How to share PowerPoint slides in Teams meetings

In this post, we will show you how to share PowerPoint slides in a Teams meeting. Microsoft Teams has become a norm for remote meetings and online collaboration in recent years. However, newbies still struggle to access various options in Teams. If you’re finding your way around to share a PowerPoint presentation in a Teams meeting, we are here to help you.

How to share PowerPoint slides in Teams meetings

Whether you have to conduct a training session, lead a project kickoff meeting, or present your ideas to the client, PowerPoint is the tool you need to have. And that’s why being able to share PowerPoint presentations is a key requirement for Teams users.

There are built-in ways in Teams that let you share slides with your team members. In this post, we will discuss the following methods for sharing PowerPoint slides in Teams Meetings:

Share slides in a Teams meeting by sharing Entire Screen.
Share slides in a Teams meeting by sharing the PowerPoint window.
Share slides in a Teams meeting with PowerPoint Live.

To start sharing the PowerPoint slides, you need to setup or join a Microsoft Teams meeting first. Then you can click on the Share icon in the toolbar on top to select which content you want to share.

Let us have a look at the above methods in detail.

1] Share slides in a Teams meeting by sharing Entire Screen

Choose this option if you have to compare slides from different presentations side-by-side, or if you’re working in a multi-desktop environment.

Click on the Share icon in the top-right corner of the Teams window.
Click on the Screen, window, or tab option.
Switch to the Entire Screen tab.
Select the Desktop screen you want to share.
Click on the Share button. Click on the Share system audio checkbox to share audio from your system.
When you’re done sharing, click on the Stop Sharing option.

When you share slides using your desktop screen, your team members will be able to see your entire desktop content, including your wallpaper, your Teams window, and other open applications on your desktop. This can reveal any confidential information that may have been accidentally left open in an application.

Also, when you run the slideshow, you would be able to play animations and transitions and advance through the slides using arrow keys. However, the slideshow will take up your whole screen, so you won’t be able to view the Teams controls and see the questions from the viewers in Teams chat. When you switch back to the Teams window, viewers will see that too, as everything that’s happening on your desktop screen will be visible to them.

Tip: Disable your desktop notifications before using the Entire Screen option to share slides in a Teams meeting.

2] Share slides in a Teams meeting by sharing the PowerPoint window

The Window option is another way of sharing slides in a Teams meeting and you can use this options in many different forms. Here’s how:

A] Share the slide show window

You can play the slide show for your PowerPoint presentation and share the slide show window instead of the PowerPoint editor window. The slide show will cover your entire desktop and play all animations and transitions smoothly.

Click on the Share icon in the Teams window.
Select Screen, window, or tab.
Go to the Window tab.
Select the PowerPoint Slide Show window (the window that’s displaying the slide show, not the default PowerPoint window.
Click on the Share button.

You can switch to the Teams window using the Alt+Tab hotkey and get quick access to your chat messages. However, since you’re sharing just the slide show window and not the desktop screen, users will not be able to see what you’re doing besides sharing the slides.

B] Share the PowerPoint window in Normal view

You can also share the PowerPoint editing window with a clean look. This way, you will be able to see other programs on your screen while sharing the slides in a Teams meeting.

Open the PowerPoint editor window and take your cursor to the separator between the thumbnail pane and the slide preview pane. Drag the cursor towards the left to hide the thumbnails.
Click on the up arrow icon in the top-right corner (or press Ctrl+F1) to hide the Ribbon.
Click on the Notes option at the bottom to hide the Notes pane. Now you have a PowerPoint window with a minimized interface.
Go to the Teams meeting and click on Share > Select Screen, window, or tab.
Switch to the Window tab and select the PowerPoint editor window.
Click on the Share button.

This option is suitable if you don’t have any animations or transitions in the presentation. Also, if you have any embedded media in the slides, it won’t run automatically. However, you will be able to see any chat discussions in the Teams window while showing your presentation, without letting the audience see what you’re doing on the screen.

C] Share the PowerPoint window in Reading view

Many users are not aware that PowerPoint allows playing the slideshow in the PowerPont window itself. This is known as Browsed by an individual mode or the Reading View. You can switch to this mode in PowerPoint and then share the PowerPoint window in a Teams meeting. This will allow you to present your PowerPoint slides without showing your audience what you are doing on your desktop screen. And since you will be actually playing the slideshow, all the animations and traditions will run automatically.

Go to PowerPoint and select the Slide Show tab in the top ribbon.
Click on the Set Up Slide Show button.
Select Browsed by an individual (window) under Show type and click on OK.
Click on the play slideshow icon.
In the Teams meeting window, click on the Share button.
Select Screen, window, or tab > Window.
Select the PowerPoint window and click on the Share button.

Once the meeting is over, you can switch to the default ‘Presented by a speaker (full screen)’ mode in the Set Up Slide Show section.

Read: How to copy all text from PowerPoint to Word

3] Share slides in a Teams meeting with PowerPoint Live

PowerPoint Live is the built-in way for sharing slides in a Teams meeting. It runs the slides in slide show mode using PowePoint for the web within Teams. However, you can access this feature only if you have a Microsoft 365 account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account.

Go to the Teams app and select Share > Browse OneDrive/ Browse my computer.
Browse and upload your presentation to the Teams app.
Teams will launch the presentation using PowerPoint Live.

PowerPoint for the web has fewer features as compared to the PowerPoint desktop app. So PowerPoint Live may not play all the animations or transitions while running the presentation. The good thing is, you will always be able to see your notes, call participants, and chat during the presentation. And the viewers will be able to see captions or translate the presentation into their native language.

Tip: Click on the Private view icon in the toolbar on top to prevent the audience from moving the slides.

This is all about sharing PowerPoint slides in a Teams meeting. I hope you find this useful.

Also Read: How to blur the background in Microsoft Teams meeting.

Can I present PowerPoint on Teams and see notes?

Yes, you can use PowerPoint Live to share your presentation in a Teams meeting and see your notes side by side, if you have Microsoft 365 subscription. In the Teams meeting window, click on the Share icon in the top banner, just before the Leave button. Then click on Browse OneDrive or Browse my computer to select the presentation. Teams will load the presentation and you can see the notes next to the slides.

How do I share a PowerPoint in Teams and still see chat?

You can use the Share Window option to be able to see the chat messages while sharing a PowerPoint presentation in Teams. In the PowerPoint window, click on the Reading View option near the bottom-right corner. Then go to Teams > Share > Window and select the PowerPoint window. Click on the small Teams window in the lower-right corner of your desktop screen to switch to the Teams meeting window and see your chat.