How to Use Presenter View in PowerPoint (2026)
Presenter View shows you a private control panel — current slide, next slide, speaker notes, and a timer — while the audience sees only the slides on the second display. PowerPoint usually switches it on automatically when a projector is connected, but you can force it on either screen. Here’s the full setup.
1. Turn On Presenter View (Windows & Mac)
- Go to the Slide Show tab.
- Check Use Presenter View.
- Start the show with From Beginning (F5) or From Current Slide (Shift+F5).
With two displays connected, Presenter View opens on your laptop and the slides go to the projector.
2. What You See in Presenter View
- The current slide, large.
- A preview of the next slide.
- Your speaker notes, with adjustable text size.
- A timer and clock.
- Tools: pen, laser pointer, slide navigator, and zoom.
3. Swap Which Screen Shows What
If Presenter View lands on the wrong display, click Display Settings at the top of Presenter View and choose Swap Presenter View and Slide Show.
4. Use Presenter View on a Single Monitor
You don’t need a second screen to rehearse. During a slideshow, right-click and choose Show Presenter View. It fills your one screen so you can practice with notes and the timer.
5. Presenter View on the Web
In PowerPoint for the web, start the slideshow and click the three-dot menu > Presenter view (called Show Presenter View). Notes and the next-slide preview appear in your browser.
6. Troubleshooting
Presenter View shows on the projector instead of my laptop
Click Display Settings > Swap Presenter View and Slide Show.
My notes don’t appear
The slide has no notes, or notes are turned off. Add them in the Notes pane and confirm Use Presenter View is checked.
Only one screen is detected
Set Windows display to Extend (not Duplicate) under display settings, then restart the slideshow.
Related PowerPoint guides: How to add speaker notes · How to record a presentation · How to loop a PowerPoint · How to add transitions · How to add slide numbers
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
