Help?

@Cristy I don’t think you can. The only way to edit is to rename it back to .ppt.

Sorry, it doesn’t work for me. I have saved it as a PPS file, have a slide with a transition in it and an embedded sound and when I click on the file, it still opens in Normal View. I’d attach it so you could see but there’s no provision for that. Any other hints? I’m using Powerpoint 2003. Thanks so much!

Perhaps the default file handler for PPS files isn’t set up correctly. Open up an explorer window, and go to Tools -> Options, File Types tab and find PPS. Then click Advanced and make sure “ Show ” is in bold. If it’s not, select it and click the “Set Default” button.

Does a .pps filename extension also work for the newer versions of Powerpoint? Powerpoint 2007 and 2010 typically use .ppsx extensions.

I just tried with Powerpoint 2007 and pps still worked. ppsx didn’t.

I saved a powerpoint presentation in the slide show mode. When I uploaded the file in to Microsoft SharePoint and try opening the file it opens in the regular view. How do I get it to open in the slide show view?

@Kelly Jo Sounds like an issue with Microsoft Sharepoint. There may not be a way to have it start in slide show mode from a Sharepoint.

It’s a pretty old post, however, there is a simpler way where you can save your powerpoint file with .ppt extension (editable).

To open a .ppt file in slideshow mode, simply invoke ppt with option /s. E.g. powerpnt /s path\to\your\file

I am presenting a PP in slide show mode. Within the presentation, I have a hyperlink to another PP. The problem I’m having is this hyperlinked PP opens in presentation view and is not able to be edited. I would like the hyperlinked PP to open in “normal view” so that people can “save as” and just create their own PP using what has been supplied to them. Can this be done? How do I do it?

Thank you!!!!

Thank you Dan (comment no.6) saved my life…haha

Glad I could help :)

Hi thank you for the previous info – was excellent, is there a way to attatch a pps, so that when the email is opened it starts playing immediately?

I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this for over an hour!! I just wanted to go to bed. Now I can. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you. The answer was so simple. Yet, it took me an hour of searching on my own before I found your advise.

I’m having trouble emailing a presentation that has been saved as a ppsx. When i open the file from windows explorer its opens in a show which is what i want, yet when i send it, my recipient clicks on the attachment and it opens in power point and it is editable. Any suggestion?

Does anyone know how to ensure that a presentation opens as a slide show when it is saved in SharePoint? When the file is saved locally it opens as a slide show which is great but as soon as i upload to Sharepoint the file opens as a ppt despite the icon showing as a pps? I need to publish this document but dont want other to be able to edit it and jump from slide to slide. The document has particular hyperlinks to certain parts of the docuemnt so do not want the user to be able to scroll through or see all slides. Help please?

What if I’m having the opposite problem- I’m on my laptop and can only open my pp presentations in slideshow. I cannot get to the template in order to edit the presentation. (on my work and home computers it opens first in the editing mode). Any suggestions?

I have created a slideshow, but even when I save it as a .ppsx, it just opens as a slide, not a slideshow. What am I doing wrong? Please help!!!

@Kimberley I don’t know. I just saved a .pptx file as a .ppsx by Saving As “PowerPoint Show” and it worked fine in Office 2007, opening up in slideshow mode. Just changing the extension didn’t work. I’m guessing it only works in earlier versions of Office.

@Kimberly & Dan: I just changed the extension from .pptx to .ppsx and it was a no go, but when I changed .pptx to .pps it opened up in slideshow mode.

@Jay Thanks for the clarification. That worked here too with Office 2007.

If setting up a Kiosk station that will only ever open the PowerPoint slideshow… Changing the file extension makes more work for those that will be editing the file from a different PC. If you change what the extension’s association does, the Kiosk PC will be the only one opening the in Slideshow mode. Everyone else can open in PowerPoint. To do this; on the Kiosk PC go to the Control Panel, Folder Options, File Types(Tab). Scroll down ad select either (or both) .ppt or .pptx. Select the extension, click on the Advance button, select Show , then click on Set Default, OK. Now when someone open a .ppt or .pptx file on the Kiosk PC, it will only open in Slideshow mode.

