zoom in on powerpoint during presentation

Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Claim Your FREE Training Module and Get Your Time Back!

How to zoom in on PowerPoint slides (3 different techniques)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• December 27, 2017

How do you zoom in on something in PowerPoint without PowerPoint first centering in on your slide?

This was a great question we got from subscriber Derek (thanks Derek!).

And it’s not so intuitive…

For example, let’s say you want to zoom in on a specific icon or two to edit them, like in the picture below. How do you do it without scrolling around, driving yourself crazy?

In this tutorial, you’ll learn 3 different ways to zoom in PowerPoint, plus a few sneaky places you might never have thought of zooming in PowerPoint before.

Looking for the NEW Zoom Transition?

If you want to learn all about the brand new Zoom Transition in PowerPoint that was added in 2016, see our other guide here .

The problem with the standard PowerPoint zoom

The problem with the standard PowerPoint zoom, is that PowerPoint automatically goes to the center of your slide as you zoom in.

The center zoom is great if the object that you want to edit is in the center of your slide, but if it’s not, that means you have to use the scroll bars to find what you are looking for.

The problem with the scroll bars is that they are hard to control, often jumping you over to the next slide as you try to find the object that you want to edit.

So instead of making your life easier (which is what they were designed to do), they make it harder.

3 Ways to Zoom in on an Object

There are three different ways you can zoom in on a PowerPoint slide:

• The View tab Zoom command (zoom dialog box)
• The Zoom slider at the bottom of the screen
• The CTRL + mouse spin wheel shortcut (my personal favorite because it’s universal, as you’ll see in a second)

If you are looking for the new zoom transition, you can learn more about what that is on the Microsoft blog here .

Pro Tip: Use the ‘Fit to Window’ tools

After zooming in on something in PowerPoint, you can quickly refit your PowerPoint window in one of two ways:

• ‘Fit slide to current window’ in the lower right-hand corner your screen
• ‘Fit to Window’ in the View tab

Zoom in on a Picture in PowerPoint

To zoom in a on a specific picture (or object) in PowerPoint, all you need to do is first select the object before you zoom. Once you select an object, any of the 3 zoom methods described above will zoom you specifically in on the object:

• The zoom dialog box
• The zoom slider
• Using CTRL plus your mouse spin wheel

This zoom trick works on anything that you can select in PowerPoint, including zooming in on a table, zooming in on a chart, zooming in on a text box, etc.

Note:  If you are trying to zoom in on a picture to show a specific part of it, you can also just crop your picture down to the desired piece.

To learn all about how to crop pictures in PowerPoint,  read our step-by-step guide here .

If you have multiple objects that you want to zoom into and edit in PowerPoint, the fastest way to do that is to:

• Select and zoom in on your first object
• Edit or format your first object
• Hit Fit Slide to Current Window
• Select and zoom in on your second object
• Edit or format your second object

If you have more than two objects, you can continue zooming in and out of your slide in this way to make all of your adjustments.

PowerPoint Thumbnail Zoom

Besides zooming in on a slide while editing it, you can also use the CTRL + mouse spin wheel shortcut to zoom in on the thumbnail images of your PowerPoint slides on the left.

Zooming in on the thumbnail images allows you to control how much of your presentation you see, and how much slide editing space you give yourself on the right.

Zooming in allows you to get a big thumbnail image of each of the preceding and following slides, while zooming out gives you an idea of how many slides are in your presentation.

Slide Sorter View Zoom

Another place you can zoom in PowerPoint to see the overall flow of your presentation, is Slide Sorter View. To open the Slide Sorter View, simply click the slide Sorter  command at the bottom of your screen.

All three zoom methods work in the Slide Sorter View:

Zooming in and out of the Slide Sorter View is useful when you want to see the overall flow of your slides within your presentation at varying levels of detail.

Slide Show View zoom

Two other places you can zoom in PowerPoint are the Slide Show Mode (F5) and Presenter View (SHIFT + F5) of your presentation. To see these PowerPoint shortcuts in action, check out the video below.

Start Slide Show PowerPoint Shortcuts

There are four keyboard shortcuts for starting slide show in PowerPoint:

Once you are in one of the presentation views of your slides, you can zoom in or zoom out by either using the CTRL + mouse spin wheel shortcut (if you have a mouse), or you can use the keyboard shortcuts listed below.

• Zooming in allows you to focus on a specific section of your slide (focusing your audience’s attention on that section).
• Zooming out allows you to see all the slides in your presentation as thumbnails.

This is often an easier way to navigate the slides in your presentation if someone wants to go back and see something, rather than trying to remember where it was in your presentation.

Knowing how to properly zoom in and out of the objects you want to edit in PowerPoint will save you a ton of time.

The key to remember is that PowerPoint will use the object you have selected as the focal point of your zoom.

If you enjoyed this tutorial and want to learn more about our other PowerPoint tutorials and free resources,  visit us here .

What’s next?

Related articles, about the author.

Popular Tutorials

• How to Strikethrough Text (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) in Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Make Animated Fireworks in PowerPoint (Step-by-Step)
• Strikethrough Shortcut (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) for Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Create a Flash Card Memory Game in PowerPoint (Like Jeopardy)
• Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working: Solved

PowerPoint Tutorial Categories

• Strategies & Opinions
• Presentation Design
• Pictures, Icons, Videos, Etc.
• New Features
• Miscellaneous
• Charts & Data Viz

We help busy professionals save hours and gain peace of mind, with corporate workshops, self-paced courses and tutorials for PowerPoint and Word.

Work With Us

• Corporate Training
• Presentation & Template Design
• Courses & Downloads
• PowerPoint Articles
• Word Articles
• Productivity Resources

Find a Tutorial

• Free Training
• For Businesses

We help busy office workers save hours and gain peace of mind, with tips, training and tutorials for Microsoft PowerPoint and Word.

Master Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Secure Your FREE Training Module and Save Valuable Time!

⌛ Master time-saving expert techniques.

🔥 Create powerful presentations.

🚀 Propel your career to new heights.

We value your privacy – we keep your info safe.

Discover PowerPoint Hacks Loved by Industry Giants - KKR, AmEx, HSBC!

Over 114,880 professionals in finance, marketing and sales have revolutionized their PPT skills with our proven methods. 

Gain FREE access to a full module of our premium PowerPoint training program – Get started today!

We hate spam too and promise to keep your information safe.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook . To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

Screen sharing a PowerPoint presentation

There are three methods you can use to screen share a PowerPoint presentation in a Zoom meeting. If you have dual monitors, you can share a slide show while viewing the presenter's notes on another monitor. If you have a single monitor, you can also start the slide show in a window so you have access to other meeting features while sharing your presentation. 

If you have other participants presenting portions of the PowerPoint, you can give them slide control in Zoom, so that they can control the slideshow on their end, without needing to ask you to move the slides forward. Additionally, PowerPoint slides can be shared as a Virtual Background for a more immersive sharing experience. 

This article covers:

Dual monitors with slide show and presenter's views

Single-monitor setup with slide show view in a window, single-monitor setup with slide show in full screen.

Follow these steps if you are using multiple monitors and want to present your PowerPoint in one monitor, while viewing the presenter's notes in another monitor.

