What makes a great PowerPoint? You might think of the simple formats, appealing visuals, and interesting content, etc. Ever so often, we need to add audio to PowerPoint to make it even more dynamic. PowerPoint slides with audio or videos can add more spice to your presentation. It can be a voice-over, music, or other sound effects that can bring your presentation to life. So how to add audio to PowerPoint? Check out this complete PPT guide for more.

Part 1: How to Add Audio to PowerPoint on Windows?

For Windows users who don't know how to add audio to PowerPoint, don't worry, it's pretty easy. Just follow the steps below. You can either add audio from your computer or record a video using the recording tool on PowerPoint to embed audio.

When you add audio from your PC

  How-to-add-audio-to-PowerPoint-on-windows
  • - Click the menu "Insert" and select "Audio," then select "Audio on My PC."
  • - You'll see a dialog box to insert audio, select the audio file you want to add from your computer.
  • - Click "Insert" and you are good to go.

When you add audio via recordings

  • - Click the menu "Insert" and select "Audio," then select "Record Audio."
  • - Create a name for your audio file, select "Record", and then speak. Please note you'll need a microphone to make sure the audio input/recording.
  • - You can select" Stop" and then select "Play" to preview your recording. If you are happy with it, select "OK" to proceed.
  • - If you want to move your clip, just select it and drag the audio icon to where you want it to be.
  • - If you are adding more than one audio file, it's better to put the audio in the same place so you can locate them easily.
  • - Select " Play " and you are good to go.

Part 2: How to Add Audio to PowerPoint on macOS?

For Mac users who want to know how to add audio to PowerPoint, just stay with us to learn more. It's easy to add music or audio clip to your slides on macOS, simply select the slide you want to add and insert the video just as the steps above with Windows. You can either add audio to a single slide, make the audio play simultaneously when a slide is opened, or play the audio as background music during the presentation.

Add audio to a single slide

 how-to-add-audio-to-PowerPoint-on-macos-01
  • - Launch PowerPoint, select the slide you want to add audio. Click the menu "Insert" and select "Audio."
  • - Here you can either add audio files from iTunes or audio files from your computer.
  • - Select the audio clip to insert. You can select the audio options you want on the "Audio Format" tab.
  • - (Optional) You can modify the audio icon using the "Picture Format" button on the "Audio Format" tab.
  • - To play the audio you added, just select the audio icon and click "Play/Pause" under the audio icon.

Play audio when a slide opens

  • - Launch PowerPoint, insert an audio file to the slide you want to add.
  • - On the "Audio Format" tab, click "Start" and select "Automatically."

Add audio to all the PowerPoint slides

  • - Launch PowerPoint in normal view, select the first slide and add the audio file.
  • - On the "Audio Format" tab, select "Play across Slides."

If you want to add an audio file that repeats playing, just make it loop.

  • - Launch PowerPoint in normal view, select the first slide and add the audio file.
  • - On the "Audio Format" tab, select "Loop Until Stopped."

Please note that when the option is used alone, the audio playing lasts when the slides are being shown. When you select the option along with the "Play Across Slides," the looping sound will continue through the whole presentation.

Part 3: How to Add Audio to PowerPoint on Web?

Some people might want to know how to add audio to PowerPoint on the web, sadly that adding audio to slide is not supported as for now. Whether you are using Windows or macOS, you can add audio to PowerPoint through the methods introduced above. If you want to record audio and add it in, that's also supported on all the PowerPoint versions. Adding audio from the web can be a feature to add to PowerPoint in the future. Want to make it happen? Just go to the suggestion box and vote for it.

Part 4: How to Change Playback Options?

Now you know how to add audio to PowerPoint, so what's next? Do you want to know how to change playback options afterward? If you are having the same question, check out the steps below to see how to do it.