Thank you soooo much!!! Your tip about using pps instead of ppt was a huge help!

@Amber You’re quite welcome ;)

Thanks for this guide… i tried change the extension then later i saw the option is available within the power point application itself.. the option for starting directly with slide show.

And editing it is possible for those who want to edit.. no need to change back the extention just right click on the file and choose “new” it will be there to edit.

Everyone seems to be unable to stop people from editing powerpoints. It is very very easy in powerpoint 2002 but impossible in to do in 2007 and 2010 (though the editing prevention effect work when opening in these versions).

How to protect a PPS file from being edited: 1.Open the powerpoint. 2.Click the tools menu then options. 3.Click the security tab 4.Enter a password in the password to MODIFY box 5.Click “ok” 6.Save the file.

This PPS file should now be viewable simply by clicking on it. This PPS file should now be editable by opening powerpoint, pressing “CTRL” + “O” and selecting the file, and entering the password in the dialogue box.

how can on song be be extended to cover the whole slideshow if the slideshow is longer duration than the song?

@Carl You loop the song using an audio editor like Audacity.

I tried all the ways to save my presentation to have it open as a slide show (.pps, .ppsx, as suggested above in April) and nothing worked with Office 2010. So, it seems that the lovely feature of sending a PP slide show and having it open as a slide show is broken in the Office 2010!?

@Donna I don’t have 2010 in front of me, but this should work:

Choose the File tab Select Save As. Pick PowerPoint Show. Choose the Save as type as PowerPoint Show. Type a name for your slide show in the File name text box Click Save.

Your PowerPoint slideshow will be saved with a ppsx extension.

Well, that would be the logical thing to do. However, that does not work. It get saved as a ppsx file, but it doesn’t open as a slide show. It used to work in previous versions, but I’ve found that with 2010 they changed things and many of the previous features are broken, changed,eliminated. Why would they make updates that make the product worse than before?(obviously a retorical question)

@donna It does work in Office 2010. There is something different on your computer that’s causing the problem. How are you opening the file? There’s a known issue where ppsx files are opened in edit mode when the file is retrieved from a hyperlink ( http://sharepointquirks.blogspot.com/2010/04/ppsx-powerpoint-slide-show-does-not.html ). Another place to look are the file-types. Windows 7 makes them harder to manage, so File Types Manager might help.

When i insert movie in office 2010 . i dint get option to play movie automatically or when clicked . Please give me solution as soon as possible how can i get this option while inserting media file . i have urgent need of that .

Good to hear it does work in Office 2010. I’ll quit complaining about 2010 and try your solution. For now, my work around was to convert it to a wmv. and that worked. Thanks for your help.

Thanks a lot!!! I didn’t know about that and it is very useful!!

I’m setting up a kiosk (touch screen) with multiple PPT to select From instructional slide shows. I need customers to touch the PPT / PPS shortcut (which i will make into an Action Button) on desktop and the show runs. Shows will be interactive but I know how to do that part.

Brilliant! Thanks for this – solved my problems and also allowing me to go to bed!! Awesome!

How can you make a powerpoint slideshow window resizable? It always fills my entire monitor screen and I want to be able to reduce the size and work around the slideshow. Help please!

@Ron It depends on the version, but in 2013 you can make it show in a window that you can resize by going to the Slide Show menu, then Set Up Slide Show and make the Show type “Browsed by an individual (window).

Thanks. Very helpful. Next question: Is there a way to eliminate the browser address bar and pull down menus along with the slide counter at the bottom of the page? I simply want a resizable window with no pull down menus or other stuff. I want to overlay the PowerPoint presentation over a background and then record a video for webinars. Less is best in this situation. Your assistance will be most appreciated.