• Open the PowerPoint file you want to present.
• Start or join a Zoom meeting.

• Select your primary monitor then click Share . If you are not sure which monitor is your primary, select the one that PowerPoint opens in.

• Switch back to Powerpoint and click the Slide Show tab. 

Follow these steps if you have a single monitor and want to share your PowerPoint presentation in slide show view, but have it contained in a window rather than in full screen. This is useful if you need to access meeting features, such as in-meeting chat or managing participants, while sharing your PowerPoint presentation.

• Click the Slide Show tab and then select Set Up Slide Show .
• Under Show type , select Browsed by an individual (window) and then click OK .

• In Zoom, start or join a meeting .
• Select the PowerPoint window and then click Share .

Note : Be sure you select the PowerPoint window, not the entire screen. Sharing the PowerPoint window only will allow you to use other features without interrupting the view of the presentation. 

• Select your monitor then click Share . 

Magnify a slide in Slide Show view

While delivering your PowerPoint presentation using Presenter view, you can magnify slide content on the screen.

Note: The process steps below replace the previous zoom method which used the magnifying glass cursor and bright rectangle selection. Additionally, zooming out does not open the see-all-slides view. To see all slides, use the shortcut 'G'.  

In the lower-right corner of your screen select Slide Show view. 

In the lower-left corner of the screen, select the magnifying glass icon. Note that your slide has been centrally zoomed by 200% and the cursor is now a magnifying glass.

Move the magnification rectangle to the area of the slide you want to focus on, then click to magnify. 

The cursor becomes a hand symbol, indicating that you can click and drag to move to another part of the enlarged slide. 

To exit zoom mode and return to standard view, press Esc , or re-click the magnifying glass icon located at the lower left margin of the screen.

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

How to Use the Zoom Effect in PowerPoint

Here are some tips on how to use the Zoom effect in PowerPoint to make your presentation more interactive.

PowerPoint offers many ways to make your presentations more interesting, and the zoom tool is one of the best, as it's attractive and practical.

Let’s explore what this feature is and how to use its zoom effect in your PowerPoint projects to quickly jump between slides, draw attention to important sections, and more.

What Is the Zoom Tool in PowerPoint?

As the name suggests, PowerPoint’s zoom lets you hone in on parts of your presentation while the slideshow is running. You may need to revisit slides you already mentioned, for example, or want to keep the presentation small.

All-in-all, there are three formats for your zoom effect: summary, section, and slide. With these at your disposal, as well as additional settings, you can make your project very impressive and interactive. There are some requirements in order to be able to use zooms, so check Microsoft’s support guide for more details on the feature.

How to Use Zoom on PowerPoint

On PowerPoint, go to Insert , and you’ll find the Zoom button in your Links section. If you click the arrow, you’ll find your three formats, which will open more options once set up.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of what Zoom tools you have and how you can make the most of them. They can really come in handy when building engaging presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint .

1. Use Summary Zoom

Once you’ve created a few slides, select Summary Zoom to open a new window, where you select the slides your zoom is to highlight as your presentation’s milestones, whether you added actual sections or not.

With your selection ticked, hit the Insert button, and a new slide will appear under Summary Section and containing your whole presentation behind the milestones you chose.

Basically, whatever comes after each of these slides will appear in your slideshow, but you can choose to zoom out of that section, move to another, and return later to go through these slides.

This is the beauty of Summary Zoom . It replaces your slideshow, putting it all onto a single slide instead, where you can easily jump in and out of the sections you need.

Finally, if you select the zoom feature on your summary slide, its toolbar will open and offer you options specific to this format, also available on the zoom’s menu when you right-click it:

• Edit Summary , taking you back to the slide selection window.
• Reset Layout , in case you regret adjustments you made to the summary.
• Change Image for the slides displayed in the summary.

2. Use Section Zoom

This effect is for jumping to a section from a particular slide. Let’s say you put a simple outline of your complex presentation on a slide, and you want to be able to quickly refer to it at different stages of the slideshow. PowerPoint has the answer.

Select a slide, go to your Zoom menu, and click Section Zoom . You’ll get a similar window as before, so you can choose the section you need to jump to.

Once done, PowerPoint will insert the zoom effect to your slide in the form of another slide, the one that starts the section you chose. It will also display how many additional slides the section contains.

You can resize and move the zoom feature around, as well as choose a better image for it from the Zoom toolbar or the feature’s right-click menu. So, even if you download PowerPoint templates from sites , you can add and customize zooms to your heart’s content.

3. Use Slide Zoom

If your presentation doesn’t have sections, but you want to jump to specific parts, try Slide Zoom . When setting it up, you only need to choose one or multiple slides you want to zoom to while presenting.

Like with Section Zoom , the feature will sit on a slide of your choice and will activate when you click on it, at which point you can run through its subsequent slides or go back to the feature’s home slide.

Keep in mind that you can go back and forth on PowerPoint presentations by clicking the arrow icons on each slide or using the arrows on your keyboard. Additionally, you can change the image of each Slide Zoom feature you add to your presentation using the same button as before.

How to Customize Your Zoom's Actions in PowerPoint

You can change many things about your zooms from their toolbar, starting with how they behave during your PowerPoint presentation.

These settings are in Zoom Options alongside the customization tools for each zoom type. You get three extra tools:

• Return to Zoom , which ensures that the presentation jumps back to your zoom’s home slide or section.
• Zoom Transition , which automates the return to your zoom.
• Duration refers to the above transition.

If you like using PowerPoint’s animations pane , feel free to explore how to make your zooms fly in and out of the screen in a pleasing way.

Choose Your Zoom's Style

The best thing you can customize is the zoom’s appearance, from its frame to its effects. This means you can blend it into your presentation very smoothly.

In the Zoom Style toolbar, you’ll find a range of outlines for your feature, which you can adjust further with the Zoom Border tool. Then, you have Zoom Effects , containing all sorts of impressive ways to make the feature pop, including Shadow , Glow , and 3D Rotation .

If you’d rather not deal with frames and effects, however, you can just click Zoom Background and use the home slide as the feature’s backdrop. Further changes may be necessary to blend the zoom and slide in effectively. You could even make your image’s background transparent before attaching it to the slide.

Arrange Your Zoom's Objects

PowerPoint also offers tools to rearrange zooms on their slides. First off, click on Selection Pane to see all the slide’s objects.

Then, you can bring any object forward or backward, change its alignment, and rotate them. So, it’s not just your zoom you can adjust, but everything else on the slide, too.

Change the Size of Your Zoom

While you can simply click and drag the edges of a zoom to make it bigger or smaller, you also have the Size section on the toolbar.

At first glance, you can only adjust the height and width of the zoom, but if you click the task pane icon, you’ll find several more options for the zoom’s size and position.

For example, besides choosing the dimensions and placement of your zoom, you can lock the aspect ratio you chose and even set the best resolution for your slideshow.

Add Alt Text to Your Zoom

A final cool tool for your presentation’s zoom effects lets you add alt text to them, so you can accommodate viewers who have low vision or blindness.

All you do is select a zoom and click Alt Text on the toolbar. A pane opens, where you can type in a description for the zoom or mark it as decorative.

