PowerPoint Presenter View: Complete Tutorial

Creating an effective presentation can be a challenge. Despite the time spent preparing, the fear of public speaking or worry about forgetting important content can compromise its success.

PowerPoint’s Presenter View is the solution!

Do you know what I’m talking about?

It’s a feature, often underestimated, that allows you to confidently manage the flow of the presentation, anticipate the next slides, and have your most important notes available.

What does this mean?

It means that you can avoid the dreaded blackout effect (forgetting what to say) even under stress, and most importantly, eliminate the need to read from your slides.

Whether online or offline, techniques for making the most of Presenter View can make a surprising difference.

Using it correctly will allow you to fully control the flow of the presentation, confidently handle every question, never lose track, and always make a great impression in front of your audience.

Yet, despite its importance, it is a widely underestimated and underused feature.

In this article, we’ll analyze in detail the Presenter View:

• What it is and how it works
• Why it’s essential for creating an effective presentation
• How to set it up correctly even for online presentations
• Tips and practical examples for maximizing its use

After reading this complete guide, activating and mastering PowerPoint’s presenter view will have no more secrets for you!

Let’s not waste time, let’s get started right away, I can’t wait to show you the secrets of this powerful PowerPoint tool.

What is PowerPoint’s Presenter View

Let’s start by understanding exactly what PowerPoint’s Presenter View is and how it works.

The Presenter View is a special view that appears when presenting a PowerPoint slideshow.

What is a slideshow?

I’m simply referring to when you project your slides in full screen. From now on, we’ll call the full-screen presentation a slideshow.

Presenter View provides additional information and controls specifically designed to help you during a live presentation.

I wonder how it can be so underused…

Main features of Presenter View

• Current slide view: the main area in the top left shows the slide that the audience is viewing at that moment.

• Next slide view: in the top right, you see a thumbnail of the next slide, which allows you to always know how to continue your talk.

• Personal notes: on the right, you can add notes and reminders visible only to you as the presenter.

• The timer helps you stay on track during the presentation. You can set a time limit for each slide or the entire presentation.

• Highlighting options allow you to highlight specific parts of the slides during the presentation. This can be useful for drawing the audience’s attention to important points. Specifically, you can use tools like a laser pointer, pen, and highlighter (for the last two, you can even choose the color).

• The magnifying glass option enables you to zoom in real-time on a part of the slide.

Interesting, right? And think, this is just the beginning!

Indeed, there are many other tools that allow you to enrich your presentation dynamics in real time.

Among all of them, however, I prefer only a few which, in my opinion, make a difference.

Benefits of Presenter View in PowerPoint

The presenter view is designed to provide you with more context and greater control during a live presentation compared to the classic slideshow mode.

The benefits that this special view of PowerPoint can offer are numerous:

1. Managing stage fright – always knowing what the next slide is and having a guide with notes and reminders helps to better manage emotions and avoid awkward gaps.
2. Controlling the presentation flow – you can quickly scroll through slides, jump to any point, and adapt to questions from your audience.
3. Preparing in advance – by viewing the thumbnail of the next slide, you can better organize your comments and always be ahead, so you don’t have to wait to project your slide to know what to say.
4. Showing relevant data – custom notes are perfect for reporting numbers, quotes, or key information you want to emphasize without having to memorize them. This keeps your slides cleaner.
5. Responding to questions – by moving quickly in the presentation, you can immediately retrieve the right slide to answer an unexpected audience question.

With that said, let’s finally get down to it…

Let’s learn to use it for real!

How to Set Up PowerPoint Presenter View for Offline Presentations

Now, let’s see how to activate and correctly configure the Presenter View in PowerPoint for both online and offline presentations.

For live presentations like company speeches or conferences, you usually connect the PC to a projector, sharing the extended screen.

Be careful because “extended screen” (or extended desktop mode) is the keyword!

Follow me, I’ll explain.