@Ron Nope, that’s as simplified as it gets in Window-mode. To record a video for webinars, what about making the recording area fit the slides so that’s all you can see, then adding the background later? Barring that, you could just give up on having a background and record only the slides.

Based upon your advice I think I will integrate my background into the PowerPoint slide, re-size it to my finished end result and record for it. This will probably give me the outcome I’m looking for. Thank you!

That’s another good idea, and you’re very welcome.

I can not get pptx 2013 to save in slideshow mode. I want to email the presentation, and want the presentation to open as a slideshow. I have looked all over and can not find the solution as it relates to 2013. Any help would be appreciated

@jim In PowerPoint 2013 go to File -> Save As and for “Save as type” choose “PowerPoint Show (*.ppsx)” out of the gazillions in the list. Changing the standard .pptx extention to .ppsx doesn’t work in 2013.

Many thanks Dan… I must tell you it wasn’t until I clicked F12 that I got the screen you referenced/I needed… it doesn’t open when I click on Save As in the BackStage. I’d never have done this without you, and had hours of work trying to find how to do this. Many, many, thanks!

@jim You’re welcome, I’m really glad to hear I was able to be of assistance. Thanks for your comment, it made my day :)

I have Power Point 2010 and I changed the ppt extension to pps and I save to presentation in Power Point Show it still opens in normal view. PLEASE HELP!!!

I’m not sure what’s making it not work, but I can confirm that it does work for others using Powerpoint 2010.

I sent a power point slide show (.ppsx) to a friend. He said he cannot download it. Meaning he cannot watch. What could be the probem?

I don’t know. Maybe an antivirus is filtering it?

Right-click the yourfile.pptx icon/filename and choose Show from the menu. Presto!

thanks, that’s brilliant!

When I create a presentation with animations in PPT 2010, and save as ppsx on a flash drive. Will the effects be preserved if I then run the show on a laptop having only with the earlier version MS PPT 2007?

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How to start a powerpoint slideshow.

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Quick Links

Start a slideshow in powerpoint's desktop app, start a slideshow in powerpoint's web app, start a slideshow in powerpoint's mobile app, key takeaways.

To start a PowerPoint slideshow on your desktop, open your slideshow and click "Start Slide Show" in the "Slide Show" tab. If you're using the web app, select "From Beginning" in the "Slide Show" tab. On mobile, simply tap the Monitor icon at the top of your screen.

There's nothing quite like finishing a presentation after spending hours getting it just right. Now, show off your hard work by starting your Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow on desktop, web, and mobile using the methods below.

Related: How (and Why) to Start Microsoft PowerPoint from the Command Prompt

To play a slideshow in PowerPoint's desktop app, all you have to do is click an option or press a shortcut on your keyboard .

Start the process by opening your presentation with PowerPoint. Then, in the app's ribbon at the top, select the "Slide Show" tab.

In the "Slide Show" tab, from the "Start Slide Show" section, choose "From Beginning" (or press F5). Now your presentation will play from the very first slide.

If you'd like to start the slideshow from your current slide, choose the "From Current Slide" option. Alternatively, press Shift+F5 on your keyboard.

While your presentation is playing, you can perform various tasks, like moving to the next slide or ending the show. You can reveal these options by right-clicking anywhere on the slide.

Alternatively, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts while viewing your slideshow:

• Spacebar or Right Arrow Button: Go to the next slide in the presentation.
• Left Arrow Button: Go to the previous slide in the presentation.
• Esc: End the show.
• W: Hide your current slide and display a white screen. Press the same key again to bring back the slide's content.
• B: Hide your current slide and display a black screen. Revert back to the slide's content by pressing the same button.
• Ctrl+Left Mouse Button: Activate the laser point tool to point at things in your slides.
• Ctrl+P: Launch the pen tool to annotate your slide's content during your show. You can choose if you'd like to keep these annotations when you end the show.
• Ctrl+i: Access the highlighter tool to highlight items in your slides.

