how do you record your voice on a powerpoint presentation

How-To Geek

How to record voiceover narration in powerpoint.

If you're not able to physically present your slideshow, record a voiceover narration to make sure no points are missed.

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Preparation, record a voiceover for your presentation.

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

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

Set Up Your Mic

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

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

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

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

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

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

Take Notes and Rehearse

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

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

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

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

Related: How to Record Your Screen with Microsoft PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blog > Record voice narration for PowerPoint

Record voice narration for PowerPoint

01.11.21   •  #presentation #powerpoint #voiceover #narration.

In this blog post, you'll learn how you can add a narration for your PowerPoint presentation. Adding audio or video narration can be very helpful, especially in a time where many seminars and meetings have to be conducted online. If you would rather give your presentation using a live stream (which has many benefits), scroll down to the bottom and learn how you can do that!

Here's what you need for recording:

• a microphone (your computer's microphone should do)
• a finished set of PowerPoint slides
• a video camera (only if you want to record video as well)

• Open your PowerPoint presentation or create a new one.
• In the taskbar, select Slide Show . Then click Record Slide Show .
• Choose the option Record from Beginning .

• You'll now get to a different view, which we'll call "Recorder View". Here's an overview:

• In the bottom right corner, you'll see three icons. The one on the left is for switching the microphone on/off. Make sure this function is turned on. The icon in the middle is for turning on/off your camera. You can choose if you want to switch the video recording on or not. The last icon is only available if you've chosen the video recording function. If the function is enabled, you'll be able to see a video preview.
• In the top right corner under "Settings", you can choose what microphone (and camera) you'd like to use. This is only relevant if you have an external recording device that you would like to use. If you're recording with your computer, you don't have to set anything here.
• Now it's time to record. Click the big red Record button on the top left and start speaking.
• Tip: You can either record all the slides at once without pressing pause, or you record each slide individually, then click pause, then go on to the next slide and record again. However, it's important to note that PowerPoint creates an individual audio file for each slide, even if you record all at once.
• Important : PowerPoint does not record during transitions, so only speak when you're on a slide.

• You can also draw on your slides with the painting tools on the bottom. These drawings will be saved to your presentations.
• On the bottom left corner, you'll see what slide you're on. You can also see two time counts. The first one is for the recording on the current slide, the second one is for the recording of the presentation overall.
• If you want to delete the whole voiceover, click Clear and Clear Recordings on all Slides . If you only want to delete the recording on the specific slide you are on, click Clear Recording on current Slide.
• If you want to re-record the audio from one slide after deleting it, just go to that slide and click Record again. Record what you want to say, then click Stop when you're done.
• Once you're done, leave the Recorder View. Click the small x in the top right corner or hit Esc .
• You can now either save the presentation as a regular PowerPoint file (just click Save and you're done) or as a video. If you'd like a video, follow the instructions below:

Save Presentation as Video

• Go to File in the PowerPoint taskbar

• Choose Export on the left, then Create a Video .

• Select the quality you'd like. We recommend Full HD (1080p).
• In the following drop-down menu, make sure Use Recorded Timings and Narrations is selected.

• The setting Seconds spent on each slide is only for the slides where there is no recording (if you have recordings on all of your slides, you can just ignore this setting.)
• Click Create Video and choose where the video should be saved. The video creation might take a while, so don't close PowerPoint right away!

Live interaction with polls & quizzes

If you prefer to give a talk where you can also interact with your audience, then the free software SlideLizard is the ideal solution! Using live polls , Q&A and feedback , your presentations will become even more exciting and interactive. SlideLizard integrates directly with PowerPoint, making it a breeze to use.

Can I record a presentation in PowerPoint?

Yes, PowerPoint also allows you to record your presentation with voice and video narration. You can read about how this works in our blog .

How can I record a presentation in PowerPoint with audio and video?

At first create your presentation. For the recording you will need a microphone (the one on your computer should do), your finished presentation and a video camera (if you also want to record a video). We have created a tutorial on our blog where you can read the further steps.

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About the author.

Pia Lehner-Mittermaier

Pia works in Marketing as a graphic designer and writer at SlideLizard. She uses her vivid imagination and creativity to produce good content.

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How to Do a Voiceover on PowerPoint

Narrate your presentations with ease

• Central Washington University

What to Know

• Single slide: Select a slide. Go to Insert > Audio > Record Audio . Type a name, select Record , then read your script. Select Stop .
• Entire slideshow: Select View > Normal and choose the first slide. Select Slide Show > Record Slide Show > Record from Current Slide .
• To review the recording, click the sound indicator (it looks like a speaker) and then select Play to hear your recording.

This article explains how to record a voiceover on PowerPoint for a single slide or for the entire slideshow. The instructions apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 , PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, and PowerPoint 2013.

How to Record a Voiceover for a Single Slide

Before narrating your PowerPoint presentation, be prepared:

• You’ll need a microphone attached to, or built into, your computer. Test the microphone to make sure it is working. Set the sound level so your audio is easy to hear.
• Prepare yourself for the narration. Write a script you can follow while recording the voiceover. Practice the presentation a couple of times so your voiceover will sound smooth.
• Decide whether to record the voiceover one slide at a time or record a voiceover for the entire presentation in one go.

The simplest way to record audio for a voiceover is to record one slide at a time. To get started, select the slide where you want to add the narration, then go to Insert > Audio > Record Audio .

Here’s how to record a voiceover on the slide:

Type a Name for the voiceover narration.

Select Record (the button with a red dot).

Read your script or ad-lib the narration.

Select Stop when you’re finished recording.

The Record Sound dialog box disappears, and a speaker indicating sound appears in the center of the slide.

To review the recording, click that sound indicator and then select Play to hear your recording.

When you're finished, click anywhere outside the playback controls to accept the recording.

You’ll see an audio icon in the middle of the slide. Move this icon anywhere on the slide to get it out of the way of other elements on the slide.

How to Record a Voiceover for an Entire Presentation

The voiceover for the entire presentation can be recorded at one time. In addition to recording a voiceover, you can record a video of yourself giving your presentation.

To set up your presentation when you want to narrate an entire slideshow:

Select View > Normal

Select the first slide in the presentation where you want to record audio.

Select Slide Show > Record Slide Show > Record from Current Slide .

In PowerPoint 2019, the Recording window opens.

In PowerPoint 2016 and earlier versions, a Record Slide Show dialog box prompts you for further options. In the Record Slide Show box, select options to set up the slideshow:

• Slide and animation timings: When recording, PowerPoint automatically tracks the timing of slide changes and any animations that occur.
• Narrations, ink, and laser pointer: When recording, PowerPoint automatically tracks when narrations, any inking, or laser pointing occurs.

Leave both checked to make automating your slideshow easier.

Select Record .

In PowerPoint 2016, select Start Recording .

Select Pause to temporarily stop the recording if you need a break.

If you made a mistake and want to start over, select Clear > Clear Recordings.

In PowerPoint 2016 select Clear > Clear Recordings on Current Slide .

When you’ve finished recording a slide, select the Advance button to advance to the next slide or press the spacebar on your keyboard.

When you’re done recording your narration on the slide, select Stop and close the recording window to return to the presentation.

