How to Add Audio to a PowerPoint Presentation

While Microsoft PowerPoint is primarily a visual medium, adding audio can significantly enhance a presentation. Whether you want to include a subtle background music track that plays throughout a slideshow, a voiceover narration for an automated kiosk display, or a short sound effect to emphasise a specific point, PowerPoint provides built-in tools to handle it.

You can insert audio files directly from your hard drive, or use PowerPoint’s native recording feature to capture narration on the fly.

How to Insert an Existing Audio File

If you already have a music track or a pre-recorded voiceover saved on your computer (typically in MP3 or WAV format), you can insert it onto any slide.

1. Navigate to the specific slide where you want the audio to begin.
2. Click on the Insert tab located in the top ribbon.
3. Look for the Media group on the far right side of the ribbon and click Audio.
4. Select Audio on My PC… from the drop-down menu.
5. Locate the audio file in the file explorer window and click Insert.

A speaker icon will appear on your slide. You can click and drag this icon to position it anywhere, or move it off the visible canvas entirely if you do not want the audience to see it.

How to Record Audio Directly in PowerPoint

If you need to add a quick voiceover explaining a chart or graph, you do not need third-party recording software.

1. Go to the slide you want to narrate.
2. Click Insert > Audio > Record Audio….
3. A small recording dialogue box will appear. You can type a name for the recording if you wish.
4. Click the Red Circle button to begin recording your voice using your computer’s microphone.
5. Click the Blue Square button to stop the recording.
6. Click OK. The speaker icon will appear on the slide containing your newly recorded audio.

Controlling How the Audio Plays

Once the audio is inserted, you need to tell PowerPoint exactly when and how to play it. When you click on the speaker icon, two new tabs will appear in the ribbon: Audio Format and Playback.

Click on the Playback tab to access these crucial settings:

• Start: This drop-down menu determines the trigger. Choose “In Click Sequence” to play the audio when you click the mouse, “Automatically” to play as soon as the slide appears, or “When Clicked On” to only play if you physically click the speaker icon during the presentation.
• Play Across Slides: Tick this box if you are inserting a background music track that should continue playing even as you advance to the next slide.
• Loop until Stopped: Tick this box to make the audio repeat endlessly until you manually stop it or the presentation ends.
• Hide During Show: Tick this box to make the speaker icon invisible while you are presenting. This is highly recommended for automatic background audio.