PowerPoint has a wide range of options for setting up video playback. In this post, I will tell you how to make a video auto-play on PowerPoint. You can find detailed instructions on the post “How to embed a video in PowerPoint.”
When you may need to use autoplay video in PowerPoint:
- When you use the video as an animated background. You can place the video on the bottom layer or in the master slide and it will play automatically regardless of mouse clicks on the slide elements.
- When a video is a significant informational component of a PPT slide and you don’t want the user to ignore it.
What types of videos can you make with auto-play playback? You can add a video file from your computer or online videos inserted with a link from a source, like YouTube or Vimeo.
Instructions
- Click on the video you want to auto-play. The active video will be highlighted with white marketing around the edges.
If you can’t select the video by clicking it, it means the video was added with a master slide. To edit, go to the top menu, and click on “View” > “Slide Master.” Find the master slide with the video you want.
2. With the video selected, the additional items “Video format” tab > “Playback” will appear in the top menu bar.
3. Under the “Playback” tab, locate the “Start” button. From the drop-down list, choose the “Automatically” option. Your video will now play automatically when the slide is displayed.
More PowerPoint auto-play video options
You can use advanced video settings to get the best result for your demonstration. Click on the “Playback” tab in the “playback settings” section.
- “Volume” – Control the volume of the video. For example, when using a video as a background, it is recommended that you mute the audio track completely, using the “Mute” list option. This function does not work for videos inserted from YouTube or Vimeo.
- “Play in full Screen” – This feature expands the video to full-screen even if the video is a different size in the video settings. That is, when you go to such an auto-play slide, the video will be displayed full-screen.
- “Hide During Show” – Completely hides the video after demonstration. Useful if you want to use one slide to show both a video and related content. This feature doesn’t work for videos inserted from YouTube or Vimeo.
- “Loop Until Stopped” – The option to play the video “infinitely.” The video will start playing again right after it ends. This option does not work for videos inserted from YouTube or Vimeo.
- “Rewind after playing” – After playing, the video will rewind to the beginning. But when this option is enabled along with “Automatically,” the video will only be played once. This feature does not work for videos inserted from YouTube or Vimeo.
In the video demonstration mode, you can use hotkeys Ctrl + Space key to pause/play, or Esc to exit the demonstration mode.
The “Add Bookmark” feature that adds mile-points to Timeline videos does not fully work in auto playback mode.
Conclusion
Videos in presentations can be used as informational or decorative elements. The variety of video customization options will help you to achieve the desired result. MS PowerPoint’s basic tools already include default video tools, and you don’t need to use additional software. Experiment and create amazing effects by combining static PowerPoint elements with video.