how to do powerpoint presentations on zoom

How to Present PowerPoint Slides in Zoom

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Preparing to present PowerPoint slides in Zoom for the first time can feel overwhelming. It's a different experience than face-to-face presentations, and naturally, you want to get it right. But don't worry, we've all been there, and we're here to help.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the process step-by-step, so you can deliver your presentation with confidence and avoid awkward pitfalls. Let’s dive in.

Present PowerPoint Slides in Zoom by Sharing Your Entire Screen

One of the easiest ways to share your PowerPoint slide deck is by sharing your entire screen. Here’s how to go about it.

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Start or Join a Zoom meeting . Knowing how to use Zoom like an expert makes this step easy.

When you hide the toolbar, it may appear as a minimized window in your taskbar. Click the window icon to reveal it when you’re ready to stop sharing.

• Press the Esc key on your keyboard to exit the slideshow after your presentation.
• Click Stop sharing .

Sharing your entire screen lets you seamlessly switch between your PowerPoint window and other windows while bringing your audience along. However, it has a downside—your audience will see sensitive details or notifications if they pop up.

Present PowerPoint Slides in Zoom by Sharing a Window

With this method, you share only your PowerPoint window, so your audience won't see other areas of your desktop, including popup notifications. Here’s how to get it done.

• Join the Zoom meeting.

Ensure your PowerPoint window is maximized and running in the background, or it won't appear under the Window tab.

• Click Stop sharing or Stop share when you’re done presenting.

This method is perfect for multi-tasking—that is, sharing your PowerPoint window while viewing your notes (in a separate document) or seeing what’s happening in Zoom.

Rock Your PowerPoint Presentation in Zoom Like a Pro

And that's a wrap! You now know all the key steps to present PowerPoint slides effectively in Zoom. Remember, you have two main options: share your entire screen when you need to switch between different windows during the presentation or share a specific PowerPoint window if you're multitasking and want to keep the rest of your desktop private.

Practice using these features before your next presentation, so you're comfortable and ready. Alongside this, using a whiteboard in Zoom can make your presentations more interesting.

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How to Share a PowerPoint on Zoom

Share your screen, whether or not you're the presenter

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What to Know

• Anybody can share a PowerPoint on a Zoom call but may need permission from the call’s organizer.
• To see notes, you’ll need a second screen to divide the view or have your notes on a separate device.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to share a PowerPoint, or any presentation, on Zoom. You can do this in a few clicks for more straightforward presentations, but for more complex presentations, you may want some more tools.

How Do You Share a PowerPoint in a Zoom Meeting?

For a presentation where you don’t need to see your notes, sharing a PowerPoint is a quick process.

Open your presentation, and close any windows you won't need. This will limit clutter and distractions.

Log into your Zoom call and when you’re ready to present, click Share Screen at the bottom. Choose your presentation from the menu.

When using a single screen, you should always pick the specific program you want to share. Doing this will protect your data and prevent pop-ups and other interruptions.

Go to the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint and click From Beginning . For the smoothest presentation, do this before anyone else joins the call, where possible.

Use the controls in the lower left-hand corner or keyboard controls to move through your presentation as usual.

 Be sure to click on the Presentation window if you’re going to use keyboard controls. PowerPoint won’t acknowledge inputs from the keyboard unless you’ve deliberately clicked on the window.

How Do You Share a PowerPoint With Zoom and Still See Notes?

The best way to see your notes is to use a second monitor and PowerPoint’s Presenter View tools. Then your notes and controls are on one screen, visible only to you, and your presentation is on the other.

Open your PowerPoint and go to Presenter View to see your notes . This mode opens two windows: The presentation and the control panel.

Drag the control panel to your primary screen and the presentation window to your second screen. You’ll be able to see and control your presentation while looking directly into your webcam if you’re using it, and you won’t have to hold your neck at an angle to use the controls.

Log into the Zoom call and click Share Screen at the bottom. Choose your presentation window.

If you’ll need to present other documents or materials in addition to your presentation, have them open and minimized on your screen and share your second monitor instead. Then you can quickly bring those materials up without disrupting your flow.

Tips for a Better Zoom Presentation

If you're not the call organizer, contact them and ask what permissions they've set up and whether you'll need permission to share your screen. 

For meetings with multiple people sharing the same presentation, book a call a day before and practice "handing off" control of the slides in Zoom. Alternately, the person sharing their screen should prepare to move to the next slide when cued. Everyone should also have an up-to-date copy of the presentation, so it can continue if somebody drops out of the meeting.

Keeping Murphy's Law in mind, having your notes in one or two other places is a good idea. Consider using your phone and a printed copy to ensure that you can rely on one of the two additional sources for your notes if everything goes wrong.

To record yourself giving a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom, launch Zoom and PowerPoint; be sure to close all other applications. Create a new Zoom meeting, select Share Screen , select your PowerPoint presentation, and click Share . Launch your PowerPoint slideshow. In Zoom, choose Record > Record on This Computer . Your computer is now recording.

Join the Zoom meeting from your iPad using Zoom's mobile app for iOS. Open your PowerPoint presentation and tap Share Content from the meeting controls. You can use PowerPoint's annotation and drawing tools to make notations on your slides if you like.

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Use zoom for PowerPoint to bring your presentation to life

If you would like to make your presentations more dynamic and exciting, try using zoom for PowerPoint .  

To add a zoom, go to Insert > Zoom .

To summarize the entire presentation on one slide, choose Summary Zoom

To show selected slides only, choose Slide Zoom

To show a single section only, choose Section Zoom

When you create a zoom in PowerPoint, you can jump to and from specific slides, sections, and portions of your presentation in an order you decide while you're presenting. 

Note:  See the Requirements table below regarding which versions of PowerPoint support the features described in this article. 

Summary zoom 

A summary zoom is like a landing page where you can see the pieces of your presentation all at once. When you're presenting, you can use the zoom to go from one place in your presentation to another in any order you like. You can get creative, skip ahead, or revisit pieces of your slide show without interrupting the flow of your presentation.

Create a summary zoom

Go to Insert > Zoom .

Select Summary Zoom .

The Insert Summary Zoom dialog box opens.

Select slides you want to include in your summary zoom. These become the first slides of your summary zoom sections . To learn more about using sections in PowerPoint, see Organize your PowerPoint slides into sections .

If you already have sections in your presentation, the first slide of each section is preselected by default. If you don't want to include certain sections in your zoom, deselect them. Then, if you want PowerPoint to get rid of any sections you didn't include in your summary zoom, clear the check box next to Keep unused sections in your presentation . Don't worry—the slides in the sections you're discarding will still be part of your presentation.

Once you've selected all the slides you want to use for your summary zoom, select Insert . Your summary zoom is created, and it appears as a new slide just before the first slide you included in your summary zoom.

Add or remove sections from your summary zoom

Once you've created a summary zoom, you might still want to add or remove sections of your presentation. If you've made changes since first making your summary zoom that you want to capture, you don't have to start from scratch—just update your summary zoom.