If you'd like to jump to a specific slide while presenting, press that slide's number on your keyboard and hit Enter. For example, press 12 and hit Enter to access that slide quickly.

To access the Presenter view, where you can see the upcoming slides and other options, right-click anywhere on your slide and choose "Show Presenter View."

With these options, you can start a slideshow and have it play exactly how you want.

To play a slideshow on the web, launch your preferred web browser and access PowerPoint on the web . Then, open your presentation.

From PowerPoint's ribbon at the top, select the "Slide Show" tab.

In the "Slide Show" tab, start your slideshow from the first slide by clicking the "From Beginning" option. To have your show play from your current slide, choose "From Current Slide."

Your presentation is now playing.

To reveal the options for moving slides, annotating items, and using Presenter Coach , bring your cursor to your screen's bottom-left corner. Then, click the appropriate icon.

Related: How to Practice Your Presentations with PowerPoint's Presenter Coach

To start a slideshow in the PowerPoint mobile app , launch the app on your phone and open your presentation.

On the presentation screen, at the top, tap the Monitor icon to play the slideshow.

Your presentation has now begun.

To move to the next slide, swipe left on your screen. To go to the previous slide, swipe right.

You can reveal PowerPoint's presentation options, like annotation and black screen tools, by tapping at the top of your presentation. Then, choose the option you'd like to use.

And that's it. Happy presenting!

Want to learn a few tips to help you make the best PowerPoint presentations ? If so, check out our guide.

Related: 8 Tips to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations

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How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow With Presenter View (+ Video)

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Giving a presentation can be intimidating, even to seasoned speakers. Learn how to use PPT Presenter View , which is your private cockpit view.

This is a view that you'll see on your own screen while giving a presentation using PowerPoint. While the audience will see the presentation on the projector or big screen, you'll have your own private view on a second monitor.

This feature is like a cockpit for giving presentations. You'll keep all the most important controls front and center while presenting.

PowerPoint Presenter View gives you at least four essential tools that make presenting your slideshow more comfortable:

• In Presenter View , this display keeps your  speaker notes  in view to reference while speaking.
• You'll see a thumbnail for the next slide to begin preparing for your next key point, and you can jump to other slides quickly.
• A timekeeping tool helps you track how long you've been speaking to ensure you don't overrun any time limits.
• Drawing tools allow you to add illustrations on screen while presenting to draw attention to specific parts of your slides.

You need every advantage you can get when it's time to give a presentation. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to make the most out of Presenter View in PowerPoint.

In this tutorial, I'm going to focus on an underused feature of PowerPoint: Presenter View. 

How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow With Presenter View (Video)

In this video, I'll teach you how to get started with Presenter View in PowerPoint. You'll learn how to enable Presenter View and then use the tools inside of it. I'll teach you to use the special Presenter View features to keep your notes and tools close, that way you can present more confidently. 

Keep reading to find out more about using Presenter View in PowerPoint and the best features to try out.

Turn On PowerPoint Presenter View

In PowerPoint for macOS, simply click on  Presenter View  on the  Slide Show  tab to kick off the presentation in Presenter view .

You'll see the Presenter View interface on one screen. The other display will show the "audience version" of the presentation. In other words, it shows what they'll see on a projector screen, or even their own display. 

How to Make the Most of Presenter View

Let's dive into some of my favorite features that Presenter View brings to the table. Using even one of these is reason enough to try out Presenter View in PowerPoint. But when you combine them together, it's a no-brainer.

This is how to use Presenter View on PowerPoint. But the real question is why to use presenter mode PowerPoint. The reason is twofold:

• It helps your slides look better.
• It keeps you organized.

You can share neat, uncluttered slides that aren’t packed with content. That’s because you can keep your supporting content to yourself.

