After creating a set of slides or a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint, you can play the slides as a slide show, displaying them as full screen on your computer. A PowerPoint slide show is an excellent visual aid when presenting important information and images to others on a web conference.

If you have a set of slides to show, review the steps below for how to start and stop a PowerPoint slide show.

Start a PowerPoint slide show

There are three ways to start a slide show in PowerPoint:

  • Open Microsoft PowerPoint, then open your presentation.
  • Click the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.
  • To start the slide show from the first slide, click the From Beginning option in the Start Slide Show section. To start the slide show from a slide other than the first, select that slide in your presentation, then click the From Current Slide option in the Start Slide Show section.

or

  • Open Microsoft PowerPoint, then open your presentation.

  • In the lower-left or lower-right area of the PowerPoint program window, click the Slide Show icon. The slide show starts from the currently-selected slide in your presentation.

  • Open Microsoft PowerPoint, then open your presentation.

  • To start the slide show from the first slide, press the F5 key. To start the slide show from a slide other than the first, select that slide in your presentation, then press the Shift+F5 key combination.

Stop a PowerPoint slide show

To stop a slide show that is currently running in PowerPoint, press the Esc key. Upon doing so, the slide show ends and the PowerPoint program window is displayed again.

  • How to create or add a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • How to change the background color of a slide in PowerPoint.
  • How to add or remove slide transitions in Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Microsoft PowerPoint help and support.
  • Software help and support.