Select your zoom, and then select the Format tab on the ribbon.

Select Edit Summary , choose the sections you want to have in your summary zoom, and then select Update .

Note:  You won't be able to add or remove sections from your presentation in this view, just from your summary zoom.

A slide zoom can help you make your presentation more dynamic, allowing you to navigate freely between slides in any order you choose without interrupting the flow of your presentation. They're a good option for shorter presentations without lots of sections, but you can use slide zooms for lots of different presentation scenarios.

Slide zooms help you drill down into multiple pieces of information while feeling as though you're staying on the same canvas.

Create a slide zoom

Select Slide Zoom .

The Slide Zoom dialog box opens. Select the slides you want to use in your slide zoom.

Once you've selected all the slides you want to use, select Insert .

An item for each slide you selected in step 3 is added to the slide. Select each item in turn and drag to arrange them on the slide. 

Tip:  If you want to, you can create a slide zoom quickly by simply selecting the slide you want from the thumbnail pane and dragging it onto the slide you'd like to have your slide zoom on. This way, you can create slide zooms and change them quickly, and arrange them however you like simply by clicking and dragging.

Change the preview image of your slide zoom

Your slide zoom by default will be a preview thumbnail image of the slide, but you can choose a new image from your PC or the web to represent the section or slide you'll be going to.

Select Change Image to choose a new picture from the web or your PC to use instead of the thumbnail.

Choose or search the web for the image you want. When you've selected the image you want, select Insert .

You can also choose various looks for your zooms from Zoom Styles —you can change the border, add visual effects, or pick from any of the border and effect combinations in the gallery.

Section zoom

A section zoom is a link to a section already in your presentation. You can use them to go back to sections you want to really emphasize, or to highlight how certain pieces of your presentation connect. To learn more about using sections in PowerPoint, see Organize your PowerPoint slides into sections .

Create a section zoom

Select Section Zoom .

Select the section you want to use as a section zoom.

Select Insert . Your section zoom will be created.

Tip:  If you want to, you can create a section zoom quickly by simply selecting the section name you want in the thumbnail pane and dragging it onto the slide you'd like to have a section zoom on.

Change the preview image of your section zoom

Your section zoom by default will be a preview thumbnail image of the slide, but you can choose a new image from your PC or the web to represent the section or slide you'll be going to.

More zoom options

Zoom for PowerPoint truly lights up when you make it your own. Select the Format tab of the ribbon to get to the Zoom Tools , which you can choose to create just the look and feel you're going for when you present.

Choose to return to the home page or continue through your presentation

If you want to return to the zoom slide after viewing sections or slides in your summary, slide, or section zoom, make sure the Return to Zoom check box is selected. If you want to move on to the next slide after viewing part of your zoom, uncheck it.

(If you're working with a summary zoom or a section zoom, you'll return to the zoom slide by default when you're presenting after going to the section. If you're using a slide zoom, you'll move on to the next slide by default after viewing your slide zoom.)

Make the background of your zoom transparent

Another way you can change the look of your zoom is by choosing to adopt the background of the slide where your zoom lives to make the zoom almost indistinguishable from the main canvas while you present. Select Zoom Background to make your summary, section, or slide zooms blend in to their home slide.

In the Zoom Styles group, select Zoom Background . The zoom will adopt the background of the home slide.

Change the transition options of your zoom

By default, your zooms will use the zoom transition when you present, which is what helps make the zooms feel so lively. However, if you don't want to use the zoom transition, or if you want to change the duration of the transition, you can do so.

In the Zoom Options group, make sure the box next to Zoom Transition is checked if you want to use the zoom transition when presenting your zoom.

If you don't want to use the zoom transition when presenting, uncheck the box next to Zoom Transition .

To change the timing of the zoom transition, use the up and down arrows next to the Duration indicator to change how long the zoom transition lasts.

Requirements

See the following table for details on the minimum version numbers required in PowerPoint to create or play zoom links.

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Easy PowerPoint Zoom Tutorial (Free Templates & Examples)

Sara Wanasek

Tired of navigating your slides in a chronological order? Looking for ways to spice up the way you interact with your presentation and engage your audience?

Transform your boring presentations into something more engaging and captivating with PowerPoint’s Zoom feature. PowerPoint Zoom allows you to create dynamic, non-linear presentations. Think of it as building a Prezi inside PowerPoint. Jump from one point in your presentation to the next seamlessly by creating links to the different sections of your presentation.

By utilizing PowerPoint’s Slide Zoom, Section Zoom, and Summary Zoom, you can easily create an entertaining and engaging presentation for your audience. There are many different ways to add these to your presentation, so read on to learn how to use PowerPoint Zoom and implement it in the best ways!

Table of Contents

What is powerpoint zoom.

PowerPoint’s Zoom feature is a tool that allows you to create interactive PowerPoint presentations . It enables you to zoom in and out of specific sections or slides, creating a more dynamic and immersive experience for your audience. With PowerPoint Zoom , you can easily create links or “zoom areas” on your slides such that when clicked during a presentation, can allow you to navigate to specific slides or sections and focus on the content that is most relevant at any given time—there’s no need to be stuck with whatever slide is chronologically next.

Why Use PowerPoint Zoom?

PowerPoint Zoom lets you present in a more flexible and interactive way. For instance, you can create a dynamic menu that allows your audience to help you choose which topics to cover first. With just a click, you can jump to that slide or section and relay that information.

PowerPoint Zoom is also particularly useful for storytelling , guiding your audience through a series of complex information without being restricted to a traditional linear slide progression.

No need for hyperlinks, tedious work, or coding—PowerPoint Zoom allows for a seamless setup and flow of your presentation.

Let’s dive right in and discover how to make a zoom effect in PowerPoint!

How to Make a Zoom Effect in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint’s Zoom feature consists of three different options: Slide Zoom, Section Zoom, and Summary Zoom. While their setups are similar, the reasons for using each one vary.

Below we will delve into each of these PowerPoint Zoom options in depth.

Download our FREE PowerPoint Zoom template to follow along! 👇

Slide Zoom PowerPoint Templates

Turn your PowerPoint into an interactive experience today with this Slide Zoom template!

When to use Slide Zoom? ⏲️

Slide Zoom, as the name suggests, allows you to create links and “zoom in” on the content of another slide without following the traditional slide-to-slide progression. This comes in especially handy when you want to direct your audience’s attention to a particular image, chart, or piece of information on a slide instantly.

How to use Slide Zoom? 💻

1. Select the Main Starting Slide : To use PowerPoint Slide Zoom, first select the starting slide where you intend to apply the Zoom effect. In our example, we are using the Iceberg Model illustration as our starting slide. We want to zoom into the different description slides from our Iceberg Model slide.

2. Access the Slide Zoom Feature : Next, click Insert > Zoom > Slide Zoom . From here, choose the slide, or slides, that you want to zoom into. Click Insert and a thumbnail or thumbnails of the slides will appear on your current slide.

