4 Easy Ways to Add Music or Audio to Microsoft PowerPoint

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A user-friendly guide to insert and edit audio into presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint
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If you want to spice up your PowerPoint presentation, background music can make it much more compelling. PowerPoint allows you to insert any WAV or MP3 file into your slides. If you're using a Mac, you can also add music directly from iTunes. You can also use music from video websites such as YouTube. Android users can select songs from their device files to play in the PowerPoint mobile app. This wikiHow will show you how to add music and audio to your PowerPoint presentations on Windows, Mac, and Android.

Things You Should Know

  • If you want music to play in the background throughout your presentation, insert an audio file .
  • Click "Insert" → "Audio" → "Audio on My PC/Audio from File". Select a file and click "Insert".
  • To embed a music video, click "Insert" → "Video" → "Online Videos/Online Movie". Paste the video URL and click "Insert".
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Inserting a Music File (Desktop)

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  1. The app looks like a P on top of an orange circle. Microsoft PowerPoint is available to install for Windows and Mac . [1]
    • You can use this method to play music on a single slide, or to keep it playing in the background as you scroll through your entire presentation.
    • You'll need to have an audio file saved to your computer to insert it into your PowerPoint presentation. Audio files can be in the ADTS, AIFF, AU, FLAC, MIDI, MP3 , MP4, WAV, or WMA format.
    • If you don't have an audio file, check out our guide to downloading free music .
  2. This will be at the top toolbar, between Home and Draw .
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  3. You can insert WAV files, MP3, or songs from iTunes.
    • On Mac, this will look like Audio from File . You can also select Audio Browser to insert audio directly from iTunes.
    • If you want to use a song from iTunes, you'll need to convert it to MP3 first.
    • WAV files can be quite large and can make the PowerPoint presentation difficult to share. Consider converting the WAV file to MP3.
  4. Use the File Explorer or Finder to find your file.
  5. There are two options for choosing when your music plays. You can either have music play when you click a button, or keep it playing automatically in the background.
    • Play in Background: Choose this option if you want the music to start automatically and play in the background across all of your slides—even when you change slides.
    • No Style: Choose this if you prefer to click the button to start the music. The music will only play when you click the audio button, and will stop when you switch slides.
  6. If you want to play only a section of the song, you can trim it. PowerPoint includes some basic audio editing tools that allow you to change where the song begins playing, the volume level, fade duration, and more. Make sure you're on the Playback tab.
    • Add bookmarks. When you hover over the audio object, you'll see a track time slider. Select a spot on the track and click the Add Bookmark button to create a clickable bookmark at that point in the track. This will allow you to quickly jump to specific spots.
    • Click the Trim Audio button to cut out unnecessary parts of the song. This is useful if you only need to present a section of the song. Use the sliders in the Trim Audio window to select the new starting and ending point for the song.
    • Use the Fade Duration options to set the fade in and fade out times. The longer the duration, the more gradual the fade will be.
    • Click Volume to adjust the master volume for the song. Make sure to test the song before the presentation and adjust the volume accordingly so that you don't startle the audience.
  7. By default, music files with be shown with a speaker icon. If you want to change this, make sure you're on the Audio Format tab. Double-click the music file if you aren't already.
    • Click Change Picture .
    • Select This Device , From Stock Images , From Online Sources , From Icons , or From Clipboard .
    • Select the image source from the chosen method, and then click Insert .
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Inserting a Web Video (Desktop)

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  1. This looks like a P on top of an orange circle. [2]
    • Use this method to insert music from a supported website such as YouTube, SlideShare, Vimeo, Stream, or Flip.
  2. You'll need the URL for the video.
  3. Copy the URL of the video. Highlight the entire URL, and then press CTRL + C (Windows) or CMD + C (Mac) on your keyboard to copy. You can also right-click the URL and click Copy .
  4. This will be at the top toolbar, between Home and Draw .
  5. A new window will open.
    • On Mac, this will be Online Movie .
  6. Paste the URL into the field. Press CTRL + V (Windows) or CMD + V (Mac) to paste. The field will have a magnifying glass icon on the left side.
    • You'll see a preview of the video.
  7. This will be at the bottom-right corner.
  8. By default, the video will have the creator's thumbnail as the image when the video isn't playing. If you want to change it, you can insert a new picture using a file from your computer, a stock image from the library, through online sources, or from Microsoft's icon collection.
    • To change the picture:
      • Select the web video to open the Video Format tab.
      • Click Poster Frame on the left of the toolbar.
      • Click Image from File… .
      • Select From a File , Stock Images , Online Pictures , or From Icons .
      • Select the image source from the chosen method, and then click Insert .
    • Resize the picture by dragging the circles at the corners. Click and hold the center to move its position on the slide.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Using Android

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  1. This looks like a P on top of an orange circle.
  2. This looks like a pencil icon in front of an A at the top.
    • The menu will open.
  3. This will expand the other selections.
  4. This will be underneath Home .
  5. You may need to scroll down to find this option.
  6. You can use .mp3, .wav, .mid, or .midi.
    • The audio file will be added to your PowerPoint.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

PowerPoint 2007 and 2003

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  1. If you want the song to start when you start your presentation, open the first slide. If you want it to start at a specific point in the presentation, open the slide you want it to start on.
  2. You'll be able to browse for either WAV or MP3 files.
    • In Office 2003, click the Insert menu, select "Movies and Sounds", and then select "Sound from File".
    • Since PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 cannot embed MP3 files, you'll have the most success if you create a new folder on your computer and put the presentation file along with the audio file in the same spot.
    • You can embed WAV files, but this can create a very large presentation file. It is recommended that you use a linked MP3 file instead.
  3. In the "Sound" tab, you can select either "Automatically" or "When Clicked" from the "Play Sound" menu.
    • If you set the song to play automatically, check the "Hide During Show" box to hide the button for the audio file.
  4. Normally, the song will stop playing as soon as you move on to the next slide. By creating a custom animation, you can force the music to continue playing longer.
  6. Set this to the number of slides in your presentation to have the music play in the background the entire time. Click "OK" after you're finished.
  7. Since the presentation will not have the music file embedded, you will need to "pack" the presentation and the audio together using the "Package for CD". This will allow you to easily share the presentation with others. You won't need to actually burn it to CD.
    • Click the Office button, select "Publish", then "Package for CD".
    • Enter the name of the folder you want to create in the "Name the CD" box.
    • Click "Options" and ensure that "Include linked files" is checked.
    • Click the "Copy to Folder" button. A new folder will be created with your presentation and the audio file, along with a PowerPoint player so that anyone can view the presentation, even if they don't have Office.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    "Since PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 cannot embed MP3 files, you'll have the most success if you create a new folder on your computer and put the presentation file along with the audio file in the same spot." How do I create this new folder?
    Community Answer
    Go to your desktop, and right-click on the background. Then go to: New > Folder. Now you have created a folder. Put both the MP3 file and the PowerPoint file in the folder. Now you need to zip it. If done correctly, you can open the file.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-or-delete-audio-in-your-powerpoint-presentation-c3b2a9fd-2547-41d9-9182-3dfaa58f1316#OfficeVersion=Windows
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-video-from-youtube-or-another-site-8340ec69-4cee-4fe1-ab96-4849154bc6db#OfficeVersion=Windows

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open a slide.
      2. Click Insert .
      3. Click Audio .
      4. Select Audio from my PC .
      5. Select a song.
      6. Click Insert .
      7. Choose when to start the song.
      8. Adjust the volume.

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