play song during powerpoint presentation

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5 ways to add music to PowerPoint

Depending on the type of slideshow you’re creating in Microsoft PowerPoint , music might be the perfect addition to the show. You may want a fun upbeat song on a slide or a soft subtle melody throughout the presentation.

Upload a song from your computer

Download free music, record music while creating the slideshow, add an offscreen video, play the song or use as background music.

We’ll show you how to add music to PowerPoint a few different ways and then use a single song on a slide or play background music from start to finish.

What You Need

Microsoft PowerPoint

Probably the easiest way to add music to your slideshow is to upload a song from your computer. This can be a tune you’ve saved and listen to often or one from a playlist.

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and select a slide to add the music.

Step 2: Go to the Insert tab and choose the drop-down arrow for Audio on the right side of the ribbon.

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Step 3: Pick Audio on my PC , browse for the music file, and select Insert .

Step 4: You’ll then see an audio icon on your slide for the song.

Step 5: Use the Play button to listen and the Playback tab to adjust the playback options.

Maybe you have the type of song in mind you want, but don’t have a copy saved to your computer. There are a few online resources for obtaining royalty-free songs for presentations at no cost.

Fesliyan Studios Inc. : Choose a genre at the top such as commercial, happy, sad, or relaxing. Press the Play button to listen, then check out alternate versions where available. Choose Download to get the song.

Chosic : You’ll see a slew of songs for presentations from upbeat to soft. When you hear the song you want, select Download > Free Download .

SoundCloud : If you’re already a SoundCloud listener, this is a good option for presentation music. Type “free downloads” or similar into the search box and review the results. When you find the song you want, select More or the three dots to download the tune.

If you can find royalty-free music on YouTube as well, there are a number of ways to download MP3s from YouTube .

Once you download one of these songs, save it to your device and simply upload it to the slideshow as described above.

If you’re lucky enough to be gifted with musical talent, you can use your skills to record a song directly in PowerPoint. Warm up your vocal cords or grab your guitar and make your own presentation music.

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and select a slide to record the music.

Step 3: Pick Record audio . Note: You must have either a built-in or external microphone for your computer.

Step 4: When the Record Sound box appears, select the red, round Record button to start recording.

Step 5: Press the square Stop button when you finish. To listen to the recording, press the green Play button.

Step 6: When you finish, select OK to insert it onto the slide.

Step 7: You’ll then see the audio icon just like with an inserted audio file. Press the Play button to hear the recording.

Sometimes the ideal song for a situation is attached to a video. While you can’t currently just play the audio and you probably don’t want the video as part of your presentation, there’s a workaround to get that tune in your show.

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and select a slide to add the video.

Step 2: Go to the Insert tab and choose the drop-down arrow for Video on the right side of the ribbon.

Step 3: Pick This Device , Stock Videos , or Online Videos and follow the prompts to insert the video.

Step 4: When the video appears on the slide, drag a corner or edge to make it smaller and then drag it off of the slide to one of the sides.

This allows you to play the video to hear the audio but not see the video in your slideshow.

Step 5: Select the video and use the Playback tab to adjust the options for playing it when clicking the slide or automatically.

Once you add the music to PowerPoint, you can set it to play on a single slide or last the duration of the presentation.

Step 1: Go to the slide containing the music and select it.

Note: If you want the music to play in the background throughout the slideshow, you’ll likely want the file on the first or second slide per your preference.

Step 2: Head to the Playback tab and choose to play the song with the slide or as background music.

Step 3: To play the song only on that slide, choose the Start drop-down box in the Audio options section of the ribbon and pick how you want the music to begin. You can select In click sequence , Automatically , or When clicked on . When you advance to the next slide, the song stops playing.

Step 4: To play the song throughout the presentation, select Play in background in the Audio styles section. This automatically checks the boxes for Play across slides and Loop until stopped . You can also choose an option in the Start drop-down box for how to begin playing the song.

Keep in mind this only works with audio files, not the video file method described above.

Step 5: Adjust any other options on the Playback tab per your preference. You can increase or decrease the volume, rewind the song after it plays, or add a fade in or out effect.

Remember to practice your presentation after you add the music to make sure it sounds the way you want. You might also consider adding closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

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Whether you’re presenting a slideshow to your executives, clients, or peers, you want to convey your message clearly and successfully. Unfortunately, many mistakes can be made when creating PowerPoint presentations.

From hard-to-read fonts to colors that hurt the eyes of your audience, here are some best practices to keep in mind for your next PowerPoint slideshow. Choose the fonts wisely Using a fancy, dramatic, or even whimsical font can be tempting. But you must consider the readability of the font. You want your audience to easily see your headings and bullet points. Consider the two basic font styles: serif and sans serif.

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How to Add Music to PowerPoint? [A Complete Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Whether you want to play some pleasing melody while playing your presentation at an event or whether you want to play some soothing music when giving a presentation to a class, the first step is to know how to add music in PowerPoint!

To add music to PowerPoint, first, click on the “Insert” tab. Then, click on the “Audio” option from the ribbon, and then choose “Audio from my PC” from the dropdown. A file explorer window will open up. Navigate to the folder containing the music file, select the file, and click on “Insert”.

But, just knowing how to add a music file is not enough. There are quite a few things that you can do with music in PowerPoint!

In this article, we’ll do a deep-dive on adding music to PowerPoint. We shall also take a look at how you can play the music across slides. Plus, we shall also learn how to adjust a few settings so we can play the music with a click! That, and much more!

So, let’s get started!

1. How to Add Music to PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint has an “Audio” feature that allows you to add a recorded presentation speech or music to a slide. Although you can choose to add some music to your presentation, with this feature you can also add narration to your slides in PowerPoint!