3. Rearrange the Thumbnails : Rearrange the thumbnails on your slide to match your design and layout.

4. Test the Slide Zoom: Now, in presentation mode, when you click on the slide thumbnails, you can zoom into the particular slides!

With a smooth Slide Zoom effect, you will notice that transitioning from slide to slide has become significantly more engaging!

Zoom Option: Zoom Background

Notice the thick outline of each slide you added to Zoom? Let’s remove that for a cleaner, more professional look on your slides. 

To do that, click on the added Zoom slide thumbnail , then click the Zoom tab in the PowerPoint ribbon. Now, click on the Zoom Background option to hide the default background and match the background of the thumbnail to the background of your current slide.

Zoom Option: Return to Zoom

Another customizable option is the Return to Zoom feature.

With the current setup of Slide Zoom, once you click on the Zoom thumbnail and navigate to the zoomed in slide, you cannot return to the main starting slide. In other words, you will move on to the next slide in a linear order, with essentially an added zoom transition.

On the other hand, by applying Return to Zoom, you will be brought back to your main starting slide every time instead. This way you can click change the order of your slides. For example, with Return to Zoom enabled, when I can click on next slide after clicking on the “Phase #3 The Structure” slide, I will be brought back to the main starting slide instead of the “Phase #4 Mental Models” slide.

To make this happen, after selecting each of your Zoom slide thumbnails, simply click on the Return to Zoom option from the Zoom tab. 

Section Zoom

When to use section zoom ⏲️.

While Slide Zoom allows you to zoom into one slide at a time, Section Zoom allows you to zoom into a specific section containing multiple related slides of your presentation. This is especially helpful for longer presentations or presentations with multiple topics. 

How to use Section Zoom? 💻

Here, we have a deck about the Solar System. Each planet has its own section with a couple slides underneath each section. Our main slide has an overview of the whole Solar System. In this case, I would like to be able to click on a planet, then be able to learn more about that planet. You can easily do this with Section Zoom!

1. Select the Main Starting Slide : Similar to PowerPoint Slide Zoom, you have to select a starting slide where you intend to apply the Zoom effect for Section Zoom. Here we are using the Solar System slide as our main starting slide where we can zoom into the different planet sections.

2. Access the Section Zoom Feature : On the overview slide, click Insert > Zoom > Section Zoom . Then choose the sections you would like to Zoom into and click Insert . The thumbnails of the first slide of each section will appear in your current slide.

Zoom Option: Change the Image

Don’t like how the different thumbnails are making your slide looks cluttered, fret not, you can change the thumbnail image of your slides for easier viewing. 

To do this, right-click on the zoom slide thumbnail and select Change Image . Then, substitute it with an image or screenshot from your device. For instance, you can take screenshots of the different segments in your slide to “hide” the zoom slide thumbnails underneath these screenshots.

Now, when you enter presentation mode, instead of clicking z zoom slide thumbnail, you can click on a planet to zoom into a desired section! Watch this video to learn exactly how to do it! 

Summary Zoom

When to use summary zoom ⏲️.

The third and final PowerPoint Zoom feature is Summary Zoom. It lets you create a summary or overview slide that acts as a hub for your presentation. It is perfect for those times when you want to give your audience a quick recap or provide them with a visual roadmap of your presentation.

Similar to Section Zoom, Summary Zoom contains links to specific sections or slides in your presentation, allowing you to navigate to the most relevant parts of your presentation. The main distinction lies in the fact that the Summary Zoom feature will automatically generate a summary slide containing thumbnails of each section or slide for your convenience.

How to use Summary Zoom? 💻

1. Select the Main Starting Slide : Similar to both PowerPoint Slide Zoom and Section Zoom, you have to select a starting slide where you intend to apply the Zoom effect for Summary

2. Access the Summary Soon Feature : To use PowerPoint Summary Zoom, click Insert > Zoom > Summary Zoom . This will create a new slide that displays a summary of your presentation, with thumbnails of each slide.

3. Customize Appearance : You can customize the appearance of the Summary Zoom slide by selecting the Format tab. Here, you can choose from various layouts, fonts, and colors to make the slide visually appealing and aligned with your presentation’s theme.

During your presentation, easily navigate to any slide by clicking on the different Zoom slide thumbnails. It’s a great way to give your audience an easy-to-follow roadmap and ensure they stay engaged and focused throughout your presentation.

Real-World PowerPoint Zoom Examples to Engage Your Audience

Here are some real-life examples of how to use PowerPoint Zoom to create engaging and immersive presentations: 

• Sales Pitch

Create interactive slides with zoomed-in images and key features for your products or services. By allowing the audience to explore products in detail, you can generate more interest and engagement during a pitch.

• Educational Lecture with Organised Sections

Similar to our Solar System deck, you can organize your presentation into sections so that students can go through the presentations at their own pace starting with what interests them the most.

Add interactive questions to the presentation using ClassPoint , to make it even more engaging. 

• Team Meeting Roadmap

Create an engaging team meeting with Summary Zoom. Highlight key milestones and deliverables in a visual and clear roadmap to help the team stay focused and engaged throughout the meeting.

• Interactive Visuals 

Use maps and charts as your overview slide and add zoom slide thumbnails of added information to showcase further data, information, and analytics. 

• Virtual Tours or Walkthroughs

Simulate a virtual tour or walkthrough using images on your slides. Add the Zoom feature to replicate “moving” from one “location” to another.

PowerPoint Zoom FAQ

Here are some common FAQ’s about this powerful tool:

What are the differences between the PowerPoint Zoom Options? 

Slide Zoom zooms from one slide to the next while Section Zoom zooms into a whole section of your presentation before bringing you back to the overview slide. The Summary Zoom option provides you with a Table-of-Contents-like slide for an easy overview of your whole presentation. 

How to make Prezi in PowerPoint? 

You can make a PowerPoint that looks similar to Prezi with PowerPoint’s Zoom feature. With your selected slide to Zoom into, click on the Insert tab, Zoom, and select Slide, Section, or Summary Zoom.

Can I use PowerPoint Zoom on any version of PowerPoint?

PowerPoint Zoom is available on PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365. Make sure you have the latest version to take advantage of this feature.

Will my audience need any special software to view the Zoom features?

No, your audience does not need any special software. The Zoom features will work seamlessly when you present your PowerPoint file on any device with PowerPoint installed.

Can I use Zoom in combination with other PowerPoint animations and transitions?

Yes, you can! PowerPoint Zoom works well with other animations and transitions, allowing you to create a truly immersive and engaging presentation.

Can I edit or remove Zoom features from my presentation?

Absolutely! You can easily edit or remove Zoom features from your presentation at any time. Just follow the steps outlined in this blog post to make any necessary changes.

Yay! You now can create an even more engaging presentation with PowerPoint’s Zoom feature. 

The versatility and impact of PowerPoint Zoom can be used in various settings. By incorporating this feature into your presentations, you can captivate your audience, enhance information retention, and create a memorable experience for your listeners. 

