how to play video in presentation mode

PowerPoint Video Not Playing? Here’s How to Fix it Fast!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

It is annoying when you want to play a video during your presentation speech but PowerPoint just refuses to play the video! The video may either fail to work or display just the audio/video. There are actually several reasons why this could happen!

So, in this article, we will take a closer look at the various issues related to playing video in PowerPoint, and I will also provide you with a few quick solutions to each of the issues.

So, without further adieu, let’s get started!

1. Video Not Playing in Presentation Mode 

Although Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the powerful presentation tools out there, it is not perfect. There may be more than a few reasons why video is not playing in the presentation mode of your PowerPoint.

The most common problem that users face is that the format of the media file is either not supported by PowerPoint, or the media file might have missing fragments, or the file may have a syncing issue, or the media file may just be corrupted.

In the following subsection, I will explain the possible solutions to a corrupted media file in your PowerPoint presentation.

1a. PowerPoint Video Cannot Play Media Error 

There are two possible solutions to a corrupted file. You can either optimize the media compatibility or clear the temporary data on your Windows operating system. Both of the solutions are described below.

Optimizing media compatibility

Follow the simple steps given below to optimize the compatibility of the video file with your PowerPoint presentation. 

Step-1: Go to “Info”

The first step of the process is to go to the “Info” section located in the “ File ” tab, which is the first tab in the ribbon of your PowerPoint window.

Step-2: Click on ‘Check Compatibility’

The next step is to click on the “ Check for issues ” button and select the “ Check compatibility ” option from the drop-down menu.

Step-3: Click on the “Ok” button

After you have selected the “ Check compatibility ” option, Microsoft PowerPoint will automatically detect the media files, report to you the issue with your video file, and try to fix it.

To finish optimizing the media file, click on the “ Ok ” button and the issue should be resolved.

Clearing the temporary files

Microsoft PowerPoint may fail to play your video files if there are too many temporary files on your Windows operating system. To clear these temporary files, follow the easy steps described below.

Step-1: Launch the “Run Prompt”

To being, go to the “ Start ” menu of your computer and launch the “ Run Prompt ”

Step-2: Type in the “%temp%” command

After you have launched the “ Run Prompt ”, type “%temp%” in the search box and hit the “ Ok ” button.

Step-3: Delete all the files

Once you have clicked on the “ Ok ” button, a new folder will open on your screen. This folder contains all the temporary files that are present on your computer.

Select all the files and delete them. Skip the files that are still in use and the video should be good to go.

2. YouTube Video Not Playing in PowerPoint 

There are several reasons why a YouTube video may not play in your PowerPoint presentation. Some of the reasons why this may happen and possible solutions to them are given below.

1. The link used to embed the YouTube video was a shared link and not an embedded link. If you have entered the link that is used to share the video, then the video will not play in your PowerPoint presentation. To fix this issue, insert the embedded link of the YouTube video instead of the shared link.

2. The YouTube video that you embedded in your Presentation may not be available anymore. In order to avoid this issue, do not use videos that are in “ Private viewing only ” settings.

3. The embedded file may be in an unsupported format. Most versions of Microsoft PowerPoint supports “.wmv” files. Hence, videos that are in a different format may not play in your PowerPoint presentation. Make sure the video file is in the right format.   

3. Video Only Plays Audio in PowerPoint 

Sometimes, the video file only plays the audio of the video file in Microsoft PowerPoint.

This may happen either because the inserted video file is not supported by the PowerPoint software, or the file is too large. Another reason might be that the file is corrupted, or the Windows operating system is missing some necessary codecs.

Following are 3 possible solutions to these problems.

Solution 1 – Convert the video file

To convert the video file, follow the simple steps given below.

Step-1: Go to the “Info” section

The first step is to go to the “ Info ” section of the “ File ” tab which is located at the right-most corner of the ribbon of your PowerPoint presentation.

Step-2: Click on the “Media Size and Performance” option

The second step is to click on the “ Media Size and Performance ” option which is the first option in the “ Info ” section

Step-3: Click on the “HD (720)” button

After clicking on the “ Media size and performance ” option, a drop-down menu will appear. From that drop-down menu, click on the “ HD (720) ” option.

This will compress the size of the video and convert it to a supported format. 

Solution 2 – Clear temporary files

Like the previous issue, sometimes your computer may be working on too many temporary files, due to which the video file in your PowerPoint presentation may not be functioning properly.

Simply follow the steps described earlier in this article and delete all the temporary files operating in your Windows operating system.