Here’s a detailed step-by-step process that you need to follow to add music to your PowerPoint presentation –

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” tab

Select the slide to which you want to add the music to from the slide thumbnail pane and then click on the “Insert” option from the menu bar located at the top of your screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Audio” button

In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Audio” button which is the speakerphone icon. In the dropdown menu, select the “Audio on My PC” option (as shown in the image in step 1).

This will open a “File Explorer” popup window.

Step-3: Select the preferred audio from “File Explorer”

In the “File Explorer” window, select the music file that you want to add to the PowerPoint slide. Then click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the window.

1a. Add Music to PowerPoint 2007

All older versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, including PowerPoint 2007 allow you to add music to a slide. All you have to do is follow the 4 simple steps mentioned below –

The first step is to click on the slide where you want to add music. Then click on the “Insert” tab from the menu bar located at the top of your screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Sound” option

Under the “Insert” tab, click on the “Sound” option with a downward-facing arrow. Be sure not to click on the speakerphone icon right over the “Sound” option. This will open a dropdown menu.

Step-3: Click on “Sound from File”

In the dropdown menu, click on the “Sound from File” option to open a “File Explorer” window. Now all you have to do is select your preferred music file and click on the “OK” button.

Step-4: Select preferred way to play the music

Now you will see a dialogue box in the middle of the screen. Click on the “Automatically” option if you want to play the music as soon as the slide is opened. Click on the “When Clicked” option if you want to play the music manually during the presentation.

1b. Add Music to PowerPoint 2016

The process of adding music in PowerPoint 2016 is similar to that of PowerPoint 2020.

To add music, all you have to do is click on the “Audio” button in the “Insert” menu and select the “Audio on My PC” option. Then select the preferred music from the “File Explorer” window.

1c. Add Music to PowerPoint on Mac

In a Mac device, you can easily add music to a Microsoft PowerPoint slide. Follow the 3 quick steps.

In the menu bar located at the top of the screen, click on the “Insert” tab to open the “Insert” menu.

Step-2: Select the “Audio Browser” option

In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Audio” button which is the musical note icon. Now click on the “Audio Browser” option from the dropdown menu. This will open a dialogue box.

Step-3: “Drag and Drop” the music file

Scroll through the “Audio Browser” dialogue box to find your preferred music file. Now all you have to do is “Drag and Drop” the music file from the dialogue box to the selected slide.

If you are using Office 365 on Mac, the process is the same as the one described for Windows.

2. Choosing Music for your Presentation

Now that you know how to add music to your presentation, you will most definitely need to know where to get the music files from!

There are a couple of things that you can do apart from adding music that you may already own on your computer.

The first thing that you can do is use music videos from YouTube!

2a. How to Add Music to PowerPoint from YouTube?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to add media files including music files from external sources as well. You can add media files from online sources like Youtube, Vimeo, Stream, etc.

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can directly add music from YouTube. In this method, I’m going to show you how to add a video from YouTube in PowerPoint.

All you have to do is follow the easy steps mentioned below –

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” menu

In the slide thumbnail pane, click on the slide where you want to add the music. Then click on the “Insert” tab from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Online Videos” option

In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Video” button to open a dropdown menu. Select the “Online Videos” option from the dropdown menu (as shown in the image in step 1).

This will open a dialogue box.

Step-3: Paste the link to the Youtube video

Click on the box under the “Enter the address for the online video” option. Now all you have to do is paste the link of the Youtube music video which you want to add to the slide.

Then click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the dialogue box.

Step-4: Move the Video Outside the Slide Canvas

If you don’t want the video to show, you can simply drag the video outside the slide canvas and it won’t appear during the slideshow. However, it will still play if you have set it to play on a click! (which we shall talk about later in the article)

2b. Can You Add Music to PowerPoint from Spotify?

Microsoft PowerPoint does not support the “Ogg Vorbis” file format which the Spotify application uses. So you cannot directly add music from Spotify to PowerPoint.

Furthermore, the music files in Spotify are encrypted, so it is not legal to add a music file to PowerPoint from Spotify. However, you can add the music from YouTube or from iTunes in a PowerPoint on Mac.

I’d highly recommend getting a music file from one of the other sources that I’ve shared in this article rather than getting it through illegal means from Spotify!

3. How to Get FREE Music for PowerPoint?

So, if Spotify doesn’t work, you may be wondering how to get free music for your PowerPoint presentations!

Well, there are actually quite a few websites on the internet that will provide you with some music options. But, you really need to be careful with the licenses and legalities involved.

I’ve had the most success with the following three options!

1. YouTube Audio Library

YouTube Audio Library is a great free resource to get some good music.

You can easily search for a particular type of music. You can also search by a specific genre or even the artist.

Then, click on the file to play it and see if you like it. Once you’ve decided on the file that you like, you can simply download the file on your computer.

One drawback with YouTube Audio Library is that you need to have a YouTube channel to access it. However, creating a channel is free and it only takes a minute. You don’t have to run the channel, just create it and use the audio library for the music.

Do make sure that you check out the license terms and conditions of use of the music provided by YouTube.

Another great resource for some decent music is Pixabay .

The music available on Pixabay is completely free to download and use even for commercial projects. You can easily search through a variety of different moods and genres of music through the panel on the left.

You can also use the search bar to quickly look for a good music option.

In my experience, although Pixabay is free, it takes a lot of time to find a really good music file that you can actually use in your presentation!

3. Envato Elements

The best option on this list is Envato Elements .

With Envato Elements , you get a ton of options and the quality of the music provided is surprisingly really high! So, it really doesn’t take too long to find a good music option that you can actually use in your presentation!

You can easily search for the type of music file that you are looking for.

Although Envato Elements requires you to pay a monthly subscription fee. But the reason I consider this a FREE resource is that you get to download unlimited files! You heard that right, you get UNLIMITED downloads with no restrictions!