Experience the power of PowerPoint Slide Zoom firsthand! Begin by exploring our templates and seamlessly integrate this feature into your upcoming presentations.

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How to Share a PowerPoint Presentation on Zoom

Jordan Read more March 7, 2021

PowerPoint presentations are a handy, practical tool in any corporate environment. When you present a problem or a plan visually, people often find it easier to remember or assimilate it. And when you combine a PowerPoint presentation with Zoom, you make business meetings even better.

But how do PowerPoint and Zoom work together exactly? Well, you can do it in three different ways. All of which we’ll cover in detail in this article.

Method 1 – Dual Monitors

One of the great things about Zoom is that the hardware equipment isn’t overpriced. Depending on the size and needs of your company, your Zoom meetings can stay as small or as big as you need them to be.

For example, if your Zoom meeting room has a dual monitor system, one screen can show the entire PowerPoint presentation full screen. While the other monitor can contain presenter’s notes or anything else that can contribute to the meeting.

Here’s how you share a PowerPoint presentation on dual monitors in Zoom:

That’s all there is to it. However, if it turns out that the monitor you’re sharing isn’t the correct one, go to Display Settings, and click “Swap Presenter View and Slide Show”. Therefore, you don’t have to start the whole process from the beginning.

Method 2 – Single Monitor in a Window

The first method is very practical and gives you a clear view of the presentation and the presenter. But not every Zoom meeting room has dual monitors, nor does it need them. A smaller meeting room works just fine with a single monitor, and fortunately, you can share a PowerPoint slide show with just a single monitor.

Either in a window or with a full screen. The window option is very useful when it comes to multitasking while sharing a presentation. Here’s how you share a PowerPoint presentation in a window:

That should do it. Now you have a PowerPoint presentation in a single window, and you can still access the in-meeting chats or any other application or file that you need for the meeting.

Method 3 – Single Monitor in Full Screen

If you’re dealing with a single-monitor situation in your Zoom meeting, and a very important PowerPoint presentation is on its way, the full-screen option is a great idea. The full screen slide show means that there’ll be no onscreen distractions. With no chatting, or opening other files, your focus stays on the presentation itself. Here’s how you make the full screen PowerPoint slide show in Zoom:

And now your presentation is in full screen, and everyone can see it clearly.

Sharing Sound with Zoom

Did you know that the Zoom screen sharing feature lets you share the audio as well? That’s right. People who attend the meetings remotely can now receive both the video and audio. But the one pre-requisite is that you have to use Zoom for Desktop for Windows or Mac.

Therefore, if you want to share a YouTube clip, for example, you just have to click “Share sound”. However, there is one disadvantage. You can’t share the computer sound when the meeting is shared on multiple screens at the same time. It only works when one screen at a time is being shared. Still, it’s a pretty useful feature.

Present Your Work More Efficiently with Zoom

PowerPoint slide shows have been around forever. Once you figure out how to make the most of them, the sky is the limit. It’s one of the most creative software options from Microsoft Office. In comparison, Zoom is new. But it’s taken the corporate world by the storm. The company emphasized that it “just works”, and what more can you ask from a tool that is designed to make work meetings run smoothly? Time is the most precious commodity, and PowerPoint, together with Zoom helps you make significant savings in this regard.

Let us know what you think about PowerPoint and Zoom in the comments section below.

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How to zoom in on PowerPoint slides (3 different techniques)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
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• December 27, 2017

How do you zoom in on something in PowerPoint without PowerPoint first centering in on your slide?

This was a great question we got from subscriber Derek (thanks Derek!).

And it’s not so intuitive…

For example, let’s say you want to zoom in on a specific icon or two to edit them, like in the picture below. How do you do it without scrolling around, driving yourself crazy?

In this tutorial, you’ll learn 3 different ways to zoom in PowerPoint, plus a few sneaky places you might never have thought of zooming in PowerPoint before.

Looking for the NEW Zoom Transition?

If you want to learn all about the brand new Zoom Transition in PowerPoint that was added in 2016, see our other guide here .

The problem with the standard PowerPoint zoom

The problem with the standard PowerPoint zoom, is that PowerPoint automatically goes to the center of your slide as you zoom in.

The center zoom is great if the object that you want to edit is in the center of your slide, but if it’s not, that means you have to use the scroll bars to find what you are looking for.

The problem with the scroll bars is that they are hard to control, often jumping you over to the next slide as you try to find the object that you want to edit.

So instead of making your life easier (which is what they were designed to do), they make it harder.

3 Ways to Zoom in on an Object

There are three different ways you can zoom in on a PowerPoint slide:

• The View tab Zoom command (zoom dialog box)
• The Zoom slider at the bottom of the screen
• The CTRL + mouse spin wheel shortcut (my personal favorite because it’s universal, as you’ll see in a second)

If you are looking for the new zoom transition, you can learn more about what that is on the Microsoft blog here .

Pro Tip: Use the ‘Fit to Window’ tools

After zooming in on something in PowerPoint, you can quickly refit your PowerPoint window in one of two ways:

• ‘Fit slide to current window’ in the lower right-hand corner your screen
• ‘Fit to Window’ in the View tab

Zoom in on a Picture in PowerPoint

To zoom in a on a specific picture (or object) in PowerPoint, all you need to do is first select the object before you zoom. Once you select an object, any of the 3 zoom methods described above will zoom you specifically in on the object:

• The zoom dialog box
• The zoom slider
• Using CTRL plus your mouse spin wheel

This zoom trick works on anything that you can select in PowerPoint, including zooming in on a table, zooming in on a chart, zooming in on a text box, etc.

Note:  If you are trying to zoom in on a picture to show a specific part of it, you can also just crop your picture down to the desired piece.

To learn all about how to crop pictures in PowerPoint,  read our step-by-step guide here .

If you have multiple objects that you want to zoom into and edit in PowerPoint, the fastest way to do that is to:

• Select and zoom in on your first object
• Edit or format your first object
• Hit Fit Slide to Current Window
• Select and zoom in on your second object
• Edit or format your second object

If you have more than two objects, you can continue zooming in and out of your slide in this way to make all of your adjustments.

PowerPoint Thumbnail Zoom

Besides zooming in on a slide while editing it, you can also use the CTRL + mouse spin wheel shortcut to zoom in on the thumbnail images of your PowerPoint slides on the left.

Zooming in on the thumbnail images allows you to control how much of your presentation you see, and how much slide editing space you give yourself on the right.

Zooming in allows you to get a big thumbnail image of each of the preceding and following slides, while zooming out gives you an idea of how many slides are in your presentation.

Slide Sorter View Zoom

Another place you can zoom in PowerPoint to see the overall flow of your presentation, is Slide Sorter View. To open the Slide Sorter View, simply click the slide Sorter  command at the bottom of your screen.

All three zoom methods work in the Slide Sorter View:

Zooming in and out of the Slide Sorter View is useful when you want to see the overall flow of your slides within your presentation at varying levels of detail.

