how do i loop my powerpoint presentation

How to Loop a PowerPoint Slide Show to Repeat Automatically

Set up a PowerPoint Presentation That Loops or Repeats Continuously

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated November 12, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft ®  PowerPoint ®  2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can set up a PowerPoint slide show to loop or repeat automatically. A looping presentation can be used at events, trade shows or even in a reception area in an office. The easiest way to set up a slide show to loop or replay continuously is to apply automatic transitions and then configure Slide Show settings.

Recommended article: 5 PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Run a Slide Show

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Screenshots in this article are from PowerPoint 365 but are similar in older versions of PowerPoint.

Step 1: Apply transitions to automatically advance slides during a slide show

Transitions occur between slides when you run a slide show.

To apply transitions to automatically advance slides during a slide show:

• In Normal View or Slide Sorter View, display or select a slide.
• Click the Transitions tab in the Ribbon.
• Select a transition in the Transitions gallery (such as Fade).
• Click Effect Options and choose the desired option. Effect Options change depending on the transition you selected.
• In the Timing group, click the arrows beside Duration to set the timing you want (in seconds) for the transition. You may also type a duration.
• In the Timing group, under Advance Slides, deselect or uncheck On mouse click and beside After, select or click the up and down arrows to set the timing to transition to the next slide. You may also type a duration.
• In the Timing group, click Apply to All.

In the Transitions tab in PowerPoint, you can select the type of transition (such as Fade) as well as timing options:

Step 2: Set up a presentation to loop during a slide show

To set up a PowerPoint presentation to loop during a slide show:

• Click the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon and then click Set Up Slide Show. A dialog box appears.
• Under Show type, if you select Presented by a speaker (full screen), the speaker or those watching the slide show will have control over when they advance slides. This is the default setting for slide shows. If you select Browsed by an individual (window), those watching the slide show do NOT have control over when slides advance. If you select Browsed at kiosk (full screen), those watching the slide show do NOT have control over when slides advance and the presentation automatically loops until those watching press Escape (Esc).
• Under Show options, select Loop continuously until 'Esc'. You will be able to select this option if you selected one of the first two options under Show type.

Below is the Set Up Show dialog box with Presented by speaker selected and looping enabled:

If you want to set specific timings for slides to advance or to add narration, check out the article How to Run a PowerPoint Slide Show Automatically (Set Up a Self-Running Presentation) . If you have audio or video in the presentation, you'll need to set the media to play automatically (on the Playback tab in the Ribbon) and animations will also need to be set to run automatically.

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How to loop a PowerPoint slideshow so that it automatically starts over as soon as it ends

• To loop a PowerPoint slideshow, you'll need to enable looping in the "Set Up Slide Show" menu.
• Once you set your PowerPoint to loop, it'll start over from the beginning automatically after playing the last slide.
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories .

If you've designed a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that's meant to be viewed repeatedly, such as on a kiosk or in a museum installation, you can adjust the settings in PowerPoint so that your slideshow "loops" instead of ending after one viewing.

Getting a PowerPoint to loop is easy. Read on to find out how, using PowerPoint for both Mac and PC.

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Microsoft office (from $149.99 at best buy), apple macbook pro (from $1,299.00 at apple), acer chromebook 15 (from $179.99 at walmart), how to loop a powerpoint presentation.

1. Open the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that you want to loop.

2. With your PowerPoint presentation open, click on the "Slide Show" tab, then click on "Set Up Slide Show." 

3. In the pop-up window that appears, click on the box next to "Loop continuously until 'Esc'" so that a small checkmark appears inside the box. Feel free to adjust any other settings in this menu as well. Click "OK" when you're finished.

4. To test whether your PowerPoint can loop successfully, click on the "From Beginning" or "Play From Start" button in the Slide Show tab. Click through the slideshow until you reach the end. When your PowerPoint reaches its final slide, it should start over from the beginning automatically. When you're confident that looping is enabled, and you're ready to close the slide show, press the Esc key.

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How to add a border to slides in powerpoint, and give your slideshow a sleek design, how to embed a youtube video into your microsoft powerpoint presentations using a mac or pc, how to convert google slides to a powerpoint presentation in 4 easy steps, how to create a custom powerpoint template to use or share with others, how to copy or duplicate a powerpoint slide and put it anywhere in your slideshow.

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How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation

Just like an animated GIF or video clip, you can loop a slideshow in Microsoft PowerPoint. This is ideal if you set the presentation to automatically play because it starts at the beginning each time it ends to create an infinite loop.

Here’s how to loop a PowerPoint presentation on Windows and Mac. Currently, PowerPoint on the web doesn’t offer a Loop feature.

Set the Timing to Advance the Slides

Before you set your PowerPoint presentation to loop, you may want to adjust the timing to advance through the slides. You can use the same time for each slide or display particular slides for a longer amount of time.

• Open your presentation in PowerPoint on Windows or Mac and go to the Transitions tab.
• In the Timing section of the ribbon, check the box for After and enter the time in seconds to the right. You can also use the arrows to move the time up or down in small increments.

• To set different times for slides, select the next slide and use the above step to choose the After timing. Continue this process for the remaining slides.
• To set the same timing for all slides in the presentation, select Apply To All in the Timing section.

• If you only want continuous play to advance the slides, you can uncheck the box directly above for On Mouse Click . However, if you want the ability to advance the slides with a mouse click and after a certain amount of time, you can leave the box checked.

Once you have the timings set to advance the slides, you can turn on the Loop setting.

• Go to the Slide Show tab and select Set Up Slide Show in the Set Up section.

• Under Show type , choose an option to play your presentation.
• If you plan to present the slideshow or have an individual view the show, choose one of the first two options. Then, check the box for Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ in the section beneath.

Confirm that the Using timings, if present setting is marked under Advance Slides.

• If you want the slideshow to play automatically , choose the third option, Browsed at a kiosk . You’ll then see the Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ and Using timings, if present settings are automatically marked and disabled for changing.

• Adjust any other options per your preference and use the OK button to save the settings.

When you’re ready to begin the slideshow and let it play, check out our how-to for starting the PowerPoint presentation as well as navigating it if needed.

Just Let It Play

By looping a PowerPoint presentation, you don’t have to lift a finger to advance through the slides. You can display it at a kiosk, in a waiting room, or at a convention booth and just let it play over and over.

For more, look at how to add narration for an engaging PowerPoint presentation .

Sandy Writtenhouse is a freelance technology writer and former Project, Department, and Program Manager. She turned her education, job experience, and love of technology into a full-time writing career. With all sorts of gadgets in her home and her hands, she seeks to help others make life easier through technology. Read Sandy's Full Bio

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• Create a self-running presentation Article

Create a self-running presentation

You can use a self-running presentation to run unattended in a booth or kiosk at a trade show or convention, or you can save it as a video and send it to a client.