And, while you are at it, you can also download an unlimited number of presentation templates for your future needs as well!

You can sign up once and cancel the subscription immediately. So, you end up paying for just 1 month. And, when you cancel your subscription, your account still remains active for the end of the cycle.

For that one month, go crazy downloading all the files that you need! [You can thank me later! :-)]

4. How to Play Music Across Multiple Slides in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can easily play the music inserted in one slide across all slides of the particular presentation.

To play music across slides, first, select the audio file. Then, click on the “Playback” tab. From the ribbon, click on the “Play in Background” option.

Once that’s done, the music will play in the background across all the slides in PowerPoint when in presentation mode.

5. How to Edit Music or Audio Files in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint allows you to carry out some of the basic editing functions to the music file.

After inserting music or an audio file in Microsoft PowerPoint, you can easily edit the music. Here’s what you need to do –

Step-1: Click on the speakerphone icon

In the slide with the music added, click on the speakerphone or “Audio” icon.

Step-2: Click on the “Playback” tab

Now all you have to do is click on the “Playback” tab from the menu bar located at the top of the screen. In the “Playback” menu, you will find various options to edit the music or audio file.

Here, you can trim the music file, apply fade-in or fade-out effect, play it across slides, loop until you want to stop it, and much more!

6. How to Get Music to Play Automatically in PowerPoint?

It is very easy to get the music to play automatically in PowerPoint. All you have to do is click on the “Playback” menu.

Now click on the “Start” button and select the “Automatically” option from the dropdown menu.

7. How to Set Music to Play on a Click in PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to choose how to play the music added to a slide.

To set the music to play on a click, open the “Playback” menu from the menu bar located at the top of the screen. Now all you have to do is click on the “Start” box and select the “When Clicked On” option from the dropdown menu.

8. How to Delete the Music File in PowerPoint?

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation that has a music file that you want to get rid of or if you want to insert a different music file in your presentation, you can easily delete the audio file in PowerPoint!

To delete the music file in PowerPoint, first, select the music file by clicking on the “Speaker” icon of the audio file on the slide. Then, simply press the “Delete” key on your keyboard to remove the music file from your presentation.

Once the file has been deleted, you can choose to insert a different music file by following the process described in the article to add an audio file!

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

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4 Easy Ways to Add Music or Audio to Microsoft PowerPoint

Last Updated: August 7, 2023 Fact Checked

Inserting a Music File (Desktop)

Inserting a web video (desktop), using android, powerpoint 2007 and 2003.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly . Rain Kengly is a wikiHow Technology Writer. As a storytelling enthusiast with a penchant for technology, they hope to create long-lasting connections with readers from all around the globe. Rain graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 549,695 times. Learn more...

If you want to spice up your PowerPoint presentation, background music can make it much more compelling. PowerPoint allows you to insert any WAV or MP3 file into your slides. If you're using a Mac, you can also add music directly from iTunes. You can also use music from video websites such as YouTube. Android users can select songs from their device files to play in the PowerPoint mobile app. This wikiHow will show you how to add music and audio to your PowerPoint presentations on Windows, Mac, and Android.

Things You Should Know

• If you want music to play in the background throughout your presentation, insert an audio file .
• Click "Insert" → "Audio" → "Audio on My PC/Audio from File". Select a file and click "Insert".
• To embed a music video, click "Insert" → "Video" → "Online Videos/Online Movie". Paste the video URL and click "Insert".

• You can use this method to play music on a single slide, or to keep it playing in the background as you scroll through your entire presentation.
• You'll need to have an audio file saved to your computer to insert it into your PowerPoint presentation. Audio files can be in the ADTS, AIFF, AU, FLAC, MIDI, MP3 , MP4, WAV, or WMA format.
• If you don't have an audio file, check out our guide to downloading free music .

• On Mac, this will look like Audio from File . You can also select Audio Browser to insert audio directly from iTunes.
• If you want to use a song from iTunes, you'll need to convert it to MP3 first.
• WAV files can be quite large and can make the PowerPoint presentation difficult to share. Consider converting the WAV file to MP3.

• Play in Background: Choose this option if you want the music to start automatically and play in the background across all of your slides—even when you change slides.
• No Style: Choose this if you prefer to click the button to start the music. The music will only play when you click the audio button, and will stop when you switch slides.

• Add bookmarks. When you hover over the audio object, you'll see a track time slider. Select a spot on the track and click the Add Bookmark button to create a clickable bookmark at that point in the track. This will allow you to quickly jump to specific spots.
• Click the Trim Audio button to cut out unnecessary parts of the song. This is useful if you only need to present a section of the song. Use the sliders in the Trim Audio window to select the new starting and ending point for the song.
• Use the Fade Duration options to set the fade in and fade out times. The longer the duration, the more gradual the fade will be.
• Click Volume to adjust the master volume for the song. Make sure to test the song before the presentation and adjust the volume accordingly so that you don't startle the audience.

• Click Change Picture .
• Select This Device , From Stock Images , From Online Sources , From Icons , or From Clipboard .
• Select the image source from the chosen method, and then click Insert .

• Use this method to insert music from a supported website such as YouTube, SlideShare, Vimeo, Stream, or Flip.

• On Mac, this will be Online Movie .

• You'll see a preview of the video.

• Select the web video to open the Video Format tab.
• Click Poster Frame on the left of the toolbar.
• Click Image from File… .
• Select From a File , Stock Images , Online Pictures , or From Icons .
• Resize the picture by dragging the circles at the corners. Click and hold the center to move its position on the slide.

• PowerPoint is available for Android in the Google Play Store .

• The menu will open.

• The audio file will be added to your PowerPoint.

• In Office 2003, click the Insert menu, select "Movies and Sounds", and then select "Sound from File".
• Since PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 cannot embed MP3 files, you'll have the most success if you create a new folder on your computer and put the presentation file along with the audio file in the same spot.
• You can embed WAV files, but this can create a very large presentation file. It is recommended that you use a linked MP3 file instead.