Solution 3 – Install missing codecs

Right out of the box, Windows does not support every media codecs. It is possible that the video file in your PowerPoint presentation is only playing audio because some of the codecs in your Windows are missing.

To fix this issue, you can download a codec pack from the internet. Some of the best Codec packs are,

1. K-Lite Codec Pack

2. Media Player Codec Pack

3. X- Codec pack

4. Audio of the Video Doesn’t Work in PowerPoint  

If the audio of the video in your PowerPoint presentation is not working, try all the solutions mentioned in the above section. If it still doesn’t work, then maybe the PowerPoint software is muted in your computer.

To make sure the audio of your PowerPoint is not muted, turn on the video in your presentation and follow the simple steps described below.

Step-1: “Right-click” on the “speaker/headphone” button

At first, you have to “ Right-click ” on the “ Speaker/Headphone ” volume button in the taskbar of your computer. It is the right-most button on the taskbar and its icon looks like a handheld speakerphone (as showcased in the image below)

Step-2: Select the “Open Volume Mixer” option

After you have opened the “ Speaker/Headphone ” menu from your taskbar, click on the “ Open Volume Mixer ” option which is the second option in the menu.

Step-3: Click on the volume icon under the PowerPoint section

Once you have selected the “ Open Volume Mixer ” option, a pop-up window will appear on the bottom right corner of your screen.

Click on the small volume icon with a red cross over it, which will unmute the PowerPoint software on your computer.

5. Video Doesn’t Play Automatically 

To play a video file in your PowerPoint presentation automatically, you have to change the playback settings of the video file.

This might sound a little difficult but the whole process is described in 2 simple steps below.

Step-1: Go to the “Playback” tab

At first, turn on the video in your PowerPoint presentation. This will allow you to access the “ Playback ” tab which appears on the ribbon when a media file is played.

Step-2: Select the “Automatically” option

Now, select the “ Automatically ” option which is located in the “ Start ” drop-down menu of the “ Video Options ” section in the “ Playback ” tab.

The video should now play automatically when the slide is opened.

6. PowerPoint Export to Video Not Working 

To fix videos not exporting in your PowerPoint presentation, you may have to optimize the media file using the method mentioned earlier in this article.

You might also have to update your PowerPoint software if it is outdated or repair it if needed. To learn more on how to update Microsoft PowerPoint, you can read one of our articles on this topic by clicking here .

I will discuss the process of repairing PowerPoint below:

Step-1: Go to “Add or remove programs”

The first step is to go to the “ Start ” menu of your computer and launch the “ Add or remove programs ” tool.

Step-2: Click on the “Advanced Options” button

The second step is to find your Microsoft Office program and select the “ Advanced options ” button.

Step-3: Select the “Repair” option

After you click on the “ Advanced Options ” button, you will be taken to a new window. From that window, under “ Reset ” select the “ Repair ” option.

Once the scanning and repairing are complete a tick mark will appear beside the “ Repair ” option, which will indicate that the repairing is complete.

7. How to Change Video Source in PowerPoint?

Unfortunately, there is no direct way to change the path of the source of a video in your PowerPoint presentation.

You can use a macro to fix this problem but honestly, it is easiest to simply re-attach the video to your PowerPoint presentation.

To change the video source in your PowerPoint presentation, delete the initial video, move the video file to the same folder as the PowerPoint presentation and insert the video again and the source of the video will change accordingly.

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

PowerPoint Top Contributor: John Korchok  ✅

November 12, 2024

PowerPoint Top Contributor:

John Korchok  ✅

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How can I share a PowerPoint so that it opens automatically in presentation mode?

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• Microsoft Agent |

Hi A teacher in Wa,

Thank you for querying in this forum.

According to your description, it seems that you want to share a presentation with students via Microsoft Teams and you also want your students to immediately watch your presentation as a slide show instead of seeing the slides in edit mode.

May I know if my understanding is right? If so, we’d suggest you save presentation file as .ppsx type file, if you are using PowerPoint in Windows, we’d suggest you go to PowerPoint File > Save as > Click More Options > select PowerPoint Show under Save as type, the file is saved as a .ppsx file. When the file is double-clicked, it opens as a slide show.

For more details, you can refer to this article: Start a presentation automatically with a PowerPoint Show .

Then you can go to Microsoft Teams and find the team > click Files tab > upload this file. And we have tested it on our side, if we saved it as .ppsx file and uploaded to Teams, when we clicked it, it will show as a slide show, as shown below:

If the scenario above is not consistent with yours, you can also post back and provide more details about your requirement.