You may have noticed some controls at the bottom left side of the screen. These are a few controls to aid you in your presentation.

These handy handy tools include the Laser Pointer , Highlighter , and Eraser . As you advance through your presentation, mark or highlight parts of your slides as you narrate. PowerPoint records the timing of these marks (if you left the boxes checked) to go along with your narration. Likewise, using the laser pointer shows a simulated red laser dot so that you can point out different things on your slides as you narrate your presentation.

How to Listen to the Recorded Voiceover

Once you’ve recorded your narration, you can go back to the slides and listen to your voiceover.

Here’s how to play a narration:

Select the slide containing the voiceover you want to hear.

Look for the recording icon on the slide. It should appear as either a small video screenshot or a speaker icon on the slide.

Hover over select this icon and then click Play to preview the recording.

How to Turn a Voiceover Off

If you don’t want to hear your narrations when playing a slideshow, but want to keep the narrations with the slide, turn voiceover off.

To turn voiceover off, select Slide Show and click to deselect the Play Narrations checkbox.

How to Delete a Voiceover

There are a couple of ways to delete voiceover audio in your presentation. To delete the audio on a single slide, find and select the recording on that slide, then press the Delete key.

To delete the voiceover from all the slides in a presentation: Select Slide Show and then select the down arrow to open the Record Slide Show menu. Then, select Clear Narration on All Slides .

Embedding Versus Linking Audio Files in PowerPoint

When you use the PowerPoint tools to record a voiceover narration, the audio file is embedded in PowerPoint. This means the audio is part of the PowerPoint file and not stored in a separate file, making it easy to play your presentation on any device.

If you have audio you recorded using other software and it's stored on your computer, you can link to the audio file. Linked files keep your presentation size smaller, but links can be broken if the audio file isn't available to the PowerPoint presentation. To prevent broken links, store the presentation file and the audio files in the same folder on your computer.

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How to Record a PowerPoint Presentation with Narration

Can be helpful in creating a dramatic narrative

Microsoft PowerPoint has a built-in recording tool that allows you to narrate your presentations using recorded audio. You can export and share recorded presentations as video files.

This tutorial covers everything about recording PowerPoint presentations on Windows and Mac computers.

Record PowerPoint Presentation with Narration

Open the PowerPoint file/presentation you want to record and follow the steps below.

Record PowerPoint Presentation on Windows

• Select the slide you want to start recording from on the slide thumbnail pane.

• Head to the Record tab on the ribbon and select the Record button to start recording from the current/selected slide.

To record from the first slide, select the down-facing arrow icon below the Record button and select From Beginning .

You can also record a presentation from the Slide Show tab. Select Slide Show on the ribbon and select Record , From Current Slide , or From Beginning .

That’ll open PowerPoint’s presentation recorder in a fullscreen window.

• Select the Record icon and start speaking after the three seconds countdown.

PowerPoint records the presentation window and captures your voice and webcam feed as you navigate the slides. Select the left-facing and right-facing arrows to move to the previous and next slides in the presentation.

Record PowerPoint Presentation in macOS

• Open the Slide Show tab and select Record Slide Show .

• Select the Record button on the toolbar to start recording your narration.

Use your keyboard arrow keys to move back and forth between slides. Press N or Space Bar to move to the next slide or animation in the presentation. Press P or Backspace to return to the previous slide or animation.

Select Tips in the top-left corner for more keyboard shortcuts and other presentation tips.

Note: The narration tool doesn’t record slide transitions. When moving between slides, wait for the destination slide to appear on the screen before speaking.

PowerPoint Recorder Control/Settings

You’ll find a handful of controls and options on the recording tool. We’ll show you how to use these controls to include voiceovers or audio recordings in your presentation.

Using Presentation Pointer Tools

PowerPoint provides several tools to mark up your slides when narrating your presentation. There’s a pen tool, eraser, laser pointer, and highlighter.

With the Pen tool, you can draw on slides during narration/recording. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Command + P (Mac) to use the pen tool. You can also select the Pen icon to convert the pointer to a pen.

The Laser pointer tool converts your cursor to an onscreen laser. Use the laser pointer to draw attention to something on a slide/presentation.

Press Ctrl + L (Windows) or Command + L (Mac) to use the laser pointer. There’s also a Laser pointer icon on the toolbar.

Pressing Ctrl + I (or selecting the Highlighter tool ) converts your cursor to a highlighter.

Use the Eraser tool to remove inks and highlight from slides. Select the Eraser icon or press Ctrl + E and select the ink to erase.

On macOS, select the Erase Pen icon (or press E ) to erase all drawings and highlights on the slide.

You can change the pointer tools ink from the color selection boxes. However, one major limitation is that you can’t change the size of these pointer tools.

Pause and Resume Your Recording

In Windows, press I on your keyboard or select the Pause button in the top-left corner to pause your recording.

Press I again or select the Record icon to resume the recording.

If you use a Mac, select the Pause icon in the top toolbar to pause the recording.

Unmute or Mute Microphone

Check that your microphone is unmuted before recording. Select the microphone icon in the bottom-right corner to mute or unmute your mic.

PowerPoint for Windows allows you to mute and unmute your microphone in real time while recording video/audio narrations. The macOS version of PowerPoint only lets you configure your camera and microphone settings before recording.

Switch Microphone or Camera

Want to record your presentation with an external microphone or camera? Press Ctrl + M or select the audio/camera settings icon in the top-right corner and choose your preferred microphone/camera.

In macOS, select the microphone icon to mute or unmute your microphone. Select the arrow-down icon next to the microphone or camcorder icons to switch input devices.

Enable and Disable Camera

The recorder displays your camera or webcam feed in the bottom-right corner of the presentation slides.

Select the camcorder icon to remove your webcam feed from the recording. Select the icon again to display your webcam feed in the presentation.

You can also use the Ctrl + K keyboard shortcut on Windows computers to enable or disable your camera.

On Mac computers, you’ll find the video control icon on the top toolbar.

Note: The recording tool greys out the camcorder icon if your microphone is turned off.

Enable or Disable Camera Preview

PowerPoint allows you to disable the camera preview without turning off your camera or webcam.

Press Ctrl + J (Windows) or select the Camera Preview icon in the bottom-right corner to disable or enable the camera preview.

End a Recording

Press S on your Windows keyboard or select the Stop icon to end the recording.

Replay or Preview Your Recording

When you end a narration, press V on your keyboard or select Replay to preview or watch the recording.

The recorded narration will include all pen inks, highlights, and laser pointer gestures made during the presentation.

You can also preview/replay the narration outside the recording tool. Open the Slide Show tab and choose to watch the playback From Beginning or From Current Slide .

PowerPoint allows you to preview the playback on individual slides. A speaker/audio icon appears in the bottom-right of PowerPoint slides with narrations.

Choose the slide you want to preview, hover your cursor on the speaker icon in the bottom-right corner, and select Play .

Delete Current Narration/Recording

Did you spot an error when previewing your presentation? Want to delete the current narration and start from scratch?

Select the Clear existing recordings icon and choose whether to Clear Recordings on Current Slide or Clear Recordings on All Slides .

On Mac, select the Bin icon to delete the entire narration/recording.

