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  • Record a slide show with narration and slide timings

    1. To get ready to record, select Record Slide Show on either the Recording tab or the Slide Show tab of the ribbon.

      • Clicking the upper half of the button starts you on the current slide.

      • Clicking the lower half of the button gives you the option to start from the beginning or from the current slide.

      The Record Slide Show commands on the Recording Tab in PowerPoint.

      (The Clear command deletes narrations or timings, so be careful when you use it. Clear is grayed out unless you have previously recorded some slides.)

    2. The slide show opens in the Recording window (which looks similar to Presenter view), with buttons at the top left for starting, pausing, and stopping the recording. Click the round, red button (or press R on your keyboard) when you are ready to start the recording. A three-second countdown ensues, then the recording begins.

      The Presentation Recording window in PowerPoint 2016, with video narration window preview turned on.

      • The current slide is shown in the main pane of the Recording window.

      • You can stop the recording any time by pressing Alt+S on your keyboard.

      • Navigation arrows on either side of the current slide allow you to move to the previous and next slides.

      • PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 automatically records the time you spend on each slide, including any Animate text or objects steps that occur, and the use of any triggers on each slide.

      • You can record audio or video narration as you run through your presentation. The buttons at the lower-right corner of the window allow you to toggle on or off the microphone, camera, and camera preview:

        On/off buttons for the microphone, camera, and camera previewing window

        If you use the pen, highlighter, or eraser, PowerPoint records those actions for playback also.

        Inking tools in the Recording window

        If you re-record your narration (including audio and ink), PowerPoint erases your previously recorded narration (including audio and ink) before you start recording again on the same slide.

        You can also re-record by going to Slide Show > Record Slide Show.

    3. You can pick a pointer tool (pen, eraser, or highlighter) from the array of tools just below the current slide. There are also color selection boxes for changing the color of the ink. (Eraser is grayed out unless you have previously added ink to some slides.)

    4. To end your recording, select the square Stop button (or press S on your keyboard).

      When you finish recording your narration, a small picture appears in the lower-right corner of the recorded slides. The picture is an audio icon, or, if the web camera was on during the recording, a still image from the webcam.

      Sound icon

      The recorded slide show timing is automatically saved. (In Slide Sorter view, the timings are listed beneath each slide.)

    In this process, what you record is embedded in each slide, and the recording can be played back in Slide Show. A video file is not created by this recording process. However, if you need one, you can save your presentation as a video with a few extra steps.

    Preview the recorded slide show

    On the Slide Show tab, click From Beginning or From Current Slide.

    During playback, your animations, inking actions, audio and video will play in sync.

    Shows the "from beginning" button on the slide show tab in PowerPoint

    Preview the recorded sound

    In the Recording window, the triangular Play button near the top left corner lets you preview the recording of the slide that currently has the focus in that window.

    Start, Stop, and Play buttons in the Recording window

    In Normal view, click the sound icon or picture in the lower-right corner of the slide, and then click Play. (When you preview individual audio in this way, you won't see recorded animation or inking.)

    Click Play

    You can pause playback while previewing the audio.

    Delete timings or narration

    The Clear command is for deleting timings or narration from your recording that you don't want or that you want to replace.

    In the Recording window, the Clear command in the top margin of the window allows you to:

    • Clear recordings on the current slide

    • Clear recordings on all slides

    In Normal view, there are four different Clear commands that allow you to:

    • Delete the timings on the currently selected slide

    • Delete the timings on all slides at once

    • Delete the narration on the currently selected slide

    • Delete the narration on all slides at once

    1. If you do not want to delete all the timings or narration in your presentation, open a specific slide that has a timing or narration that you do want to delete.

    2. On the Recording tab of the PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 ribbon, on the Record Slide Show button, click the down arrow, point to Clear, and then choose the appropriate Clear command for your situation.

      The Clear commands on the Record Slide Show menu button in PowerPoint.