How to Insert a Video to PowerPoint

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How to Insert a Video to PowerPoint

Adding videos to your PowerPoint presentations can make them more engaging and dynamic for your audience. There are a few different ways to insert videos into PowerPoint slides.

Insert a Video from Your Computer

Steps:

  • Open the PowerPoint presentation and navigate to the slide where you want to add the video
  • On the Insert tab, click the Video dropdown and select Video from My PC
  • Browse your computer files and select the video file you want to add
  • The video will be embedded on the slide. You can resize or reposition it as needed

Tips:

  • Supported video formats include: .mp4, .mov, .avi, .wmv
  • For best compatibility, use .mp4 files encoded with H.264 video and AAC audio
  • Keep file sizes reasonable to avoid hugely increasing overall presentation file size

Insert an Online Video

You can embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo and other sites directly into your PowerPoint slides.

Steps:

  • Copy the URL of the online video
  • In PowerPoint, navigate to the slide and click Insert > Video > Online Video
  • Paste the video URL into the search box
  • Select the video from the search results and click Insert

Tips:

  • Works for YouTube, Vimeo, Microsoft Stream videos
  • Requires a web connection to play the videos
  • Limited ability to control video playback

Insert Video from Microsoft Stream

If your organization uses Microsoft Stream, you can easily add videos from your Stream library.

Steps:

  • In PowerPoint, navigate to the slide and click Insert > Video > Microsoft Stream
  • Search for and select the Stream video you want to add
  • The video will be embedded on the slide

Tips:

  • Requires a connection to Stream to insert and play videos
  • No need to worry about file sizes or formats
  • Presentation needs internet connection for others to view

Record Your Screen

You can record your screen directly in PowerPoint and insert the video clip onto a slide.

Steps:

  • Navigate to the slide where you want the video
  • Click Insert > Record Screen
  • Select screen area to record and click Record
  • Record screen activity and click Stop when finished
  • The video will be added to the slide

Tips:

  • Great way to quickly capture software demonstrations
  • Limited to 5 minutes of recording
  • Requires Windows 10 or macOS Catalina

Set Video Playback Options

Customize options like when your videos start, end, and loop:

Steps:

  • Right-click the embedded video and select Format Video
  • Click the Playback tab
  • Choose options:
    • When to Start playing
    • When to End or loop
    • Play video Full Screen or not

Tips:

  • Autoplay videos when slide appears or on mouse click
  • Loop videos or stop at end
  • Play audio only if needed

Resize and Position Videos

To resize an embedded video:

  • Click the video to select it
  • Use the handles around the perimeter to resize
  • Maintain aspect ratio by dragging corners

To reposition:

  • Click and drag the video frame to the desired location on the slide

Tips:

  • Avoid distorting videos during resize
  • Send videos to back to overlap with text or images
  • Align videos for a professional layout

Transition Between Videos

Add transitions to smoothly move from one video to the next:

Steps:

  • Select the slide after the first video
  • Go to Transitions tab and pick a transition style
  • Adjust transition duration if needed

Tips:

  • Use subtle transitions like fades to not distract
  • Set speed to match video content
  • Add motion effects for more dynamic transitions

Animate Videos

Make videos move and transform on your slides:

Steps:

  • Select the embedded video to open Video Tools tab
  • Go to Animations and choose an animation style
  • Customize animation direction, duration, and more

Tips:

  • Subtle animations work best like slides, fades, and wipes
  • Choose direction to suit slide content flow
  • Set timing so animations don’t feel rushed

Troubleshooting Tips

Videos not playing? Try these tips:

  • Confirm video file format is supported
  • Check for DRM restrictions on files
  • Re-embed online videos if link changed
  • Enable hyperlinks and multimedia content
  • Ensure system meets hardware requirements
  • Test videos outside of PowerPoint first

Videos not displaying correctly?

  • Maintain aspect ratio on resize
  • Choose larger or smaller video formats
  • Compress media files to reduce size
  • Use proxy files if originals too large

Videos look pixelated or blurry?

  • Increase slide size for higher resolution
  • Export presentation as a video
  • Use original high-quality files if possible

Videos play slowly or stutter?

  • Close other resource-intensive programs
  • Compress video files to reduce size
  • Lower resolution if very high megapixels
  • Upgrade hardware if system resources insufficient

By following these tips, you can successfully insert and customize videos to make your PowerPoint presentations pop! Let me know if you have any other questions.

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