On the Slide Show tab, select  Set Up Slide Show .

Under Show type , pick one of the following:

Presented by a speaker (full screen)  Allows the people watching your slide show to have control over when they advance the slides.

Browsed by an individual (window)  Presents your slide show in a window, where control over advancing the slides is not available to the people watching.

Browsed at a kiosk (full screen)  Loops your slide show until the person watching presses Esc.

Rehearse and record slide timings

When you choose the following show types: Presented by a speaker (full screen) or  Browsed at a kiosk (full screen) , you’ll want to rehearse and record timings for effects and slides.

On the Slide Show tab, select  Rehearse Timings .

Note:  The presentation timer begins immediately when you click Rehearse Timings .

The Rehearsal toolbar appears and the Slide Time box begins timing the presentation.

Figure: The Rehearsal toolbar

While timing your presentation, you can do one or more of the following on the Rehearsal toolbar:

To move to the next slide, click Next .

To temporarily stop recording the time, click Pause .

To restart recording the time after pausing, click Pause .

To set an exact length of time for a slide to appear, type the length of time in the Slide Time box.

To restart recording the time for the current slide, click Repeat .

After you set the time for the last slide, a message box displays the total time for the presentation and prompts you to do one of the following:

To keep the recorded slide timings, click Yes .

To discard the recorded slide timings, click No .

Slide Sorter view appears and displays the time of each slide in your presentation.

Add narration or sound

To record a narration, your computer requires a sound card and a microphone, and a microphone connector if the microphone is not a part of your computer.

On the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, click the arrow on the Record Slide Show button.

Select one of the following:

Start Recording from Beginning

Start Recording from Current Slide

In the Record Slide Show dialog box, select the Narrations and laser pointer check box, and if appropriate, select or deselect the Slide and animation timings check box.

Click Start Recording .

To pause the narration, in the Recording shortcut menu in Slide Show view, click Pause . And to resume your narration, click Resume Recording .

To end your slide show recording, right-click the slide, and then click End Show .

The recorded slide show timings are automatically saved and the slide show appears in Slide Sorter view with timings beneath each slide.

You can record a narration before you run a presentation, or you can record it during the presentation and include audience comments. If you do not want narration throughout your entire presentation, you can record separate sounds or comments on selected slides or objects. For more details, see Record a slide show with narration and slide timings .

Browsed by an individual (window)  Presents your slide show in a window, where control over advancing the slides is available to the people watching.

Browsed at a kiosk (full screen)  Loops your slide show until the person watching presses Esc. (Selecting this option automatically selects the Loop continuously until 'Esc'  check box and causes your slide show to run in a loop.)

A  Rehearsal toolbar appears, and the Slide Time box begins timing the presentation. The toolbar includes a timer, a pause/play button, and Repeat button

To restart recording the time after pausing, click Play .

On the view tab, you can then switch to Slide Sorter view to see the time allotted for each slide in your presentation.

Set up slide transitions

If you want a slide show to run automatically at a kiosk, you can control when and how the slides advance. To do this, you can apply the same transition to all slides in the presentation and set the transition to automatically advance after a certain time interval.

On the Transitions tab, click the transition that you want.

Do the following on the Transitions tab:

To set the amount of time that each slide is displayed, select After and enter the number of seconds you want.

To set the duration of each transition between slides, enter the amount of time in the Duration box.

Click Apply to All .

Export a presentation to video

You can export a presentation as a movie file. See Save a presentation as a movie file for more details.

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Loop a PowerPoint

How to Loop a PowerPoint

When a PowerPoint slideshow ends, the screen turns blank after the last slide. However, you can opt to restart the presentation from the first slide by running the slide deck in loop. You might want to loop a slide if you have created a PowerPoint slideshow that needs to run on a screen in loop, such as a self-running slideshow for a kiosk, a PowerPoint template indicating a break at an event, or when you need to go back to one or more of the previous slides from the start for a quick review of the presentation.

How to Make PowerPoint Loop

To loop PowerPoint, go to Slide Show -> Setup Show .

From the dialog box that appears, select Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ to enable looping your slides. By default, all slides are looped in a sequence.

How to Loop PowerPoint from Selected Slides

To loop specific slides, go to Slide Show -> Setup Show , enable loop, and select the slides to run in a loop via Show Slides .

How to Loop PowerPoint Slides Manually and Automatically

You might want to create a slideshow from break or countdown-themed PowerPoint templates or Google Slides templates to indicate a break during an event.

You can select the time each slide remains on screen via the Transitions tab. The Timings menu provides the option to select the duration for each slide and whether you intend the slides to move automatically or on mouse-click.

To loop PowerPoint slides manually or automatically, go to Slide Show -> Setup Show , enable the loop option, and go to Advance slides . Select Manually for moving slides on mouse click, arrow keys, or PowerPoint remote. Alternatively, select Use timings .

Final Words

Whether you need to loop a PowerPoint presentation manually or automatically for an event or to create a self-running slideshow that loops PPT, you can use the instructions mentioned above to customize the settings for your slide deck according to need.

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Loop a PowerPoint Slide Show

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What to Know

• In PowerPoint, go to Slide Show > Set Up Slide Show > Browsed at a Kiosk (Full Screen ) > OK .
• Set the time each slide appears on the screen by selecting Slide Show > Rehearse Timings on the first slide.
• Use Next to move to the next slide and Pause to pause recording, or type a length of time in the Slide Time box.

This article explains how to loop a PowerPoint slideshow in PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2019 for Mac, PowerPoint 2016 for Mac, and PowerPoint for Mac 2011.

How to Create a Self-Running PowerPoint Slideshow

PowerPoint slideshows are not always used by a live presenter. Slideshows set to loop continuously can run unattended in a booth or kiosk. You can even save a slideshow as a video to share.

To create a continuously looping presentation, you need to set it up and record slide timings.

To run the slideshow unattended, set timings for slide transitions and animations to run automatically.

How to Set Up the Presentation

Open the PowerPoint presentation you want to loop continuously.

Go to Slide Show .

Select Set Up Slide Show . The Set Up Show dialog box opens.

Select Browsed at a Kiosk (Full Screen) . This enables the presentation to loop continuously until the viewer presses Esc .

Select OK .

How to Rehearse and Record Timings

To ensure that your automated presentation is the right length, record timings to set the amount of time each slide appears on the screen.

PowerPoint for Mac does not have the rehearsal option. Instead, go to Transitions , choose the transition you want to use, set the duration you want, and select Apply to All .

Go to the first slide of the presentation.

Select Rehearse Timings . The slideshow starts and records the time spent on the slide. The time appears in the Slide Time box on the Recording toolbar.

Select Next on the Recording toolbar when you want to move to the next slide.

Select Pause any time you want to pause or resume recording.