In this case, indeed, activating the presenter mode is very simple.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Connect the PC to the projector

Use an HDMI or VGA cable to connect your laptop’s video output to the meeting room projector. Make sure to configure the screen in extended mode and not duplicate mode (WINDOWS + P).

2. Start the presentation in PowerPoint

From within your presentation, click on “Slideshow” > “From Beginning” to start the slideshow, or press F5.

Automatically, the Presenter View will open on your laptop, with the normal slideshow projected onto the screen in the room.

One last important consideration is to place the laptop in the right spot:

• Between you and the audience (not behind!)
• Close to you, so you can easily glance at it and access the control tools (changing slides, zoom effect, etc.)
• Not directly in front, to avoid distracting the audience’s attention

This way, you can easily control the flow of the presentation and view the extra information of the Presenter View when needed.

How to Set Up PowerPoint Presenter View for Online Presentations (e.g., on Teams) – Advanced Technique

For online presentations, a slightly different procedure must be followed.

Normally, when you share your screen on Zoom, Teams, or other video conferencing software, others would see exactly what you see on your screen.

So how to separate the Presenter View from the normal slideshow?

The trick is to split PowerPoint into two separate windows and share only the slideshow (not the entire desktop). The two windows will be:

• One window with the classic slideshow view (i.e., the full-screen presentation)
• Another window with the Presenter View (which is for you and not your audience)

Now you can share the first window with the online audience. To do this, the command to use in PowerPoint is:

ALT + SHIFT+ F5

Using only F5 would start the slideshow but you would miss the Presenter View.

Here’s the step-by-step procedure:

1. Start an online meeting on Teams

2. Start PowerPoint and activate Presenter View

Open the PPT file of your presentation. Press ALT + SHIFT + F5 to open the Presenter View in a separate window. Two overlapping windows will open:

• The classic slideshow view
• The second with the presenter view

3. Share only the window with the slide view

Return to Teams and share only the PowerPoint window containing the slideshow view (not the Presenter View!)

This way, your audience will only see the slides, while you will also see the extra information to manage the presentation more effectively.

Side-by-Side Teams and Presenter View

For online presentations, there’s an extra trick that I recommend for an even better experience. Indeed, the ideal setup (on one screen) would be 50% dedicated to Presenter View and 50% dedicated to the Teams room where you can keep an eye on the chat and see the participants throughout your presentation.

However, every time you advance the slides, you will notice that the slideshow will move to the front and Teams to the back. Therefore, it’s necessary to move the slideshow to a secondary virtual desktop so that it doesn’t interfere during the presentation.

Doing so is very simple:

1. Use the Windows + TAB combination and drag the slideshow to a secondary virtual desktop.

2. Lock the slide for viewers

Integrated Presenter View in Microsoft Teams

There’s also a version of the Presenter View integrated into Teams, which can be activated directly from PowerPoint.

Click on the “Present on Teams” button at the top of PowerPoint.

By activating this feature, you will start sharing the presentation directly on Teams.

In this scenario, you’ll have complete control over the slide flow, access to your notes, and all the writing tools for immediate interaction during the presentation.

However, be aware that if you don’t lock the “Preview” mode, your audience can freely navigate through the presentation, advancing through the slides without your control.

To ensure that everyone is viewing the slide you are projecting at all times, click on the “Preview” button.

Tips and Examples for Maximizing the Use of Presenter View

At this point, you should perfectly understand what PowerPoint’s Presenter View is and how to configure it for both online and offline presentations.

However, there are some best practices that will help you maximize the potential of this special mode. Here are my best tips and practical examples:

1. Use Notes for Statistics, Quotes, or Important Data:

The space for custom notes is excellent for including numbers, quotes, or significant data you want to emphasize during the presentation.

For instance, if you’re showing the positive trend of annual revenue, you can insert the exact figure in the notes, perhaps with a note like “record data!”.

This way, when you reach that slide, you can emphasize that number without the fear of forgetting it or reporting it inaccurately.

