Being able to share PowerPoint presentations while keeping speaker notes private is critical for many presenters. When presenting via video conferencing tools like Zoom, you’ll likely want to share slides fullscreen with the audience while retaining the ability to view notes and slide thumbnails only visible to you.
Fortunately, with the right settings and configurations, Mac users can easily share PowerPoint slides in Zoom without displaying presenter notes or slide filmstrips to the audience. This article will cover several methods to accomplish this on a Mac.
Set Up Slide Show for Full Screen
The first step is to configure the slideshow settings in PowerPoint on your Mac. This ensures the slides display full screen for the audience when you share your screen.
To do this:
- Open your PowerPoint presentation
- On the Slide Show tab, click Set Up Slide Show
- Under Show Type, choose Browsed by an individual (window)
- Check the box for Show Without Animation
- Click OK
These settings will make your slides fill the display when presenting, without playing animations.
Share Screen in Zoom
Once your presentation is ready, start a Zoom meeting and share your screen.
On a Mac, you have two options to show slides full screen to the audience while retaining private notes:
Share Slide Show Window
- Start the slide show in PowerPoint using Presenter View
- In Zoom, click Share Screen and choose the PowerPoint Slide Show window
- Adjust the size if needed to show slides fully
- Audience will only see slides, not notes or filmstrip
Use Presenter View Preview
- In PowerPoint, start Presenter View preview (Option+Click slide show)
- In Zoom, click Advanced share options and choose to share a portion of the screen
- Resize the shared portion to only show slides, not the notes or filmstrip
Both methods allow displaying full screen slides publicly while keeping notes and thumbnails private on your screen.
Tips for Using Presenter View in Zoom
Here are some additional tips for leveraging Presenter View effectively:
- Make notes text larger – In Presenter View on your Mac, enlarge the notes text for easier reading. Adjust the divider between slides and notes.
- Use Presenter View tools – Take advantage of laser pointers, highlighters, and other tools in Presenter View.
- Toggle slide display – Quickly switch which display shows notes vs. slides using the “Swap Displays” option.
- Give control to others – Allow meeting participants to control slide advancement from their device.
Additional Methods for Sharing Slides
If you want to share PowerPoint slides in other ways, here are some options:
- Save slides as PDF handouts with notes hidden
- Upload presentations to cloud services like OneDrive and share view-only links
- Use third-party online presentation tools like SlideShare or Google Slides
The methods above offer more ways to selectively share slides while keeping notes and other content private.
Conclusion
Sharing PowerPoint slides in online meetings while retaining private notes takes just a few easy steps on a Mac. Configuring the slide show settings appropriately and choosing what to share in Zoom gives presenters flexibility. With Presenter View and selective screen sharing, it’s simple to show slides publicly and keep notes private.
Following these best practices for sharing PowerPoint without revealing notes ensures your presentation flows smoothly while allowing you to view critical cues and references. Carefully coordinating what meeting attendees see versus what appears on the presenter display gives the confidence for an impactful, glitch-free presentation.