Screen readers and apps for the blind and visually impaired , with the right tools, will be able to tell their users whether the zoom as a feature is informative or just an ornament.

Put PowerPoint’s Zoom Effects to Good Use

Now that you know what zooms can do for PowerPoint projects, consider how you can use them. Structure your slideshows well, and you’ll be able to create some highly interactive presentations, whether you’re there to present them or not.

A photographer, author, or job seeker could set up a portfolio that zooms into their works and achievements. Whole training sessions could be made compact and easier to follow thanks to PowerPoint’s zoom tool. Get to know its full capabilities.

Zoom: Screen Sharing Options with PowerPoint and Notes During a Meeting

There are several different ways to share your screen  when running a Zoom meeting with slides in PowerPoint or Keynote. This article covers the following topics:

• Windows OS instructions
• Mac OS instructions
• Resizable window in Keynote
• Share individual window in PowerPoint

Sharing your PowerPoint slides only without notes

If you want to share your PowerPoint while using the Presenter View with your notes but only show the slides, the following are steps you could take to do that:

Open your PowerPoint presentation. 

In Zoom, click on Share Screen .

Click on the Advanced Tab.

• Select Portion of Screen (Allows you to share just a portion of your screen.  When you start sharing, it will display a color rectangle that you can click on and move around and re-size to share just the portion of the screen defined by that rectangle.)
• Click on Share .

For Windows OS in PowerPoint

• Click on the Slide Show tab 
• This allows you to display the slides with the notes you prepared in the notes pane.
• Click “Present from Begining under Slide Show” 
• This way, only the slides will display to the students. 

For Mac OS in PowerPoint

• Click the Slide Show tab  
• Click “Presenter View”  
• If you have Dual Monitors, there is also an option to Swap Displays if needed.

Other Options

Resizable window in keynote.

Another option is to view the presentation in a resizable window (not full screen).

• Make sure Keynote is updated
• Choose Play>Play Slideshow in Window.

Share Individual Window in Powerpoint

• Choose "Browsed by an individual (window)" and only share that window when you share your screen.  This will allow you to have your notes displayed in another document and only show the slides. 

Learn more about different ways to share your screen, content, or camera in Zoom .

CONNECT WITH US

How-To Geek

How to add section and slide zooms in microsoft powerpoint.

Want more professional transitions for your presentation?

Quick Links

Create a section zoom in powerpoint, create a slide zoom in powerpoint, customize a section or slide zoom.

If you want to move to a different slide or section in your presentation, you can easily add a link on your slide . But by using a Section or Slide Zoom in PowerPoint, you can make that move look professional.

In Microsoft PowerPoint, a Section or Slide Zoom places an image on your slide instead of linked text. In addition, when you click to visit that section or slide, you'll see a nice zoom effect. You can customize the displayed image, duration of the zoom effect, and additional actions.

As of this writing at the beginning of April 2022, you can create a Section or Slide Zoom on Windows with Microsoft 365 and in PowerPoint 2019 or later. For Mac and mobile PowerPoint users, you can play a Zoom, but not create one.

Using sections in PowerPoint is a good way to divide your presentation into separate portions. Whether you use it to organize your slideshow or show only particular sections to certain audiences, sections are handy tools.

Related: How to Organize a Microsoft PowerPoint Slideshow Using Sections

To create a Section Zoom, you'll need your sections set up ahead of time. When you're ready, go to the slide where you want to add the Section Zoom.

Head to the Insert tab and Links section of the ribbon. Click the Zoom drop-down arrow and pick "Section Zoom."

In the Insert Section Zoom window that appears, check the box next to the section you want to use. You can also include zooms for multiple sections. Click "Insert."

You'll see the Section Zoom pop onto your slide. It's similar in appearance to a static image of the first slide in that section. You can move the zoom by selecting and dragging it or resize it by dragging a corner or edge.

When you present the slideshow, click the Section Zoom. You'll see the zoom effect as you land on the first slide in that section. By default, you'll advance through each slide in the section and return to the zoom. This can be changed as described in the customization options below.

Similar to a Section Zoom in PowerPoint is the Slide Zoom. If you don't use sections in your slideshow or simply want the ability to jump to a certain slide , this is the way to go.

Related: How to Link to Another Slide in the Same PowerPoint Presentation

Go to the slide where you want the Slide Zoom. Then, head to the Insert tab and Links section of the ribbon. Click the Zoom drop-down arrow and pick "Slide Zoom."

In the Insert Slide Zoom window that opens, check the box next to the slide you want to use. You can also include zooms for multiple slides; however, you might consider using a Summary Zoom in this case instead. Click "Insert."

Like the Section Zoom, you'll see the Slide Zoom on your slide where you can drag to move or resize it.

When you present the slideshow, click the Slide Zoom. You'll see the zoom effect as you land on the slide. You'll then advance through the remainder of your slideshow. However, you can return to the zoom if you prefer using a customization option below.

The customization options for Section and Slide Zooms are the same. You can adjust the zoom's actions, change the appearance, or use additional formatting tools .

Zoom Options

Select the Section or Slide Zoom you want to edit. Then, visit the Zoom tab that displays. On the left side, you have the following actions you can adjust in the Zoom Options section.

Change Image : If you prefer to display an image rather than the slide for the zoom, select this option. You can then insert a picture from a file, stock images, online pictures, or from icons.

Return to Zoom : To go back to the zoom on the slide, check this box. For a Section Zoom, you'll return after advancing to the last slide in the section. For a Slide Zoom, you'll return after viewing that particular slide.

Zoom Transition : While the intent of a Section or Slide Zoom is to provide a transition effect, you may prefer to use the feature without that effect. Uncheck the Zoom Transition box to remove the effect.

Duration : If you decide to keep the Zoom Transition , you can use the Duration field to change the length of the effect. Enter a number in seconds or use the arrows to increase or decrease the duration.

Related: How to Use the Morph Transition in PowerPoint

Zoom Tab Tools

Along with the above actions, you can change the zoom style, border, background, alt text, and more. Select the Section or Slide Zoom and use the tools on the Zoom tab.

Zoom Format Options

To change the fill or line, add a shadow or reflection, or scale the zoom, right-click and pick "Zoom Format Options" from the menu. The Format Section/Slide Zoom sidebar opens for you to adjust the formatting.

For a unique way to jump to a particular section or different slide in your PowerPoint presentation, check out the Section and Slide Zoom features.

TechRepublic

Account information.

Share with Your Friends

How to zoom in on small details in PowerPoint

Your email has been sent

Some Microsoft PowerPoint slides have a lot going on. There’s might be a lot of small details or some important content, and editing that content isn’t practical. When this happens, you can create a zoom shape and use the grow animation to zoom in on the detail or content you’re talking about. Doing so allows you to retain the big picture, both visually and conceptually, while focusing on the heart of the discussion. In this article, we’ll create a zoom effect by animating a special shape, which I’ll call the zoom shape.

