The simplest way to add music to PowerPoint

Open your presentation in PowerPoint, click the slide where you want the music to start, then go to the Insert tab at the top. Click Audio, then Audio on My Computer. Find the music file on your device and click Insert. A speaker icon will appear on your slide — you can move it anywhere or resize it, and the music will play when you click that icon during your presentation.

If you want the music to play automatically when the slide appears instead of requiring a click, right-click the speaker icon, select Play Settings, and check the box next to Play Across Slides. This keeps the music playing even as you move to the next slide, which is useful for background music during a section of your presentation.

PowerPoint works with common audio formats: MP3, WAV, M4A, and AAC files. If your music file is in a different format, you will need to convert it first using a free tool like Audacity or an online converter.

Key Takeaways

  • Insert music by clicking the Insert tab, then Audio, then Audio on My Computer, and selecting your file from your device.
  • A speaker icon appears on your slide where the music will play from — you can move or hide it, and click it to start playback during your presentation.
  • To make music play automatically when a slide appears, right-click the speaker icon and enable Play Across Slides.
  • PowerPoint accepts MP3, WAV, M4A, and AAC files; convert other formats using a free tool before inserting.
  • Music files embedded in PowerPoint increase the file size, so keep audio clips reasonably short or use a link to an external file instead.

Playing music automatically versus on click

By default, the speaker icon requires you to click it to start the music. This is useful when you want to control exactly when the audio begins — for instance, if you are narrating a slide and want background music to start at a specific moment.

If you want music to begin the moment a slide appears, right-click the speaker icon and select Play Settings. Check Play Across Slides and also check Hide During Show if you do not want the speaker icon visible to your audience. You can also set the volume here by dragging the slider.

For music that should play only on that one slide and stop when you move forward, leave Play Across Slides unchecked. The music will stop automatically when you advance to the next slide.

Hiding the speaker icon from your audience

The speaker icon is visible on your slide by default, which works fine if it fits your design. If you want the music to play without showing an icon, right-click the speaker icon and check Hide During Show. The icon will still appear while you are editing, so you can adjust it later, but your audience will not see it during the presentation.

You can also move the speaker icon to the edge of the slide or make it very small so it is less noticeable. Click and drag the icon to reposition it, or grab one of the corner handles to resize it.

Linking to music instead of embedding it

When you insert music directly into PowerPoint, the audio file becomes part of your presentation file, which makes the file much larger. If your presentation is already large or you plan to email it, this can cause problems.

Instead, you can link to the music file rather than embed it. After clicking Insert and Audio, look for Audio on My Computer and click the small arrow next to it. Select Link to File. PowerPoint will play the music from its original location on your computer rather than copying it into the presentation. This keeps your presentation file smaller, but you must keep the music file in the same location — if you move or delete it, the link will break.

Linking works best when you are presenting from your own computer. If you plan to present on a different device, embedding is safer because the music travels with the presentation.

Troubleshooting music that will not play

If you inserted music but it does not play during your presentation, first check that you are in Slideshow mode. Click the Slideshow tab and select From Beginning or From Current Slide. Music does not play in edit mode — only during an actual presentation.

If the music still does not play, check that the file format is supported. PowerPoint on Windows accepts MP3, WAV, M4A, and AAC. PowerPoint on Mac accepts the same formats. If your file is in a different format like OGG or FLAC, convert it first using a free tool.

If you linked to the file instead of embedding it, make sure the original music file is still in the same folder. If you moved or renamed the file, PowerPoint cannot find it. Re-insert the music and choose to embed it this time, or move the music file back to its original location.

Adding music to multiple slides

If you want different music on different slides, insert each audio file separately on the slide where it should play. Each speaker icon is independent, so you can have music on slide 3, different music on slide 5, and silence on slide 4.

If you want the same music to play continuously across several slides, insert it once on the first slide and enable Play Across Slides. The music will continue playing as you move through subsequent slides until you reach a slide with a different audio file or until the music ends.

For background music that plays softly throughout your entire presentation, insert it on the first slide, enable Play Across Slides, and adjust the volume to a low level using the Play Settings menu. This keeps the music playing in the background no matter which slide you are on.

File size and performance considerations

Embedded audio files increase your presentation size noticeably. A three-minute MP3 file typically adds 3 to 5 megabytes to your presentation. If you have multiple audio clips or long recordings, your presentation file can become too large to email or share easily.

Before inserting music, check the file size of your presentation. In PowerPoint, go to File, then Info, and look at the file size shown at the bottom. If it is already over 25 megabytes, consider using linked files instead of embedding, or trim your audio clips to shorter lengths.

On older computers or slower networks, large presentation files can cause playback to stutter or lag. If you experience this, try embedding shorter clips or linking to external files instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add music from YouTube or Spotify directly to PowerPoint?

No — PowerPoint only accepts audio files stored on your computer or linked from a folder. You cannot directly embed streaming music from YouTube or Spotify. You would need to read the audio as an MP3 file first, which may violate the terms of service for those platforms. Use royalty-free music sites like Pixabay or Freepik instead, which allow you to read music for presentations.

What happens to my music if I move the PowerPoint file to a different folder?

If you embedded the music, it stays with the presentation — you can move the file anywhere and the music will still play. If you linked to the file, the link breaks because PowerPoint cannot find the original music file in its new location. To fix this, either re-insert the music and embed it, or keep the music file in the same relative folder structure when you move the presentation.

Can I record my own voice or music directly in PowerPoint?

Yes, but only in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 (the subscription version). Click the Insert tab, select Audio, then Record Audio. You will need a microphone connected to your computer. The recording is embedded in your presentation. Older versions of PowerPoint do not have this feature — you must record separately and insert the file.

How do I make music fade in or fade out?

PowerPoint does not have built-in fade controls. To fade music in or out, edit the audio file before inserting it using a free tool like Audacity. In Audacity, select the beginning of the track and use the Effect menu to explore a fade-in, then select the end and explore a fade-out. Export the edited file as MP3 and insert it into PowerPoint.

Can I add music to a PowerPoint presentation I am sharing online?

Yes, if you embed the music. When you share a presentation file, the embedded audio travels with it. If you linked to a file instead, the person viewing your presentation will not hear the music unless they also have access to that linked file. For shared presentations, always embed the music to may support it plays for everyone.