Type a length of time in the Slide Time box if you want to display a slide for a specific amount of time.

Select Repeat if you want to restart the recording time for the current slide only.

Select Close when you're done recording.

You'll be asked if you want to save the new slide timings. Select Yes to save the slide timings at the end of the presentation.

If you have a microphone (built-in or external), record a voiceover on your PowerPoint presentation that plays as the slideshow loops continuously.

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How to Make Your Presentations Loop in PowerPoint

You might want to make your presentations loop in PowerPoint for several reasons. Regardless of why, this guide will help.

Microsoft PowerPoint is already a useful productivity tool to deliver slideshows and presentations, but it's even more versatile than you may realize. PowerPoint offers the functionality for your presentations to loop so that the slideshow restarts right after it ends. Read on to find out how to enable this in your project and why such a feature can be immensely useful in a variety of situations.

How to Loop Your Presentations in PowerPoint

As you make your presentation the way you would like for it to be seen, setting your slideshow up to loop is relatively easy. It mainly involves changing a single setting within PowerPoint.

1. Within the Ribbon at the top of the window, click Slide Show . This will take you to a menu of options for displaying and presenting your slide show.

2. Click Set Up Slide Show in the middle Set Up section. This button will open up a pop-up window of detailed, advanced settings for your presentation.

3. In the Set Up Show window, click Loop continuously until 'Esc' in the Show options section.

4. Click OK to apply the change.

5. Preview the presentation using the From Beginning or From Current Slide buttons in the Ribbon to see that the looping works.

As you might notice when you preview the slide show, enabling the setting is only half the battle. While the presentation does return to the first slide after displaying the last one, the slides don't progress on their own. If you want your slides to loop automatically, you'll need to set up transitions between each slide.

How to Automatically Loop Your PowerPoint Slides

1. Select the slide you want to apply the transition to if you haven't already.

2. Click Transitions within the Ribbon. This opens up a variety of options for adding animations when changing from one slide to the next.

3. Choose one of the transitions in the Transition to This Slide section to use with this slide. There are a variety of transition options available, from the subtle to the flashy.

While you can play with each transition to your heart's content, it's not necessarily required; you can stick with the default None option or a simple Fade if you'd like.

4. Navigate to the Timing section on the right-hand side of the Ribbon. In order to automate your loop, you'll need to specify when each slide moves to the next one.

5. Under the Advance Slide heading, click the After: checkbox to enable it.

6. Set a time (in minutes or seconds) by entering one in the text box (currently reading "00:00.00") or the arrow buttons nearby.

7. Repeat this process for the other slides you have. Alternatively, you can click Apply To All to set the current slide's transition settings across every slide in the presentation.

8. When you've applied the transitions you want, you can preview the presentation again using the From Beginning or From Current Slide buttons in the Slide Show tab of the Ribbon.

In the preview, you'll see that the slides now transition automatically, and the loop now works without any further interaction. When you need to leave the presentation, press the Esc (escape) key to return to the normal PowerPoint window.

Why Would You Want to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation?

There are a number of reasons why you'd want to run a PowerPoint presentation in a loop, and thus multiple ways this functionality is useful.

You can create a continuous carousel of photos for gatherings with family and friends or a relaxing slideshow of beaches at the end of a stressful day. You can use it to display important information, like rules or schedules, at conferences or conventions.

The integration with the regular transition timings also allows for specialized use cases where you may need to have certain slides displayed longer than others. For example, it can be used to show menu pricing at a kiosk or on a food truck or to offer some entertainment to people waiting in a long line.

Keep Your PowerPoint Presentation Skills in the Loop

Learning how to loop PowerPoint presentations is just one of the many lesser-noticed features of the widely-used tool that can take your slideshows to a new level.

Functionality like this helps keep PowerPoint a versatile, popular program built for a variety of presenting needs. Now, it's time to put these features to work for you.

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How To Loop A PowerPoint Slideshow? Detailed Guide

This Blog explains the methods to loop your presentation slideshows in detail. It covers all the techniques to create slideshow loops for PowerPoint as well as Google Slides presentations. We have also included tips to enhance your presentation slideshows.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a popular application for creating and delivering presentations. PowerPoint has numerous options for adding flair and taking your presentations a notch higher, such as the ability to incorporate YouTube videos, GIFs, etc. If you loop your PowerPoint, every slide will display for a predetermined duration. After the presentation, it will automatically resume from the beginning.

But the question is, can you use the looping function effectively? When used correctly, this feature eliminates the need for presenters to click a mouse or computer key to transition between slides. This feature is easy to set up and customize.

Today’s guide will teach us how to loop a PowerPoint slideshow and various tips and tricks for effective looping.

Why You Need to Loop Your Slideshow in PowerPoint?

Before learning how to loop a PowerPoint slideshow, let’s see under what scenarios one needs to loop their slideshow:

One helpful tool in PowerPoint that helps to guarantee a smooth and continuous presentation experience is the ability to loop your slideshow. The constant playback draws and maintains audience attention whether you present information in automated presentations, build interactive kiosks, or show information in exhibitions. Looping makes it possible to communicate information effectively and reinforce essential points for audience members who might join the presentation at different times. 

How to Make a PowerPoint Loop?

You can learn how to make a PowerPoint loop through the instructions below. You can use the loop for various events, such as trade exhibitions, information displays, or kiosks.

• Open the PowerPoint presentation that you wish to loop first.
• Go to the Slide Show Tab: The PowerPoint window has several tabs at the top. To access choices relating to presenting your slides, select the “Slide Show” tab.
• Access Setup Show: Several commands and choices are under the “Slide Show” tab. Search for the “Set Up Slide Show” button or menu item in the group labeled “Start Slide Show.” Click on it.
• Display Type: Select “Presented by a speaker (full screen).”
• Preview slides: If you want the slides to play automatically, select “Manually” or enter the desired duration for each slide’s PowerPoint presentation loop timing.
• Enable your presentation to loop indefinitely unless you manually end it by hitting the Escape (‘Esc’) key by enabling this option.
• Click OK: After adjusting these settings to store your options, click the “OK” button.
• Begin Your Loop: Your slides will be set to loop unless you manually stop it by pressing the ‘Esc’ key. To stop it, click “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” under the “Slide Show” tab to begin your presentation.

How to Loop a PowerPoint SlideShow from Selected Slides

You can choose which slides you want to loop around in PowerPoint. Eliminating manual intervention and maintaining audience interaction can be achieved by carefully choosing which slides to show throughout the presentation. Follow these steps to learn how to loop a PowerPoint slideshow from selected slides: 

• Select the “Slide Show” option to start a loop for a particular set of slides. To initiate the loop, click the first slide in the thumbnail pane on the left.
• Click the final slide you wish to add to the loop while holding your keyboard’s “Shift” key. Next, select “Setup Show” and turn on the looping feature.
• Choose the “Custom Show” option and give it a name in the “Set Up Show” dialogue box. Navigate to the “Slide Show” menu and select “Custom Slide Show” to begin your looping presentation from the selected slides.

