How to share PowerPoint presentations on Zoom

A quality PowerPoint presentation can contribute immeasurably to an online meeting, so it’s important to know how to share PowerPoint on Zoom. You can even check your notes while your meeting partners see your presentation. The only prerequisite is to have permission to share your screen with the meeting. If you have scheduled the meeting, you do not need to ask. But if this is not your meeting, you should make sure that whoever called the meeting allows other participants to share their screens. Then just follow the instructions below, and you will be able to share your carefully crafted PowerPoint presentation on Zoom.

Read more: How to convert PowerPoint and Google Slides

How to share PowerPoint presentations on Zoom

First open the presentation you want to share in PowerPoint and open the slideshow tab. Click Set up slideshow.

With the menu that appears, you can set important parameters for your presentation. You can choose:

• Or to present in a window or full screen.
• Either you have to manage the presentation manually or let it run automatically.
• Which monitor will have the presentation on it (for multiple monitor setups.)

Set your preferences and click OKAY.

Then open Zoom and set up a meeting or join (again make sure you have permission to share.) Click the Share screen button at the bottom.

Use the menu that appears to select which window you want to share. You can also choose to share or not share audio in this window. Select the PowerPoint window and click on the blue Compare button.

You will now share your PowerPoint window with the meeting. In PowerPoint, click on one of those Start slideshow buttons to start your presentation.

At the top of the screen there will be controls for screen sharing. When your slideshow is over, click Stop sharing to go back to the meeting.

Presenting a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom works well with pre-recorded narratives. But what if you want to use your PowerPoint notes while presenting live?

How to present PowerPoint on Zoom with notes

There are two situations to consider when you want to use your notes as you go through the slides in your presentation. One situation is when you have two monitors (or a monitor and a projector), and the other situation is when you have only one screen.

With two monitors

It’s easy to see your notes when you have two screens to work with. Start in PowerPoint by clicking Set up slideshow.

Set up your application type Presented by a speaker (full screen). Decide whether to go through the slides by hand or by using timings, and click OKAY. Now go to the slideshow menu in PowerPoint and click on the box that says Use PresenterView. Select the monitor that will display the presentation in the drop-down box above.

Now it’s time to start or join a Zoom meeting. When you are in the meeting, click Share screen on the bottom.

Select the one with the name from the menu of open windows on your computer that appears powerpoint slideshow.

You now share one of your two screens with your Zoom meeting, while your other screen, through your use of Presenter View, has your PowerPoint notes on each slide, controls for the presentation, a countdown, and a preview of the next slide . It will look like this.

When your slideshow has ended, you can End slideshow control at the top of the page to return to your Zoom meeting. As you can see, it is convenient to use two monitors to share a PowerPoint presentation. But in a one-monitor situation, it can still be done.

With a monitor

To present with just one monitor, and still have access to your PowerPoint notes and controls, you will use Presenter View again, but in a different way. Start by opening Zoom, then proceed by setting up your PowerPoint slideshow to be full screen.

Then start your slideshow. It will start in full screen.

In the lower left hand corner of the full screen slideshow you will see a triangular menu. Click on the three dots and a menu will appear. Choose from that menu Show presenter view.

Presenter view will now open in a separate window. Use Alt-Tab on your keyboard to navigate to Zoom, where you can start or join a meeting. When you are in the meeting, click Share screen.

Select the window with the name in the window that opens powerpoint slideshowand click on the blue Compare button.

You will now share the full screen presentation you started with PowerPoint with your Zoom meeting. Now use Alt-Tab again to navigate to the window whose name contains the words “PowerPoint presenter view”. Use the size icon at the top right to reduce the size of the window.

With the window minimized, you will be able to see the full-screen slideshow playing behind the Presenter View window, while still having access to your notes and presentation controls.

If this is your meeting, set up the PowerPoint presentation before the meeting start time, for a more polished presentation so that the invitees do not see that you are setting up the slideshow. If this is someone else’s meeting, ask for permission to enter before they do so that you will have time to go through the procedures outlined above.

Read more: How to embed a YouTube video in PowerPoint

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