SEE: 69 Excel tips every user should master (TechRepublic)

This technique is simple but has a few steps:

• We’ll create a duplicate slide with the same image.
• Using a shape, we’ll outline the zoom area to create a zoom shape—the area we want to draw attention to by making it larger. This is a term I made up; you won’t find it as a shape option or setting.
• We’ll merge the image and the zoom shape to remove everything but the zoom shape.
• Finally, we’ll move the zoom shape to the original slide and add the grow animation.

I’m using Microsoft 365 on a Windows 10 64-bit system, but you can use earlier versions. You can work with your own image or download the demonstration .pptx and .ppt file s. This article assumes you have basic PowerPoint skills, such as inserting shapes and applying settings.

SEE: Windows 10: Lists of vocal commands for speech recognition and dictation (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

How to create the zoom shape

We’re going to need two copies of the map image shown in Figure A . One will be the actual slide; the second will supply the zoom shape. To create a duplicate slide, right-click the original map slide in the Navigation pane and choose Duplicate Slide from the resulting submenu ( Figure A ). PowerPoint will add the second slide, which you’ll see in the Navigation pane just below the original.

Now we’re ready to create the zoom shape by covering that area with an oval shape and then merging the map image and the shape. Move to the second slide (if necessary) and then click the Insert tab. Grab the oval shape (in the Basic Shapes section) and while dragging it over the southern tip of South America hold down the Shift key to get a perfect circle, as shown in Figure B .

With the shape still selected, use the Shape Outline option on the contextual Shape Format tab to set the outline color to red and the weight to 3 points (or anything you like).

The next step is to merge the map and the zoom shape. To do so, select both objects by selecting one, holding down the Shift key and clicking the other. With both the map and the shape selected, click the Merge Shapes dropdown (in the Insert Shapes group), and choose Intersect. Figure C shows the results; PowerPoint hides everything but the image in the zoom shape. If the Merge Shapes option is dimmed, make sure to select both the map and the shape; this feature doesn’t work with only one selected object.

At this point, I want to mention that this effect won’t always be easy to apply if the zoom area has lots of surrounding or overlapping content. In Figure C , you can see that the zoom shape includes the longitude and latitude lines on the map. I did this on purpose; a picture is worth a thousand words. If those lines distract from the zoom shape, you can look for a new map that doesn’t include those lines. Or you can continue—that’s what we’re going to do. With the zoom shape created, it’s time to move it to the original slide and add the animation.

How to animate the zoom shape

We’re ready to add the zoom shape (in the duplicate slide) to the original slide and add the animation that “zooms in.” To do so, simply paste the zoom shape to the original slide and drag it until it’s a perfect match, as shown in Figure D . In this case, those lines we talked about are helpful! If you can’t line it up perfectly, use the Nudge feature to move the zoom shape a tad. To do so, hold down the Ctrl key and click the appropriate arrow key.

With the zoom shape in place, we’re ready to move on to the last step. Before applying the animation, let’s determine how we want to trigger it. Most likely, you’ll want to use a click event; that way you can trigger the animation when you’re ready. When applying this to your own work, you can choose any event you like.

With the zoom shape selected, click the Animations tab and then click the gallery’s More button (circled in Figure E ) to expose all the animations. In the Emphasis section, click Grow/Shrink. Next, from the Effect Options dropdown, choose Huge.

You’re done! To see the effect, run the show by pressing F5. When you’re ready to see the zoom effect, as shown in Figure F , click the slide.

This zoom technique requires a few steps and as shown, a bit of thought when selecting the best image, but it’s easy to implement considering the results.

Subscribe to the Developer Insider Newsletter

From the hottest programming languages to commentary on the Linux OS, get the developer and open source news and tips you need to know. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays

• 7 tips for working more efficiently with PowerPoint shapes
• Select multiple objects in a PowerPoint slide
• Microsoft 365: A cheat sheet
• Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx and Skype: Choosing the right video-conferencing apps for you (free PDF)
• Checklist: Securing Windows 10 systems
• Everything you need to know about the Microsoft Exchange Server hack
• Must-read coverage: Windows 10

Create a TechRepublic Account

Get the web's best business technology news, tutorials, reviews, trends, and analysis—in your inbox. Let's start with the basics.

* - indicates required fields

Sign in to TechRepublic

Lost your password? Request a new password

Reset Password

Please enter your email adress. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.

Check your email for a password reset link. If you didn't receive an email don't forgot to check your spam folder, otherwise contact support .

Welcome. Tell us a little bit about you.

This will help us provide you with customized content.

Want to receive more TechRepublic news?

You're all set.

Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye out for a confirmation email from our team. To ensure any newsletters you subscribed to hit your inbox, make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts list.

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some are essential to make our site work; others help us improve the user experience. By using the site, you consent to the placement of these cookies. Read our  privacy policy  to learn more.

• EXTRA CREDIT

Zoom in on part of a slide during a PowerPoint presentation

How many times during a PowerPoint presentation have you wished that you could zoom in and show something on your slide in more detail? If you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber using the Windows version of PowerPoint, you have that feature!

If you are presenting with just one screen, here are the steps to magnifying part of the slide on the screen:

1. In the lower right corner of your PowerPoint slide, click Slide Show view to start your presentation.

2. When you are ready to zoom in on a slide, click on the magnifying glass icon in the lower left corner of the presenter view.

A lighter rectangle will appear on the slide. Point your mouse to the area of the slide you want to magnify and click. That part of the screen will be enlarged. You can toggle the magnifier on and off by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. You can also press the Esc key to exit from the magnified view.

Here is a quick video showing another way to access the feature if you are presenting using two screens.

Being able to zoom in on detail on slides is useful, especially when you have calculations that you want to emphasize. Give it a try — it is a handy trick to know.

— Wendy Tietz , CPA, CGMA, Ph.D., is a professor of accounting at Kent State University in Kent. Ohio;  Jennifer Cainas , CPA, DBA, is an instructor of accountancy at the University of South Florida in Tampa; and Tracie Miller-Nobles , CPA, is an associate professor of accounting at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas. See their site  AccountingIsAnalytics.com  for resources they have developed for teaching data analytics in introductory accounting. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact senior editor Courtney Vien at [email protected] .

Where to find May’s flipbook issue

The Journal of Accountancy is now completely digital. 

SPONSORED REPORT

Manage the talent, hand off the HR headaches

Recruiting. Onboarding. Payroll administration. Compliance. Benefits management. These are just a few of the HR functions accounting firms must provide to stay competitive in the talent game.

FEATURED ARTICLE

2023 tax software survey

CPAs assess how their return preparation products performed.

• Editor's Choice: Tech Gifts for Mom
• Amazon Prime Tech Deals!

How to Share a PowerPoint on Zoom

Share your screen, whether or not you're the presenter

• University of Vermont, Emerson College

• The Ultimate Guide to Shopping Online
• The Ultimate Guide to Online Learning at Home
• The Ultimate Guide to Skype

What to Know

• Anybody can share a PowerPoint on a Zoom call but may need permission from the call’s organizer.
• To see notes, you’ll need a second screen to divide the view or have your notes on a separate device.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to share a PowerPoint, or any presentation, on Zoom. You can do this in a few clicks for more straightforward presentations, but for more complex presentations, you may want some more tools.

How Do You Share a PowerPoint in a Zoom Meeting?

