How You Should Add Voice-Over to PowerPoint

Before you start you will need a microphone attached to your computer, preparing yourself for the narration of the script.  Decide whether to record the voice-over one slide at a time or record the voice-over for the entire presentation. 

How to Insert Audio for Your Voice-Over Narrations 

Recording Voice-Over for a Single Slide

  1. Choose the slide where you want to add the narration. 
  2. Go to Insert – Audio – Record Audio
  3. Type a name for the voice-over narration. 
  4. Select the button with a red dot (Record button). 
  5. Read your script or improvise the narration. 
  6. Click the black square button (Stop button) when you’re done recording. 
  7. Click Play to hear the narration. 
  8. Click OK to add the audio to the slide. 
  9. You’ll see an audio icon in the middle of the slide, move the icon anywhere on the slide to get it out of the way of other elements on the slide. 

Recording a Voice-Over for a Complete Presentation 

  1. Click View – Normal
  2. Select the first slide in the presentation where you want to record audio. 
  3. Select Slide Show – Record Slide Show – Record from Current Slide
  4. In the Record Slide Show display, click the options to set up the slideshow 
  5. Slide Animation Timings
  6. While recording, PowerPoint mechanically follows timing of the slide changes and any animations that take place. 
  7. Narrations, ink, and laser pointer: When recording, PowerPoint mechanically follows when narrations, any inking, or laser pointing takes place. 
  8. It’s better to check both of the options to make the programming of your slideshow easier.  
  9. To record on the first slide, select Start Recording(Note: In PowerPoint 2019, select Record.) 
  10. If you make a mistake and want to start over, select Clear – Clear Recordings on Current Slide(Note: In PowerPoint 2019, select Clear Existing Recordings.) 
  11. Click Pause for whenever you want to stop temporarily. 
  12. When you’ve finished recording a slide, select the option Advance to the next slide or press the Spacebar on your keyboard. 
  13. When you’re done recording the narration on the slide, click Stop
  14. Close the recording window to return to the presentation. 
Voice over recording

Listening to the Recorded Voice-Over

  1. Click View – Normal
  2. Select the slide containing the voice-over you want to hear. 
  3. Look for the sound icon on the slide. 
  4. Hover over said sound icon and click Play to preview the audio. 
  5. Click Pause when you’re done listening. 
Microphone and computer for voice over recording

Turning Off a Voice-Over

  1. Click Slide Show
  2. Click Play Narrations checkbox to clear the option off. 

Note: This is just in case you don’t want to hear your narrations when playing a slideshow, but want to have the narrations with the slide.  

Deleting a Voice-Over 

  1. Click Slide Show
  2. Click the down arrow next to Record Slide Show, then select Clear
  3. Select Clear Narration on All Slides
  4. To erase the audio in just one single slide, select the sound icon on that slide, the press the Delete key.