Close the Narration Tool

Select the X icon on the title bar to close the presentation narration tool and return to Powerpoint.

Select End Show in the top-left corner to close the recording tool on a Mac computer.

Delete Narrations from Slides

Want to delete the narration or timing on an individual slide or the entire presentation? Select the slide with the narration you want to delete and follow the steps below.

• Open the Record tab and select the down-facing arrow below the Record icon.
• Select Clear and choose to clear timing or narration on current or all slides.

Export Recorded or Narrated Presentation

You can export a narrated PowerPoint presentation as a video file. The video output includes ink strokes, recorded audio/video, laser pointer gestures, and webcam/camera recording.

• Open the Record tab and select Export to Video .

Alternatively, open the File menu, select Export on the sidebar, and select Create a Video .

• Choose the quality of the video export in the first drop-down box—Ultra HD (4K), Full HD (1080p), HD (720p), Standard (480p).

• Choose Use Recorded Timings and Narrations in the next drop-down box and select Create Video .

• Give the recorded presentation a file name and select Save .

Narrate Your PowerPoint Presentations

The Microsoft PowerPoint web app doesn’t have a recording tool. As a result, you can only record presentations with narrations using PowerPoint for Windows or Mac.

You might meet issues recording a slide show if you use an outdated version of PowerPoint. Also, the recording tool on older versions of PowerPoint has a different interface and lacks some controls. Update PowerPoint and restart your computer if you cannot record a slide show.

Sodiq has written thousands of tutorials, guides, and explainers over the past 4 years to help people solve problems with Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows devices. He also enjoys reviewing consumer tech products (smartphones, smart home devices, accessories, etc.) and binge-watching comedy series in his spare time. Read Sodiq's Full Bio

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

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• October 29, 2019

In this article you’ll learn how to narrate a PowerPoint, with either just your voice or using the new video narration feature.

Firstly, there are two different tools you can use to narrate your PowerPoint slides.

#1: Record Audio  is the legacy PowerPoint narration tool. Although this tool doesn’t have as many features, it is faster to open and use, and is handy if you want to drop a voice note on a slide.

Features of this tool include:

• Voice narration only
• Adds narration to one slide at a time only

#2: Record Slide Show  is the NEWEST (and best) narration tool in PowerPoint, giving you two different types of narration options plus a variety of other options.

The features here are:

• Voice narration
• Video narration (so your audience can also see your face)
• Allows you to narrate an entire presentation in one sitting
• Automatically sets slide timings for you if you later want to convert PowerPoint into a video

And before you get lost in either tool, let’s cover a few things which will help you out (trust me).

Narration definition in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint, narration simply means recording your presentation as you walk someone through it, so that you can easily share the whole thing with someone else.

On top of that, if you get creative, you can use your narrated PowerPoint files to:

• Share your presentation with team members around the world
• Create a library of best practices for your company
• Build training materials for new hires

1. You don’t need fancy recording equipment

Don’t let fancy equipment or a professional recording studio hold you back from narrating your presentation. For most situations, using the built-in microphone on your personal computer is enough.

For example, if you are doing something relatively informal, such as walking a colleague through something in PowerPoint, the quality of your audio doesn’t need to be extremely high.

If you are creating training materials or giving an important presentation, I recommend getting a decent USB microphone (you can see a list of top rated microphones  here ).

That’s because they will help remove any background noise.

2. Find a quiet space and tell people you are recording

Regardless of the quality of your microphone, I recommend finding the quietest place possible to record your narration and let everyone know not to bother you.

When evaluating a quiet place, here are some things to be careful of and to spot check:

• Noisy air conditioners or refrigerators
• Street noise (cars, planes or pedestrians)
• Loud background office or cafe noise
• Cell phones, doorbells or other pinging noises
• Your kids playing in the background

For instance – imagine you are in the middle of narrating your presentation. All of a sudden a colleague knocks on your door or the doorbell rings, and you’re interrupted. It’s not the end of the world, but it will throw you off and likely annoy you.

In addition, if there is too much background noise (like a running air conditioner), the noise can be very distracting to whoever is watching the recording.

3. Check your microphone

The last thing you want to do is walk through your entire presentation, and then discover that your microphone wasn’t working.

Therefore, before narrating your PowerPoint, I recommend double-checking your recording equipment every time before you hit record. This includes ensuring that your equipment is properly plugged in (it happens).

• Right-click  the speaker icon in the task bar (lower right-hand corner of your desktop)
• Select  Open Sound settings
• Choose your  Input  device
• Click on  Troubleshoot  under  T est and troubleshoot

Note:  If you don’t see the audio bar filling up with color as you talk, that means that your input device is either not selected or not properly connected.

• Connect all your audio and video equipment to your computer
• Restart your computer: Start, Power, Restart

#1. Record audio (audio narration only)

While this is the legacy narration tool in PowerPoint, I want to cover it first.

That’s because even if you decide not to use it to narrate your PowerPoint presentation, it is extremely useful for dropping voice notes on your slides.

When used this way, you can quickly capture your thoughts and ideas about a slide without having to get bogged down editing or building it out on the spot.

Below I’ve detailed how to use this tool to narrate PowerPoint slides.

1. Open the Record Sound dialog box

To open the  Record Sound  dialog box, simply:

• Navigate to the  Insert  tab
• Open the  Audio  drop down
• Select  Record Audio

Keep in mind that you can only narrate one slide at a time using this tool. Hence why it’s great for dropping voice notes on a slide, one by one.

2. Record your audio narration

Inside the  Record Sound  dialog box you can narrate your PowerPoint slide. Simply:

• Type in a  Name  for your Audio Clip
• Select the  Record  button (the red dot) to begin narrating
• Click  Stop  (the square) to stop your narration
• Hit  Play  (the triangle) to listen to your narration
• Click  OK  to save the narration to your slide

As a result, you will see a little audio object added to your slide that you can move around and resize if you like.

The audio file can also be played (simply click on the play icon) in both the  Normal View  and  Slide Show View  of your presentation.

In this way, you can work your way through your presentation, adding voice notes to your PowerPoint slides that you or your colleagues can play back from within your presentation.

To learn all about adding music to PowerPoint and how to loop your audio files,  read our article here .

3. Playing your PowerPoint narration

By default, your audio file will be set to play  In Click Sequence  (explained below).

That means it will be added at the end of any animation sequences, trigger actions, etc.. If you don’t have any of these on your slide, it will automatically play when you to to advance to the next slide.

All you need to do is advance your slide (click, hit the space bar or arrow keys, etc.) and it will play.

To change when your audio file plays, simply:

• Select your  Audio  file
• Navigate to the  Playback  tab
• Open the  Start  drop down
• Choose either  In Click Sequence ,  Automatically  or  When Click On

In Click Sequence  means that your audio file plays as part of the click sequence of actions that happen on your slide. This includes animated sequences, trigger actions, and videos, all of which you can set in the Animations Pane.

If you do not have any sequences set up on your slide, your audio file will play right before you advance to the next slide in your presentation.

Automatically  means your audio file plays as soon as you get to that slide in your presentation, instead of playing right before you advance to the next slide.