• If you set the song to play automatically, check the "Hide During Show" box to hide the button for the audio file.

• Click the Office button, select "Publish", then "Package for CD".
• Enter the name of the folder you want to create in the "Name the CD" box.
• Click "Options" and ensure that "Include linked files" is checked.
• Click the "Copy to Folder" button. A new folder will be created with your presentation and the audio file, along with a PowerPoint player so that anyone can view the presentation, even if they don't have Office.

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• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-or-delete-audio-in-your-powerpoint-presentation-c3b2a9fd-2547-41d9-9182-3dfaa58f1316#OfficeVersion=Windows
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-video-from-youtube-or-another-site-8340ec69-4cee-4fe1-ab96-4849154bc6db#OfficeVersion=Windows

About This Article

1. Open a slide. 2. Click Insert . 3. Click Audio . 4. Select Audio from my PC . 5. Select a song. 6. Click Insert . 7. Choose when to start the song. 8. Adjust the volume. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to add music to a PowerPoint slideshow to make your presentation more engaging

• You can easily add music to a PowerPoint slideshow if you want to make your next presentation more engaging.
• You can add any MP3, MP4, WAV, or AAC file on your computer to your PowerPoint presentation, and adjust the settings so that it plays across slides if you want to.
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories .

It's true that Microsoft   PowerPoint is a business program made for creating official-looking presentations  for school or office settings — but that doesn't mean you can't use it to make your presentations fun, too. 

One way to spice up a presentation is to add music — in a business setting, it'll be unexpected, and the fun surprise may just make your colleagues sit up straighter, pay attention, and maybe even enjoy the meeting. 

This feature can also give a little extra umph to a school presentation — for example, a presentation on America in the '60s could be enhanced by the addition of some Motown music in the background.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

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), how to add music to a powerpoint presentation.

1. At the top of the PowerPoint screen, on the toolbar, click the "Insert" tab.

2. Under "Insert, on the right side of the screen, click "Audio."

3. If you're using a PC, click the option for "Audio on My PC." If you're using a Mac, click the option for "Audio from File" or "Audio Browser."

Note: You can also record your own sound if you select "Record Audio."

4.  Locate the file you'd like to use, then click "Insert" in the dialog box. You can use MP3, MP4, WAV, or AAC files.

5. The file will appear on your PowerPoint as a little playback bar. You can use this to control the song. Move it to a part of your slide where it won't be in the way.

6. If you want the sound to play throughout the presentation, rather than just on the slide that the audio file is located on, click on the file to bring up the "Playback" tab on the toolbar at the top of your screen, and click on it.

7. Directly underneath the "Playback" tab, click the option for "Play in Background" to play the sound throughout. 

Adjust any other options you want in this tab, like volume, fade in and out, and looping. When you're finished, return to the home tab to continue working on your presentation, or click save to finish. 

Related coverage from  Tech Reference :

How to change and format the background of your powerpoint slides to custom designs, how to add a border to slides in powerpoint, and give your slideshow a sleek design, 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, how to download and access microsoft powerpoint on your mac computer.

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How to Add Music to PowerPoint (Step-by-Step)

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• October 18, 2019

In this article you’ll learn how to add music to PowerPoint, and the different playback and looping options that are available to you.

There are two main things to note about adding music (or other audio files) to PowerPoint:

1. Adding music to your presentation is slightly different than adding narration directly from within PowerPoint.

If you are trying to add pre-recorded narration files to your presentation, I recommend instead using the  Record Audio  or  Record Slideshow  features to narrate a PowerPoint.

That’s because the built-in narration tools make lining up your voice narration with your slides a lot easier. To learn all about how to narrate a PowerPoint using these tools,  read our guide here .

2. Adding music to PowerPoint will increase the size of your PowerPoint presentation, as you can see in the picture below.

Because the MP3 music files are embedded directly into your PowerPoint presentation, the size of your presentation will increase by the size of the MP3 music file you add.

For example, if you add a 17MB song to your presentation, the size of your presentation will increase by 17MB. If you add two music files to your slides, it will increase even further.

Embedding lots of audio files can make sharing your presentation difficult. To learn different ways you can compress PowerPoint to reduce your file size, read our guide here.

How to add music to PowerPoint (MP3 or other)

​ To add music to a PowerPoint presentation, simply:

• Navigate to your  Title slide  (or wherever you want your music to start)
• Click the  Insert  tab
• Open the  Audio  drop down (in the Media group)
• Select  Audio on My PC…
• Navigate  to the folder on your computer
• Select  the Audio file
• Click  Insert

As a result, the audio file is embedded in your presentation as an object on your slide, and two new Ribbon tabs become available as you can see in the picture below.

Because the audio file is embedded in your presentation, anyone who now opens the presentation can access and play the music inside PowerPoint.

By default, your song will play within the  Click Sequence  of your presentation (see details below).

After inserting music to your presentation, you can then convert your entire presentation into a  video and share it with your colleagues. To learn how to save your presentation as a video,  read our guide here .

How to hide an audio file in PowerPoint

If you don’t want your audio file to be visible on screen during your presentation, you can either click and drag it off your slide space, or simply:

• Select  the Audio File
• Open the  Playback Options  tab
• Select  Hide During Presentation

Selecting  Hide During Presentation  hides the audio file object on the slide when running your Slideshow, so that it doesn’t display.

If you do this, make sure you are using either the  In Click Sequence  or  Automatically  play options for your audio file, otherwise your music will never play, as discussed below.

Note:  Make   sure you add your audio and music files to the exact slides on which you want them to play, because they can only be played once you reach the slide where they have been placed.