Slide Show View zoom

Two other places you can zoom in PowerPoint are the Slide Show Mode (F5) and Presenter View (SHIFT + F5) of your presentation. To see these PowerPoint shortcuts in action, check out the video below.

Start Slide Show PowerPoint Shortcuts

There are four keyboard shortcuts for starting slide show in PowerPoint:

Once you are in one of the presentation views of your slides, you can zoom in or zoom out by either using the CTRL + mouse spin wheel shortcut (if you have a mouse), or you can use the keyboard shortcuts listed below.

• Zooming in allows you to focus on a specific section of your slide (focusing your audience’s attention on that section).
• Zooming out allows you to see all the slides in your presentation as thumbnails.

This is often an easier way to navigate the slides in your presentation if someone wants to go back and see something, rather than trying to remember where it was in your presentation.

Knowing how to properly zoom in and out of the objects you want to edit in PowerPoint will save you a ton of time.

The key to remember is that PowerPoint will use the object you have selected as the focal point of your zoom.

If you enjoyed this tutorial and want to learn more about our other PowerPoint tutorials and free resources,  visit us here .

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Zoom Feature in PowerPoint – How to Use it Correctly!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

It is hard to accept but even the most seasoned PowerPoint users find it hard to create a table of contents that is visually modern-looking and interactive! The “ Zoom ” feature can help not only with the table of contents but much more than that!

The zoom feature in PowerPoint helps create visual links between sections of your presentation. It makes the presentation interactive by adding a clickable thumbnail of a slide or a section in your presentation and allowing you to easily navigate within your presentation with cool effects!

Even if you use PowerPoint regularly, chances are you aren’t fully aware of the “Zoom” feature in PowerPoint.

And, by now if you are thinking about zooming in on the slides using the functions provided at the bottom-right corner of PowerPoint, then you really need to go through this article as you might not be aware of one of the most awesome features in PowerPoint called “ Zoom “.

1. What is Zoom in PowerPoint?

Imagine if you could just click on an image on your slide and it just zooms into that image, opening the section of your presentation that provides more information about that image! The “Zoom” feature in PowerPoint, does exactly that!

The zoom feature in Microsoft PowerPoint is a new feature that makes your presentations interactive and dynamic. Using the zoom feature in PowerPoint, you can create a zoom slide from which you can jump to and from specific slides or sections in any order you may need during the presentation.

Let’s explore this feature by checking out some of the different types of “zoom” that you can add to your presentation –

1a. Summary Zoom

The “Summary Zoom” in Microsoft PowerPoint is a landing page where you can see the summarized slides within a page.

In the summary zoom, you can select which slides to show. You can even create summary slides to show on the summary zoom. During the presentation, you can click on any slide on the summary to proceed according to the need of the audience rather than the preset slide progression.

1b. Section Zoom

In Microsoft PowerPoint, “Section Zoom” is a slide that contains the preview and the link to the sections within the presentation.

You can click on them to jump from one section to another to highlight the important parts of your presentation.

1c. Slide Zoom

The “Slide Zoom” feature in PowerPoint allows you to navigate freely through the slides in a presentation. In the slide zoom, you can add all the slides or a few selected slides.

From this section, you can move freely between slides, emphasize the important slides, and even cut the presentation short without seeming so to the audience.

2. How to Insert Slide Zoom in Microsoft PowerPoint?

To use the “Zoom” feature in PowerPoint, first, click on the “Insert” tab. Then, click on the “Zoom” button from the ribbon. Choose the type of zoom from “Summary”, “Section”, and “Slide” zoom. Next, select the slides from the window that pops up by holding the “Ctrl” key, and click on “Insert”.

Here’s a step-by-step process with visual aids on what you need to do –

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” tab

The first step is to open the “Insert” menu. Click on the “Insert” tab which is located in the menu ribbon at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Zoom” button

In the “Links” section of the “Insert” menu, click on the “Zoom” button. This will open a dropdown menu. Click on the “Slide Zoom” option from the dropdown menu.

Step-3: Choose the Slide and Click on “Insert”

Clicking on the “Slide Zoom” option will open the “Insert Slide Zoom” dialog box.

Select the slides you want to include in the slide zoom and then click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the dialog box. Now all you have to do is arrange the slides in the slide zoom according to your preference.

3. How to Edit Slide Zoom in PowerPoint?

Once you add the slide zoom to your presentation, you can easily edit it. To access the editing pane, all you have to do is click on the slide zoom. Then click on the “Zoom” tab in the menu ribbon.

3a. Change Borders in Slide Zoom

To add or change the border of the slides in slide zoom, click on the “Zoom Border” option. In the dropdown menu, you can click on your preferred color for the border.

You can also click on the “Weight” option and select the border width from the secondary menu. To change the border design, click on the “Dashes” option.

3b. Add Effects in Slide Zoom

You can add various effects in the slide zoom. To do so, you have to first click on a single or multiple slides in the slide zooms where you want to add effects.

Then click on the “Zoom Effects” option. In the dropdown menu, you can click on any effect option to open a secondary pop-up menu. Click on your preferred effect. You can add multiple effects on a single zoom slide.

3c. Remove Background in Slide Zoom

In Microsoft PowerPoint slide zoom, you can remove the slide background of each slide in the slide zoom. Click on the “Zoom Background” option in the “Zoom Styles” section under the “Zoom” tab. This will remove the background of the selected slide.

4. How to Change Picture in Slide Zoom?

In Slide Zoom, the default thumbnail pictures are a screenshot of the slides. However, you can change the pictures if you want. All you have to do is follow the 4 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Zoom” tab

The first step is to click on the slide thumbnail that you want to change. Then click on the “Zoom” tab at which is the last tab in the menu ribbon.

Step-2: Click on the “Change Image” option

The second step is to click on the “Change Image” button which is the first option in the “Zoom Options” section of the “Zoom” menu (as shown in the image in step 1).

Then click on the “Change Image” option from the dropdown menu.

Step-3: Click on “From a File”

When you click on the “Change Image” option, it will open a dialog box. In the “Insert Pictures” dialog box, click on the “From a File” option. This will open another dialog box.

Step-4: Click on the “Insert” button

In the “Insert Picture” dialog box, click on the image which you want to add to the slide thumbnail in the slide zoom.

Then click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the dialog box. In the slide zoom, the original thumbnail will be changed to the selected image.

4a. How to Reset Picture in Slide Zoom?

Once you change the picture of the slide thumbnail in the PowerPoint slide zoom, you can revert it to the original thumbnail.

All you have to do is click on the “Change Image” button in the “Zoom” menu. Then click on the “Reset Image” option from the dropdown menu.

5. How to Stop Slide Zoom?

In the Microsoft PowerPoint slide show, the presentation will return to the slide zoom, after each slide. To stop this, select the slide in the slide zoom and then click on the “Zoom” tab in the menu bar.

In the “Zoom” menu, click on the “Return to Zoom” option. The checkmark in the box next to it will disappear. This will stop the slides from returning to the slide zoom screen.

5a. How to Return to Slide Zoom?

