How to Record a PowerPoint Presentation With Voice and Camera

If you've ever been asked to send your slides to someone who can't join the live call, you know the awkward options: a deck with no context, or a long email trying to explain every slide. A recorded presentation fixes that. Your voice, your pointer and your timing travel with the file.

Microsoft has two versions of this feature, a newer one and a classic one, and which you see depends on your copy of PowerPoint. I'll take them in turn, using Microsoft's own help page, and then cover what to do with the finished recording.

Recording a PowerPoint presentation in the newer Record tab

In the newer experience, Microsoft says all the recording tools sit on the Record tab of the ribbon, and you can begin by selecting the Record button. The sequence goes like this:

1. Open your deck and select Record.
2. Check your camera and microphone icons at the top. You can switch either on or off.
3. Select Start recording and wait for the countdown.
4. Talk through the slide. Use the arrows to move to the previous or next slide.
5. Select Pause if you need a breather, or Stop when you've finished.
6. Select Play to review what you've made.

One note from Microsoft that saves a lot of re-takes: narration won't record during slide transitions, so let the transition finish before you start speaking.

Using your notes as a teleprompter while you record in PowerPoint

If your slides already have speaker notes, Microsoft says they appear as text at the top of the screen so you can read them like a teleprompter. There's an auto-scroll option, and you can set the scroll speed to suit how you talk. The Views menu lets you switch between Teleprompter, Presenter View and Slide View.

If you haven't written notes yet, it's worth doing it first. My guide to adding speaker notes in Google Slides shows the same idea in Google's app, and the principle is identical: a short line per slide beats a full script.

Adding your face, blurring the room and marking up slides

The newer recorder has extras that help a small business owner look polished without a studio:

• Cameo: Microsoft says you can add a camera view that can be resized, repositioned and formatted to go with your slide content. Select Edit, then Cameo.
• Camera mode: choose Show Background or Blur Background.
• Markup: the onscreen laser, coloured pens and highlighters are recorded as well.
• Change devices: the Select more options icon lets you pick a different camera or microphone.

Redoing a PowerPoint recording that didn't go well

You don't have to start again from slide one. Microsoft says Delete lets you quickly remove and re-record the video on the current slide or on all slides. Clear deletes the recorded narration, and Reset to Cameo also replaces the narration with the camera feed for an easy retake. Pick the smallest option that fixes the problem.

Saving your PowerPoint recording as a video

When you're done, Microsoft's steps are to select Export, then Export Video. After the export succeeds you can select View and share video. You can return to your deck at any time by selecting Edit.

Think about who's going to watch it. A video is easy to forward, which is good for a client update but less good if the slides hold anything confidential. Tell people who are in the recording or on camera that it's being kept, and check any rules that apply to you.

The classic way to record a PowerPoint slide show

Older versions use the Recording tab, which you may need to switch on. Microsoft's classic steps:

1. Go to File, then Options, then Customize Ribbon, and tick the Recording box.
2. On the Recording tab or the Slide Show tab, select Record. The upper half starts on the current slide, and the lower half lets you choose from the beginning or the current slide.
3. The Recording window opens. Click the round red button, or press R, and a three-second countdown begins.
4. Pick a pen, eraser or highlighter from the tools under the slide if you want to mark up.
5. Select the square Stop button, or press S, to end.

A small picture appears in the lower-right corner of each recorded slide. It's an audio icon, or a still from your webcam if the camera was on. Microsoft says the timings are saved automatically and shown under each slide in Slide Sorter view.

Playing back and exporting a classic PowerPoint recording

According to Microsoft, what you record this way is embedded in each slide and plays in Slide Show view. A video file is not created by that process. To check it, go to Slide Show and select From Beginning or From Current Slide, and your animations, inking, audio and video will play in sync. If you need a video, you save the presentation as a video with a few extra steps.

The Clear command deletes narrations or timings, so be careful with it. It's greyed out until you've recorded something.

Making your PowerPoint recording easier to watch

• Keep it to the point. People rarely watch a long recording to the end.
• Say the slide's main idea in your first sentence.
• Pause for a second after each transition.
• Record in a quiet room, with the microphone close, before you worry about anything else.
• If you want help with what goes on the slides, read my guide to building a great PowerPoint presentation.

Nervous about speaking to a blank screen? You're not alone, and my piece on overcoming stage fright before a presentation has ways to calm down before you press the red button.

If you can't record your PowerPoint presentation

1. Look for the Record tab, or the Recording tab in the classic version, which you may have to switch on in Options.
2. Check that your camera and microphone icons are on and the right device is selected.
3. Make sure your computer has a working microphone, which Microsoft lists as a requirement for narration.
4. If Clear and Eraser are greyed out, that just means nothing has been recorded or inked yet.
5. Menus vary by version, so if your ribbon looks different, search it for Record.

Frequently asked questions

How do I record a PowerPoint presentation?

Select the Record button or open the Record tab, check your camera and microphone, select Start recording after the countdown, talk through your slides and select Stop when you're done.

How do I save a PowerPoint recording as a video?

Select Export, then Export Video. When the export has finished you can select View and share video.

Can I use my notes as a script while recording?

Yes. Microsoft says notes appear as text at the top of the screen in Teleprompter view, with an auto-scroll option.

How do I redo one slide of a PowerPoint recording?

Use Delete to remove the recording on the current slide or all slides, then record again. Clear removes narration only.

Does the classic recording make a video file?

No. Microsoft says the classic recording is embedded in each slide and plays in Slide Show, and a video needs a few extra steps.