For a presentation where you don’t need to see your notes, sharing a PowerPoint is a quick process.

Open your presentation, and close any windows you won't need. This will limit clutter and distractions.

Log into your Zoom call and when you’re ready to present, click Share Screen at the bottom. Choose your presentation from the menu.

When using a single screen, you should always pick the specific program you want to share. Doing this will protect your data and prevent pop-ups and other interruptions.

Go to the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint and click From Beginning . For the smoothest presentation, do this before anyone else joins the call, where possible.

Use the controls in the lower left-hand corner or keyboard controls to move through your presentation as usual.

 Be sure to click on the Presentation window if you’re going to use keyboard controls. PowerPoint won’t acknowledge inputs from the keyboard unless you’ve deliberately clicked on the window.

How Do You Share a PowerPoint With Zoom and Still See Notes?

The best way to see your notes is to use a second monitor and PowerPoint’s Presenter View tools. Then your notes and controls are on one screen, visible only to you, and your presentation is on the other.

Open your PowerPoint and go to Presenter View to see your notes . This mode opens two windows: The presentation and the control panel.

Drag the control panel to your primary screen and the presentation window to your second screen. You’ll be able to see and control your presentation while looking directly into your webcam if you’re using it, and you won’t have to hold your neck at an angle to use the controls.

Log into the Zoom call and click Share Screen at the bottom. Choose your presentation window.

If you’ll need to present other documents or materials in addition to your presentation, have them open and minimized on your screen and share your second monitor instead. Then you can quickly bring those materials up without disrupting your flow.

Tips for a Better Zoom Presentation

If you're not the call organizer, contact them and ask what permissions they've set up and whether you'll need permission to share your screen. 

For meetings with multiple people sharing the same presentation, book a call a day before and practice "handing off" control of the slides in Zoom. Alternately, the person sharing their screen should prepare to move to the next slide when cued. Everyone should also have an up-to-date copy of the presentation, so it can continue if somebody drops out of the meeting.

Keeping Murphy's Law in mind, having your notes in one or two other places is a good idea. Consider using your phone and a printed copy to ensure that you can rely on one of the two additional sources for your notes if everything goes wrong.

To record yourself giving a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom, launch Zoom and PowerPoint; be sure to close all other applications. Create a new Zoom meeting, select Share Screen , select your PowerPoint presentation, and click Share . Launch your PowerPoint slideshow. In Zoom, choose Record > Record on This Computer . Your computer is now recording.

Join the Zoom meeting from your iPad using Zoom's mobile app for iOS. Open your PowerPoint presentation and tap Share Content from the meeting controls. You can use PowerPoint's annotation and drawing tools to make notations on your slides if you like.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

• How to Share Screen on Zoom on an iPad
• How to Use Speaker Notes in PowerPoint
• How to Share a Screen on Zoom
• How to Share Audio on Zoom
• How to Fix It When a Zoom Camera Is Not Working
• How to Hide and Unhide a Slide in PowerPoint
• How to Create a Microsoft Sway Presentation
• How to Share Your Screen on Microsoft Teams
• How to Share a Screen on Google Meet
• How to Merge PowerPoints
• How to Cast a Zoom Meeting to Your TV
• What's New in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010?
• An Introduction to PowerPoint
• How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation
• How to Add Animation to PowerPoint
• How to Screen Share on Discord

Learn Programming and technology with ease @ developerpublish.com

• What is My IP Address?
• Password Generator

How to Zoom in during a Presentation in PowerPoint?

In this post, you will see the different ways to Zoom in during a Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint .

Sometimes you will have to zoom in on your slides while presenting. It will help you to showcase your slides more clearly. Also, it enables the viewer to understand it easily.

Let’s see some of the techniques for zooming in on your slides while presenting .

• Right-Click  on the slide that you want to zoom in on while presenting.
• The pop-down menu will appear on your screen.

• Select the Zoom In option from that menu by clicking on it.
• Now, bring the highlighter to the spot you want to zoom in by dragging.

• Now, you can see the area you selected zoomed as in the below image.

To zoom out to the original slide, press the  Esc  key.

There is another simple technique to  Zoom in  on the slide during a presentation. For that, all you have to do is the below steps:

• Hold the Ctrl button and drag the Mouse Wheel to the area you want to zoom in.
• Unlike the previous technique, this technique is smoother to use.
• You can choose the extent of zoom using this simple technique.

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Content Placeholders in PowerPoint

• May 5, 2022

How to Create Text Boxes Manually in PowerPoint?

Rearranging Slides in PowerPoint

• May 2, 2022

Login with your site account

Remember Me

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you’ve never used Zoom, giving a presentation on it might seem a bit challenging. But, that’s a challenge we will have to learn to overcome as the world moves digital more and more day by day. The key question really is how to give a presentation on Zoom!

To give a presentation on Zoom, first, start by joining a meeting. Now open the presentation file on your computer and share the slides on Zoom using its “Share Screen” feature. You should test your camera, mic, speaker, and internet connection before you start with your presentation.

As easy as it may seem, some of you may need further detailed instructions. So, in this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide on things that you need to do in order to deliver a presentation on Zoom successfully! Plus, I will also share some tips that can help you ace your presentation on Zoom!

So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

Understanding the Zoom Application Interface

Before we understand the steps to give a presentation using Zoom, it is perhaps a good idea to acquaint yourself with the Zoom user interface first. If you are well-versed with it, then perhaps you may want to skip this section and click here instead.

Logging into Zoom

Although you can login to your account using zoom website too, but it is best to download and use the zoom app .

Once you have download the app, you will be prompted to login to your account. If you don’t have an existing account, you can either sign up or even login using your social account such as Google or Facebook. It’s actually quite simple.

If you feel that you don’t want to sign up or even use the social accounts for your meeting, you can choose to use “Sign In with SSO” option. SSO stands for single sign on and this allows you to sign in even when you don’t have an account with Zoom just once.

Zoom Home Screen

Once you’ve logged in, you will be taken to the home screen on Zoom.

There are a bunch of different things that you ca do with the home screen on Zoom. If you have been invited for a meeting, you will need to click on “ Join “. However, you will also need the meeting ID and the password for the meeting. If you don’t have the details, you will perhaps need to contact the person hosting the meeting.

You can also host the meeting yourself by using the “ New Meeting ” button. You can set a new meeting and invite others to join using this option.

Likewise, you can also schedule a meeting in the future using the “ Schedule ” option.

Furthermore, for changing the account related information, just click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of your window.

Lastly, there are several other detailed settings that you can tweak for your Zoom application. Almost all the other settings can be found in the “ Settings ” section by clicking on the “ Gear Icon “.

Zoom Virtual Meeting Window Interface

Once you are a participant in a virtual meeting, either by joining an existing meeting or by starting a new meeting, you will be greeted with an image similar to the one mentioned above.

On this screen, you will be presented with several different options. Some of the key functions that you will need to be aware of are as follows –

• Mute – Turning on the Mute or Unmute
• Video – Toggling between your Video
• Participants – Checking the names of the Participants
• Share Screen – to deliver a presentation (more on this later)
• Record – To record a meeting session
• End – Knowing how to end a meeting and exiting a call.

