How to Embed a Video in Powerpoint (The Easy Way)

The persuasive power of video is not limited to the social media feed.

Many a presentation has been improved with the addition of a video. They make your presentations more engaging, interactive, and dynamic.

In this article, we’ll lay out how to add video to PowerPoint. We’ll cover how to embed directly or from a YouTube video, as well as the steps to take once you’ve successfully inserted the video into your PowerPoint presentation to help you put your best foot forward.

For both of these techniques, make sure that Microsoft Office is updated to the latest version.

Looking to embed a video in Google Slides? Use this guide!

How to add video from a file

The first approach, adding video to PowerPoint using a file on your computer, is fairly straightforward.

Step 1: Choose your slide.

First thing’s first, open your presentation and navigate to the slide you want to add a video to. You can always reorder your slides later if you change your mind.

Step 2: Select your video.

Click “Insert” in the top navigation bar, select “Movie” and then click “Movie from File.” From there, select the file you’d like to insert.

Alternatively, select “Media” (or “Movie,” depending on whether you’re using a Mac or PC) from the “Insert” section of the Home menu in the PowerPoint control panel and follow the same steps as above.

Step 3: Format your video.

Once your video is inserted, you can make adjustments, including whether you want it to play automatically or upon being clicked, choosing a thumbnail, adding a border, visual effects, and more. Start your slideshow to make sure everything is to your liking, and you’re done!

How to put a YouTube video in Powerpoint

If you don’t have the file on your computer, embedding from YouTube is a fine alternative. Note that the steps listed below are only applicable to PC owners. For Mac instructions, you’ll need to download a free app, which is linked to on Microsoft Office’s support page here.

Step 1: Choose your slide.

Stop us if this sounds familiar: Open your presentation and navigate to the slide in question. You can always reorder your slides later if you change your mind.

Step 2: Find your YouTube video.

You probably saw this one coming. Once you’ve navigated to the video, click “SHARE,” then “EMBED,” and look over the options for your embedded file before you copy the code. You may want to uncheck the suggested videos, for instance. Then copy that code by pressing “CTRL+C” or “Command+C,” and return to PowerPoint.

Step 3: Insert your video.

Click the “Insert” tab, select “Video,” and then click “Online Video.” Older versions of PowerPoint will say “Video from Website.” Paste your embed code into the field that appears. You can also embed videos from other sources, such as Vimeo, using either this approach, or the app mentioned in the support page linked to above.

Step 3: Format your video.

Click the “playback” tab to decide whether you want your video to play automatically or upon being clicked, choose a thumbnail, add a border, visual effects, and more. Start your slideshow to make sure everything is to your liking, and you’re done!

**NOTE: **For YouTube embeds, ensure that you’ll have internet access wherever you’ll be giving your presentation, as you won’t have downloaded the file itself.

Google Slides

If you’re creating a presentation in Google Slides, rather than PowerPoint, then we’ve got you covered there as well.

Step 1: Choose your video.

Navigate to the slide you’ll be playing your video on, click “Insert” from the navigation bar, and select “Video.” You’ll be given the option to search within YouTube for a video, input a YouTube URL, or select a file from your Drive. Choose one, select your desired video, and it’ll appear on your slide.

Step 2: Format your video.

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Feel free to position your video however you choose on your slide, as well as drag from the corner of the video to resize it. You can also right-click on the video to open “Video Options,” which will allow you to choose the points at which your video will start and end, as well as whether you’d like the sound to play, and whether or not you want your video to autoplay.