How to insert a video into a PowerPoint

powerpoint video

If you want to take your presentations to the next level and achieve a more dynamic and engaging experience for your audience, this article will interest you. Because we are going to explain to you: How to insert a video into a PowerPoint simply and effectively.

The main reason is that videos, beyond providing visual value, can also help us to present complex concepts in a simple way. Let's see below What are the options available to us? to insert videos and some tips to get the best final result.

Before starting

When inserting a video into a Power point, there are a number of aspects that we must check to avoid future errors. Take note of everything:

  • Choose a supported file formatWhile it is true that PowerPoint supports numerous and varied video formats, the one that offers the most compatibility and more than acceptable quality is MP4.
  • Save the files in the same location to avoid linking problems in certain cases. For example, when we move the presentation from one computer to another.
  • Select the file size carefullyIf the file is too large, the presentation may be slower. It is often advisable to use compression tools to reduce the file size before inserting it.

Methods for inserting a video into a PowerPoint presentation

insert video in powerpoint

There are two ways to include videos in a PowerPoint presentation: from a local file or from an online platform or website. We discuss both methods below:

From a local file

This is the method to follow when we want to add a video in Powerpoint that we have stored on our computer. These are the steps to follow:

  1. To start, let's go to the presentation and We select the slide in which we want to add the video.
  2. Then we go to the top toolbar, click on "Insert".
  3. In the drop-down menu that opens, we select «Video from my PC» (In some versions of the program, this option is called “Movie from file”).
  4. Next, we go to the location of the video on our computer, click on the file in question and press "Insert".

And that's it. Once you've inserted the video, you can move it, resize it and configure the playback according to your tastes and needs.

From YouTube and other online sources

On the other hand, if we want to add a video from YouTube or any other streaming platform to our presentation, the steps to follow are as follows:

  1. First, we open the browser, search for the video we want to insert and we copy the URL.
  2. Then we go to PowerPoint, where we select the slide where we want to embed the video. There we click on the tab "Insert".
  3. Then we click on «Online video», after which a dialog box appears in which to paste the link.
  4. Lastly, we paste the URL of the video that we copied before and click on "Insert".

Important: For this method to work, you need to have an Internet connection during the presentation to play the video.

Playback settings

After inserting the video, PowerPoint offers us a series of very interesting options to configure and customize its playback according to our preferences. We explain some of the most practical ones:

Start of video

Microsoft PowerPoint gives us two options:

  • Start on click: The video only plays when we click the “Play” button.
  • Start automatically: The video plays when you switch to the slide.

The setting for deciding which option to use is as follows: first click on the inserted video, then go to the “Playback” tab in the toolbar at the top of the screen, and finally select the desired option from the drop-down menu.

Loop and continuous playback

There is also an option we can use to make the embedded video play in loop, i.e. repeatedly. Here's what to do:

  1. First, we select the video.
  2. Then we will "Reproduction".
  3. There we check the box "Repeat until stopped."

Hide video at end

After playback, it may be unsightly if the video frame on the slide is displayed in black. To avoid this, and to display the initial image again, we use these settings:

  1. Let's go to the tab "Reproduction".
  2. There we activate the option «Hide when not playing».

Editing options

In the “Playback” tab we can make some advanced editing adjustments that can help us further fine-tune the insertion of the video into our presentation:

  1. «Trim video», adjusting the start and end markers to our liking.
  2. «Video format» to add borders, shadows, reflections, etc.
  3. «Adjust volume».

In short, the possibility of including videos in PowerPoint is a very valuable resource that allows us to enrich and improve our presentations. It is worth learning how to use it and obtain great results.


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