How to Set Up Auto-Loop for Continuous Playback

Now you know how to loop a slideshow in PowerPoint from selected slides, let us see how you can set up auto-loop for continuous playback: 

• Select the Slide Show tab.
• Press the Set Up Slide Show button. You’ll see an options window appear.
• Keep clicking Loop till you reach “Esc.”

Note: Under Show Type, select Presented by a speaker or Browsed by an individual if you want the speaker or individual to continue controlling the presentation and clicking between slides. Clicking “Browsed” at a kiosk checks the Loop until the “Esc” box appears continuously. Moreover, auto-looping may annoy your viewers if your presentation is very repetitive. Use it with discretion and only when it makes sense for your writing subject.

How to Loop A PowerPoint SlideShow Using 2007 Version (older versions).

Use these detailed instructions to loop your slides if you’re using an older version of Microsoft PowerPoint:

• Open your PowerPoint presentation on your 2007 Microsoft PowerPoint .
• Select the tab labeled Slide Show. Select the “Set Up Slide Show” option from the “Set Up” menu.
• Go to the “Show options” section and select “Loop continuously until ‘Esc'” from the dialogue box that appears. Click Ok.
• Select your initial slide from the “Slides” preview side panel. To select your final slide, press and hold Shift. 
• Select the tab labeled “Animations.” Turn off “On Mouse Click” and check the “Automatically After” box.
• The “After” box in the “Timing” panel has up and down arrows that you can use to change the time each slide appears. It will automatically loop back to the first slide when your slideshow reaches the last one.

How to Stop or Pause your Slideshow loop at any point.

Learning how to make a PowerPoint loop is of no use if you don’t know how to stop or pause your slideshow loop at any point: 

You can use simple keyboard commands to pause or stop your slideshow loop at any time during a PowerPoint presentation. You can manually stop the looping slideshow by hitting the “Esc” key (also known as the Escape key) on your keyboard. It gives presenters a simple and quick option to stop the continuous playback so they can answer queries, have conversations, or go to particular slides that are not playing continuously.

Advanced Techniques for Creating a Seamless Loop in PowerPoint

One of the techniques used for creating a seamless loop in PowerPoint is incorporating videos and GIFs. PowerPoint’s animations, transitions, and triggers can create seamless looping. Here is how:

• Select the video you imported and added to a slide.
• Open the “Animations” tab from the main menu.
• Choose “Play” from the animation gallery’s “Media” section after clicking the “ Add Animation ” button.
• On the right side of the screen, click the “Animation Pane” to open it.
• Right-click the “Play” button and choose “Timing” in the “Animation Pane.”
• Choose “Until End of Slide” or “Until Next Click” as the “Repeat” option in the “Timing” tab.
• Use Triggers to adjust the start and stop times of the video.

Tips and Tricks for Effective Slideshow Looping in PowerPoint

As you can see, creating a PowerPoint loop video couldn’t be easier. It only takes three easy steps to complete. Nonetheless, there are always specific tips you may apply to improve the appeal and attention-grabbingness of your videos.

1. Selecting the Right Video

The length and content of the video are the primary considerations when discussing the “right” video. Therefore, consider the duration of your video when creating a continuous loop.

Yes, longer videos can be more captivating, but they may add to the presentation’s file size and degrade performance. Shorter video clips, however, are less likely to affect performance and can loop more naturally. Regarding the video’s substance, make sure it supports the main idea of your presentation and is pertinent to the subject of your talk. The video aims to increase viewer comprehension and engagement without becoming overbearing or intrusive.

2. Compressing Video Files

Large videos can detract from the overall image of your presentation by making it excessively slow and challenging to share. Therefore, consider using a specialized video compression tool or the built-in PowerPoint compression feature to optimize your presentation by compressing the files. It doesn’t always imply that your presentation will look grainy. Still, it can cause a noticeable quality loss, so keep that in mind when creating the presentation in the first place.

3. Examining the Presentation

Make sure the video loops accurately and smoothly by testing it before you deliver your presentation. Go over the entire presentation, looking for any inconsistent or problematic playback. If you complete your testing on time, you can safely make all the required changes and retest it until the loop video functions as planned.

4. Looping Videos to Create Ambience and Background

You can also use videos that loop to set the mood for your presentation. For instance, a natural setting or a soft animation can produce an aesthetically pleasing and captivating ambiance. Nevertheless, the presentation’s general subject and the background clip are complementary rather than distracting.

To sum up, looping your PowerPoint slideshow is simple. PowerPoint’s “Set Up Slide Show options” allow you to program it to loop indefinitely for a predetermined number of times.

Use transitions carefully, arrange your slides in the correct order, and adhere to best practices while making your looping PowerPoint to give it a polished, professional appearance. Your looping slideshow can operate flawlessly at events without supervision with the correct settings.

How to Loop Slideshow In Powerpoint?

To loop a slideshow in PowerPoint, go to the “Slide Show” tab, select “Set Up Slide Show,” check “Loop continuously until ‘Esc’,” and click “OK.”

Can I loop specific slides within my PowerPoint presentation?

Yes, PowerPoint allows you to loop specific slides.

How do I stop or pause a looped slideshow in PowerPoint?

To interrupt a looped slideshow at any point, simply press the “Esc” key on your keyboard.

Can I customize the duration of each slide in a looped PowerPoint presentation?

Yes, you can control the timing of each slide by adjusting the slide transition settings, allowing for a tailored and dynamic looping experience.

Can SlideUpLift templates be used in looped presentations?

Yes, SlideUpLift provides PowerPoint templates that are compatible with looped presentations. These professionally designed templates can enhance the visual appeal of your slides, making your looped presentation more engaging and impactful.

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How to Loop a Powerpoint Office 365 Slideshow

For typical Powerpoint presentations that you just show to one person, you likely aren’t concerned with what happens when the slideshow is over.

But some situations call for a slideshow to continue playing for an extended period of time.

This means that you will need to learn how to loop a Powerpoint Office 365 presentation so that it plays continuously.

How to Do a Powerpoint for Office 365 Slideshow Loop

• Open the presentation.
• Select the Slide Show tab.
• Choose Set Up Slide Show .
• Check the Loop continuously until Esc box.
• Click the top slide, hold down Shift , then click the last slide.
• Choose the Transitions tab.
• Uncheck On Mouse Click , check After , then set a duration for each slide.

Our guide continues below with more information on how to loop a Powerpoint Office 365 presentation, including pictures of these steps.

Sometimes you will create a presentation in Powerpoint that is going to be shown someplace where it will be unattended.