Once you stop the slide zoom on Microsoft PowerPoint, you can turn on the feature again. All you have to do is select the slide again and click on the “Zoom” tab. Then click on the box next to the “Return to Zoom” option.

The checkmark will appear again. Now the screen will return to the slide zoom after the selected slide during the presentation.

Credit to nakaridore (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

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Your guide to getting started with Zoom Docs

Get to know Zoom Docs with AI Companion — follow our tips for creating collaborative docs using meeting summaries and transcripts, templates, and more.

Updated on August 13, 2024

Published on August 05, 2024

• 01 What can you do with Zoom Docs? - Jumplink to What can you do with Zoom Docs?
• 02 How to create a new doc - Jumplink to How to create a new doc
• 03 Customize, organize, and get creative - Jumplink to Customize, organize, and get creative
• 04 Account admins: How to turn on AI Companion for Zoom Docs - Jumplink to Account admins: How to turn on AI Companion for Zoom Docs
• 05 Ready to get started? - Jumplink to Ready to get started?

The way we work is changing. And that means word processing solutions — a bedrock for knowledge workers —  are changing, too. 

You need your documents to be blank slates for whatever you’re building, whether it’s a traditional proposal, a table for keeping track of project plans and assets, or an internal knowledge base. But you also want to be able to use AI to help you conquer the blank page by populating your documents with insights from meetings, relevant information, and ideas to get started.

You need them to be cloud-based and ready for real-time collaboration, not stuck on your computer or spread across multiple different versions emailed back and forth. 

You need documents built for digital audiences — beautifully organized and easily navigable, not constrained with rigid margins and print-ready formats.

And in a world where efficiency is essential, you need your documents to help boost productivity by fitting into your daily workflows and the apps you use most often, not standing in the way of them as another separate tool.

Zoom Docs , included with Zoom Workplace, can help with that. Here’s a look at what you can do with Zoom Docs and how it can help you solve the challenges mentioned above.

What can you do with Zoom Docs?

Zoom Docs is a flexible, collaborative solution for creating docs, wikis, tables, and more in Zoom Workplace, with AI Companion capabilities at its core, included at no additional cost.* 

AI Companion, your generative AI assistant , can help generate and synthesize information and refine your writing. AI Companion can bring content from Zoom Meetings into a Zoom doc. You can also add different content blocks and select various ways to display information.

Zoom Docs allows you to go beyond a simple word processor by creating AI-first docs. Here are just three ways you can use it.

Create AI-first collaborative documents

Write a business proposal, marketing plan, project brief — you name it. AI Companion is there to help you create your draft. You can even leverage your AI Companion meeting summary and transcript to provide more details and specific information to help AI Companion create your desired final product. This allows you to transform the conversations you have in meetings into well-organized and actionable docs.

Add headings and subheadings to separate your doc into easy-to-navigate sections. Tag colleagues in the doc to assign them action items, or add a comment to a specific word or sentence and tag your teammate there so they can respond on their own time.

Share the doc with colleagues via Team Chat or in a link via email, or open it in the Zoom Meetings window during a meeting to view, co-edit, and collaborate with other attendees in real time. 

Build a company wiki for better information sharing

When company knowledge and processes go undocumented or when they exist in a variety of different places, finding what you need becomes a challenge. Things can get even more complicated when a colleague goes on vacation or transitions to another position and you can’t access the files they created.

You need a single source of truth where team members can find up-to-date information. You can use Zoom Docs to build a wiki — a central hub where information lives — that’s easily searchable and accessible. 

We recommend creating a main page, then creating linkable subpages nested within that main page that dive into specific topics. The main page serves as your table of contents so team members can easily navigate to the information they need. 

With granular sharing controls, you can allow a select group of colleagues or everyone in the company to view the wiki. You can also limit edit access to those in charge of updating the doc. 

Use data tables to organize information and bring teams together 

Zoom Docs brings teams together into one collaborative doc. Use it for goal setting, quarterly plans, event planning, and more. You can use wikis to stay organized so you have a collection of docs associated with a project, making it easy to find important information and assets. You can also track the status of action items using our project template or create a customized tracker with the status columns you need. Data tables allow you to filter, sort, group, and organize information easily.

You can pull AI Companion-generated next steps from the meeting summary and add those to your data table. You can embed your team’s collaborative whiteboard in the same doc. This way, your project team knows where to find and add information, and you can open these docs in a Zoom meeting to work together in real time, making collaboration even more seamless.

How to create a new doc

See the docs you've created and collaborated on, and start a new doc from the Docs home page.

In the Zoom Workplace desktop or mobile app (6.1.6 or higher), go to the Docs tab (click More if you don’t see it in the top navigation bar). Here, you’ll find a list of docs you’ve created and been invited to collaborate on, and options to create a new doc. You can also access Docs by going to  docs.zoom.us or in the Zoom Web App at app.zoom.us/wc/docs .

There are a few different ways you can get started:

Create a blank doc

Start from scratch by choosing the “Blank document” option from the home page of the Docs tab. From there, you can ask AI Companion to help you brainstorm and put a draft together.

“My meetings” view

From the Docs home page, click on “My meetings” in the left sidebar to find a list of meetings you can create a doc from. To continue collaboration post-meeting, you can pull in AI Companion meeting summaries or transcripts from previous meetings into a doc. Explore the templates available, like “stand up” or “user feedback,” to help you format the information in the most helpful way. 

Note that only meeting hosts will have access to meeting information and can choose what to share with others. From the My meetings view, you’ll see which meetings you hosted with meeting summary enabled that you can create a doc from.

Create a doc within a meeting

Create a new doc or open an existing one right in a meeting by clicking on the Docs icon in the meeting toolbar. You can co-edit with meeting participants for collaborative creation, with AI Companion there to help you. Once the meeting is over, check your Docs tab to find, share, and edit your doc.

Start with a doc template

On the Docs home page, select the “Templates” button. You can choose from several templates depending on what kind of doc you want to build: a project tracker, a brief, a meeting agenda, and more.

Import an existing file

If you have a text file (.docx, .txt, .md) or spreadsheet file (.xlsx, .csv), select the Import option from the Docs home page. You’ll be able to turn your existing documents and content into Zoom docs for easier sharing, formatting, and collaboration in Zoom Workplace.

Customize, organize, and get creative

Once you’ve started your doc and populated it with information using AI Companion or other sources, keep building by clicking on the plus sign or typing a forward slash / to add different modules or blocks. 

Insert basic doc components like headings and lists, or get fancy with images, videos, audio files, whiteboards, and other media. 

Organize your doc’s layout with columns and data tables. If you want to view your data differently, you can switch from a table view to a calendar or board view.

Above all, we encourage you to try different layouts and components, move them around on the page, and create your doc in a way that works best for you. Zoom Docs is designed to be flexible and adapt to how you work.