All the above functions will be visible on a small bar at the bottom of the window. If you are not able to see this option bar at the bottom, just hover over at the bottom part of your screen and all the options will appear .

Although there are other features that are also available for a zoom user or a participant, however, the aforementioned features should be good enough to deliver a presentation. These 6 features are at the very least something that you should be aware of.

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom (Step-by-Step)

Zoom has become a common tool for giving virtual presentations today. It is a widely used tool at conferences, meetings, and other events! If you are giving a presentation on Zoom for the first time, then perhaps you should be aware of a few things –

Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how you can give a presentation on Zoom:

Step 1: Install Zoom

Download and install the Zoom application to your desktop. To download the application, visit https://zoom.us/download and download the Zoom Client to your computer.

Step 2: Login to your Zoom Account

After installing the application, open it and log into your Zoom account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for free using your email account.

Zoom also has options to sign in using SSO (Single Sign-On) or with your Facebook or Google account.

Step 3: Test Audio and Video Settings

Before you start or join a meeting, you will need to configure and test your audio and video settings.

To do that click on the gear icon on the Zoom application’s home screen. This will open the settings menu.

Now click on the “Audio” tab and select the microphone you are going to use. Try our different audio settings. After the microphone, select the speaker for audio output. If you can’t hear anything, try out another speaker source.

After configuring audio, click on the “Video” tab. From there, select the camera that is connected to your desktop. Tweak different video settings and find out what works best for you.

Step 4: Join or Schedule a Meeting

Now start a meeting by clicking on “New meeting”. You can also schedule a meeting on Zoom. To do that, click on “Schedule” and set up when you want to start the meeting. After completing the set-up, Zoom will give you a URL. Share it with the team members to join the meeting.

Or you can join a meeting by clicking “Join” on the Zoom client’s home screen. You can use a meeting ID or URL to join a meeting in Zoom.

Step 5: Open the Presentation

Once you have everything setup, you then need to prepare to show your presentation with your audience. To do that, open the presentation slides on your computer.

Step 6: Share Your Presentation

The last step in giving your presentation is to make sure that you share your presentation with your audience. To do that, click on “Share Screen” from the Zoom clients meeting window , select the screen where your presentation slides are open, and click “Share”. Now start presenting your slides to the audience.

Step 7: Stop Sharing to end the Presentation

One thing to know is how to end the presentation. To stop screen sharing, simply click on “Stop Share” located at the top of the screen . This option will only appear when you start sharing your screen.

How to Share a PowerPoint with Presenter View on Zoom?

To share your PowerPoint presentation slides with presenter view on Zoom, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open the Zoom App and Login

The first step really is to open the zoom app and login to your account.

Step 2: Join or Setup a Virtual Meeting on Zoom

Next, join the meeting. Remember, you need the meeting ID and password to join a meeting. Make sure you have requested for the details beforehand.

Step 3: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

First step is really to open your presentation file that you want to present on the PowerPoint application.

Step 4: Put the Presentation in Presenter View

Now select the “Slide Show” tab from the top of the screen and click on either “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” depending on your preference. This will open the slides in the “Presenter” view.

Step 5: Switch to the Zoom Application

Now, go to the Zoom application, start or join a meeting. While you are in the “Presenter” view on PowerPoint, press “ Alt+Tab ” to switch between applications in Microsoft Windows-powered computers. For iMac, use “Command+Tab” to move through open apps.

Step 6: Share Screen on Zoom’s Meeting Window

Once you are in Zoom’s meeting window, click on “Share Screen”, select the window where your PowerPoint slides are open in the presenter’s view, and click “Share”.

And that’s all you have to do in order to share PowerPoint with the presenter’s view in your Zoom meetings.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom Without Showing Notes?

There are two methods that you can use to share PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your presenter notes. For the first method, you will need to have two monitors connected to your computer.

As for the second one, you can still share your PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your notes (and you won’t need two monitors either). I’ve briefly explained both methods below.

Method 1 – Dual Monitor Method

In this method, you will be presenting your PowerPoint file on one monitor while looking at your presenter’s notes on the other one. Here’s how you can do that:

Step 1: First of all, open your slides on PowerPoint.

Step 2: Now join or start a Zoom meeting.

Step 3: Now click on “Share Screen” and select “Screen 1”. Then click “Share”. Here, “Screen 1” is your primary monitor.

Note: If you are not sure which one is your primary monitor, select where the PowerPoint file opened in.

Step 4: Now go to the PowerPoint application, click on the “Slide Show” tab, and from there click on “Monitor” and select “Primary Monitor”.

Step 5: Open the presentation file in the presenter’s view by clicking on the “Slide Show” tab and selecting “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide”.

If you have done everything correctly, participants will only be able to see the presentation slides while you have your presenter’s notes open on the second monitor.

In case you shared the wrong monitor on Zoom, click on “Screen Share” on Zoom’s meeting window, select “Screen 2” and click on share. This should fix your problem.

When you are sharing a screen on Zoom, you will notice a green border around that screen. This indicates which monitor you are currently sharing.

Method 2 – Sharing Portion of Your Screen

Follow the steps below if you have only a single monitor connected to your computer.

Step 1: Join or start a meeting on Zoom.

Step 2: Click on “Share Screen” and from the pop-up window select “Advanced”. From there select “Portion of Screen” and click on “Share”. This will give you a green border on your screen that you can adjust. Only the things that are inside this border will be shared on Zoom.

Step 3: Now open the presentation file in PowerPoint, and go to the presenter’s view by selecting “Slide Show> From Current Slide or From Beginning”.

Step 4: Adjust the size of the green border so that it only shows the presentation slides in the presenter’s view.

And that’s all you have to do. By doing so, your audience will only see the slides that you are presenting, but not your notes.

How to Show Yourself During a Zoom Presentation?

Ensuring that you are visible from time to time during a presentation can make it slightly more engaging and much more interactive. Here is how you can do that-

Step 1: First, start or join a Zoom meeting.

Step 2: Click on “ Share Screen ” and select the “ Advanced ” option. From there, select “ PowerPoint as Virtual Background ” and select the file you want for your presentation. Then click on “ Share ”.

Step 3: Make sure your video is switched on so that you are also visible to your audience. You can do that by clicking on “ Start Video ” on the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

It will take some time for your slides to appear on the Zoom client. When it is done, participants will be able to see your face in front of the slides in Zoom. Make sure that your camera is connected to your computer and configured correctly.

This feature works best if you have a green screen behind you . If you have one, go to Zoom’s settings menu, select the “Background and Filter” tab and check “I have a green screen”. If you want to stop showing yourself during a zoom presentation, click on “Stop Video” on the meeting window and that will do the job.

Furthermore, you may sometimes want to show just yourself to the audience and not show the presentation at all. For that, all you need to do is simply click on “Start Video” in the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

How to Record a Presentation on Zoom?

If you want to record your presentation on Zoom, you can do it easily. After joining or starting a meeting on Zoom, click on the “Record” icon located at the bottom of the meeting window. Once the recording starts, you can pause the recording or stop it whenever you like.