Best Regards,

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PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Play and Control Video During a Slide Show

Use These PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Play, Pause and Control Videos During a Presentation

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated June 17, 2024

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can use these useful PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts when you are running a slide show to play, pause, restart and control videos during a slide show.

Recommended article: 50+ PowerPoint Slide Show Shortcuts

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our live instructor-led virtual classroom or  PowerPoint courses >

On some laptops, you may need to press the Fn key in addition to the listed shortcuts to enable function keys (such as Fn + F5).

Run a slide show

In Normal View or Slide Sorter View, to start a slide show from the beginning, press F5. To start a slide show from the current slide, press Shift + F5.

Play a video during a slide show

To start a video (assuming it is not set to start automatically), press Alt + P or Ctrl + spacebar.

Pause or stop a video during a slide show

To stop video playback, press Alt + Q.

To toggle between play and pause, press Alt + P.

Jump to a bookmark in a video during a slide show

To go to the next bookmark in a video, press Alt + End.

To go to the previous bookmark in a video, press Alt + Home.

Go forward or backward

To go forward 3 seconds, press Alt + Shift + Page down.

To go backward 3 seconds, press Alt + Shift + Page up.

To go forward 0.25 seconds, then pause, press Alt + Shift + right arrow

To go backward 0.25 seconds, then pause, press Alt + Shift + left arrow

Control the volume of a video during a slide show

To increase the volume, press Alt + up arrow.

To decrease the volume, press Alt + down arrow.

To mute the sound, press Alt + U.

Show or hide the audio and subtitles menu

To toggle the audio and subtitles menu, press Alt + J.

You can show or hide the audio and subtitles menu for videos that have multiple audio tracks and/or subtitle tracks in supported formats.

Be sure to practice these shortcuts before running the presentation for a seamless show.

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More resources

How to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint

How to Insert Video in PowerPoint (from a File on Your PC or a Shared Drive)

A Beginner's Guide to Video Formats in PowerPoint

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How to Use the Presentation Modes and the Screen Recording Features in PowerPoint

After designing all the slides for your presentation, the next and last step is presenting in front of your audience. In this new Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll see how the presenter view works and how you can record your presentation .

Presentation Modes

Presentation modes — set up slide show, presentation modes — record slide show.

• There are different presentation modes in PowerPoint, besides the one you can find at the bottom of the screen.
• To access the presentation modes, go to the Slide Show tab.
• The first two options allow you to start the presentation from the beginning or from the currently selected slide.

• If you choose Present Online, an URL will be generated, which you can then share with your potential online viewers. After clicking this button, a new window will open, displaying info about the Microsoft Office online presentation service and a checkbox to enable remote download for your online audience. To enjoy this service, you need an Office 365 account. When you’re ready, click Connect to generate the URL.
• If you choose Custom Slide Show, you can select which slides to display in your presentation.  First, create a new custom slide show and select the slides that you want to display. Then, click Add, enter the name of the presentation and click OK. This new custom presentation will appear on the list. Select it and click Show to begin the presentation.
• In the Set Up group you’ll find options to set up the presentation, hide slides, rehearse your presentation and even record it.
• Click Set Up Slide Show to adjust several settings regarding your presentation. You’ll find more information in the next section of this tutorial .
• If you click Hide Slide, the selected slide won’t show up during your presentation. Hidden slides will appear faded out on the list and their numbers will be crossed out.
• If you click Record Slide Show, you’ll be able to record your presentation from the beginning or from the current slide. We’ll go into detail in the last section of this tutorial.
• There are several checkboxes regarding whether to play narrations, use timings and show media controls.

• In the Monitors group you can choose which screen to display your presentation.
• The last group, Captions & Subtitles, is only available in Office 365. You’ll find options to enable subtitles, which will be generated out of your speech (so you’ll need to have a mic). There are settings to change the language and the position of the subtitles.
• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Go to the Slide Show tab.
• In the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show. A new window will open, where you’ll find several options.
• In the top-left corner, under “Show type”, you can choose whether the presentation will be in fullscreen with speaker notes, windowed, or in fullscreen without speaker notes or the menu bar.

• Under “Show options” you can choose whether to show the presentation without narration or animations, or disable the hardware graphics acceleration (for better performance). You can also set the pen and laser pointer color.

• Under “Show slides”, you can choose which slides to show in your presentation. You can select all of them, a specific range or a custom slideshow.
• There are other settings to determine how to advance slides (manually or using timings), what the resolution will be and whether to use the presenter view.
• Click Record Slide Show. From the drop-down menu, select From the Current Slide or From the Beginning.
• A new window will open, along with the presentation in fullscreen mode. At the top-left you’ll find a button to start recording.

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