When Clicked On  means your audio file will only play if someone clicks on it during the presentation in Slide Show mode. For example, you can use this option for a piece of audio that you may not have the time to play, allowing you to choose in the moment whether to play it or not.

4. Delete or overwrite a previous narration file

To delete an audio file narration, simply select the object on your slide and hit  Delete  on your keyboard.

If you want to overwrite or change an existing narration, simply use the  Record Audio  dialog box again (as described above). Doing so will overwrite the existing audio file on your slide.

Warning:  Two narration audio files cannot exist on a slide at the same time. That means that if you narrate a PowerPoint slide a second time, the first recorded file will be overwritten.

To be clear, that means you will need to start over – from scratch – for the individual slide where you want to change the narration.

While you can trim an audio file in PowerPoint, you cannot split apart or merge different audio files like you could if you used dedicated audio editing software.

#2. Record Slide Show (audio + video narration)

The  Record Slide Show  command is the NEWEST and BEST way to narrate a PowerPoint presentation for a few reasons, including:

• Record both audio and/or video narrations
• Narrate your entire presentation in one sitting (you are not limited to creating slide-by-slide narrations)
• You can use the pen, highlighter and laser pointer commands and have them captured in your narration too
• The tool allows you to pause and restart your recording
• All your slide timings are automatically recorded, allowing you to use them to turn your PowerPoint presentation into a video (see how to do that  here )

In short, unless you have a really good reason not to use the  Record Slide Show  command to narrate your presentation, this is what you should be using.

As you will see below, there are a lot more settings you can toggle on and off, but don’t let this stop your from recording your presentation.

1.  Open the Record Slide Show dialog box

To open the  Record Slide Show  dialog box, simply:

• Navigate to the  Slide Show  tab
• Open the  Record Slide Show  command
• Choose  Record from Beginning

If you simply click the  Record Slide Show  command in the Ribbon (instead of opening up the drop down) it will begin recording from the current slide.

Wait a couple of seconds, and the  Record Slide Show  commands will load, and you can start narrating your presentation.

2. Record your  slide show narration

There are a lot more options you can choose from in the  Slide Show  dialog box that that I will explain below, but recording your narration is still pretty easy and straight forward

To start recording your slide show narration, simply:

• Choose your  Camera  and/or  Microphone
• Make sure your  Camera  and/or  Microphone  is turned on
• Use the  Record ,  Stop  and  Replay  commands to start and stop your narrations
• Use the  Arrow  (or use your arrow keys) to advance to the next slide

Once you start recording, you get the option to pause the recording. This allows you to pause and collect your thoughts whenever you need to, and continue narrating your presentation when you are ready.

When you are finished, the individual video and/or audio file narrations are added to the lower right-hand corners of each individual slide, as you can see below.

As you can see in the picture above, your audio and video narrations are recorded and saved on a slide-by-slide basis. That means you can review and record narrations on any slide within your presentation.

Warning:  You can only have one narration file per slide.

If you re-record an audio or video narration, it automatically overwrites any previous narrations you had on that slide.

The only way to have two different narration files on the same slide, is to record one with the  Record Slide Show  dialog box, and record the second with the  Record Audio  command.

3. Set your narration to Play

Your  Record Slide Show  narrations are set to play  Automatically .

That means that whenever you run your presentation (from beginning or from current), your audio and/or video narration will automatically play.

To change when your audio or video narration plays, simply:

• Select the  Narration  file on your slide
• Choose either  In Click Sequence ,  Automatically  or  When Clicked On

4. Record Slide Show options

Record (or hit R) to start recording your narration.

Pause  (or hit I) to pause your narration and collect your thoughts. This button only displays once you’ve started recording.

Stop  (or hit S) to end your narration. If you hit Record again, your new narration will overwrite the existing one.

If you want to stop narrating your current slide before starting on the next one, don’t use the Stop button. Instead, simply navigate to your next slide using your arrow keys or the forward arrow on screen.

Replay  to replay your narration for the current slide. This button only becomes active after you have recorded a narration for that slide.

B. Speaker Notes options

Notes  (or hit N) to open or close your speaker notes for that slide. The Notes window is fairly small and you cannot resize it very well.

Your action of opening and closing the speaker notes pane will not show up in your recorded narration.

Font Size  commands increase and decrease the font size of your speaker notes so that you can see them better.

In my opinion the speaker notes pane is too small and not flexible enough for reviewing lots of speaker notes.

To learn how to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint,  read our guide here .

C. Clear Recordings options

Clear Recordings  allows you to clear your previous recording on either the current slide or on all the slides in your presentation.

You can also overwrite your recording and slide timings by simply recording over the top of your narrations.

Note:  Using Clear Recordings removes both your slide timings and narrations.

That means that if you want to remove your narrations but keep your slide timings, you will want to clear recordings outside of the  Record Slide Show  dialog box. See how to clear timings and narrations below.

D. Input options: Camera and Microphone

Microphone  allows you to choose which microphone you want to record with. So if you are using a microphone other than your computer’s built-in one, this is where you want to select your microphone before you begin recording your narration.

Camera  allows you to choose which camera or webcam you want to use if you are recording video narrations. If you are using a camera other than your computer’s built-in one, this is where you want to select it before you begin your narration.

E. Advance Slide options

Next Slide  advances the click sequence of your presentation, the same way hitting the right arrow key or clicking your slide with your mouse does.

If you have animated sequences or music that is supposed to play, clicking forwards will trigger those sequences, and eventually advance you to the next slide.

Previous Slide  moves you back one slide in your presentation, but it is only available to you when you are not recording.

That’s because re-recording a narration automatically overwrites the previous narration. So once you start your recording, you can only move forward in your presentation.

F. On / Off: Camera and microphone

Microphone  (on/off) turns your selected microphone on or off. You can turn your microphone off and still click through your presentation if you want to mute your sound in the recording.

Camera  (on/off) turns your selected camera on or off. This allows you to add or remove video recording in your narration.

Camera Preview  displays what your camera is recording during your narration. If seeing yourself onscreen while you narrate your presentation bothers you, simply turn camera preview off.

G. Ink options: Eraser, Pen and Highlighter

The  Pen  (Ctrl + P),  Highlighter  (Ctrl + I),   and Eraser  (Ctrl + E)   allow you to draw and highlight things on your slides during your presentation.

To change the color of your ink, simply click on one of the colors at the bottom of your screen.

Anything that you draw on your slides during your narration will be recorded as you draw them. That means that someone watching the recording will see you draw on the slide, as you narrate your presentation.

H. Slide Timings options

Slide Timings  show you how long you have spent on each slide, and which slide you are on within your presentation.

Therefore, if you are converting your PowerPoint presentation into a video, these slide timings determine how long you spend on each slide.

To learn all about how to convert PowerPoint to video,  read our guide here .

I. Close / Minimize options

Close / Minimize  allows you to close out of (or minimize) the  Record Slide Show  app.

Use the  Close  icon (the x) to exit out of the  Record Slide Show  dialog box and return to the Normal View of your presentation. You can also hit the  Esc  key on your keyboard to close out of the dialog box.

