According to recent research carried out by statista.com, there’s over a million companies worldwide using the Microsoft Office suite meaning there’s a fat chance you’d have to use any of its tools at some point. However, we’re here to talk about one of them in particular – PowerPoint.
This article will show you how to embed a video in your PowerPoint slides and we’ll also cover some of the most frequently asked questions related to possible issues you may come across while inserting a video into your PowerPoint.
Let’s get started. There are two main ways to embed a video in PPT.
How to embed a video from your files
Open your presentation and go to the slide where you want to feature your video in.
In the top menu click on Insert and on the far right you’ll see the Video options.
Select This Device, as you need to embed a video from your computer or from a computer you might be connected to.
Find the video in question and hit Insert. That’s it.
Now that the video is on your slide, feel free to resize it or format it any way you want. Explore the PowerPoint Video Format options that will make your presentation even more fun, like adding a thumbnail, trimming the file so that the slide only plays a particular clip or setting up automatic or on-a-click start.
How to embed an online video
The latest PowerPoint versions allow you to quickly insert a video link from a variety of online sources. Linked videos are not a bad option as they don’t affect the file size but bear the risk of breaking or not starting at all in case of connection loss. A possible scenario you won’t like seeing unfold is having to present in a different country where the video you linked cannot be played due to location permissions. This can often be the case with YouTube videos, so read on for our expert tip on how to tackle this.
Follow the Insert->Video steps described above and then from the dropdown menu select Online Videos.
You can now copy the video URL from your web browser and paste it in the slide you want to add the video to.
Check if the linked video was inserted successfully by clicking the Play button. If it does, then you’re good.
There you are – from zero to hero in no time.
Do you want to learn more helpful features in PowerPoint? Then check out our FREE PowerPoint Tips&Tricks ebook.
But before you go, let us quickly list the top three things you should know before adding a video onto your PowerPoint presentation.
1. Make sure you really need multimedia on your slide
While embedding a video is a fantastic way to illustrate your thoughts, using a video from your device makes your deck way heavier. Keep things nice and short and avoid videos longer than 90 seconds, except for the times when you must be more elaborate, and a longer video makes perfect sense.
2. Try to stick to videos from your device
Go the extra mile and whenever you can, download the video you want to add to your slides. Why don’t you consider any YouTube downloader app or an online tool like this one? These allow you to quickly download a variety of video formats and custom set the output format. This way you’d never need to worry about connection failure again.
3. Back up
When it comes to videos, you always need to make sure the video you put on your slides works properly. You may want to save a recorded version of the finished deck to avoid any connection failures. Save your presentation, go to File -> Export -> Create a video (or click on the Record tab in the ribbon and select the Export to video option). And there you have it – a beautiful export of your deck – videos, transitions, animations and all – saved in a location of your choice. Cool, right?
This was your beginner’s guide to adding videos in PowerPoint. Wanna learn about inserting videos in Google Slides? Visit the link to this blog article for a quick tutorial on that.
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