After the end of the meeting, the recorded video will be automatically converted into “.mp4” format and stored on your computer.

Tips for Giving an Awesome Presentation on Zoom

Giving a presentation in front of an audience is always a challenging task. Especially if it is online, many things can go wrong during your presentation. This is why I’m sharing some tips that can help you deliver an awesome presentation on Zoom. These are as follows –

1. Make a Professional Looking Presentation

There are several ways to make your presentation look really professional and high quality. One obvious method is to outsource your presentation to a specialised design agency! But, that can become really expensive depending on your budget.

Another (non-obvious) option is to use a PowerPoint Presentation Template! There are several high-quality and professional templates that you can get quite easily! In fact, using these Presentation Designs is quite inexpensive! You can download as many presentation templates as you want for as little as $16.5/month!

My favorite one is Agio PowerPoint Presentation template. It is perfectly suited to give a professional look to your presentation and yet it is quite quick and easy to use. Check out some of the images below –

Agio PowerPoint Presentation Template

Furthermore, make the presentation as simple and straightforward as possible. Do not confuse your audience with a network of colorful texts, graphs, or other contents.

Only use data and graphs that are relevant to your presentation. Also, the clever use of transition animations can make the slide appear much more engaging.

2. Check Your Equipment Beforehand

Whenever you are giving your presentation online, many things can go wrong. For example, your camera or mic may not function properly. Such interruptions will only make you a laughing stock in front of the participants.

Check your mic, camera, and speakers to find out whether they are working properly or not. Also, check your internet connection and your laptop’s battery level. If everything is ok, then you are good to go on with your presentation.

More Related Topics

• Change the Style of Your Bullet Points and Stand-out from the Crowd!
• 7 EASY Tips to Always Make your Presentations Attractive! (Even if You are a Beginner)
• How to Reduce the Size of Your PowerPoint File? The Perfect Method!
• Auto Create Your PowerPoint Slides using Design Ideas Feature!
• Main Features of PowerPoint! [I bet You DIDN’T Know These]

Credit to Cookie_Studio for the featured image of this article

Now LIVE! Check out the NEW Zoom Feature Request space to browse, vote, or create an idea to enhance your Zoom experience.

Empowering you to increase productivity, improve team effectiveness, and enhance skills.

Communication

Productivity, apps & integration, employee engagement, business services, customer care, developer tools.

• Financial Services
• Manufacturing
• Small and Midsize businesses
• IT Professionals
• Customer Experience
• Sales and Revenue
• Marketing and Events
• Meeting SDK
• App Marketplace
• Developer Solutions
• Partner Solutions
• Find a Partner
• Become a Partner
• Partner Portal
• Partner Learning Center
• Resource Library
• Webinars & Events
• Customer Stories
• Zoom Trust Center
• Zoom Community
• Learning Center
• How-to Videos
• Global services
• Hardware options
• Customer Managed Key
• Customer Support
• Premier Support
• Developer Support
• Premier Developer Support

Download the Zoom app

Keep your Zoom app up to date to access the latest features.

Zoom Virtual Backgrounds

Download hi-res images and animations to elevate your next Zoom meeting.

• Plans & Pricing
• Join by Meeting ID
• Public Event List
• Screen Share Only
• With Video On
• With Video Off

AI Companion

• Phone System
• Mail & Calendar
• Marketplace
• Rooms and Workspaces
• Workspace Reservation
• Contact Center
• Virtual Agent
• Revenue Accelerator
• Events and Webinars
• Work Transformation Summit
• Customer Success Events
• Customer Success Forum
• Zoom Status
• Submit Feedback
• Community Terms and Guidelines
• Getting Started
• Community Center
• Happy Rewards
• Social Corner
• Community Champion Program
• Billing & Account Management
• Re: Zoom freezes during Powerpoint presentation wh...
• Subscribe to RSS Feed
• Mark Topic as New
• Mark Topic as Read
• Float this Topic for Current User
• Printer Friendly Page
• Keynote closes out when I stop share on Zoom in Meetings 2024-05-01
• Putting a Zoom window in a PowerPoint presentation in Meetings 2024-04-29
• Recording with two hosts showing at once and not participants- using powerpoint in Meetings 2024-04-20
• Meeting Participant with free account time limit in Meetings 2024-04-19
• Bilingual Polls in Meetings 2024-04-17

Zoom freezes during Powerpoint presentation when a participant drops out and then re-joins

• Mark as New
• Report Inappropriate Content

• Screen sharing
• All forum topics
• Previous Topic

‎2024-01-05 11:49 AM

‎2024-04-22 04:58 AM

‎2024-05-04 09:35 AM

The weird PowerPoint craze

Exhibit A that work still dominates our lives: PowerPoint parties

The pandemic made hanging out weird in a lot of ways. Group activities became highly coordinated — if they happened at all. There was a ream of questions to answer before even the most casual interactions: Who's going to be there? Who else have they seen lately? Are they vaccinated? Have they tested recently? Even once you got to wherever you were going, there were rules and expectations. You were supposed to awkwardly stand or sit 6 feet away from each other and try to figure out what everyone was saying from behind a mask, with all the muffled noises and half-blocked facial expressions that came with them. A lot of social interactions moved online, which came with its own sense of formality — group Peloton rides , Zoom trivia, whatever the Houseparty app was , or Clubhouse . Chill time, for good reason, required work to achieve.

Over the past few years, life has become much more normal for many people. They're back in the office, going to restaurants and live events, gathering with friends and family in person. Some of the structured nature of their social interactions, however, have not reverted to their previous form. The stilted nature of some pandemic-era habits — many that come with a dash of work — stuck around as a permanent feature. Case in point: the PowerPoint party, where people get together to show each other presentations on various topics in the name of having fun.

PowerPoint parties supposedly started in 2012 as "drink, talk, and learn" gatherings in Canada. Over time, they spread. Kids at Harvard were doing them in 2018 because, come on, it's Harvard kids. Of course, they were. When COVID-19 hit, they really took off, especially among the youngs. It made some sense during the period when we were trapped inside. It's easy enough to share your screen on Zoom or Google Meet, and it was better to have some sort of activity to do instead of just staring at people's faces (and your own) for the eighth day in a row.

But even as we've gotten back to normal hangouts, people are still connecting their laptops to TVs and sharing slides in social settings. Take a spin around TikTok, and you can find loads of PowerPoint-party content. There are presentations on which Beyoncé songs best represent each friend, what to do if you're trapped in an elevator, or whether pigeons are a pest or a pet. In March, Cosmopolitan put out a list of 55 PowerPoint ideas to "spice up your next at-home hang," which included ideas such as making a pitch for each of your friends' celebrity look-alike or "ranking cartoon characters by hotness."

Must we turn something we do at work into something we do in our personal lives? Just hanging out without a plan is fine and pleasant.

I guess I can see how this might be enjoyable, and some of the presentations do seem genuinely clever and funny, but I don't know, man. I love my friends, and also I absolutely do not want to do this with any of them.

Sure, a PowerPoint night is not that far off from, say, a game or movie night. It's a chance to be creative and turn something you do at work into something silly and social. But also, must we turn something we do at work into something we do in our personal lives? Just hanging out without a plan is fine and pleasant. Spontaneity is exciting! Another way to be creative is to put yourself in a situation where you have to be creative by thinking on your feet about conversation topics and activities at random.