#3. How to clear your Timings and Narrations

To clear your  Timings and Narrations  from the Normal View of PowerPoint, simply:

• Open the  Slide Show  tab
• Open the  Record Slide Show  drop down
• Select  Clear
• Choose the  Timings  or  Narrations  you want to clear

If the  Clear  command is grayed out when you open the  Record Slide Show  drop down, that means that you do not have any  Narrations  or  Timings  (same as for transitions) set for your presentation.

Clear Timing on Current Slide  removes the set transition timing for the current slide.

Clear Timings on All Slides  removes the set transition timings on all the slides within your presentation.

Clear Narration on Current Slides  removes any voice or video narration you’ve recorded on the current slide.

Clear Narration on All Slides  removes any voice or video narrations from your entire presentation.

Note:  You can also clear the  Timings  and  Narrations  for your slides at the same time from inside the  Record Slide Show  dialog box.

Inside the dialog box, simply click the  X  and choose to  Clear Recordings on Current  or  Clear Recordings on All .

#4. How to compress your PowerPoint narrations

Adding audio and video narrations to PowerPoint significantly increases the size of your presentation as you can see in the picture above.

Therefore, I recommend compressing your file after you’re done recording narrations.

After narrating your PowerPoint, you can compress your   audio and video narrations. To do that, simply:

• Navigate to the  File  tab
• Select the  Info  group
• Open the  Compress Media drop-down
• Choose  a compression quality

PowerPoint automatically uses the Full HD (1080p) when recording your voice and video. So if you are tight for space, you will need to choose either the  HD (720p)  or  Standard (480p)  options .

To learn a variety of other ways you can reduce your PowerPoint file size,  read our compression guide here .

That’s how to narrate a PowerPoint, and the different options you have using the  Record Audio  and  Record Slide Show  options.

If you have the latest version of PowerPoint, I highly recommend using the  Record Slide Show  option as it gives you the most options to work with.

Just keep in mind that narrating your PowerPoint with audio and video can greatly increase the size of your presentation. Therefore, you may end up needing to consider compress it.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about how to improve your PowerPoint skills by  visiting us here

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How to Record Audio in PowerPoint for Narration or Voice-Over | Step-by-Step

I’ve scrolled through a lot of slideshows and, let’s face it, they’re not always the easiest to follow or understand what’s going on. I’m sure you have felt this too.

Have you ever thought, it would be great if the slides came with audio so that the presenter could explain and talk through each slide?

In this article, we’re going to show you how to record audio in PowerPoint as a narration or voice-over so your audience can feel as if you are presenting live and in person.

All you have to do is record yourself talking through each slide and PowerPoint will take care of the rest!

Related topic : If you are only looking to insert or add an audio that does not advance or move a slideshow in time and in synch your voice, this article: Adding Music to PowerPoint Slideshow explains how.

How to record audio as a voice-over or narration in PowerPoint – Quick Guide

• In PowerPoint, choose a slide.
• From Slide Show menu > click lower part Record Slide Show button
• Select a slide to Record from Current Slide, or Record from Beginning from the sub-menu
• NOTE: PowerPoint versions 2013-2016 only: A “Slide Show Settings” dialog box will appear for animation timings etc. You can leave both checked.
• PowerPoint will then open into full-screen Recording Mode
• NOTE: Microsoft Office PowerPoint versions 2013-2016 and Microsoft for Mac 365 will start recording immediately.
• In Recording Mode > click the Record button in the top left to start recording countdown.
• You are now ready to talk through your presentation and record your voice.
• To Stop or Pause recording > click Pause button or Stop / End Show (x) button.
• Jump to the full step-by-step tutorial below

Why use narrations or voice-overs in PowerPoint Presentation?

Adding a narration or voice-over into a presentation will enable your slideshow to be played and move forward in time or sync with your voice.

Recording audio for your slideshow is a widely used feature and has many benefits. For example:

• It’s useful in situations when a speaker is not available and when people want to view presentations on their own and at their leisure.
• It is also an effective way for speakers to rehearse and time specific slides or the entire presentations before they happen.
• And you may have watched many instructional videos or online courses with a recorded voice over, just because it makes the content easier to understand, is more engaging and lively than just written words alone.

After you finish the audio recording you can share or export your presentation by converting or exporting your PowerPoint (.ppt) file into a video (.mp4 or .mov file) which will have both your audio and visuals contained in one file.

Before recording your narration or voice-over – tips.

Make sure your microphone works..

An important step to take before recording your audio is to ensure your microphone is set up correctly and your voice can be played back clearly. The video below runs through how to set up an external mic for your Windows or Mac .

First, plug in your headset or microphone to your computer if you are not using the inbuilt mic. Or if you are using a Bluetooth headset, make sure it’s paired/connected properly.

To make sure everything is working OK, access the audio device settings on your computer as shown in the video above. While you are in the device settings menu, select your microphone and set it as default.

You can test the playback quality by using the free software tools on your machine:

• Windows 10 – Use Voice Recorder (previously called Sound Recorder)
• Mac – Use Voice Memos
• Chromebook – New in 2021 from OS 88. Use Screen Capture to test your audio recording by pressing the Ctrl, Shift, and Overview keys to bring up the capture bar. ( You may need to enable by entering chrome://flags  in the URL address bar and search for “capture” in the search bar or by entering chrome://flags/#screen-capture in the URL address bar.)

Note – In PowerPoint 2016, you cannot change which microphone device you want to record in screen recording mode (so do it first!), however in 2019/Office 365 it is possible to do so, by using the settings link in the full-screen recording mode.

How to Record Audio in PowerPoint Step-by-Step Instructions.

Versions Covered: PowerPoint 2013, 2016, 2019, 2020, Office 365, PowerPoint for PC / Windows, PowerPoint for macOS and Chromebook.

• Start by opening the PowerPoint presentation in which you want to record your audio.

• Stop Recording. To end the slideshow recording, click the Stop (square button) at the top left. Or keyboard shortcut – Press Alt+S. You’re done recording your captivating and engaging PowerPoint slideshow with a voice-over / narration!
• Exit full screen recording window. Click the (x) button int the corner. To save your slide timings, click “yes” if prompted. When you return to your slide view, a small icon of a microphone appears on the bottom right corner of each slide. Click this icon to hear your voice over for any particular slide.

Advanced PowerPoint Audio Recording Options.

Add annotations to your recorded powerpoint slide show..

Adding annotations to your PowerPoint presentation is an optional step and can help your presentation stand out. But, what are annotations, and how should you use them when recording your voice-over?

If you want to draw a user’s attention to a specific area or to add some interactivity; using annotations is the way to do it. It is basically a virtual marker you can use to highlight elements in your presentation slides e.g by circling a word or picture, underlining a phrase, writing additional notes on-screen, or pointing to specific items. 

To use the Annotation Tool in PowerPoint: Scroll to the bottom of the full screen recording view (as shown in the image below). Then, select any of the tools available (the laser pointer, highlighter or pen) and annotate your slide, by drawing with them using any mouse or other pointing device.

Note, this will not make a permanent change to your slides, it’s only visible in the recorded playback!

Using the Timings Function to Adjust Recording Speed.

As you record your narration, you will be able to see a clock in the bottom left corner showing how much time you spend on each slide, against the total amount of time recorded so far.

While this is very helpful for rehearsing your presentation, it’s quite common to have issues with timings with your recorded slideshow. For example when you have switched to the next slide too quickly.