For this Presenter View in PowerPoint tutorial, we’ll be using the beautiful Tezia - Corporate PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements. Tezia has 40 stunning slide layouts. Each one works great in PowerPoint Presenter View . Download it today and follow along.

Now, let’s learn how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint fast!

1. Speaker Notes

Speaker Notes is a top feature that works best with Presenter View in PowerPoint. Many presenters will spend time filling out cards or scribbling ideas onto paper. But it's much easier to add them directly into your PowerPoint file.

To add Speaker Notes to a presentation, start off by working in Normal view on PowerPoint's View tab. At the bottom of your screen, you can click on Notes to open up the Speaker Notes section and add your own text.

Speaker Notes and Presenter View go hand in hand. When you're in Presenter View , your speaker notes will show up on the right side of your screen. You can adjust the text size with the icons near the lower right corner. 

Speaker Notes show how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint to your advantage. They help keep you on track as you present on your key topics.

Speaker Notes are important because they avoid the potential of you reading off your slides. Why? Because you don’t have to commit every key detail to memory! You can engage with your audience, all while referring to pre-built notes that they’ll never see.

2. Slide Previews

Let’s face it: you might be sharing a presentation with dozens of different slides inside. When you know how to put PowerPoint in presentation mode, you can get a sneak preview as you present. It’s easy to forget exactly how you sequenced slides together.

With Presenter View , you can stop guessing. That’s because you’ll always have a preview of the next slide in your deck.

As you work in Presenter View in PowerPoint, notice the slide thumbnail in the upper right corner. It’s labeled Next Slide , and that’s exactly what you’re seeing. This helps you transition smoothly from slide to slide. Often, you may set up some closing narration on one slide to help introduce the next. Guesswork and delays are gone, thanks to using Presenter View in PowerPoint.

Knowing how to present on PowerPoint involves keeping slides in a logical order. That means that on occasion, your next slide should no longer be the next one in line. Presenter View helps you handle this situation. 

Across the bottom of the view is a filmstrip of every slide’s thumbnail. You can scroll through it and click on any slide to jump directly to it.

This way, you can jump around in your slide deck without your audience ever knowing it! This helps you drive the flow of your slide deck in real time, with no interruptions or distractions. 

3. Drawing Tools

Like sports commentators do during a broadcast, you can use drawing tools to draw on top of your slides. This is perfect if you've got a tablet for example, but the feature works well for computer users with a mouse too.

To enter the drawing tools, you can click on the icon shown in the PowerPoint screenshot below. This turns on the tools you need to add highlights and annotations to the selected slide.

Annotations are great if you want to call out key details in real time. You can highlight, mark up, or circle any element on a slide. This is how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint in a live environment. You can use it to capture audience attention and focus on details as your narrative flows. 

Choose from tools like the Laser Pointer, Pen, and Highlighter to add annotations to a slide. A laser pointer is a digital version of the popular tool used to draw attention to parts of a slide.

The Pen and Highlighter tools will actually add new marks on top of the slide that your audience will see. 

4. Timekeeping

This feature is straightforward to use, but I can't stress enough how helpful it is. Nothing is worse than giving a presentation and realizing that you used only half of the time. Or that you went far over the time limit.

In Presenter View , you'll see a feature that keeps time above the current slide thumbnail. You can pause this feature with the Pause button or reset the counter with the icon on the far right. But often, it's best to leave it running. This keeps you on pace, on track, and focused on your message. 

Plus, this is how to put PowerPoint in presentation mode to work for you. At a glance, you can see how much time you have left. This may encourage you to speed up your dialogue. Or it may afford you extra time to expound on a key point or new supporting detail. 

I can think of many times when this feature would have been a big help during presentations in college. When you're graded or judged based upon your runtime, it's a great idea to keep that time total in view.

5. Navigate Effortlessly with Keyboard Shortcuts

Presenter mode PowerPoint presentations are easy to navigate. That’s because they work well with a variety of keyboard shortcuts. By using these shortcuts, you can see how to present on PowerPoint efficiently.