2. Prepare Targeted Responses to Potential Questions:

Presenter View allows you to navigate quickly to any part of the presentation. Use this feature to anticipate and prepare for potential questions your audience might ask.

For example, if you are presenting a new product, expect recurring questions like:

• When will it be available exactly?
• What is the expected price?
• What are the main features?

You can think about these questions in advance and prepare a specific slide with the answer already in the notes.

This way, when someone actually asks the question, it will be easy and quick to show the slide with all the necessary details.

3. Use the Laser to Draw Attention.

Presenter View includes a very useful laser pen tool to guide the audience’s attention to important elements during the presentation.

It’s like having a remote control for a virtual pointer, allowing you to highlight graphs, tables, or diagrams at the right moment.

For example:

• You can underline a specific line’s growth on a chart as you discuss it.
• Circle a specific part of an image related to your speech.
• Emphasize a column with relevant data in a table.

Use the laser pen sparingly, only to draw the audience’s attention where truly necessary. It’s a tool that enables better engagement with the audience.

4. Monitor the Timer for Better Time Management

Having a timer that’s visible only to you as the presenter is very useful for monitoring how long you’re actually speaking and managing the presentation’s timing effectively.

The timer starts automatically at the beginning of the presentation, allowing you to discreetly yet effectively keep track of the time.

For example, you can:

• Set visual tags with Post-it notes every 5-10 minutes as a visual reminder.
• Manage a final Q&A session better if you’re ending early.
• Speed up if you notice you’re taking too long.

This allows you to adjust the pace of your presentation to adhere to the scheduled timing.

Conclusion

As you can understand, knowing how to manage and correctly configure PowerPoint’s Presenter View is a fundamental skill for creating truly effective presentations.

In summary, you should now be able to:

• Understand what PowerPoint’s Presenter Mode is and how it works.
• Easily configure it for both online and offline presentations.
• Utilize secondary virtual desktops to place the slideshow and split your main screen between PowerPoint and Teams for total control.
• Activate Presenter View integrated in Microsoft Teams.

Bookmark this article and refer back to it whenever you have an important presentation.

Share these tips with colleagues to enhance the professionalism of your entire organization!

Now, try applying these best practices in your next presentation and observe the improvements with PowerPoint’s Presenter View.

Good luck with your presentation!

Key Takeaways

👁️‍🗨️ Presenter View offers extra information like next slide preview, a space for notes, and drawing tools.

👨‍🏫 It helps manage anxiety and control the presentation flow, always knowing what to say.

💻 For online presentations, use ALT + SHIFT + F5 to split the screen and share only the slideshow.

🖥️ The ideal setup involves half the screen for Presenter View and half for Teams, keeping an eye on chat and participants.

📝 Use notes for statistics, quotes, or responses to potential questions.

⌛ Monitor the timer to manage presentation time effectively.

🔎 The laser pointer highlights important elements.

🤓 With these tips, your next presentation will be a success!

FAQ

How do I set up Presenter View in PowerPoint?

To activate Presenter Mode in PowerPoint, connect your PC to a projector and make sure to set the screen to extended mode. Start the presentation in PowerPoint and the Presenter View will automatically open on your laptop.

What happens when using Presenter View?

Using Presenter View, the presenter has access to additional controls and information during the presentation, such as views of the current and next slide, personal notes, and highlighting tools.

How do I use Presenter Mode in PowerPoint?

In Presenter Mode, you can navigate between slides, add notes visible only to you, and use tools like the laser pointer to highlight specific elements during the presentation.

How do I view notes in PowerPoint?

In Presenter Mode, notes can be added and viewed in a dedicated section on the right side of the screen. These notes are visible only to the presenter and not to the audience.

How do I view notes in presentation mode?

During the presentation, the notes are visible in the Presenter View on the presenter’s screen, while the audience only sees the slides without the notes.

Some illustrations were taken from Freepik and modified by MLC Design Team