Working with Audio
Learn how to insert audio files into your presentation, control playback settings, trim audio clips, and configure music to play across multiple slides.
Lesson Notes
Read through the key concepts before you try the challenge.
Why Add Audio to a Presentation?
Audio can enhance a presentation by adding background music, narration, or short sound clips that reinforce your message.
Common uses include background music for kiosk displays, recorded narration for self-running presentations, and sound cues that accompany specific slides.
Inserting Audio from Your Computer
To add an audio file, go to the Insert tab and select Audio, then choose Audio on My PC.
Browse to and select your audio file. PowerPoint supports common formats including MP3 and WAV.
After inserting, a speaker icon appears on the slide along with a small audio player bar.
The Audio Format and Playback Tabs
When the audio icon is selected, two new tabs appear on the ribbon: Audio Format and Playback.
The Playback tab is where you configure most audio settings including start behavior, looping, and volume.
Playback Settings
The Start setting controls when audio begins playing. You can set it to In Click Sequence, Automatically, or When Clicked On.
- In Click Sequence — audio plays when you reach it during your click sequence.
- Automatically — audio starts as soon as the slide appears.
- When Clicked On — audio only plays when the audience clicks the icon.
You can also enable Loop until Stopped to repeat the audio continuously, and Hide During Show to keep the speaker icon invisible during the presentation.
Playing Audio Across Slides
By default, audio stops when you move to the next slide. To have music continue across multiple slides, check Play Across Slides in the Playback tab.
Trimming Audio
If an audio clip is longer than you need, you can trim it without leaving PowerPoint.
Click Trim Audio on the Playback tab. Drag the green start marker and red end marker to define the portion you want to keep.
Click OK to apply the trim. The audio clip will now start and stop at the points you selected.
Adjusting Volume
Use the Volume button on the Playback tab to set the default playback level to Low, Medium, High, or Mute.
Knowledge Check
Which setting keeps audio playing as you advance through multiple slides?
Practice File
Download this file and follow along with the lesson.
Challenge
Apply what you've learned in this lesson.
Open the practice presentation and complete the following tasks:
- Insert an audio file onto slide 1 using Audio on My PC.
- Set the Start option to Automatically.
- Enable Play Across Slides so the music continues as you advance slides.
- Enable Hide During Show so the speaker icon is not visible during the presentation.
- Enable Loop until Stopped.
- Use Trim Audio to shorten the clip to approximately 30 seconds.
- Preview your presentation from slide 1 to confirm the audio plays correctly.