The rise of the PowerPoint party also speaks to the workification of our day-to-day lives. The border between work and time off has been blurring for years. The ability to always respond to emails or messages on your phone has made "personal" time more porous . And especially among young, ambitious people, there's a sense that you constantly have to be busy, that everything has to be optimized, that there's always space for programming or growth. People post their workouts on Strava to show off their activity and compare it with their friends' and obsess over their VO2 max to track their fitness. They maintain tightly managed to-do lists and approach even a casual encounter like a networking opportunity. It's a constant rat race that feels exhausting. Even if it's supposed to be goofy, making a presentation for a party entails a level of productivity that we already have to bring to so many other spaces at work or school.

We should be able to embrace unstructured time. Indeed, culturally, that's a norm that's declining, especially for kids. As Vox's Anna North laid out last year , the amount of children's unstructured playtime in the US dropped by 25% from 1981 to 1997. For various reasons, kids don't have as much experience just getting along doing stuff on their own anymore, which can influence their sense of autonomy and deprive them of opportunities to develop important social skills and tools to combat anxiety and depression. It may also mean that as adults, they struggle to go with the flow. Perhaps it's no surprise that young adults who had their childhood activities scheduled down to the minute are embracing the PowerPoint party. But unstructured time is good for people of all ages. It can help with stress and anxiety, add space for rest, relaxation, and creativity, and give people a mental break.

Even if it's supposed to be goofy, making a presentation for a party entails a level of productivity that we already have to bring to so many other spaces at work or school.

Instead of embracing a bit more randomness, people are constantly squeezing friends and family into their calendars. It's not uncommon for someone to send out a Google form to pick out a new book-club book and date, just like they might at work. Responding to a group text message using classic office speak like "touch base" or "circle back" has become the norm in some circles. And, yes, this isn't to say there hadn't been theme parties that required a little planning or game nights with structure, but using products made by tech giants like Microsoft and Google to enjoy a night in with friends feels a lot sadder than relearning the rules of Monopoly. Bonding is important for forming relationships, and collective effervescence is a real thing, but it's hard not to wonder whether there are ways to achieve those things without emulating what we do 9 to 5 or requiring homework before the "fun" begins.

If you absolutely insist on having a PowerPoint party, God bless. Good for you. I don't want to yuck your yum. But also, maybe think about why you feel the need to do it, and, really, don't invite me.

Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

About Discourse Stories

Through our Discourse journalism, Business Insider seeks to explore and illuminate the day’s most fascinating issues and ideas. Our writers provide thought-provoking perspectives, informed by analysis, reporting, and expertise. Read more Discourse stories here .

Related stories

More from Tech

Most popular

• Main content

PowerPoint parties are still bringing friends together, one hyper-specific subject at a time

For McCall Mirabella’s 21st birthday party last month, she asked guests to bring only one gift: A PowerPoint presentation.

Mirabella, a TikTok and YouTube personality with over 1.3 million followers across both platforms, assembled her closest friends and asked them to present a slideshow on anything they could think of. The only criteria was “the sillier, the better.”

Her guests delivered. One attendee ranked the attractiveness of 10 animated characters while another humorously explored the disparate stages of being high. Mirabella herself presented her predictions for how long her friends would survive in the Hunger Games (and how they’d meet their violent ends , seemingly a popular template for a PowerPoint party).

Such are the delights of PowerPoint presentation nights, which boomed in popularity during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic but are still charming partygoers (this, in spite of its regular use in corporate offices the world over). Through a silly slideshow, groups of friends get to know each other’s niche interests, secret pastimes and frequently hilarious takes on their friends’ quirks and strengths.

Seeing the people she loves get worked up over assigning each other Taylor Swift songs that match their personalities or fictional crimes that would land them in prison is a joy specific to slideshow-centric parties, Mirabella said.

“They’re so unserious,” she said of PowerPoint nights she’s attended and hosted. “Most of the time, people are left crying from laughing so hard, or bent over wheezing.”

PowerPoint parties got popular during the pandemic, but they’ve delighted friends for years

PowerPoint nights involve little more than an HDMI-compatible TV, a slideshow and a willingness to razz your friends or reveal your hidden passions. The software itself is nearly 40 years old , and it’s since become a staple in many offices and classrooms, but the ingenious PowerPoint party turns the familiar tech into a medium for comedy and comradery.

The concept of the PowerPoint party was formalized in 2012, when three students at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, hosted a “Drink, Talk & Learn” event. Guests of these early parties had to show up with a presentation on the arcane subject of their choice, like the moral alignment of Sonic the Hedgehog character Shadow, per Buzzfeed News .

The theme steadily grew more popular and by 2018, more PowerPoint enthusiasts in the US had caught on. Soon, everyone from software engineers in Seattle to students in Boston were presenting slides on hyper-specific subjects to a small crowd, often with a drink in hand.

In the Harvard Crimson’s account of one local PowerPoint party, a student presented his argument for why King Claudius is the true hero of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” a divisive take if there ever was one. The presenter told the school paper that his zeal for the topic had been relegated to “a rant to my friends up until now. Finally, I can present it to strangers.”

When Covid-19 arrived in 2020 and millions of Americans isolated in their homes, virtual PowerPoint parties became a safe, distanced way for friends to update each other on their lives and provide much-needed levity. Groups separated by the pandemic shared their screens on Zoom or even rallied their housemates to turn an ordinary night in isolation into an opportunity for a private TedTalk.

Tantalizing snippets from these presentations landed on TikTok (users rarely spill the juicy contents of the slideshows beyond their uproarious titles),  inspiring other users to host their own get-togethers. The subjects are typically zany, lighthearted takes on the idiosyncrasies of a group of friends — like how they’d each fare during a zombie apocalypse — and minor passions or dubious theories like the “real” (read: fictional) reason the dinosaurs died .

Since the party format took off in 2020 (and has since amassed over 40 million views on TikTok under related hashtags ), TikTok users have tested crafty new variations of the typical slideshow gathering and polled users on different platforms, like Reddit , for unique suggestions for presentations. Take the host who ambushed their guests by forcing them to present someone else’s PowerPoint on a subject they knew nothing about, like the hapless friend who bluffed their way through a presentation on how to pick stocks. A group in Philadelphia creates slideshows for their single friends to catch fellow singles’ attention. One creative TikTok-er even came out to their family in a PowerPoint on Christmas.

Though Microsoft PowerPoint software isn’t a requirement for these presentations — competing services like Prezi, Canva and Google Slides are also popular — Microsoft issued its own advice for hosting a premier PowerPoint party. Among its suggestions: Take advantage of those wacky transitions so photos can boomerang across the screen and titles can disappear with a click.

Since her cousins introduced her to PowerPoint parties during a sleepover eight months ago, Mirabella’s presentations have only improved in quality and theatricality. Her recent Hunger Games-themed slideshow included multimedia elements like Taylor Swift entering the fictional arena for a brief halftime performance to break up the bloodshed. Her friends voted it the best presentation of the night.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com