Presenter View offers an array of keyboard and mouse shortcuts that you can use as you present. Again, your audience won’t notice this. 

For a look at them, click on the Tips button in the upper left corner of Presenter View . You’ll see a complete cheat sheet of shortcuts listed. Refer to it often and use these tips to navigate through your slides.

The Best Source for Stunning PowerPoint Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)

Envato Elements is the best place to find stunning PowerPoint templates in 2022 . For a flat, monthly rate, you can download as many PowerPoint templates as you want. Plus, Elements offers an array of other creative content. This includes stock photos, music, fonts, and more.

When you’re using Presenter View in PowerPoint, you need templates that look their best. It’s tempting to turn to free options. But premium templates from Envato Elements are always your best bet.

Why? They’re designed by creative experts with you in mind. You simply fill in the blanks to add your own content. You don’t have to spend time and effort designing slides from scratch. This gives you even more time to craft a compelling narrative to wow any audience.

With premium Envato Elements templates, you’ll unlock an array of features. Each of these helps you shine when you use presenter mode PowerPoint features:

• easy-to-edit text placeholders
• photos and illustrations throughout
• charts and infographics
• pre-built animations

As you learn how to put PowerPoint in presentation mode, you’ll see how all these benefit you.  

Learn More Powerful PowerPoint Tools

We can use tools like Presenter View to reduce the anxiety that comes along with giving presentations. It may still take time to prepare and feel confident about your presentation. But Presenter View keeps those key features in easy view so that you aren't scrambling for written notes.

Check out these tutorials to learn more about giving presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint :

Download Our eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free PDF)

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

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

Start Using Presenter View Today

You just learned how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint. You're the pilot, and now you're in the cockpit of your presentation plane! The features you saw in this tutorial will keep everything you need in view while you give a presentation.

Don't forget to launch your presentation in presenter mode PowerPoint mode. That means you'll always have your slide cues, notes, and more while you speak to an audience.

Editorial Note:  This post has been updated with contributions and a video from Andrew Childress . Andrew is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.

SharePoint Diary

Salaudeen Rajack's Experiences on SharePoint, PowerShell, Microsoft 365 and related products!

SharePoint Online: How to Open PowerPoint in Presentation Mode?

Requirement: Open PowerPoint files in slideshow mode in SharePoint Online.

How to Open PowerPoint in Presentation mode from SharePoint Online?

Any link to PowerPoint presentations (PPT, PPTX, or PPSX files) takes users to the Edit mode of the file. Even if the users don’t have permission to edit, SharePoint opens it in edit mode with a banner saying you can’t edit the file. So, How to force slide show mode for PPT’s?

Well, here is the trick to open PowerPoint files in presentation mode: use the below URL format to have PowerPoint open in presentation mode:

https://crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/marketing /_layouts/16/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc= https://crescent.sharepoint.com/sites/Marketing/Branding/SharePoint-Training-Presentation.pptx &action=embedview

This link directly launches the PowerPoint presentation in the slideshow mode in full browser screen!

How about SharePoint On-Premises?

Similarly, in SharePoint On-premises, use the below format to open PowerPoint in presentation mode:

https://Your-Site-URL /_layouts/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc= <path-to-your-ppsx> &action=embedview

Related Posts

• ← Microsoft 365: How to Set the Password to Never Expire?
• SharePoint Online: How to Enable Missing Apps (Picture Library, Announcements, Survey, Etc.) in Communication Sites? →

Salaudeen Rajack

Salaudeen Rajack - Information Technology Expert with Two-decades of hands-on experience, specializing in SharePoint, PowerShell, Microsoft 365, and related products. He has held various positions, including SharePoint Architect, Administrator, Developer and consultant, has helped many organizations to implement and optimize SharePoint solutions. Known for his deep technical expertise, He's passionate about sharing the knowledge and insights to help others, through the real-world articles! Read More

5 thoughts on “ SharePoint Online: How to Open PowerPoint in Presentation Mode? ”

It also appears if you have any GIFs the are displayed as static images – any advice?

