Business Tools Blog

How to Record Narration in Microsoft PowerPoint

When you have to send a PowerPoint via email, your audience can still benefit from your brilliant commentary.

Step 1 - Buy a microphone (should cost <$20)

Step 2 - On the toolbar, Select “Slide Show” - “Record Narration”

Step 3 - Set the microphone level

• Select “Set Microphone Level” to bring up the Microphone Check dialog box
• Speak into the microphone (PowerPoint adjusts the microphone)
• Click OK.

Step 4 - On the Record Narration menu, select OK to begin the slide show

Step 5 - Narrate the slide, press Enter to advance to the next slide

• At the end of the slide show, PowerPoint asks if you want to save the slide timing
  • Select “Save” if you want PowerPoint to automatically advance slides in sequence with the recorded narration
  • To advance slides manually, select “Don’t Save”

Step 6 - See if the narration works and edit if it doesn’t work

• Press F5 or click the Slide Show button view and listen to the slide show
• You can record or re-record for a single slide by choosing “Slide Show”, “Record Narration” on that slide
  • PowerPoint asks whether you want to begin recording at the current slide or the first slide: select the Current Slide
  • When finished, press “Escape” to stop the show  (if you click your mouse or the space bar, PowerPoint will advance to the next slide and clear the previously recorded narration)
• You can delete a narration for a single slide by selecting the speaker icon (in the corner of the slide) and pressing “Delete”