You can add any audio that is located on your computer, including audio files, songs from your music library, or even sound that you record.
Note In PowerPoint 2008 and earlier versions of PowerPoint, audio files are linked to the presentation rather than embedded in the presentation. For this reason, PowerPoint requires both the presentation and the audio files to play the audio. If you are using an earlier version, try putting the presentation file and the audio file in a separate folder. To e-mail the presentation, first use the built-in ability of the Mac to compress a folder of files. You can find instructions in Mac Help. In the Finder, on the menu bar, click Help. In the Search box, type ZIP, and then click Compressing files and folders.
Do any of the following:
Add audio to a slide
To prevent playback issues, you can embed your audio clips in your presentation. If you embed an audio file, you don't have to worry about lost files when you deliver your presentation because the audio file becomes part of the presentation.
- In the navigation pane, click the slide that you want to add sound to.
How to select slides in the navigation pane
- On the View menu, click Normal.
- In the top of the navigation pane, click the Slides
tab, and then click a slide.Depending on the width of the navigation pane, you will either see the 
and 
named tabs or the Slides and Outline 
icon tabs.
- Do one of the following:
| To |
Do this |
| Insert audio from a file |
On the Home tab, under Insert, click Media, and then click Audio from File.
Select an audio file, and then click Insert.
Notes
- If you want to limit the file size of your presentation, you can link to the audio file instead by selecting the Link to file check box.
- If you cannot select an audio file that plays on your computer, on the Enable pop-up menu, click All Files.
|
| Insert audio from iTunes or GarageBand |
On the Home tab, under Insert, click Media, and then click Audio Browser. On the pop-up menu, click iTunes or GarageBand, and then click an audio file and drag it onto the slide.
Note GarageBand displays if you have audio in your GarageBand folder.
|
Note When you add the audio to a slide, an icon 
appears that represents the audio file.
Preview audio on a slide
- On the slide, click the audio icon that you want to preview.
- Below the audio icon, click Play.
Set the play options for audio
- On the slide, click the icon for the audio that you want to change, and then click the Format Audio tab.
- Do any of the following:
| To |
Click |
| Play the sound automatically when the slide that contains the audio appears during the slide show |
Under Audio Options, on the Start pop-up menu, click Automatically.
|
| Control when you want to start playing the audio by clicking the mouse |
Under Audio Options, on the Start pop-up menu, click On Click.
|
| Play the audio as you click through multiple slides in your presentation |
Under Audio Options, on the Start pop-up menu, click Play Across Slides.
|
| Play an audio clip continuously until you stop it |
Under Audio Options, on the Playback Options menu, click Loop Until Stopped.
Note When you loop a sound, it plays continuously until you advance to the next slide.
|
Play a song across multiple slides
By default, audio plays only during the slide the audio is on. However, you can set an option to play audio continuously across multiple slides.
- Click the speaker icon that represents the audio file.
- Click the purple Format Audio tab that appears.
- Under Audio Options, on the Start pop-up menu, click Play Across Slides.
Tip If the presentation is longer than the song, you can loop the song to replay it. To do this, under Audio Options, click Playback Options, and then click Loop Until Stopped.
Add multiple songs to a presentation
PowerPoint can play a song across the number of slides that you specify and then play a new song starting on another slide.
- On the slide that you want the first song to start — slide 1, for example — insert the first audio file.
- Make sure that the audio icon on the slide is selected, and then on the Format Audio tab, under Audio Options, on the Start pop-up menu, click Play Across Slides.
- With the audio icon still selected, click the Animations tab, and then, under Animation Options, click the Reorder button.
- In the Custom Animation dialog box, select the song, and then toward the bottom of the Custom Animation dialog box, open the Media Options panel.
- In the After box, change the number from 999 to the number of slides you want the song to play.
For example, if you want the song to start on slide 1 and play through slide 4 and then start a new song on slide 5, you would enter 4 in the box because you want the music to play for 4 slides and then stop.
- Repeat steps 1 through 5 to add other songs.
For example, if you add a new song to slide 5, and want it to play across slides 5, 6, and 7 and then stop, you would set the Play Across Slides option, open the Custom Animation dialog box, and under Media Options, change the After box to 3 because you want the music to play for 3 slides.
Hide the audio icon during the slide show
Note Use this option only if you set the audio to play automatically.
- On the slide, click the icon for the audio that you want to change, and then click the Format Audio tab.
- Under Audio Options, on the Playback Options menu, click Hide Icon During Show.
Hide the audio icon after playing
- On the slide, click the icon for the audio that you want to change.
- On the Animations tab, under Emphasis Effects, click the Play emphasis effect.
- On the Animations tab, under Animation Options, click Reorder.
- In the Custom Animation pane, under Animation Order, click the audio effect on the list.
- In the Custom Animation pane, under Effect Options, on the After animation pop-up menu, click Hide After Animation.
See also
Record audio
Record a slide show
I can't hear an audio file