  • - Launch PowerPoint in normal view, select the first slide and add the audio file.
  • - Select the audio icon, and look for the "Audio Tools Playback" tab, here you can select the options you'd like to use.
  • - To trim the audio, just select "Trim" and trim it with the red and green slider.
  • - For fade in and fade out, just change the number in the "Fade Duration" boxes.
  • - To adjust audio volume, select "Volume" to set the preference.
  • - To choose how the audio file starts, click the dropdown arrow and you'll see the options as below:
    • a. In Click Sequence: It means an audio file plays automatically with a click.
    • b. Automatically: The audio file will play once you move to the slide embedded with it.
    • c. When Clicked On: Audio file will play once you click on the icon.
  • - You can choose the options below to decide how to play the audio in your presentation:
    • a. Play Across Slides: One audio file play across all slides.
    • b. Loop until Stopped: Audio file will play until it's manually stopped by clicking the "Play/Pause" button.
  • - If you want to make the audio play across all slides as background music, just select "Play in the background."
  • - To delete the audio file, just select the audio icon and press "Delete."

Extension: Best PowerPoint to Video Converter

Once you have added an audio file to your PowerPoint, what else can you do to make it perfect? The suggestion here is to convert your PowerPoint to video. This is because the PowerPoint file is usually way too big to transfer and it's not compatible with most smart devices we've been using these days. It's also not convenient to send it via email or share the slides on social platforms. In that case, you can convert PowerPoint to video with Leawo PowerPoint to Video Pro. It's the most powerful PowerPoint to video software that can help convert PowerPoint to video in 180 + formats such as FLV, MOV, MKV, MP4, WMV, AVI, etc. The most commonly seen video format is MP4 because it's compatible with most devices and social platforms, which is perfect if you want to share your slides on YouTube.

  • Leawo PowerPoint to Video Pro
  • Leawo PowerPoint to Video Pro

    1. Convert PowerPoint to 180+ pop video formats with 100% high quality
    2. Compatible with PowerPoint 2000/2002/2003/2007/2010/2013 of 32-bit and 64-bit
    3. Detailed output video profiles for web services and end-devices like YouTube, iPad, iPhone and more
    4. Add specific logo or background music to your output video presentation
    5. Batch conversion for PowerPoint files with absolutely no number limit

After you convert PowerPoint to video, it's easier when you want to email presentations to colleagues or save them to file share, even burn PowerPoint to disc. Leawo PowerPoint to video is also helpful when you want to control the PowerPoint from the iPhone when presenting, or when you want to convert Keynote to PowerPoint if you are a Mac user. Now let's see how to convert PowerPoint to video via Leawo PowerPoint to video converter in simple steps. First off, you will need to download the software from the links below.

Step 1: Import PowerPoint Files

Launch Leawo PowerPoint to Video and you can see the main screen as below. Click the "Add" button to browse and add source PowerPoint presentation files. Multiple conversion is allowed, so you can add more than one file if you like. You can also play loaded PowerPoint files with built-in internal players.

Step 2: Set Output Format

Click the "Output" on the main screen to set the output directory. You can select the output format from the drop-down "Profile" box. You can either select the output format from the "Common Video" group or the format that suits your device.

Step 3: Adjust Video and Audio Parameters

On the main screen, click the "Settings" button next to the "Profile" button. This is where you can adjust the video codec, bit rate, video size, aspect ratio, frame rate, audio codec, channel, etc.

Step 4: Edit PowerPoint Presentation Files(Optional)

You can click the "Customize" button on the main screen, to edit PowerPoint files, set transition time, add background music, adjust audio effect, change aspect ratio, apply watermark, etc. You can also add your signature here.

Step 5: Convert PowerPoint to Video

Click the "Start" button at the bottom right to start conversion. You can check out the files in the output directory after it's done.

Now you know how to add audio to PowerPoint with the methods above. If you want to convert your PowerPoint to video, you may try Leawo PowerPoint to video converter. While PowerPoint format is not supported on most smart devices but just computers, Leawo PowerPoint to video converter is the effective solution to make your PowerPoint more user-friendly.