Looping in PowerPoint on PC or Mac

To create a looping slideshow in PowerPoint, whether you’re using a PC or a Mac, follow these comprehensive steps to ensure your presentation cycles continuously. This feature is particularly useful for displays, kiosks, or events where you want your slides to automatically restart after finishing.

Looping on Windows

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation. Navigate to the location of the PowerPoint file you wish to loop, then double-click to open it in PowerPoint.

   • If you haven’t created a presentation yet, do so and save it as a file before continuing.

2. Click the Transitions tab. This tab is located at the top of the PowerPoint window, allowing you to access transition settings.

3. Check the “After” box. This option is on the right side of the toolbar and ensures that your slide will transition to the next one after a specified amount of time.

4. Adjust the time for slide display. Enter your desired time in the format MM:SS.HSHS in the text box next to the “After:” heading.

   • For instance, to set each slide to display for 10 seconds, change the text box to read 00:10.00.

5. **Click Apply to All. This option is located under the “Duration” text box and will apply your timing settings to every slide in the presentation.

6. Set specific times for different slides if necessary. If you want to customize the display time for a particular slide, select that slide and modify the “After” text box value accordingly.

7. Click the Slide Show tab. This tab is found at the top of the window and gives you access to slideshow options.

8. **Click Set Up Slide Show. This option is in the middle of the Slide Show toolbar, which opens a new window.

9. Check the “Loop continuously until ‘Esc’” box. This option is located in the middle of the pop-up window, allowing your presentation to loop indefinitely.

10. **Click OK. This button is at the bottom of the setup window to save your changes.

11. Save your PowerPoint as a “Show” file. To ensure your presentation launches directly as a slideshow, save it as a Show file:

    • Click File in the top-left corner.
    • Select Save As from the dropdown menu.
    • Double-click the This PC tab in the middle.
    • In the “Save as type” dropdown, select PowerPoint Show.
    • Enter a file name and choose a save location.
    • Click Save.

12. Test your PowerPoint. Double-click the Show file you created or click the “Slide Show” icon at the bottom of the PowerPoint window to see your presentation automatically cycle through the slides.

    • If you’re not satisfied with a slide’s display time, you can return to the Transitions tab and make adjustments.

Looping on Mac

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation. Go to the location of your PowerPoint file and double-click to open it.

2. Click the Slide Show tab. This tab is located in the orange bar at the top of the PowerPoint window and opens the Slide Show toolbar.

3. **Click Set Up Slide Show. This option can be found in the Slide Show toolbar and opens a new setup window.

4. Check the “Browsed at a kiosk (full screen)” box. This option in the “Show type” section enables your presentation to loop indefinitely.

5. **Click OK. This saves your settings and closes the window.

6. Click the Transitions tab. This tab is at the top of the PowerPoint window, revealing transition settings.

7. Check the “After” box. This checkbox is located on the right side of the toolbar.

8. Adjust the time for slide display. Enter the desired time in seconds in the text box next to the “After:” heading.

   • For example, enter 10.00 to set each slide’s display time to 10 seconds.

9. **Click Apply to All. This option is located on the right side of the toolbar and applies the time settings to all slides.

10. Set specific times for different slides if necessary. Select a specific slide and adjust its “After” text box value as needed.

11. Save your PowerPoint as a “Show” file. To ensure your presentation opens as a slideshow, save it as a Show file:

    • Click File.
    • Select Save As….
    • Choose the “Format” dropdown.
    • Select PowerPoint Show (.ppsx).
    • Enter a file name and choose a save location.
    • Click Save.

12. Test your PowerPoint. Double-click the Show file you just saved or click the “Slide Show” icon at the bottom of the PowerPoint window. This will allow you to see your presentation automatically cycle through the slides. If necessary, return to the Transitions tab to adjust any slide display timings.