Adjusting when your music plays in PowerPoint

By default, your music files will play as part of the click sequence of your presentation which you can see and set within the  Animations Pane ​ (see  In Click Sequence  below).

However, like for most things in PowerPoint, you can change what triggers your music to play.

To change when your music file starts playing in PowerPoint, simply:

• Select the  Music file  on a slide
• Open the  Playback Options  tab
• Open the  Start  drop down
• Choose  In Click Sequence ,  Automatically  or  When Clicked

Below is an explanation of what each of these different playback options means.

1. In Click Sequence

In Click Sequence means that your song will play based on it’s click sequence in your Animations Pane. If you have no animations or triggers set up on your slide, your song will play right before you advance to the next slide.

To change the order of your Click Sequence with other animations, simply.

• Open the Animations tab
• Click the Animation Pane
• Reorder your music file with your other animations

2. Automatically

Automatically means that your music plays as soon as you advance to that slide, and continues playing until either the song ends, or you advance to the next slide.

If you think you might be on this slide awhile and want the song to continue playing, simply select Loop Until Stopped .

3. When Clicked On

When Clicked On means that the music file will only play if someone physically clicks on the music file during your presentation.

This can be useful when you only want to play a song under certain circumstances, or when you want to control when the music starts or stops using your mouse.

Just make sure that if you select When Click On that you don’t also select Hide During Show . That’s because Hide During Show hides the audio file when you are giving your presentation, which means that you cannot click on it to start your song.

How to loop music across your entire presentation

If you are turning your PowerPoint presentation into a video, or want your music to play across all your slides as you present them, follow these steps:

• Insert  and  select your music file on your first slide
• Open the  Playback  tab
• Check  Loop Until Stopped
• Check  Play Across Slides
• Set the  Start  to play  Automatically

Doing so, your music will play as soon as you start your presentation ( F5  on your keyboard) and will continue to loop and play throughout your presentation.

Your music will now only stop when you either exit slideshow mode (hitting  Esc  on your keyboard) or get to the end of your presentation.

To learn the different keyboard shortcuts for starting and stopping a PowerPoint slideshow,  read our guide here .

How to trim music in an PowerPoint presentation

If you only want a section of your audio file to play, you can use the audio trimmer tool in PowerPoint.

To trim an audio file in PowerPoint after you’ve inserted it, simply:

• Select  your Audio file
• Select the  Trim Audio  command
• Adjust the  Start time
• Adjust the  End Time

As a result, your audio file will be trimmed to the new start and end times you set.

Note:  If you later compress the media in your presentation, the parts of the audio file you trimmed away will be permanently removed.

This will decrease the size of the audio in your PowerPoint presentation, but it will also permanently alter your music file.

To learn a variety of different ways you can reduce your PowerPoint file size by compressing things in PowerPoint,  read our guide here .

How to remove all music files from your presentation

Audio and media files can easily be removed from your presentation by simply selecting them and hitting Delete.

However, if you have a lot of audio, video or music files spread out throughout your presentation, you can remove them all at the same time by following these simple steps.

1. Find your presentation in File Explorer

Save and close your PowerPoint presentation, and then open the file folder where your presentation sits.

If your presentation is on the Desktop, simply click and drag it into a folder so you can see it in  File Explorer  as pictured above.

2. Turn on File name extensions

To turn on the file name extensions in  File Explorer , simply:

• Click on the  View  tab
• Select  File name extension s

This enables you to see (and edit) the file name extensions of your files. For example:

3. Turn your PowerPoint into a ZIP file

To turn your PowerPoint presentation into a ZIP file, simply:

• Right-click  your file
• Select  Rename
• Replace the ‘ .pptx ‘ part with ‘ .zip ‘ and hit  Enter
• Select  Yes

This converts your PowerPoint presentation into a ZIP file with all your PowerPoint objects in it. As a result, you’ll be able to open the folder and edit its contents.

4. Delete any MP3 or MP4 files from your media folder

For example, if you want to delete the media files (MP3 and MP4) out of your presentation, simply:

• Open the  ZIP  folder
• Double-click  PowerPoint
• Double-click  Media
• Select the MP3 and MP4 files you want to delete and hit  Delete

This deletes all the selected files from your presentation, regardless of where they exist within your presentation.

Note: The media folder also includes any audio or video narrations you have added to your presentation, so if you delete all those file types, you’ll remove the narration as well.

Therefore, if you are not sure which MP3 or MP4 files you want to delete from the folder, double-click them inside the ZIP folder to preview them before you delete them.

5. Turn your ZIP folder back into a PowerPoint presentation

Once you’ve deleted your media files, turn your ZIP file folder back into your PowerPoint presentation, simply:

• Right-click  your ZIP folder
• Change the ‘ .zip ‘ to ‘ .pptx ‘

As a result, you can now open your PowerPoint presentation without all the media files you deleted.

Note:  If you don’t like seeing the  File extension names  in your file folders, you can simply turn them off in File Explorer, like this:

• Navigate to the  View  tab
• Uncheck  File name extensions

In conclusion, there is a lot you can do with audio when you add music to your presentation.

If you followed the instructions in this article, you now know exactly how to add music to PowerPoint, and the different playback and looping options available to you.

Just remember to pay attention to how and when you trigger your music to play in PowerPoint… especially if you choose to hide your audio file in Slideshow mode, as otherwise it might not play.

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

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Add or delete audio in your PowerPoint presentation

You can add audio, such as music, narration, or sound bites, to your PowerPoint presentation. To record and hear any audio, your computer must be equipped with a sound card, microphone, and speakers.

Add audio from your PC

Select  Insert  >  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 > Audio .

Select Record Audio .

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

Note:  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.

If you’re using more than one audio file per slide, we recommend putting the audio icon in the same spot on a slide to find it easily.

Select Play .

Hide the Audio icon

Select the audio clip icon on the slide. 

