Sharing PowerPoint presentations is a common activity in Microsoft Teams meetings. However, presenters often want to share slides without revealing private notes intended only for themselves. Here are several methods to share PowerPoint on Teams without showing notes.
Use Slide Show View
The easiest way is to start the slideshow in PowerPoint before sharing the screen. This enters full screen slide show mode, hiding the notes.
To share:
- Open PowerPoint and select Slide Show > From Beginning
- Alt + Tab to Teams and share your screen
- Audience will only see the slides, not your notes
The drawback is you also cannot view notes while presenting.
Share Presenter View with Two Monitors
If you have two monitors, use Presenter View to show your notes on one screen and audience views slides on the other:
- Connect two monitors and enable Presenter View in PowerPoint
- Share the monitor showing just slides to your Teams meeting
- Deliver presentation while privately viewing notes on your second monitor
This lets you see notes without the audience seeing them.
Share Windowed Presentation
Alternatively, you can share a PowerPoint window without surrounding UI elements:
- Start PowerPoint slideshow in a resizable window
- In Teams, share this PowerPoint window specifically
- Audience sees slides but not the notes pane
- Refer to notes on your screen without sharing that content
Use PowerPoint Live
PowerPoint Live integrates directly with Teams for fluid presentations:
- Upload PowerPoint file to Teams channel
- Start PowerPoint Live from meeting toolbar
- Show slides in Teams while privately viewing notes in PowerPoint app
PowerPoint Live also has unique tools like audience Q&A and digital laser pointer.
Disable Presenter View
If you don’t need notes, disable Presenter View so only slides are shown:
- In PowerPoint, uncheck Slide Show > Use Presenter View
- Share your screen in Teams as usual
- Only slides will be visible without notes getting in the way
Best Practices
Keep these best practices in mind when presenting PowerPoint on Teams:
- Rehearse timing and flow before the meeting
- Use slide templates and themes consistently
- Limit text and simplify content per slide
- Share window or app specifically instead of entire desktop
- Check attendee view ahead of time to confirm sharing works as expected
With the techniques above, you can confidently share PowerPoint slides on Microsoft Teams without accidentally revealing internal notes. Experiment to decide which option works best for your specific presentation and environment.