To Change the Timings of Your Recording: Navigate to the Slide Show tab in the top ribbon > (Next to the Record Slide Show icon, we used before) > click the Rehearse Timings icon. The presentation will now once again go to full-screen mode, and you can use your arrow keys to change the slides and set new timings.

Clearing or Deleting your narration and / or timings

If you are not happy with your voice-over on a slide or wish to start the recording from the beginning, PowerPoint gives you some easy options to do so.

To Delete a Narration or Timings: Navigate to the Slide Show tab in the top ribbon OR the Recording Tab. Select the down arrow on the “ Record Slide Show ” button > from the menu choose “ Clear ” > Select the appropriate timings and/or narration option.

Save and Distribute the Presentation with Audio as a Movie / Video file.

Now that you are finished recording your PowerPoint presentation, your voice audio will be attached to the same file and it’s time to distribute it by exporting your PowerPoint (PPT file) into a video (.mp4 or .wmv) .

To Export your Presentation as a video: In PowerPoint navigate to File Menu > Export > Select your preferred options. (E.g.) File Format: MP4 . Quality Width 1,920 Height 1,080

Recording Audio Tips and Tricks

Macos 2019 – powerpoint audio recording tip.

To give PowerPoint access to record your screen in macOS you need to set up the right security and privacy permissions:

• Open System Preferences
• Select Security & Privacy
• Select Privacy tab.
• In the left panel scroll to Screen Recording > click “ +” icon .
• In the “Applications” window select PowerPoint

Microsoft 365, 2016, 2019 for Windows PC – Recording tab in PowerPoint

Microsoft 365 subscribers with the Click-to-Run version of Microsoft 365 for Windows PC can use the Recording tab .

The Recording tab shows the recorded video , screenshots, and screen recording options in a single menu for easy access. To turn on the Recording tab of the ribbon in PowerPoint 365 Windows PC

• Select the  File  menu > click  Options .
• In the PowerPoint Options  dialog box > click   Customize Ribbon
• In the right-panel > select the  Recording  check box.
• Click  OK .

If you click the button on the bottom of the “Record Slide Show” button, you can start from the beginning of the slideshow or from where you are.

Knowing the basics of recording audio in PowerPoint is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to make a downloadable slideshow, create an internet streamed webinar, upload a video for YouTube, Vimeo, or any other digital platform such as your website or other digital platforms.

You may also like: How to Turn a PowerPoint Into a Video

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How to Narrate a PowerPoint Presentation (And Record Your Voice)

For a presentation that you aren’t actually giving in person, you can narrate it within PowerPoint, recording your voice so that others can play it back when they watch the presentation.

It’s a nifty trick that popular with slide shows and presentations on networks such as SlideShare, YouTube, and even individual websites. And it can even help you when rehearsing your presentation as well.

Here’s how to narrate a PowerPoint presentation by recording your voice, in a few quick steps!

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Create and Design Your Presentation

The first step to preparing a narrated or recorded PowerPoint presentation is to design the presentation and refine the content. During this step you may even want to think about how you will script the presentation so that you are designing with a flow in mind.

Make sure to include any specific transitions you want to use from slide to slide, and don’t forget to read our guide on how to design a professional presentation for tips and pointers.

Prepare for Recording

Before recording a narration, it is advised to write out a script and check your computer microphone to ensure that the sound is correct and that recordings will be at an appropriate volume. You can do this with a short test recording.

Now it is time to record the narration. You can record narration for all slides or select slides.

Open your presentation and navigate to the Slide Show tab.

If you are recording narration for all of the slides, you are ready. If you plan to record a voiceover for only some of the slides, you want to hide the slides you won’t have a recording for.

You can do this by selecting the slides you don’t want to include, right- or ctrl-click and then Hide Slide.

The other option is to create a custom show. From the menu select Custom Show > Custom Slide Show > use the + to add slides. You will need to know which slide numbers you want for this option because you can’t see previews.

Record the Narration

Now you are ready to record. (Good luck!)

In the Slide Show tab, click the Record Slide Show Button from the first slide in your presentation.

Recording starts automatically. (You’ll notice the screen shifts into full presentation mode.) As you record the narration, you can use the navigation tools on the screen to advance slides. This will override any previous timing settings so that slides advance in tandem with your voice narration.

When you are finished, click End and you will be prompted to save the recording. Only one recording can be saved at a time. A new recording will override any previously saved recorded narrations.

You can preview the recording using the start button.

Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts during recording can make it a little easier.

Some shortcuts you might use include:

• Click, spacebar or right arrow: Advance to the next slide
• Delete or left arrow: Go back one slide
• B: Toggle to black screen
• Esc: End slide show recording

Choose a Playback Option

Finally, you’ll want to determine how the presentation will be played back for users.

Click on Set Up Slide Show from the menu and make your selections from the options on the screen. Then you can save or export to a desired file format.

A PowerPoint presentation with a narrated recording can be a useful tool to help get your information in front of more people. All you need to do it is a quiet room to record and a microphone attached to your computer.

Don’t forget to take a look at our full PowerPoint templates guide , or our collection of the best PowerPoint templates for your next project!

How to Add Voice Narration to a PowerPoint

Lee Stanton Lee Stanton is a versatile writer with a concentration on the software landscape, covering both mobile and desktop applications as well as online technologies. Read more December 11, 2020

When creating a PowerPoint presentation, voice narration can help to spice up your content and make it more engaging. This is especially true if you’re sending your presentation via email or when your audience is not in the same location as you.

In this article, we’re going to show you how to add voice narration to your PowerPoint presentation.

What’s PowerPoint Voice Narration?

PowerPoint’s voice narration is a feature that enables you to record and embed audio clips into your slide deck. You can then attach a narration icon on your slide, which plays when toggled. You can also set the audio to play automatically as the rest of the content is projected.

Preparation

Every successful and experienced PowerPoint enthusiast will tell you that the secret to making engaging and informative content lies in adequate preparation. To ensure that your presentation stands out, here are some tips:

Carefully Assemble Your Slide Deck

You should aim for a consistent presentation, where the content is presented in chronological order. You don’t want to end up with a presentation that is disorganized because that will make it difficult for your audience to follow. You’ll need to make sure that any audio clips you embed into your slide are not only in sync with the rest of the content but also form a clear and logical sequence of ideas in the minds of the audience.

Mental Preparation Is Key

After assembling all the necessary resources, ensure that you’re thoroughly familiar with the content. Only then can you project confidence into your voice narration. A good way to prepare is to scribble down the things you want to include in your narration well in advance. This helps you to come up with a mind map of the key points of your presentation.

Put the Mic to the test

Obviously, you need a microphone to record audio clips. Luckily, most modern computers come with an inbuilt microphone that needs minimal preparation. However, you’ll still want to make sure that you’re sufficiently audible. You can adjust things like volume by opening your computer’s settings and clicking on “Sound” in the menu on the left of your screen.

Quiet Environment

Non-ambient sounds can ruin even the best of presentations. Ensure that your room is nearly sound-proof before the recording starts. You should turn off things like fans and air conditioners.