This could be at a trade show, in an office, or anywhere else where there is a TV or computer screen.

Constantly having to restart that slideshow yourself is often impractical, and would be tedious even if you were physically able to attend to it.

Fortunately, it’s possible to create a slideshow loop in Powerpoint so that the presentation will play continuously once it has concluded.

Our guide below will show you how to create a Powerpoint slideshow loop in Microsoft Powerpoint for Office 365.

Documents with pictures often need some adjustments before they look their best. You can find out more with our how to flip an image in Word article .

How to Make a Powerpoint Slideshow Loop (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed in the Microsoft Powerpoint for Office 365 version of the application, but will work in most other versions of the application as well.

Note that the presentation can loop on its own, but you may need to adjust any screensaver or hibernation settings on your computer so that the screen will remain on.

Step 1: Open your slideshow in Powerpoint.

Step 2: click the slide show tab at the top of the window..

Step 3: Click the Set Up Slide Show button.

Step 4: Check the box to the left of Loop continuously until Esc , then click OK .

Step 5: Click your first slide in the column at the left side of the window, then hold down the Shift key, scroll down and click the last slide.

Step 6: Select the Transitions tab at the top of the window.

Step 7: Click the box to the left of On Mouse Click to remove the check mark, check the box to the left of After , then choose the amount of time to display each slide.

I have set my slideshow to display each slide for 5 seconds in the image above.

You can start your slideshow at any time by pressing the F5 key on your keyboard.

You can stop the slideshow by pressing the Esc key on your keyboard.

You should now know how to loop a Powerpoint Office 365 presentation so that it continuously plays on repeat until you press the Esc key on your keyboard to terminate it.

Find out how to change your slide size in Powerpoint if you need a different orientation or slide dimensions for your presentation.

Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.

His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.

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How to Loop in PowerPoint on PC or Mac

Last Updated: November 24, 2021

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 20,642 times. Learn more...

Want to create a self-running PowerPoint presentation for your kiosk, trade-show, performance, or event? It's easy to adjust the options in PowerPoint to make your presentation play back in a continuous loop. When you turn on Slide Show Loop in PowerPoint, your presentation will start over again every time it ends, which means you won't need to be present to restart it. This wikiHow article will show you how to make your PowerPoint presentation loop indefinitely.

• If you haven't yet created your presentation, make one and save it as a file before proceeding.

• For example, to change the amount of time spent on each slide to 10 seconds, you would change the 00:00.00 text box to read 00:10.00 .

• Click File in the upper-left side of the window.
• Click Save As on the left side of the page.
• Double-click the This PC tab in the middle of the page.
• Click the "Save as type" drop-down box, then click PowerPoint Show in the drop-down menu.
• Enter a file name and select a save location.
• Click Save .

• If you're unhappy with a slide's display time, you can change the time by opening the presentation, going back to the Transitions tab, and adjusting the "After" text box.
• You can open a Show file in PowerPoint by dragging the Show file into the PowerPoint window.

• For example, to change the amount of time spent on each slide to 10 seconds, you would type 10.00 into the text box.

• Click File .
• Click Save As... .
• Click the "Format" drop-down box.
• Click PowerPoint Show (.ppsx) in the drop-down menu.

Expert Q&A

• If you use Microsoft Office 365, you can save your PowerPoint presentation as a video instead of a PowerPoint file and then loop the video using your computer's video player's "Loop" function. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/create-a-self-running-presentation-57fc41ae-f36a-4fb5-94a3-52d5bc466037#OfficeVersion=Mac
• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/file-formats-for-saving-and-exporting-presentations-in-powerpoint-for-mac-a4b76110-697c-496f-b9c5-e318f2bd6eba

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How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

Looping a PowerPoint presentation so it repeats continuously can be very useful for trade shows, lobbies, or other situations where you want your presentation to play on recur. The process is relatively simple and only takes a few steps. In this article, we’ll walk through how to set up a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation to loop automatically. First we’ll discuss why you may want a looping presentation. Then we’ll cover the steps to configure the loop in PowerPoint.

How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation

Follow these easy steps to set up a looping PowerPoint slideshow in Microsoft PowerPoint 2022 or 365:

• It will repeat, moving from the first slide to the last slide and back to the beginning until you press “Esc”.

With a few mouse clicks, you can easily set up continuous looping for your PowerPoint slide – perfect for unattended presenting.

Tips for How to Loop Slides in PowerPoint

When creating a looping PowerPoint slideshow, keep these tips in mind:

• Time your slides appropriately – 10-20 seconds per slide is ideal. Don’t make them too short or long.
• Use transitions like fades and wipes. Avoid distracting transitions that could disrupt the flow.
• Focus on visuals more than heavy text, which viewers won’t fully read.
• Create a narrative flow from beginning to end, even if it loops.
• Check audio levels if using sound to ensure proper volume.
• Consider adding interactive elements like hyperlinks.
• Preview and test thoroughly to polish schedule and flow.
• Adjust slide timing in the “Set Up Slide Show” menu if needed.

Properly schedule and planning your looping PowerPoint ppt helps create a professional, seamless presentation. See Microsoft’s guide for more tips on perfecting your looping slideshow.

Alternatives to Looping a PowerPoint Presentation

If you want more flexibility than simply looping your PowerPoint slideshow, consider these other approaches:

• Export as a video – Convert your PowerPoint to an MP4 video file that can play on replay on a TV or monitor. This gives you more options for transitions and schedule plan.
• Use presentation software like ProShow Producer to create self-running shows with advanced options for automatically displaying slides.
• Make a self-running PowerPoint using animations and slide timers to move from one slide to the next automatically without needing to loop it.
• Use digital signage platforms like BrightSign to remotely publish and manage your looping presentation.
• Connect your computer to a TV or large monitor and use a media player to display your Presentation on recur.
• Have a presenter show the PowerPoint live if available during your event, rather than pre-recording it.

Consider your specific display needs and venue setup to pick the best approach for looping your content.

In summary, looping your PowerPoint slideshow is an easy way to create a repeating, unattended presentation. Using the “Set Up Slide Show options” in PowerPoint, you can set it to endlessly loop for a certain number of times.

When creating your looping PowerPoint, properly schedule your slides, use transitions wisely, and follow best practices for a professional, polished look. With the right settings, your looping slideshow can run smoothly at events without supervision.

While PowerPoint makes looping easy, you can also export to video or use other software for more advanced presentation options. In the end, looping gives an effortless way to display your slides on continuous repeat.

We encourage you to try looping your next PowerPoint. By following this guide, you’ll be ready to create a seamless, professional replay slideshow for your event.

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How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation

Setting up a PowerPoint slideshow to loop continuously is easy:

• Switch to the Slide Show Ribbon tab.
• Click on Set Up Slide Show .
• Tick the Loop continuously until 'Esc' checkbox.

