How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint presentations can be enhanced significantly with the addition of music. Whether you want a lively tune for a specific slide or a calming melody throughout the presentation, there are various ways to incorporate music. This guide will explore different methods for adding music to your PowerPoint presentations, from uploading your own songs to utilizing online resources for royalty-free music.

Adding Music from Your Computer

The simplest way to add music is by uploading a song from your computer. This could be a favorite tune from your saved music library or a song from your playlist.

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want the music to be added.
2. Navigate to the

Insert

tab and select the drop-down arrow for

Audio

on the right side of the ribbon.
3. Choose

Audio on my PC

, browse for your music file, and select

Insert

.
4. An audio icon representing the song will appear on your slide.
5. Click the

Play

button to listen to the song. Use the

Playback

tab to customize playback settings such as volume, start/end times, and fade effects.

Downloading Free Music

If you have a particular type of song in mind but don’t have a copy saved on your computer, several online resources offer royalty-free music for presentations. Here are a few options:

*

Fesliyan Studios Inc.:

This website provides a range of music genres, including commercial, happy, sad, and relaxing tunes. Listen to songs using the

Play

button and explore alternate versions when available. Select

Download

to obtain the song.
*

Chosic:

This site offers a variety of songs for presentations, from upbeat to soothing. When you find the desired song, click

Download > Free Download

.
*

SoundCloud:

If you’re a SoundCloud user, it’s a great option for finding presentation music. Search for “free downloads” or similar terms and browse the results. Once you find a suitable song, select

More

(or the three dots) to download the tune.
*

YouTube:

While finding royalty-free music on YouTube, you can utilize various methods to download MP3s. Save the downloaded song to your device and upload it to your slideshow as described above.

Recording Music While Creating the Slideshow

If you’re musically inclined, you can record a song directly within PowerPoint. Grab your guitar, warm up your vocal cords, and create custom presentation music.

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide for music recording.
2. Go to the

Insert

tab and select the

Audio

drop-down arrow.
3. Choose

Record Audio

. Note: You’ll need a built-in or external microphone for your computer.
4. In the

Record Sound

box, click the red, round

Record

button to begin recording.
5. Press the square

Stop

button when you’re finished.
6. Click the green

Play

button to listen to the recording.
7. Select

OK

to insert the recording onto the slide.
8. An audio icon will appear, similar to an inserted audio file. Click the

Play

button to hear your recording.

Adding Offscreen Video for Audio Only

Sometimes, the perfect song is attached to a video. While you can’t play the audio independently, and the video may not be suitable for your presentation, you can use a workaround to access the audio:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide for video insertion.
2. Go to the

Insert

tab and select the

Video

drop-down arrow.
3. Choose

This Device

,

Stock Videos

, or

Online Videos

and follow the prompts to insert the video.
4. Once the video appears on the slide, resize it by dragging a corner or edge, then drag it off the slide to one of the sides. This will allow you to play the video for audio without displaying it in your slideshow.
5. Select the video and use the

Playback

tab to adjust the settings for starting the video when clicking the slide or automatically. You can also fully embed a video within your PowerPoint presentation.

Playing Music on a Single Slide or as Background Music

After adding music to your PowerPoint presentation, you can configure it to play on a single slide or throughout the entire presentation.

1. Select the slide containing the music.
2. Navigate to the

Playback

tab and choose whether to play the song with the slide or as background music.
3. For playing the song only on the current slide, use the

Start

drop-down box in the

Audio Options

section of the ribbon and select how you want the music to begin:

In click sequence

,

Automatically

, or

When clicked on

. The song will stop playing when you advance to the next slide.
4. To play the song throughout the presentation, select

Play in background

in the

Audio Styles

section. This will automatically check the boxes for

Play across slides

and

Loop until stopped

. You can also choose an option in the

Start

drop-down box to determine how the song begins. Remember, this only works with audio files, not the video file method mentioned above.
5. Adjust additional options on the

Playback

tab as needed. You can increase or decrease volume, rewind the song, or add fade-in or fade-out effects.

In addition to music, you can also incorporate various types of audio into your PowerPoint presentations, enriching the overall experience.