How to Add Voice Narration to a PowerPoint Presentation

If you’re using any Microsoft package other than Office 365, here’s how you can add voice narration to your presentation:

PowerPoint automatically affixes a sound icon beneath every slide that has a voice narration. You’ll also notice that the time taken recording the slide is also included.

Once you’re done recording, it’s always a good idea to preview your slideshow. To do so, click on “Slide Show” on the Home tab in the menu bar. To listen to the audio you recorded for a particular slide, simply go to “Normal View” and click on the sound icon.

How to Add Voice Narration to PowerPoint Slides

Voice narration can be the difference between a presentation that impresses and one that truly stands out. Voice narration converts your presentation into a self-contained utility and provides your audience with a complete, self-teaching asset.

Here are the steps you should take to add voice narration to PowerPoint slides:

How to Insert Sound Effects in PowerPoint

Sound effects are a good way to make your slides more interesting to your audience. PowerPoint allows you to add a range of sounds to animations. What’s more, you have the option to play sounds every time you open a new slide during your presentation.

Before adding a sound, first, you have to create the animation effect. Here’s how you can add a sound effect to an animation:

How to Insert Music in PowerPoint

There can hardly be a better way to spice up your presentation than adding music. To play music across slides, here’s what you need to do:

And just like that, your music will start playing as soon as the slide is opened.

How to Add Voice Narration to PowerPoint on a Mac

If you own a Mac, adding voice narration to your PowerPoint presentation is straightforward.

• Click on “Slide Show” on the top menu.
• Select “Record Narration.” This will launch a new window.
• In the new window, specify the sound input device and input source.
• Click on “Record” to start recording. This launches the full-screen presentation mode.
• When done, press the escape key.
• Click on “Yes” when asked whether you’d like to save slide timings.
• PowerPoint automatically adds the speaker icon beneath each slide. To play the narration automatically every time the slide is opened, right-click on the speaker and select “Start Automatically.”

How to Add Voice Narration to PowerPoint on an iPad

You can add voice narration to a PowerPoint presentation on your iPad. Here’s how:

• Open the first slide of your presentation.
• Tap “Play.”
• Slide your finger down from the top right corner of your screen. This launches the Control Center. You’ll be able to see all recording options if you tap and hold the “Record” button.
• Tap the microphone button to turn it on.
• Select “Start Recording.” You’ll now have three seconds to prepare.
• Return to the Control center by tapping “Background.”
• Return to your presentation by tapping “Control Center Background.”
• Proceed to navigate through your slide deck as you add voice narration.
• When you’re done, slide your finger down from the top right corner of your screen to launch the Control Center. Then, tap the “Record” button.

Your recording will appear in the Photos app.

Additional FAQ

How do i add narration to powerpoint 365.

• Select “Slide Show.”

• You’ll be prompted to decide whether you want to start recording from the current slide or from the beginning. For best results, always start from the beginning. At this point, PowerPoint should automatically launch the slideshow mode.

• In the slideshow mode, you’ll notice a series of buttons on the top right corner. The first one, which appears in red, allows you to record. The second one stops the recording, while the third one allows you to play the audio recorded.

• The slide involving the recording is always on the main panel of the window. To begin recording a new slide, simply toggle the arrow on the right side of the window. To go back to the previous slide, toggle the arrow on the left. It’s important to note that PowerPoint automatically records the time spent on every slide.

• Use the buttons on the bottom right hand corner to toggle your mic and camera. If for some reason you want to repeat a part of the recording or all of it, PowerPoint will automatically delete the old recording and start you off on a clean slate. When you’re done recording, click on the middle, square-shaped button on the top left corner.

How Do I Voice Over a PowerPoint?

• Open the presentation and click on the “Slide Show” tab.

• Click on “Record Slide Show.”

• A dropdown menu will appear and prompt you to choose between starting recording from the beginning or from the current slide.

Create Engaging Content with Voice Narration

Voice narration may not be the most popular PowerPoint tool, but it presents a sure way to add an extra layer of quality to your presentations to make them more interesting and engaging. What’s your experience with the voice narration feature?

Let us know in the comments section.

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How to do a voiceover on a PowerPoint presentation and add pre-recorded audio to your slides

• You can record a voiceover in PowerPoint and insert it into your next presentation using the software's Audio recording feature through the Insert menu.
• Recording and inserting a voiceover into PowerPoint is a relatively similar process on an Apple Macbook and Windows PC.  
• Once you've recorded your audio, you can click the microphone icon that appears on your slide and playback your recording. 
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories .

Public speaking is a valid and common fear. And although you might be trying to hone your public speaking with your free time at home , there's a way you can incorporate your voice into your next PowerPoint presentation without the pressure of speaking on the spot.

How? Microsoft PowerPoint has a feature that lets you create narration for all slides as you see fit. This way, you can record — and re-record — voiceovers for your presentations that won't make you cringe.

The process is virtually identical for both Mac and PC users and you can use your computer's built-in mic or a headset. Whatever your operating system of choice is, easily record narration over a PowerPoint slide in a few quick steps. 

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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).

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Headset (From $92.49 at Amazon)

How to record a voiceover for PowerPoint on a PC

1. Open a new or existing or presentation in PowerPoint.

2. From the top toolbar, select "Insert."

3. Toward the far right side, click "Audio."

4. Choose "Record Audio…"

5. Name your audio file. 

6. Click the circle icon when you're ready to start recording.

7. Select "OK" when you're done recording.

8. A microphone icon will indicate the narration has been added to the slide. 

How to record a voiceover for PowerPoint on a Mac

1. Open a new or existing or presentation in PowerPoint for Mac.

2. Find and select "Insert" from the top toolbar. 

4. Select "Record Audio…"

5. Name the audio file, and click the circle icon when you're ready to start recording.

6. Click "Insert" when you're ready to finalize.

7. You can click the microphone icon on the slide to hear your recording.  

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How to download and access microsoft powerpoint on your mac computer, how to add a border to slides in powerpoint, and give your slideshow a sleek design, how to change and format the background of your powerpoint slides to custom designs, how to change your language settings in microsoft powerpoint in 3 different ways, how to copy or duplicate a powerpoint slide and put it anywhere in your slideshow.

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April 13, 2023

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How to Voice Record Audio on Powerpoint (Do a Voiceover)

This article shows you how to add and record audio/voice in PowerPoint presentation. It will cover the steps you need to take, and the software that is used.

What's Inside?

You can add voice instructions in PowerPoint with two methods. The first is by going to the complicated way... using the Presenter View and PowerPoint's audio recorder in PowerPoint so that you see your slides and notes on your computer screen while you're presenting. Moreover, you can use online text to voice software to add different voices in different languages. It will make your presentation more attractive and engaging.

But what if that's not the easiest way?

What if the audience is not in the same room or you are sending it as a link?

What if your company has employees all over the world and you need to bulk send with a link?

Let's walk you through the easiest way to record your voice-over slides, or upload pre-recorded voice and share it with a link.

Step 1: Prepare Your Presentation

It is recommended that you have already created your slide show before recording the voice-over. This will ensure that there are no glitches, pauses, or rewinds during playback which could disrupt your message.