By default, PowerPoint advances to the next slide only when a mouse click occurs. If you want your slideshow to advance automatically, follow the steps below:

• Select all slides in the navigation pane.
• Switch to the Transitions tab in the Ribbon.
• In the Timing group under Advance Slide tick the checkbox next to After:
• Enter the duration you want each slide to display.

• May 7, 2018

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How To Loop a PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Microsoft PowerPoint is a well-known tool for making and delivering presentations. Do you know how to use the looping feature? This feature makes it easy for presenters to move from slide to slide without having to click a mouse or computer key. Setting up and customizing this feature is simple.

In this article, you will learn the following:

What is PowerPoint looping?

How to set up powerpoint looping, how to stop looping on powerpoint presentations.

Typically, a PowerPoint presentation will only move from one slide to the next when prompted. A presenter will have to press the arrow key on the computer keyboard, right-click on the mouse, or press the button on a hand-held presentation remote in order to move to the next slide.

When you loop a PowerPoint, you set the presentation to move from one slide to the next without being prompted. For presenters, this means that you do not need to click the arrow key on the computer or click a mouse.

PowerPoint looping allows you to display each slide automatically for a certain amount of time, which you determine. Once the slide displays for that set time, the next slide automatically displays. After the final slide of the presentation, the slideshow repeats from the beginning.

To set up looping on a PowerPoint presentation, complete the following steps:

Create your PowerPoint presentation.

In the main menu of your PowerPoint (along the top of the screen), select “Slide Show.”

Click “Slide Show” to begin customizing your presentation’s display

In the menu that pops up at the top of your screen, select “Set Up Slide Show.”

Click “Set Up Slide Show” to begin customizing your presentation’s display

In the box that appears, locate “Show options” and check the box next to “Loop continuously until ‘Esc.’”

Check the box next to “Loop continuously until ‘Esc.’”

Click “OK.”

Setting up timing between slides

Microsoft PPT will automatically set your slides to transition every two minutes, but you can easily customize how long you want each slide to display before moving to the next slide.

In the main menu, select “Transitions.”

Click “Transitions”

Select the slide that you want to customize for the display time. If you would like all of the slides to have the same transition time, select all slides instead of just one.

Select the slide for which you want to customize the display time. If you’d like all of the slides to have the same transition time, highlight all slides instead of just one.

In the “Timing” group under “Advance Slide,” check the box next to “After:.”

Under “Advance Slide,” check the box next to “After:”

In the box next to “After:,” move the arrows up and down to determine how long you’d like the slides to display.

Once you loop your slideshow, it will display on a loop while you present. To stop this looping, simply press “Esc” on your keyboard. This will end your presentation looping.

Enhancing PowerPoint with graphics

Microsoft PowerPoint is just the beginning when it comes to creating useful presentations. If you would like to enhance the visual aspects of your PowerPoint presentations, consider add-on software that will help create graphics such as timelines, Gantt charts, and more.

Disclaimer:

The steps to loop a PowerPoint were researched in November 2021, and desktop screenshots reflect the platform layout of PowerPoint on a desktop PC. Applications and layouts are liable to change; see Microsoft’s “PowerPoint help & learning” page for additional information.

How to Create a Looping Slideshow in PowerPoint

You can easily create a looping slideshow using PowerPoint. A looping slideshow displays each slide automatically for a certain amount of time. Once that time has elapsed, the slide automatically continues to the next slide. Once the slideshow reaches the end, it repeats from the beginning.

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Click the [Slide Show] tab > From the "Set Up" group, click "Set Up Slide Show".
• From the resulting dialogue box, check "Loop continuously until 'Esc'" under the "Show options" section > Click [OK].
• From the "Slides" preview side panel, click your first slide > Press and hold [Shift] and click your last slide. This will select all of your slides.
• Click the [Transitions] tab > From the "Timing" group, uncheck "On Mouse Click" and check "After".
• To adjust the time you would like each slide to display, click the up and down arrows in the "After:" field within the "Timing" group. When your slideshow reaches the last slide, it will automatically loop back to the beginning.

Keywords: loop, slideshow, powerpoint, looping slideshow, automatic slideshow, continuous, power point

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How to add a looping introduction to a PowerPoint presentation

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Displaying an introductory or welcome slide while your audience arrives for a presentation is common. While the audience enters the room and finds a seat, they may chat with one another, help themselves to refreshments, or sit quietly and wait for the show. The one-slide introduction that says welcome and displays pretty flowers is quaint, but it won’t grab anyone’s attention as they enter the room, and it certainly won’t keep anyone’s interest while they wait. Instead, grab their attention from the moment they walk through the door with an introductory presentation that introduces you and/or your presentation’s purpose—call it a mini presentation if you like. That way, you’ll have the attention and interest of your audience before you even begin.

I’m using Office 365 PowerPoint (desktop) on a Windows 10 64-bit system, but you can use an earlier version. This technique can’t be created in the browser edition. You can work with your own presentation or download the .pptx and .ppt demonstration files.

SEE: Choosing your Windows 7 exit strategy: Four options (Tech Pro Research)

Setting it up

This technique uses two shows—the preview and the main presentation–but you’ll store them as one. You control when your audience sees both.

It doesn’t matter where you place the introductory slides within the main presentation. At the beginning makes sense—that’s what we’ll do–but it isn’t necessary. If slide numbering matters, place your introductory slide as the end. Use as many introductory slides as needed but keep it to a minimum. The point is to present material that will interest the audience and enhance your program.

Once you’ve created the main presentation, add introductory slides. Your presentation, if run, would display the introductory slides and then the presentation. That’s not what you want; you want the presentation to repeat the introductory slides without advancing to the main presentation until you’re ready.

I’m using the school project presentation provided by PowerPoint as a demonstration file. As you can see in Figure A , I’ve changed the first two slides a bit; these two slides, slides 1 and 2, represent our introduction. Slides 3 through 7 represent our main presentation. (I’ve not changed the remaining slides.)

Identifying the introduction slides

We now have two presentations in one. To control them as two separate shows, we’ll first identify the introductory slides. To do so:

• In Slide Sorter, select the slides in the introduction—slides 1 and 2. To do so, hold down the Shift key while clicking both.
• Click the Transition slide. In the Timing group, uncheck On mouse click, and click After. Enter the number of seconds you want to pause between slides—3 ( Figure B ).
• Click the Slide Show tab, and then click Set Up Slide Show in the Set Up group.
• In the resulting dialog, check Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ in the Show options section.
• In the Show slides section, enter 1 and 2 for the From and To settings (slides 1 and 2).
• Make sure to check the Using timings, if present option in the Advance slides section ( Figure C ) and click OK.

