man working with headphones on

Recording audio for PowerPoint presentations gets upgraded

Feature deep dive
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn

Hi, Office Insiders, I’m Ana Parra, a Program Manager on the PowerPoint team. I’m thrilled to share that the experience of recording audio for PowerPoint presentations is easier than ever. With a recent upgrade to PowerPoint for Mac, recording audio and inserting it into your slide is simple.

Recording audio for PowerPoint presentations

Did you dread having to name your audio file before being able to insert it? Worry no more. You can now just click a button and start recording.

Requirements

  • Enable microphone permissions if prompted.

How it works

1. On the Insert tab, click Record audio.

2. In the Record Audio pane, click the Record button.

Recording audio for PowerPoint screenshot.

3. When you are done recording, click the Stop button.

4. To listen to your recording and make sure you are satisfied with it, click the Play button.

5. If you are satisfied, click the Insert button. If you are not, click the Discard button and repeat steps 1 through 4. 

Recording audio for PowerPoint

Tips and tricks

  • Speak clearly and conversationally, but feel free to pause in between thoughts.
  • Speak more deliberately if you notice accuracy issues.
  • Move to a quieter location or use headphones if you notice background noise getting picked up.
  • You can always trim your audio clip afterwards so do not worry about ending your recording too fast or starting it too early.

Availability

This PowerPoint feature update is available to Insiders running Version 16.38 (20052800) or later.

We typically release features over some time to ensure that things are working smoothly. This is true for Insiders as well. We highlight features that you may not have because they’re slowly releasing to larger numbers of Insiders. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as Insiders, have had the opportunity to try them.

Feedback

If you have any feedback or suggestions, you can submit them using the Help Improve Office button in the top right corner or click Help > Feedback. Learn more about what other information you should include in your feedback to ensure it’s actionable and reaches the right people. We’re excited to hear from you!

Sign up for the Office Insider newsletter, and you’ll get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!