How to Loop a PowerPoint So It Plays on Repeat (2026)

Picture a stand at a trade show, a screen in your shop window or a waiting area where a deck should play on its own all day without anyone touching a key. That's what a looping PowerPoint is for. The catch is that looping on its own isn't enough: if the slides don't advance by themselves, your loop will just sit on slide one.

So the job has two parts: tell PowerPoint to repeat, and tell it to move on without a click. I'll cover both, following Microsoft's help pages, and I'll flag the one place where it doesn't work at all.

The kiosk setting that makes a PowerPoint slide show repeat

Microsoft's page on self-running presentations gives the main route:

1. Open your deck and go to the Slide Show tab.
2. Select Set Up Slide Show.
3. Under Show type, choose Browsed at a kiosk (full screen).
4. Select OK.

Microsoft describes that option as looping your slide show until the person watching presses Esc. It's the one to choose for an unattended screen.

The loop checkbox in the PowerPoint Set Up Show box

In the same dialog box there's a section called Show options. Microsoft lists a check box there, Loop continuously until 'Esc', described as the way to play a sound file or animation continuously. Choosing the kiosk show type is the route Microsoft gives for repeating the whole slide show, so if you're after a repeating deck, start there. If you only want a sound or animation to keep going while you present, the check box is the one to look at.

Making a looping PowerPoint move on by itself

A loop that waits for a click isn't much use on an empty stand. In the Set Up Show box, under Advance slides, Microsoft offers two choices:

Setting	What it does
Manually	You move to each slide yourself during the show
Using timings, if present	Slides move on automatically using the timings you've recorded

Pick Using timings, if present, then make sure each slide has a time. Microsoft says slide timings set the pace of a self-running presentation.

Setting how long each slide stays on screen in a looping PowerPoint

There are two ways. The first is to rehearse. Microsoft says to select Rehearse Timings on the Slide Show tab. The timer starts immediately, and the Rehearsal toolbar lets you move on with Next, stop the clock with Pause, type an exact length in the Slide Time box or restart the current slide with Repeat. At the end, a message shows the total time and asks whether to keep the timings. Select Yes to keep them.

The second way, which I find handier when every slide should last the same, is to set a time on each slide on the Transitions tab, under Advance Slide, using the After box. If you want both a click and a timer to work, tick On Mouse Click and After together and the slide advances on whichever comes first.

Adding sound or narration to a PowerPoint that loops

Microsoft notes you can record narration for a self-running deck. On the Slide Show tab, in the Set Up group, use the arrow on Record, choose From Current Slide or From Beginning, then select Start Recording. To end, right-click the slide and select End Show. The timings are saved automatically.

If you'd like music underneath, PowerPoint's audio Playback tab has Play in Background and Loop until Stopped settings. Only use music you have the right to play in a public place.

Looping a PowerPoint in the web version

This is the bit that catches people out. Microsoft's help says looping a slide show is not supported in PowerPoint for the web. If you need a loop, open the file in the desktop app. There's no workaround on Microsoft's page, so I won't invent one.

Starting and stopping a looping PowerPoint show

• Start it from the Slide Show tab by selecting From Beginning.
• Stop it by pressing Esc, which ends the slide show according to Microsoft.
• If a screen at an event will be near the public, think about whether a visitor pressing Esc matters, and where the keyboard sits.
• Test the whole loop at least twice before the event begins, then leave it running while you do something else, to see if it really repeats.

If your team uses Google instead, the equivalent job is in my guide to looping Google Slides. For the design side of a deck that runs without you, my notes on creating a great PowerPoint presentation are a good starting point.

If your PowerPoint won't loop

1. Check the show type. Browsed at a kiosk (full screen) is the one Microsoft says loops the show.
2. Check Advance slides is set to Using timings, if present, and that each slide has a time.
3. Make sure you're in the desktop app, because Microsoft says looping isn't supported on the web.
4. If it stops on the last slide, reopen Set Up Slide Show and confirm the settings saved.
5. Menus vary by version, so search the Slide Show tab for Set Up Slide Show if it has moved.

Frequently asked questions

How do I loop a PowerPoint?

On the Slide Show tab, select Set Up Slide Show and, under Show type, choose Browsed at a kiosk (full screen). Microsoft says this loops your slide show until someone presses Esc.

Why does my looping PowerPoint not advance?

It needs timings. Set Advance slides to Using timings, if present, and give each slide a time, either with Rehearse Timings or on the Transitions tab.

How do I stop a looping PowerPoint?

Press Esc, which ends the slide show.

Can I loop a PowerPoint in the web version?

No. Microsoft says looping a slide show is not supported in PowerPoint for the web, so use the desktop app.

What does Loop continuously until Esc do?

Microsoft lists it under Show options as the setting to play a sound file or animation continuously.