If you play the presentation as is, it plays slides 1 and 2 continuously, never advancing to the main presentation. Next, we’ll create a custom slide show with the remaining slides.

Name the main presentation

We’ve identified slides 1 and 2 as the introduction. Now, let’s identify the main presentation by create a custom slide show as follows:

• Click the slide Show tab, click Custom Slide Show in the Start Slide Show group, and then choose custom Shows.
• Click New in the resulting dialog.
• In the Define Custom Show dialog, enter Main Presentation in the Slide show name control.
• Check slides 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in the left list. Then, click Add to copy those slides to the Slides in custom show list to the right ( Figure D ). PowerPoint will renumber them, but don’t worry about that.
• Click OK and then click Close.

At this point, you have two slides that loop, slides 1 and 2, and a custom slide show named Main Presentation that contains 5 slides (slides 3 through 7). Right now, you can’t get from the looping intro to the main presentation.

How to start the main presentation

Once your audience is ready, you’ll want to start the main presentation. As yet, there’s no way to do so. To that end, we’ll add an action button to slide 2 that starts the main presentation. First, switch to Normal view. Then, select the last slide in the introduction, slide 2. To add the action button, do the following:

• Click the Insert tab, click Shapes (in the Illustrations group), and then choose a shape from the Action Buttons at the bottom of the dropdown. Specifically, choose the second from the left, Go Forward or Next.
• Click on the slide where you want to position the button.
• In the resulting dialog, you’ll assign an action by choosing Custom Show from the Hyperlink to dropdown ( Figure E ). Don’t choose Next Slide, even though it seems to make sense. Doing so will display the next slide in the introduction—slide 1—not the next slide in sequence.
• In the next dialog, choose Main Presentation ( Figure F ).
• Click OK twice to return to Normal view.

At this point, you’re done. However, you might want to make the action button invisible as follows:

• With the action button still selected, click the Format tab. Then click the dialog launcher for the Shapes Styles group.
• In the resulting pane, click Fill to display more options. Set the Transparency option to 100%.

That was easy, wasn’t it? Just don’t forget where the action button is. You can copy the button to slide 1 if you want the option of starting the presentation from either introductory slide. This is less important when you have only a few slides in the introduction. If you have several, consider copying the action button to all the slides or every other slide so you can quickly start the presentation regardless of which slide is up.

Show’s on!

All the hard work is done. Simply press F5 to run the show. PowerPoint will loop through slides 1 and 2. When you’re ready to start the presentation, click the (hidden) action button on slide 2. Because the action button specifies a custom show and not a specific slide, PowerPoint will return to the first slide in that show, slide 3 (slide 1 in the custom show) when you exit the last slide, slide 7. It won’t return to slides 1 and 2 in the introduction.

You can keep your audience mildly entertained or grab their interest early on with a short introductory presentation. Let the slides loop until you’re ready to begin the main presentation.

Send me your question about Office

I answer readers’ questions when I can, but there’s no guarantee. Don’t send files unless requested; initial requests for help that arrive with attached files will be deleted unread. You can send screenshots of your data to help clarify your question. When contacting me, be as specific as possible. For example, “Please troubleshoot my workbook and fix what’s wrong” probably won’t get a response, but “Can you tell me why this formula isn’t returning the expected results?” might. Please mention the app and version that you’re using. I’m not reimbursed by TechRepublic for my time or expertise when helping readers, nor do I ask for a fee from readers I help. You can contact me at [email protected] .

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Loop a selected part of a Powerpoint presentation

I want to create a stream of slide and then loop some of them in order to have a dynamic background when there are some breaks during the presentation.

Any idea how can I do that?

Thank you very much!

• microsoft-powerpoint
• presentations

Instead of making it all one big show, put the loop slides into another presentation, then add a link to it from the main presentation. It needn't be visible ... a 99% transparent rectangle with an action setting would do the job, you just need to know where to click something you can't see in order to launch the loop.

When you're done watching the loop, press ESC to close it and you'll be back in the main presentation.

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How to Loop a Video in PowerPoint and Play Endlessly

Looping is useful to keep a video playing endlessly without having the presenter replay the video manually. This technique is popular among short videos and GIF-like content.

You could edit the video and make it look like looping using a mainstream video editor, but that method sounds exhausting, and not many people can afford to use the software. Instead, PowerPoint enables you to loop a running video with a single click .

In this guide, you will learn how to loop a video in PowerPoint. I will assume you already know how to insert a video into a presentation slide beforehand.

Guide to Looping Videos in PowerPoint

1. Launch a PowerPoint document with a video already inserted.

2. Select the video and go to the Playback menu.

3. Tick the box of Loop until Stopped .

4. To test the result, run the Slideshow (F5) .

The video will keep playing and looping unless you pause it or move to another slide — it’s a smart mechanism to preserve computing power and ensure the best performance even with multiple videos within a slide.

Tips for Smooth, Seamless Video Loops

To prevent jarring jumps between loop cycles, properly editing the video source file is key:

• Edit video:  Use video editing software to trim and adjust the clip so the loop point transitions flawlessly.
• Shorter is better:  Looping shorter videos will have better performance. Long videos may lag and delay.
• Use animations:  PowerPoint animations give more looping options than just the video settings.
• Test thoroughly:  Preview the looped video in Presenter View to verify smooth playback.

With the right techniques, looping videos can be an easy way to enhance engagement and visual interest in your PowerPoint presentations. The endless repeat creates an immersive, mesmerizing effect that grabs attention.

Adding looping videos to PowerPoint is an easy way to increase engagement and visual appeal for your presentations. The endless repetition grabs attention and emphasizes your message.

Use the built-in “Loop until Stopped” option for basic looping needs, and explore animations for more customization. Edit your video source for seamless transitions between cycles. Test thoroughly before presenting.

How do you loop a video continuously in PowerPoint?

To loop a video continuously in PowerPoint, simply click on the video, go to the Playback tab under Video Tools, and check the box next to “Loop until Stopped” in the Video Options group. This will make the video repeat nonstop until you manually stop it or switch slides.

Why is my PowerPoint video not playing automatically?

If your PowerPoint video isn’t playing automatically, check the Playback settings for that video. Click the video, go to Playback > Start and make sure it’s set to “Automatically” rather than “On Click.” Also, check that “Hide While Not Playing” is unchecked. If it still doesn’t work, try optimizing media compatibility under File > Info.

Is there a maximum length video I can loop in PowerPoint?

There’s no explicit max length, but longer videos are more likely to have performance issues. Keep looping videos under 30-60 seconds for best results. Use shorter clips if possible.

About The Author

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1 thought on “how to loop a video in powerpoint and play endlessly”.

Thank you so much vegaslide! you’re an angel!

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How-To Geek

6 ways to create more interactive powerpoint presentations.

Engage your audience with cool, actionable features.