On the ribbon, on the Playback tab, select the Hide During Show check box.

Use this option only if you set the audio clip to play automatically. Note that, in Normal view, the audio icon is always visible unless you drag it off the slide.

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 next to Start, then 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 an audio clip, select the audio icon on the slide and press Delete.

To add music or other audio clip to your slide show, select the slide you want and click Insert > Audio . You can add audio to a single slide, play audio automatically when a slide appears, or add a song that plays as background music during your entire presentation.

You can add your own narration or commentary to an entire presentation by recording it on the Slide Show tab. See Record your slide show for more information.

Add audio to a single slide

In Normal view, select the slide you want and click Insert > Audio .

Click Audio Browser to insert audio from iTunes, or Audio from File to insert an audio clip from your computer.

Select the audio clip. On the Audio Format tab, select the audio options you want.

(Optional) If you want to change or modify the standard audio file icon, use the picture format buttons on the Audio Format tab to add a frame, border, or other formatting effect to the audio icon.

Preview the audio

On the slide, select the audio icon, and then click Play/Pause beneath the audio icon.

Play audio automatically when a slide appears

By default, during a slide show, audio plays when it is clicked. You can change it so that the audio plays automatically as soon as its slide appears.

In Normal view, select the slide you want and add an audio clip if you haven't already done so.

On the Audio Format tab, on the right, click Start > Automatically .

Add audio that plays during your entire presentation

In Normal view, select the first slide in your presentation and add an audio clip if you haven't already done so.

On the Audio Format tab, on the right, click Play across Slides .

Add audio that plays repeatedly

On the Audio Format tab, on the right, click Loop Until Stopped .

(Used alone, this option means the looping sound lasts while the slide it resides on is being shown. When Loop Until Stopped is used in tandem with Play Across Slides , the looping sound continues throughout the presentation.)

On the PowerPoint ribbon, on the Playback tab, select the Hide During Show check box.

Record your slide show

Supported audio formats in PowerPoint for the web: MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, and OGA

Maximum size of the audio file: 16 MB

Add audio from your computer

On the Insert tab, near the right end, select Audio .

In the file explorer, browse to the audio file you want to use, then select Open .

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

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

Automatically : During a slide show, the audio plays automatically once you advance to the slide that the audio file is on.

When Clicked On : During a slide show, the audio plays only when the icon is clicked.

To choose how the audio plays in your presentation, select one or more options under Audio Options :

Hide During Show : If you've set the audio clip to play automatically, you can hide the audio icon during the show, because you won't need to click it at any time. 

Rewind after Playing : Use this option if you need to play an audio clip more than once while you are still presenting the same slide that contains that audio clip.

Play music or other sounds automatically when a slide appears 

Play music across multiple slides in your slide show

Record a slide show with narration and slide timings 

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2 Ways to Add Any Music to PowerPoint in 2021

PowerPoint presentations are far more engaging with music added. I'll go over 2 different ways to add any track you want to your presentations in 2021.

An appropriate song can be effective in setting the tone of the presentation, retaining your audience's attention , and making your project more memorable .

Even better – a musical track playing along with your presentation can help you refine your timing when you prepare, so you're on pace when you present. It's easy to add any music you have saved to your device, or even a track you found online, to your PowerPoint presentation. Here's what you'll need to know:

Adding a track from your computer

Adding a track from youtube or soundcloud, editing the audio timing in powerpoint.

Open your presentation and select the slide where you'd like the track to begin playing. Select the " Insert " tab in the top toolbar and choose " Audio ," then " Audio from file ." When you've selected the file you want to use from your file browser, PowerPoint will add a small audio layer that looks like a speaker icon.

Even easier, you can simply find the right audio file in your file browser, then drag & drop it onto the correct PowerPoint slide. Once you've added it to your presentation, you'll need to customize its timing and trigger so it works the way you want.

You can add any music you want to your presentation, even if you don't have them saved already. I recommend finding music on YouTube or SoundCloud : YouTube contains nearly every song you know, and SoundCloud is perfect for discovering new music in pre-curated playlists, and both are completely free & accessible. Once you've found the track you want to use, right-click on the URL bar and copy the song's link.

Next, head over to Kapwing.com, and paste the link you copied into the white box. Wait a few seconds while Kapwing uploads the file.

Then, click the green "Export Video" button in the top right corner and selection "MP3" from the dropdown. If you want to use just a specific part of the track, you can also trim the file while you're in the Studio.

Once your music is finished processing, click "Download" to save it to your computer. Now, open your presentation and select the slide where you'd like the track to begin playing.

Select the " Insert " tab in the top toolbar and choose " Audio ," then " Audio from file ." Alternatively, you can find the recently downloaded file in your file browser and drag & drop it directly into your PowerPoint window. Now you're ready to customize your presentation's timing!

Just adding music to your PowerPoint presentation isn't enough – you'll need to make sure it starts playing when you want it to, with the right triggers, and for the correct duration. Start by selecting the audio layer – it looks like a white speaker icon. With the track selected, choose " Animations " from the top toolbar.

Click the "Play" icon in the top toolbar to open the animations sidebar. Using the options in the sidebar, you can set the beginning of your audio track, the end trigger, the duration, and the media options.

I recommend using the " After Previous " option for the beginning trigger, and setting the media duration using slide numbers – if you want the music to play automatically until the end, just set the duration to the remaining number of slides under the " Media Options " section.

For more content on audio, video, and presentation editing, check out our YouTube channel Kapwing App . And for for information on audio editing and high-level presentation creation, read through some related articles on audio editing with Kapwing:

• How to Add Music to an Instagram Story • How to Add Any Music to TikTok • How to Add Music to Snapchat • Add Music to Photos Using Kapwing

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Add Music to PowerPoint

How to Add Music to PowerPoint

When editing PowerPoint templates or creating new presentations from scratch, you might want to insert a narration or add music to PowerPoint. There are two methods by which you can insert music into your PowerPoint slides and control how it is played.