Account admins: How to turn on AI Companion for Zoom Docs

Zoom Docs is best experienced with AI Companion, which enables you and your teams to create, refine, and summarize docs and unlock more from your meetings by creating actionable documents from meeting transcripts. To allow your teams to extend meeting collaboration using AI Companion for Zoom Docs, an account admin needs to enable the correct settings, including the use of meeting summaries and meeting transcripts .

Visit our  Docs support article for a step-by-step guide on where to find and enable each setting.

Ready to get started?

Zoom Docs is included with Zoom Workplace Pro, Business, Business Plus, Education, and Enterprise plans — you can create unlimited docs using AI Companion at no additional cost.* Users on Zoom Workplace Basic plans can create unlimited personal docs and up to 10 collaborative docs, but do not have access to AI Companion capabilities. 

Upgrade your Zoom Workplace desktop or mobile app to version 6.1.6 or higher, or go to docs.zoom.us or app.zoom.us/wc/docs to get started with Zoom Docs.

Visit our Zoom Docs page and support article for more information, or click on the Docs tab in the Zoom Workplace app to create your first doc.

*Included with the paid services in Zoom user accounts. AI Companion may not be available for all regions or industry verticals. AI Companion for Zoom Docs capabilities are not included in Zoom Basic plans.

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Blog / PowerPoint Tips / How to use Zoom in PowerPoint for interactive presentations.

How to use Zoom in PowerPoint for interactive presentations.

Use PowerPoint’s Zoom feature to add navigation to your presentations, without breaking a sweat. 

Regular readers will know that Buffalo 7 is basically PowerPoint’s unofficial fan club. We rave about the possibilities of PowerPoint on a daily basis. Sometimes we’ll talk about  other presentation software , but it’s always being compared to the OG of presentation programs.  

However, we work with PowerPoint day in, day out, and we’re certainly not looking through rose-tinted glasses. We know all her weaknesses, all too well. And, naturally, we’ve found a way around each one. But we understand that you don’t have the time or inclination to hack your presentation software until it does everything you need it to. 

And if what you need it to do is crazy, nauseating menus, we can see why you might lean towards  Prezi  as your preferred presentation program. 

But before you make your final choice, give us just a few moments of your time. It seems as though Microsoft has been listening to your Prezi praising. Sort of. Enter Zoom: PowerPoint’s quick menu-making magic wand. 

Before we begin, we need to preface this article by saying this:

“We never use the Zoom feature.” Buffalo 7

However, if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands and you need to have the option to move around your presentation freely, Zoom might be the answer to your prayers.

What is Zoom?

The name is confusing in this modern world where a pandemic has changed every aspect of our lives and one of the innovations keeping the earth turning is also called  Zoom . But we’re not talking about the  VC software now . 

Originally launched in 2016, the Zoom feature in PowerPoint allows you to present your slides in any order you want. PowerPoint presentations have traditionally followed a strict linear format. They start at the start, end at the end and should you have cause to jump back to an earlier slide, well, your audience is just gonna have to wait while you cycle through them.

Not anymore. With just a couple of click, PowerPoint will create a menu slide and all the hyperlinks for you, giving you the freedom to move around your slides in whatever order you, or your audience, want.

Why use Zoom?

Interactivity can be the difference between an okay presentation and a next-level one. Interactivity puts your audience at the heart of your story, hands the reins over to them, and builds trust between viewer and speaker. It breaks down imaginary walls between those on the stage and those off it. Walls are never a good thing if you’re trying to build relationships.

By implementing a menu system in PowerPoint, you can let your audience choose where they want to go next and, in just one click, you’ll be able to get to the slide that supports the conversation. While menu systems have always been possible in PowerPoint, before Zoom they required a lot of manual labour, duplicated slides, invisible triggers, and hyperlinks up the wazoo. Now PowerPoint does all the heavy lifting for you.

What do each of the Zoom features do?

Zoom options can be found in your top ribbon, by clicking the  Insert  drop down. The keen-eyed amongst you will see there are three different types of Zoom. Let’s take a look at each one.

How to use Summary Zoom in PowerPoint

Think of Summary Zoom as a master menu. Once you’ve built your presentation, simply click  Insert > Zoom > Summary   Zoom  to open the dialogue box. You select which slides you want to be able to jump to, and PowerPoint will not only create the links, but the menu slide as well. PowerPoint will automatically put your menu slide to the front, but you can move it to wherever you want it to sit within  your narrative , without worrying about breaking the links.

You’ll also see that PowerPoint creates sections in the thumbnail slide view down the left-hand column of your window, based on which slides you choose. More on this later, but if you want to get super organised, it could be a good idea to rename these to reflect the section content.

In Slide Show mode, click the slide image within your menu that represents the slide you want to move to, and, like magic, you’ll end up there. If only life was that simple. Once you reach the end of the section, another click will see you navigate right back to your main menu. 

If you need to edit your menu at any time, select  Zoom > Format > Edit Summary . Here you can update the sections that feature on your summary page. When you’re done, select  Update  and that’s a wrap.

How to use Section Zoom in PowerPoint

Like the chapters in a book, a lengthy or complex presentation can be divided into sections. This makes it easier for your audience to follow along and gives you the opportunity to ask them which solution they’d like to see first. Whether it’s to revisit a section or skip one altogether, Section Zoom removes the need for embarrassing, unprofessional, and seemingly-endless scrolling. 

For Section Zoom to work, you will need to section off your slides first. You can do this by clicking the first slide in the section in the slide thumbnail view of your PowerPoint window. Then, under the  Home  tab, click  Section and  Add Section . 

Once you’ve got your sections in order, select  Insert > Zoom , click on  Section Zoom , make your navigation choices, and hit  Insert . It’s that simple.

At this point you might be thinking, if PowerPoint creates sections after you’ve chosen your navigable slides in Summary Zoom, why would I bother making sections to be able to use Section Zoom? It’s a good question, and one we don’t know the answer to either. We did start this blog by saying she’s not perfect. 

How to use Slide Zoom in PowerPoint

Slide Zoom gives you the option to navigate to any slide you like, from any slide. Instead of creating a separate main menu slide to house your navigation buttons, Slide Zoom adds the button to your chosen slide.

This is a great way to hide excess information that doesn’t need to form part of your main presentation, but that one particularly pernickety audience member may challenge you on. In just one click you can navigate to a deep dive slide and leave them reeling that you could be so prepared.

As before, you simply choose which slide you want to navigate from, then  Insert > Zoom > Slide  Zoom and choose the slide you want to navigate to.

Zoom really is super easy to use. But is it worth it?

Design matters

One of the reasons we don’t use the Zoom function is because we’re damn fussy about design. We don’t want to compromise; we want to have beautiful presentations that also have intricate menu systems and interactive elements. There are very limited ways to customise your Zoom menus in PowerPoint. You can move them around a bit, change the size, add an ugly border and mess with the transition effects. But that sort of limitation just doesn’t fly around here.

That being said, you can change the button image by right-clicking and choosing  Change Image.  For all other customisation options, click the button in edit mode and you’ll see  Zoom Tools  in your ribbon, if you’re on a Mac, and  Zoom Styles  if you’re on a PC.