Thanks for this great article. You are the best. I would like to know if there is a trick to start the presentation in full screen presentation mode so that slides run automatically?

Hey, thanks for that! Very helpful! Spend half a day to get that work and you provided finally the solution!

Too sad, if you have links in your PPT you can’t click these…

Hi Salaudeen,

Thanks for your post. We are experiencing the same problem with PowerPoint presentation links not opening up in slideshow mode – even if “view only”. I have used your URL format and this works to open the PowerPoint in presentation mode but ONLY for those that are logged into SharePoint Online.

We want to share the URL for anyone to view (outside of the organisation too) with the only necessary requirement being a web browser to open it. When the URL is clicked the presentation should open straight into slideshow mode without a need for any log in.

Do you think this is something that is possible? Any advice?

Thanks, Emily

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PowerPoint, click and open external file during presentation

is it possible? During presentation on some slide I click on some part of the slide and then the OS opens some external file with its associated program.

• microsoft-powerpoint

• What sort of file? –  ChrisF Commented Jan 16, 2010 at 17:18
• it is whatever kind of file. i.e., PDF, etc. I am using mac office 2008 and it should work with "inser hyperlink" but it does not! –  asdf Commented Jan 16, 2010 at 17:27
• 1 for solving the problem one has to put the linked files on the same folder than the presentation file. otherwise one gets problems –  asdf Commented Jan 16, 2010 at 17:45
• Yeah ideally one could embed the file in the ppt but this does not seem to be possible. –  Timmmm Commented Oct 18, 2013 at 13:29

2 Answers 2

Just right-click on an object (image, text, etc.), select "Hyperlink..." and then select the file you want opened. Note that clicking the object only works in presentation mode.

At least in PowerPoint 2013 you cloud use following technique:

edit: Sorry, I thought this was about opening embedded file.

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Present your slide show

Play a slide show.

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

Move through the slide show

Use Presenter view to run your slide show

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). For complete details, see Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view .

Open the presentation that you want to play as a slide show.

Do one of the following:

Note:  You can also play a slide show by clicking the same options on the Slide Show tab.

To see a list of keyboard shortcuts that you can use to move through slides and manage the slide show, hold down CONTROL while you click the mouse, and then click Help .

To end the slide show when you finish presenting, press ESC .

Set how your slide show is projected on two displays

When you play a slide show with two displays connected, your audience sees the full screen slide show on one screen while you see the presenter view on the other by default. If you prefer to play the slide show in full screen view on both displays, you must change the setting before you start the slide show so that the slide show is mirrored.

You can run your presentation in PowerPoint for the web with an Internet connection and a web browser.

Present your slide show 

Go to Slide Show  on the ribbon. 

Select From Beginning . 

After a short time, the control bar may disappear. If so, you can move your cursor to the lower-left corner and it will reappear. You can also toggle (on/off) with 'T' on the keyboard. 

Several actions are available via the control-bar buttons to do the actions described here. Rollover tool tips also appear for these.   

Loop a slide show

Looping a slide show is not supported in PowerPoint for the web. If you’d like to see this feature added, let us know. Learn how here:  How do I give feedback on Microsoft Office?

You can show your presentation to an audience with PowerPoint Mobile.

Start presenting

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

Presenter View

If you have a two-screen setup in which you are projecting from your device to a large screen, you can see Presenter View visible on your device while your audience sees the slide show on the large screen. Presenter View allows you to see your notes, get a preview of the upcoming slides, and turn ink tools on and off.

On the Slide Show tab, select Use Presenter View .

Navigate through your slides

To move forward through the slide show, press the spacebar on the keyboard or tap the screen.

To go the previous slide, press P.

To exit Slide Show, press Esc.

To make the screen go black, press B. Press B again to make the current slide visible again.

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