Quick Links

• Add a QR code
• Embed Microsoft Forms (Education or Business Only)
• Embed a Live Web Page
• Add Links and Menus
• Add Clickable Images to Give More Info
• Add a Countdown Timer

We've all been to a presentation where the speaker bores you to death with a mundane PowerPoint presentation. Actually, the speaker could have kept you much more engaged by adding some interactive features to their slideshow. Let's look into some of these options.

1. Add a QR code

Adding a QR code can be particularly useful if you want to direct your audience to an online form, website, or video.

Some websites have in-built ways to create a QR code. For example, on Microsoft Forms , when you click "Collect Responses," you'll see the QR code option via the icon highlighted in the screenshot below. You can either right-click the QR code to copy and paste it into your presentation, or click "Download" to add it to your device gallery to insert the QR code as a picture.

In fact, you can easily add a QR code to take your viewer to any website. On Microsoft Edge, right-click anywhere on a web page where there isn't already a link, and left-click "Create QR Code For This Page."

You can also create QR codes in other browsers, such as Chrome.

You can then copy or download the QR code to use wherever you like in your presentation.

2. Embed Microsoft Forms (Education or Business Only)

If you plan to send your PPT presentation to others—for example, if you're a trainer sending step-by-step instruction presentation, a teacher sending an independent learning task to your students, or a campaigner for your local councilor sending a persuasive PPT to constituents—you might want to embed a quiz, questionnaire, pole, or feedback survey in your presentation.

In PowerPoint, open the "Insert" tab on the ribbon, and in the Forms group, click "Forms". If you cannot see this option, you can add new buttons to the ribbon .

As at April 2024, this feature is only available for those using their work or school account. We're using a Microsoft 365 Personal account in the screenshot below, which is why the Forms icon is grayed out.

Then, a sidebar will appear on the right-hand side of your screen, where you can either choose a form you have already created or opt to craft a new form.

Now, you can share your PPT presentation with others , who can click the fields and submit their responses when they view the presentation.

3. Embed a Live Web Page

You could always screenshot a web page and paste that into your PPT, but that's not a very interactive addition to your presentation. Instead, you can embed a live web page into your PPT so that people with access to your presentation can interact actively with its contents.

To do this, we will need to add an add-in to our PPT account .

Add-ins are not always reliable or secure. Before installing an add-in to your Microsoft account, check that the author is a reputable company, and type the add-in's name into a search engine to read reviews and other users' experiences.

To embed a web page, add the Web Viewer add-in ( this is an add-in created by Microsoft ).

Go to the relevant slide and open the Web Viewer add-in. Then, copy and paste the secure URL into the field box, and remove https:// from the start of the address. In our example, we will add a selector wheel to our slide. Click "Preview" to see a sample of the web page's appearance in your presentation.

This is how ours will look.

When you or someone with access to your presentation views the slideshow, this web page will be live and interactive.

4. Add Links and Menus

As well as moving from one slide to the next through a keyboard action or mouse click, you can create links within your presentation to direct the audience to specific locations.

To create a link, right-click the outline of the clickable object, and click "Link."

In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, click "Place In This Document," choose the landing destination, and click "OK."

What's more, to make it clear that an object is clickable, you can use action buttons. Open the "Insert" tab on the ribbon, click "Shape," and then choose an appropriate action button. Usefully, PPT will automatically prompt you to add a link to these shapes.

You might also want a menu that displays on every slide. Once you have created the menu, add the links using the method outlined above. Then, select all the items, press Ctrl+C (copy), and then use Ctrl+V to paste them in your other slides.

5. Add Clickable Images to Give More Info

Through PowerPoint's animations, you can give your viewer the power to choose what they see and when they see it. This works nicely whether you're planning to send your presentation to others to run through independently or whether you're presenting in front of a group and want your audience to decide which action they want to take.

Start by creating the objects that will be clickable (trigger) and the items that will appear (pop-up).

Then, select all the pop-ups together. When you click "Animations" on the ribbon and choose an appropriate animation for the effect you want to achieve, this will be applied to all objects you have selected.

The next step is to rename the triggers in your presentation. To do this, open the "Home" tab, and in the Editing group, click "Select", and then "Selection Pane."

With the Selection Pane open, select each trigger on your slide individually, and rename them in the Selection Pane, so that they can be easily linked to in the next step.

Finally, go back to the first pop-up. Open the "Animations" tab, and in the Advanced Animation group, click the "Trigger" drop-down arrow. Then, you can set the item to appear when a trigger is clicked in your presentation.

If you want your item to disappear when the trigger is clicked again, select the pop-up, click "Add Animation" in the Advanced Animation group, choose an Exit animation, and follow the same step to link that animation to the trigger button.

6. Add a Countdown Timer

A great way to get your audience to engage with your PPT presentation is to keep them on edge by adding a countdown timer. Whether you're leading a presentation and want to let your audience stop to discuss a topic, or running an online quiz with time-limit questions, having a countdown timer means your audience will keep their eye on your slide throughout.

To do this, you need to animate text boxes or shapes containing your countdown numbers. Choose and format a shape and type the highest number that your countdown clock will need. In our case, we're creating a 10-second timer.

Now, with your shape selected, open the "Animations" tab on the ribbon and click the animation drop-down arrow. Then, in the Exit menu, click "Disappear."

Open the Animation Pane, and click the drop-down arrow next to the animation you've just added. From there, choose "Timing."

Make sure "On Click" is selected in the Start menu, and change the Delay option to "1 second," before clicking "OK."

Then, with this shape still selected, press Ctrl+C (copy), and then Ctrl+V (paste). In the second box, type 9 . With the Animation Pane still open and this second shape selected, click the drop-down arrow and choose "Timing" again. Change the Start option to "After Previous," and make sure the Delay option is 1 second. Then, click "OK."

We can now use this second shape as our template, as when we copy and paste it again, the animations will also duplicate. With this second shape selected, press Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, type 8 into the box, and continue to do the same until you get to 0 .

Next, remove the animations from the "0" box, as you don't want this to disappear. To do this, click the shape, and in the Animation Pane drop-down, click "Remove."

You now need to layer them in order. Right-click the box containing number 1, and click "Bring To Front." You will now see that box on the top. Do the same with the other numbers in ascending order.

Finally, you need to align the objects together. Click anywhere on your slide and press Ctrl+A. Then, in the Home tab on the ribbon, click "Arrange." First click "Align Center," and then bring the menu up again, so that you can click "Align Middle."

Press Ctrl+A again to select your timer, and you can then move your timer or copy and paste it elsewhere.

Press F5 to see the presentation in action, and when you get to the slide containing the timer, click anywhere on the slide to see your countdown timer in action!

Now that your PPT presentation is more interactive, make sure you've avoided these eight common presentational mistakes before you present your slides.