Adding Music to PowerPoint using an Audio File

You can add music to PowerPoint by using an existing audio file via Insert > Audio > Audio on my PC .

Select the music file from your device to insert it into your PowerPoint presentation.

Once the audio file is added, you can drag and drop the audio icon to place it in your slide or keep it hidden via the Playback tab by checking the Hide During Show option. The Playback tab also lets you control whether to start the music by clicking or automatically. 

You can also play the music in a loop and across all slides instead of just one. Other options allow you to preview audio, trim the music file, add a fade duration at the beginning and/or end of the audio track, and adjust the volume.

Adding Music to PowerPoint by Recording Audio

You can also record audio to insert a song or music into PowerPoint. You can use this feature if you intend to add a background score by recording it using a mic. Such as recording Live playback music. To start recording your mic and computer audio, go to Insert > Media > Audio > Record Audio .

Click the Start button to begin recording music from your connected mic.

Once the recording is complete, click Stop to insert the audio into your PowerPoint presentation. Once the audio file is added, you can manage playback settings via the Playback tab to play the video across or a single slide, trim audio, add fade effect, play in a loop, hide in the slideshow, and adjust other options according to need.

While many PowerPoint users might ask the question as to how to add music to a PowerPoint presentation, the process is the same as adding or recording audio in general. The same process can also be used to add narration, be it from an existing file or by recording it.

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May 19, 2015 | Articles , DataPoint Real-time Screens , How-To

How to insert a single song or mp3 file on a slide?

Music brings life and in some PowerPoint presentations and it is allowed to play back music for entertainment or a single sound effect.  Start with a new presentation or open an existing presentation. Insert a new slide or navigate to the slide where the user wants to add the mp3 file.

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How-To Geek

How to add part of a song to a powerpoint presentation.

Adding part of a song might be more effective than playing the whole track. Here's how to trim off the unnecessary audio in PowerPoint.

PowerPoint allows users to insert audio files in their presentations. If you’re wanting to use only part of a song instead of the entire track, there’s a way. Here’s how to add a section of a song to your presentation.

Essentially what you’re doing is trimming out the audio you don’t want to play after you insert the audio track. That said, you need to insert the audio before you’re able to make any modifications.

Related: How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

To insert the audio, open your PowerPoint presentation and then select “Audio” in the “Media” section of the “Insert” tab. Once selected, a drop-down menu will appear. Here, select the “Audio on My PC" option.

Once selected, Windows Explorer (Finder for Mac) will open. Navigate to the location of the audio file, select it, and then select the “Insert" button.

The audio file will now be inserted, appearing as a megaphone icon.

Selecting the icon will make two new tabs appear: the “Audio Format” tab and the “Playback” tab. Select the “Playback” tab.

Now, in the “Editing” group, select the “Trim Audio" button.

The “Trim Audio” dialogue box will appear. Here, you can select the start and end time of the audio track. To set the start time, click and drag the green bar to the desired timestamp. Do the same with the red bar to set the end time.

Alternatively, you can adjust the time in the respective boxes below the time bar. Once you’ve set the start and end times, select the “OK” button.

The issue we face now is how abruptly the audio will start and stop. In the “Editing” group of the ribbon, you can adjust the fade in and out times by entering the respective amount of time you’d like the effect to take place.

Now, when you play your audio during the presentation, it will play only the selected part of the track with a smooth entrance and exit.

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Edit Music, Sound, or Other Audio Settings in PowerPoint

You can use PowerPoint to edit music, sound, or other audio

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In This Article

Jump to a Section

• Play Music Across Slides

Set Music Playback Options Using the Animation Pane

• Play Music Over a Specific Number of Slides
• Hide the Sound Icon During a Slide Show
• Change the Volume Setting on a Slide

Use sound and narration audio files to enhance your presentation. Play audio files across several slides, play music during specified slides, or play background music along with narration. After you've added the sound files, change the volume level and hide the audio icons on the slide.

Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007; PowerPoint for Mac, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365.

Play Music Across Several PowerPoint Slides

There may be times when you want a single audio file to play during an entire slide show or from a certain slide to the end of the show. For example, you can add a voiceover on PowerPoint that will narrate your slides for you.

To play music across several PowerPoint slides until the audio ends:

Navigate to the slide where the music, sound, or another audio file will start playing.

On the ribbon , go to the Insert tab.

In the Media group, select Audio , then choose Audio on My PC .

If you don't have a pre-recorded audio file, select Record Audio to create a narration.

Navigate to the folder where the sound or music file is stored, choose the file, then select Insert .

Select the audio icon.

Go to the Audio Tools Playback tab.

In the Audio Options group, select the Play Across Slides check box.

The sound file will play across 999 slides or to the end of the music, whichever comes first.

If you want to play several selections of music (or parts of several selections) and want the music to stop after a precise number of slides have been shown, set up the audio files as animations.

To find the animation options:

Navigate to the slide which contains the sound file icon.

On the ribbon, go to the Animations tab and select Animation Pane .

In the Animation Pane , select the drop-down arrow next to the audio file.

Select Effect Options .

The Play Audio dialog box opens and displays the Effect tab.

Use the Effect tab to set when an audio file should start playing and stop playing.

Use the Timing tab to set how the sound should start and to set a delay time.

How to Play Music Over Specific Number of PowerPoint Slides

To change the number of slides that the audio file will play across:

In the Play Audio dialog box, go to the Effect tab.

In the Stop playing section, delete the entry 999 .

Enter the specific number of slides for the music to play.

Select OK to apply the setting and close the dialog box.

Go to the Slide Show tab and select From Current Slide to start the slide show at the current slide.

