Guide - How to Add Audio in PowerPoint

Issue/Question/User Group

• Student/Faculty would like instructions on how to add audio to their PowerPoint slide(s).

Cause

• The user has audio for an assignment/lecture they would like to submit/present from an audio file saved locally on their computer or from the web.

Resolution

Windows 10:

Add Audio from your PC

1. Select Insert > Audio.

2. Select Audio on My PC.

3. In the Insert Audio dialog box, select the audio file you want to add.

4. Select Insert.

Record Audio

1. Select Insert > Audio.

2. Select Record Audio.

3. 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.**

4. To review your recording, select Stop and then select Play.

5. Select Record to re-record your clip, or select OK if you're satisfied.

6. 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.

7. Select Play.

Change playback options

Select the audio icon and then select the Audio Tools 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 and 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.

MacOS:

Add audio to a single slide

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

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

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

4. (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 the 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.

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

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

Add audio that plays throughout your entire presentation

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

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

Add audio the plays repeatedly

1. Click the audio clip icon.

2. On the PowerPoint 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 the audio icon is always        visible unless you drag it off the slide.

Web:

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

Maximum size of the audio file: 16 MB