Looping a PowerPoint presentation allows it to continuously play on repeat. This is useful for unattended displays like digital signage or kiosks. Fortunately, setting up a looping presentation is easy on both Windows and Mac.
Why Loop a PowerPoint Presentation
There are several reasons you may want to loop a PowerPoint:
- Trade shows and conventions – Looping presentations draw attention to your booth and convey key messaging to attendees passing by.
- Office lobbies – Welcome visitors or showcase your services with a looping slideshow.
- Restaurants and bars – Feature daily specials, upcoming events, or ambiance-setting photo slides.
- Kiosks – Share information on an endless loop without supervision.
- Digital signage – Looping allows displaying dynamic slides without user input.
Overall, looping removes the need to manually restart a presentation, creating a polished, seamless display.
How to Loop PowerPoint on Windows
Looping a presentation in PowerPoint for Windows takes just a few clicks. Follow these simple steps:
- Open your PowerPoint and finalise slide content.
- Select the Slide Show tab and click Set Up Slide Show.
- In the pop-up, check Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ under Show Options.
- Click OK to save the setting.
Your presentation will now endlessly loop whenever you start the slideshow, until you press Esc.
Additionally, you can loop only specific slides by selecting them in Show Slides instead of the default All.
Steps to Loop a Presentation on Mac
The process is nearly identical for looping PowerPoint on Mac:
- With your presentation open, select Slide Show > Set Up Show.
- Check the box for Loop continuously until Esc.
- Click OK to enable looping.
- Start the slideshow via Slide Show > From Beginning to test.
The presentation will continuously loop from start to finish until you exit out.
Customisation Tips
- Set slide times – Use slide transitions to make each slide stay on screen for a certain duration before advancing automatically.
- Mind slide order – Structure your slides so the loop flows logically back to the start.
- Add multimedia – Include photos, video clips, animations, and audio for more engaging loops.
- Check equipment – Test loops on the actual display setup to ensure proper video/audio playback.
- Refine content – Edit slides to feature more concise points that can be grasped quickly during loops.
Advanced Looping Options
For more advanced looping, you can:
- Export your presentation as a self-running .exe file.
- Add triggers and hyperlinks to loop only certain slides.
- Use PowerPoint macros to customise looping functionality.
- Integrate with other software like SignageStudio or Scala to manage multiple presentations across displays.
In summary, looping a PowerPoint slideshow only takes a minute or two on both Windows and Mac. Enable the option, finalise your content, and enjoy seamless, continuous playback.