Zoom Background in PowerPoint

To help with the lack of design options available, Zoom Background makes your buttons transparent, so your beautiful slide design can shine. Just make sure you remember where the trigger is. We find it works to place the invisible button over a design element, such as your company logo, so it looks as though you’re clicking on that to trigger the navigation. You’ll find Zoom Background in the  Zoom Tools/Styles  tab. 

We can see why Microsoft felt the need to introduce Zoom. After 7 years of hearing about how ‘cool’ Prezi’s menus were, they probably caved just to shut people up. But, unless you don’t know the first thing about creating hyperlinks, or you promised your boss an interactive PowerPoint and you only remembered at the very last minute, we can’t see many reasons why you’d want to use Zoom. 

At Buffalo 7, we’re proud of the work we create. We pour innovation and passion and creativity into every deck, and we sure as hell never cut corners. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Why not get in touch today and talk about a fully-interactive, navigable deck that won’t make your audience sea sick?

Here are just a few examples of our carefully-crafted menu systems in action. None of which were created with Zoom. 

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How-To Geek

Everything you need to know about animations and transitions in powerpoint.

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How a curved ultrawide monitor changed how i play games, psa: don't get duped into downloading "new" switch games, quick links, what are animations, what are transitions, things to note before you begin, how to add, amend, and remove an animation, how to add, amend, and remove a transition, using the morph transition.

PowerPoint's animations and transitions can help you grab your audience's attention, present information in bite-sized chunks, and—when used sparingly—deliver a more professional presentation. In this article, we'll run through the nuts and bolts of these useful PowerPoint tools.

Animations are effects you can add to your slides' text, pictures, shapes, graphics, tables, and other elements. There are four different types of animations:

• Entrance animations—These are the effects you can add to make an object appear on your slide in different ways.
• Emphasis animations—You can add an emphasis animation to an object already visible on your slide, such as changing its size or color.
• Exit animations—The opposite to entrance animations, exit animations make objects disappear from your slide through different effects.
• Motion paths animations —You can make an element on your slide move to a different place, with your audience seeing this movement from where it started to where it ends up.

You can use more than one animation on a single object. For example, you can apply an entrance animation to some text, followed by an emphasis animation.

A transition effect dictates how your presentation progresses from one slide to the next, and you can choose from three different levels of complexity:

• Subtle—These are the most basic types of transitions in PowerPoint, aiding speed and slickness as you jump from one slide to the next.
• Exciting—You can make your transitions more visually entertaining.
• Dynamic—A dynamic transition applies to all parts of a slide, except for the background, giving the illusion that the content is rolling through on a single page.

Only one transition effect can be added to each slide, and it's important that you apply the transition to the slide that will be visible once the transition is complete. For example, if you have two slides and want to create a transition effect as you move from slide 1 to slide 2, you will need to apply the transition to slide 2.

Before you add animation and transition effects to your PowerPoint presentation, bear in mind the following tips:

• Don't add too many animations and transitions . Overusing these features can distract your audiences in ways you didn't intend to, and they can also look tacky and unprofessional. Ask yourself, "Does this make my presentation better?" If the answer is no, don't add it.
• Another issue with using too many animations and transitions is that it could significantly slow down your PowerPoint file's processing speed , as it adds volume to your file size.
• Keep things professional in the right contexts. For example, if you're presenting a formal business plan, you don't want to add funky transitions that take ten seconds to complete. Try sticking to slick effects that last less than a second.
• Use the same transition effect for each slide and, if you can, the same animation for each item.

It's a widely shared opinion that Microsoft 365's desktop apps offer more flexibility and functionality than their web-based counterparts. However, the exact opposite can be said for adding animations, which is significantly easier to do on PowerPoint for the web than via the subscription-only app. So, to create the animations for screenshots in this section, we have used PowerPoint online, rather than the desktop app, and we recommend that you do the same.

Before you add any animations, click "Animation Pane" in the Animations tab on the ribbon. This will open a pane on the right side of your window, which will make seeing and managing your animations much easier.

Now, select the item you want to animate. If you want several items on a slide to animate in the same way at the same time, hold Ctrl while clicking them all. Then, click the down arrow in the Animations tab, and choose the appropriate effect.

You will then see an animation card in the Animation Pane for the effect you just added. Here, you can change the animation type, how it is activated (whether via a click, with the previous animation, or after the previous animation), and the duration and delay.

If you have more than one animation on a slide and want to reorder them, click and drag the six dots next to the relevant animation card upwards or downwards.

Finally, to remove an animation, click the trash icon on the appropriate animation card.

You can also animate paragraphs of text within a text box. To do so, select the relevant text, and follow the same process.

Whether you're using PowerPoint's desktop app or the online version of the program, adding transitions involves a very similar process.

First, select the slide you want to transition to (for example, you'll select slide 2 if you want to create a transition from slide 1 to slide 2) in the slide thumbnail pane, and then click the "Transitions" tab on the ribbon.

To see more transitions, click the down arrow on the right-hand side of the Transition To This Slide group.

Clicking any of the transition effects on display will do two things—first, it will show you a preview of what that transition will look like, and second, it will apply that transition to that slide.

You can then amend the options (such as the direction of the transition) and timing of the transition using the settings on the right side of the Transitions tab. This is where you can also add a sound effect to the transition, or decide whether the transition effect occurs when you click your mouse or automatically after a given length of time.

If you want to apply the same transition effect and options to all slides, click "Apply To All" in the Timing group of the Transition tab when you have finished setting up your transition's parameters. You can then select individual slides to make further adjustments if needed.

To remove a transition, select the slide in the slide thumbnail pane, and click "None" in the Transitions tab.

PowerPoint's Morph is a transition effect that recognizes differences between the same items on two slides, and smoothly transitions between them when you proceed from one slide to the next. For example, you might have an image on slide 1, and the same image in a different position on slide 2. The morph transition gives your audience the impression that you're still on the same slide, but the objects are merely moving and resizing.

This is different to the motion path animation, which you can set for different items and activate at different times on your slide. The morph transition, however, moves all items together as you move from one slide to the next, saving you from having to apply motion path animations to individual objects. Any objects on the first slide but not the second will simply fade away during the morph transition. Similarly, any new items on the second slide will appear gradually.

In this example, we have a title and an image on slide 1, and the same objects on slide 2 but in different places and different sizes. We created this scenario by copying and pasting the whole of slide 1, and then changing the text and image on slide 2. However, you can also create a blank slide, and then copy and paste the different elements you want to morph.

Then, we need to select slide 2, and click "Morph" in the Transitions tab on the ribbon.

Then, press F5 to see your presentation, and witness the smooth morph transition from one slide to the next. You can also use this transition effect to zoom into an image or fade an image into the background. Just ensure that you copy and paste from one slide to the next before you create the transition, so that PowerPoint recognizes them as the same.

If animations and transitions are new to you, check out these other tips that you should also know before you design your next presentation.

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft 365