If you prefer to use keyboard shortcuts, select Shift+F5 .

Preview the music playback to make sure it is correct for your presentation.

Hide the Sound Icon During a PowerPoint Slide Show

A sure sign that a slide show was created by an amateur presenter , is that the sound file icon is visible on-screen during the presentation. Get on the right road to becoming a better presenter by making this quick and easy correction.

To hide the sound icon:

Select the sound file icon. The Audio Tools tab appears above the ribbon.

In the Audio Options group, select the Hide During Show check box.

The audio file icon will be visible to you, the creator of the presentation, in the editing phase. However, the audience will never see it when the show is live.

Change the Volume Setting of an Audio File on a PowerPoint Slide

There are four settings for the volume of the audio file that is inserted into a PowerPoint slide: Low, Medium, High, and Mute. By default, audio files that are added to a slide are set to play at the High level. This may not be your preference.

To change the volume of the audio file:

Select the sound icon on the slide.

In the Audio Options group, select Volume .

Choose Low , Medium , High , or Mute depending on your needs and preferences.

Select Play to test the audio volume.

If you choose a low audio volume, the audio file may play much louder than anticipated. Adjust the sound playback further by changing the sound settings on your computer, in addition to changing the audio volume in PowerPoint.

To make sure the audio plays at the right volume, test the audio on the presentation computer if this computer is different than the one you used to create the presentation. Also, preview your presentation in the location where the slide show will take place to make sure the audio sounds good with the room's acoustics.

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• Insert music and time it Video
• Trim a music clip Video
• Play music for a set duration Video

Play music for a set duration

You have a slide show that plays using slide timings, and want a music clip to play, but for only one section of the slides. Watch this video to find out more.

I have a slide show that plays using slide timings, and I want a music clip to play too, but only for one section of the slides.

The music should start with Slide 2 and end after Slide 4.

To specify this duration for the music, I need to work with settings in the Animation Pane .

Here's how: I have inserted the audio file on Slide 2, which is where I want the music to start.

I have trimmed the music clip, so it plays for the right length of time for Slides 2 through 4.

We discuss trimming audio in Movie 2: Trim a music clip and fade it out.

Now, I'll select the audio icon, click the AUDIO TOOLS PLAYBACK tab, and change the Start setting for the music to Automatically .

I'll also check Hide During Show to hide the audio icon.

Next, we click the ANIMATIONS tab, Animation Pane .

In the Animation Pane , the inserted sound file appears as a media play effect, indicated by the blue arrow icon.

The file is identified in the pane by its file name, Poeticize_10.

The automatic start I just chose for the sound is reflected in this clock icon, here.

When I click the down arrow in the selected effect, I see that the clock refers to the setting Start: After Previous .

So, the music will start automatically after any effect that precedes it.

There is no other effect, so the music will play right when the slide is displayed.

On the same menu, we next look for Effect Options and click it.

Here, we specify a duration for the music.

It is set to start playing From beginning , the beginning of Slide 2, which is what we want.

Under Stop Playing , we check After ,and click the up arrow to 3 slides.

So, the music starts on Slide 2, the current slide, and plays for three slides - Slides 2, 3, and 4.

Let's click OK .

We get a preview of the music.

To play the slide show, starting from Slide 1, I'll press F5.

Slide 1 opens, with no sound.

On Slide 2, the music starts, and plays through Slide 4.

Then, we start a new section.

You now know the key methods and settings to use, to insert a music file, and coordinate it with timed slides.

For more information, see the course summary and experiment some more with PowerPoint.

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How to Add More Than One Song on a PowerPoint

Music can set the tone for a PowerPoint presentation and help it better convey the message you want to send. Nevertheless, if your presentation is somewhat long or covers several topics, adding a single music file to the slide show might not suffice. Multiple songs in your PowerPoint presentation can make transitions between key points or slides not only more effective but more professional as well. Adding multiple songs to a presentation does require some preparation and tinkering, but it is not particularly difficult.

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Launch PowerPoint and open the presentation to which you want to add multiple music tracks.

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Click and select the slide in your presentation at the point at which you want your first audio file to begin playing. Click the slide to view in the main editing window.

Click "Insert" on the ribbon bar tab menu. Click the "Audio" button. Click "Insert Audio," then browse to the first music file to insert in the PowerPoint presentation. Wait while PowerPoint imports the music file into the presentation.

Use the mouse to drag the audio icon on the slide to a corner or other area that does not block text or images on the slide.

Click "Playback" on the "Audio Tools" tab. Determine whether you want the music to play during the current slide only or across multiple slides. If you want the music to play during one slide only, click and select "Automatically" in the "Start" drop-down box. To play the music on two or more slides, select "Play across slides."

Match the length of time the music file plays to the display time for the slide(s). One method is to click the "Trim Audio" button and use the sliders to set start stop points for the music. This method is effective for choosing only a portion of a music file to play during a single slide. A better method for matching the duration of a song during multiple slides is to use the "Rehearse Timings" option on the "Slide Show" tab. This method allows you to use your mouse to advance slides manually and determine the number of slides that display during playback of an audio file.

Select other slides and insert additional music files in the same manner. Insert the music file in the slide at the point in your presentation where you want the song to start playing. Use the "Trim Audio" or "Rehearse Timings" option to synchronize additional music files with slides in the presentation.

Click the "Slide Show" tab, then "From Beginning" to review all of the slides and listen to the songs as the presentation progresses. Use the "Rehearse Timings" option to fine tune the slides so that they advance properly during playback.

Click "File" then "Save" to save the new music files and timings with the presentation.

• The Microsoft Office Blog; Optimizing Your Media for the World; August 12, 2009
• The Microsoft Office Blog; PowerPoint 2010 Technical Preview; June 25, 2009
• Microsoft Office: Add Audio to Your Presentation

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