Insert and play a video file from your computer to Powerpoint Slide

Insert and play a video file from your computer to Powerpoint Slide – Depending on the version of PowerPoint that you’re using, you can insert an embedded video (the default behavior) or link to a video file stored on your computer.

Inserting an embedded video is convenient, but it increases the size of your presentation.

A linked video keeps your presentation file smaller, but links can break. We recommend storing presentations and linked videos in the same folder.

Insert and play a video file from your computer to Powerpoint Slide Windows User

Supported video formats

We recommend that you use .mp4 files encoded with H.264 video (a.k.a. MPEG-4 AVC) and AAC audio.

Embed a video stored on your PC

1. In Normal view, click the slide that you want the video to be in.
2. On the Insert tab, click the arrow under Video, and then select This Device (or Video on My PC).
3. In the Insert Video box, click the video that you want, and then click Insert.

Link to a video stored on your PC

To help prevent broken links, we recommend copying the video into the same folder as your presentation, and then linking to it there.

1. In Normal view, click the slide where you want the link to the video to be in.
2. On the Insert tab, click the arrow under Video, and then select This Device (or Video on My PC).
3. In the Insert Video box, click the file that you want to link to, click the down arrow next to the Insert button, and then click Link to File.

Newer versions of PowerPoint support the playback of video with multiple audio tracks. They also support closed captions and subtitles that are embedded in video files.

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Find out where a linked video is stored

If there’s already a video on a slide and you want to know where it’s stored, go to File > Info. Under Optimize Media Compatibility, there will be information about all media files in the presentation—whether they are linked or embedded in the file.  If there are any linked videos, PowerPoint gives you a View Links hyperlink. Click it to open a dialog box that shows the storage location of any linked files. 

Preview a video

When a video is selected on a slide, a toolbar appears below the video that has a play/pause button, a progress bar, incremental forward/backward buttons, a timer, and a volume control. Click the Play button at the left of that toolbar to preview the video.

Play a video automatically or when clicked

By default, in Slide Show, the video plays as part of the click sequence.   That means that when you click anywhere on the slide to advance to the next step (or when you press the Spacebar, Right arrow key, or other key that advances to the next step) the video plays. This Start option is called In Click Sequence.

But if you prefer, you can make the video start automatically as soon as it appears onscreen, or make it play when it is clicked:

1. Select the video frame.
2. On the ribbon, on the Playback tab, open the Start list and choose the option you prefer:

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Insert and play a video file from your computer to Powerpoint Slide macOS User

We recommend that you use .mp4 files encoded with H.264 video (a.k.a. MPEG-4 AVC) and AAC audio.

To get the correct instructions, select the version of PowerPoint that you’re using:

Insert a video stored on your computer

1. In Normal view, select the slide you’d like to add a video to.
2. On the Insert tab, click Video, then click Movie from File.
3. In the Choose a Movie dialog box, select the file you want to insert.
   • If you want to embed the video on the slide, simply click Insert.
   • If you want to put a link to the video on the slide, click Options at the lower left corner of the dialog box, and then select the Link to file box, and then click Insert.

Once you’ve added a video to your presentation, you can add effects and choose whether the video plays automatically or when it is clicked.

Tip: You can play back video that has multiple audio tracks. Closed captions and subtitles that are embedded in video files are also supported.

Insert a video from YouTube or another site

In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, or PowerPoint 2019, you can insert an online video from YouTube or Vimeo on a slide.

In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, version 1907 or later, you can also insert an online video from Microsoft Stream, a video service for enterprises—people in an organization can upload, view, and share videos with one another.

The video plays directly from the website, and it has the site’s controls for playing, pausing, volume, and so on. The PowerPoint playback features (Fade, Bookmark, Trim, and so on) don’t apply to online videos.

Because the video is stored on a web site, rather than in your presentation, you must be connected to the internet in order for the video to play successfully.

Insert a web video

1. In your web browser, locate the video you want.
2. Copy the URL of the web page from the Address bar of your browser.
3. Switch back to PowerPoint and select the slide where you want to place the video.
4. On the Insert tab of the ribbon, select Video > Online Video.
5. In the Online Video dialog box, paste the URL you copied in step 2.
6. Select Insert.

Play the video

If a video is inserted successfully, you can play it either in Normal view or Slide Show. 

• A Play button appears on the video in Normal view.
• In Slide Show, you can interact with videos just as you would in a web browser.
• By default, videos from YouTube and Vimeo play in “click sequence.” You can play the video without having to click the Play button. Just tap the spacebar to advance to the next step in your click sequence.