If you did, skip this step and go straight to step 2. But if you didn't, here is the quickest way to jump-start your presentation. Just use the world's fastest presentation tool to create your presentation with pre-made templates and a bunch of presentation ideas .

Create slides with Decktopus

You've been asked to give a presentation, but you don't have time to build one from scratch. It's stressful enough trying to put together a presentation at the last minute, without having to worry about finding the right software or learning how to use it.

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Head over to Decktopus to start without charge and pick one of their templates.

Customize your slides

Designing presentations is hard. You have to worry about fonts, layouts, colors, and images. And if you're not a designer, it's even harder. Even if you are a designer, creating presentations can be really time-consuming. You have to find the right images, choose the right fonts, and make sure everything looks good together.

Decktopus is the solution to your presentation woes. With Decktopus, you just type in your content and let our software handle the rest. We'll pick the right fonts and colors for you, find appropriate images, and layout everything beautifully. So you can focus on what's important - your content.

Step 2: How To Add Voice Recording To PowerPoint

If you are already in this step, this means you have a presentation in hand or prepared one! Perfect, now let's head over to adding voice recording to the slides.

Why do people record their voices on slides? Generally for voice narrative and generally for sales or startup pitche s. Some things are better said out loud. If you have a presentation that is image-heavy and has less text, it might be a good idea to explain it with all your persuasiveness.

Prepare Your Mic

A microphone is essential for recording voice at a high quality. The difference in the sound quality will be huge if you are using cheap, low-quality speakers rather than expensive microphones.

In order to get the best sound quality, you will need a microphone that is both sensitive and directional. This will allow your voice to be amplified without getting interference from other noises in the room.

Rehearsing your script before recording is essential to making a great recording. By rehearsing, you'll be able to familiarize yourself with the material and make sure you're speaking clearly and naturally.

Here are a few tips for rehearsing:

- Read your script out loud, several times. This will help you get comfortable with the material and ensure that you're pronouncing everything correctly.

- Practice in front of a mirror. This will help you see how you look while speaking and correct any unwanted gestures or facial expressions.

- Record yourself reading the script and listen to the playback. This will help you identify any mistakes or areas that need improvement.

Record your audio

There are a few different ways to do this. One way is to use the "record" function on your computer's sound card. This will allow you to capture whatever audio is coming out of your speakers or headphones and record it to a file on your hard drive.

You can then play that file back through your speakers, allowing you to hear what was recorded as well as listen to it simultaneously (if doing so is easier). 

Another way would be plugging an earphone into one of the microphone inputs on any device like a laptop or tablet; these devices usually have more than one input for this purpose and generally filter your voice from the surrounding sounds.

Also if you have installed Zoom on your computer then all you need is to go into creating a session and record the session 

Upload your audio

Now let's do the easy part, shall we? Click to microphone icon on Decktopus , and pick the upload file. When you do that it will ask you to upload your voice file, and voila!

Step 3: Export as PPT

Decktopus is a presentation tool that allows you to export your presentation in PPT and PDF format.

To export your presentation in PPT format in Decktopus:

1. Open the presentation that you want to export in Decktopus.

2. Click on the Export icon.

3. Select PPT from the list of file formats and it will start exporting and notify you when it's ready.

However, we do not recommend exporting your file because you will lose the sound effects.

The best way to do it is to share your presentation with a share link. In order to do that you should click on the share icon and copy the share link.

Option 2: Record Your Voice Over Slides

There are a few reasons why people might want to record their voice-over slides.

One reason might be to make sure that they can remember the points that they want to make during their presentation. By having a recording of their voice, they can go back and listen to it as many times as they need to in order to memorize their talking points.

Another reason might be that some people find it difficult to speak in public. By recording their voice over the slides, they can help ensure that their presentation goes smoothly and without any hitches.

Finally, some people might do it to make the presentation more interesting or engaging for the audience.

How to record your voice on slides?

Just like uploading your presentation, now again click to the microphone icon on Decktopus, and pick the upload file. When you do that it will ask you to upload your voice file, and voila!

What’s PowerPoint voice narration?

PowerPoint voice narration is an audio recording of your slide presentation. It can be used to narrate your slides while you present or to create a self-running presentation that plays back on its own.

To add narration to your slides, click the "Narrate" button on the ribbon and then record your voice. You can also import an existing audio file if you prefer.

Once you've added narration, you can control playback speed, navigate through your slides, and even pause and resume the recording without interrupting the flow of your presentation.

But who wants to do that? Who wants to deal with that complicated technical issue? Instead, use a tool that does all the work quickly and easily with a clean dashboard.

Tips For Getting Great Audio Recording

When recording audio, there are a few key things to keep in mind in order to get the best possible results. Here are a few tips:

1. Make sure you're in a quiet environment. Background noise can be very distracting and will make your recording sound amateurish.

2. Make sure your microphone is close to your mouth. This will ensure that your voice is properly amplified and that you're not speaking too loudly or softly.

3. Avoid speaking too quickly or slowly. Speaking at a natural pace will make your recording sound more polished and professional.

4. Try to avoid popping Ps and Ss sounds by keeping your mouth slightly closed when pronouncing them.

5. Take a few practice recordings before

How to Add Sound Effects to PowerPoint?

The same way explained above can be used. You can try to create your own sound effects by recording or go and pick one sound effect on your own. But make sure they are royalty-free and won't get you in trouble later.

How to Insert Music in PowerPoint?

Instead of sound effects, you can go and find royalty-free music from youtube or quality libraries to find related music in your presentation. However, make sure to keep their volume low since you might want to be heard during your presentation!

How To Add Video In PPT?

-Find the video you want to use on youtube or upload an unlisted video.

-Take the URL of the video

-Add a new slide and choose video layout from Decktopus

-Type your video URL.

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Add and record audio

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

Add audio from your PC

Select Insert > Media >  Audio .

Select Audio on My PC .

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

Select Insert .

Record audio

Select Insert > Media > Audio .

Select Record Audio .

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

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

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

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

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

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

Select Play .

Change playback options

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Delete audio

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

Add audio to your PowerPoint presentation

Play music for the duration of your slide show

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can you record audio on a shared powerpoint

can you record audio on a shared powerpoint project

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• Independent Advisor

Hello Lourdy J, I’m Gunasekar and I will be happy to help you with your question, I am a Microsoft consumer like you. Yes, it's possible to record audio on a shared PowerPoint project. Here's how you can do it: 1. Open the PowerPoint project if you want to add audio to. 2. Click on the slide where you want to add audio. 3. Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon. 4. Click on the Audio button and select the type of audio you want to add (e.g. Audio on my PC, Online Audio). 5. Once you've selected the audio you want to add, it will appear on the slide. You can then use the Audio Tools tab in the ribbon to format the audio as desired. 6. To record audio, click on the Insert tab in the ribbon and then click on the Record Audio button. A new window will open up where you can record your audio. 7. After recording your audio, you can save it and it will be added to your PowerPoint slide. Note that the steps to record audio may vary depending on the version of PowerPoint you're using, but the general process should be similar. Additionally, keep in mind that the ability to record audio on a shared PowerPoint project may depend on the sharing platform you're using, so you may want to check with the platform's documentation or support team to confirm if this is possible. I hope this information helps. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you further. Best regards, Gunasekar N

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