Speaker notes let you write what you'll say without cluttering your slides

Speaker notes in PowerPoint are a text field below each slide where you write talking points, statistics, reminders, or full sentences you plan to read aloud. They appear only on your screen during a presentation — your audience never sees them. You can type them directly into PowerPoint on Windows or Mac, and they sync across devices if you use OneDrive or SharePoint.

The notes section sits at the bottom of the Normal editing view by default. If you don't see it, you can turn it on in one click. Once notes are written, you can print them as handouts, view them on a second monitor during your talk, or export them as a separate document.

Key Takeaways

  • Speaker notes appear only to you during a presentation, not to your audience, so you can write full sentences or bullet points without worrying about slide clutter.
  • The notes pane sits below each slide in Normal view; if you don't see it, go to the View tab and click Notes to turn it on.
  • You can print notes as handouts, display them on a second monitor during your talk, or save them as a separate document for reference later.
  • Notes sync automatically if your file is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, so you can add them on your laptop and view them on a tablet before presenting.

Turn on the notes pane if it's not visible

By default, PowerPoint shows the notes section at the bottom of your screen in Normal view. If your screen is small or the pane has been hidden, you'll need to turn it back on. Click the View tab at the top of the ribbon, then click Notes. The notes pane will appear below your slide.

If you're on a Mac, the steps are the same: go to View and select Notes Page to see the full page layout, or stay in Normal view and look for the notes area at the bottom. On either platform, you can resize the notes pane by dragging the divider line up or down to give yourself more or less space.

Click in the notes area and type your talking points

Click anywhere in the notes section below the slide preview. A cursor will appear, and you can start typing. Write whatever you need to remember: the full text you plan to read, key statistics, transitions between slides, or reminders to pause and ask a question. There's no character limit, so you can be as detailed as you want.

As you move to the next slide, the notes pane updates to show that slide's notes. You can jump back to any earlier slide and add or edit notes there. If you're working on a file stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, your notes save automatically as you type.

Print notes as handouts or speaker reference sheets

Once you've written notes for all your slides, you can print them in several formats. Go to File, then Print. In the Print dialog, look for the dropdown that says Full Page Slides (or Slides on a Mac). Click it and choose Notes Pages. This prints one slide per page with your notes below it — useful if you want a paper copy to hold during your talk.

If you want a more compact format, choose Handouts instead and select how many slides per page you want (2, 3, 4, 6, or 9). Handouts print smaller slides with lines next to them for audience note-taking, but your speaker notes won't appear. For a document that's just your notes without slides, export your file as a PDF or Word document instead (see the next section).

Export notes as a separate Word or PDF document

If you want your notes in a standalone document you can read on a phone or tablet, you can send your presentation to Word. Go to File, then Export, then Create Handouts (on Windows) or Send to Word (on Mac). Choose the layout you prefer — Word will create a new document with your slides and notes together or separately, depending on which option you pick.

Alternatively, print to PDF: go to File > Print, select Notes Pages from the layout dropdown, then choose Print to File or select a PDF printer from the printer list. Save the PDF and you'll have a portable copy of your slides and notes that you can open on any device.

Display notes on a second monitor during your presentation

If you're presenting on a projector or external monitor, you can show your slides on the big screen while your notes appear only on your laptop. Start your slideshow by pressing F5 (Windows) or Shift + Command + Return (Mac). PowerPoint will automatically detect your second monitor and show Presenter View on your laptop screen — this displays the current slide, your notes, a preview of the next slide, and a timer.

If Presenter View doesn't start automatically, right-click on your slide in Normal view, select Set Up Show, and check the box for Presenter View. You can also go to Slide Show tab and click Set Up Show to turn it on. Once it's enabled, your notes will appear on your screen only, never on the projector.

Sync notes across devices with OneDrive or SharePoint

If your PowerPoint file is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, any notes you add sync automatically to the cloud. This means you can add notes on your desktop, then open the file on a tablet or phone and see those notes right away. You can also edit notes on any device and the changes will appear everywhere.

To make sure your file is in the right place, go to File > Save As and choose OneDrive or your organization's SharePoint site. Once it's saved there, open the file on another device and your notes will be waiting. This is especially useful if you're preparing notes the night before and want to review them on your phone while you're traveling to the presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my audience see my speaker notes?

No. Speaker notes appear only on your screen during a presentation, never on the projector or external display. Your audience sees only the slides themselves. If you want to share your notes with them, you must export them as a separate document and send that file.

What if I want to print just the notes without the slides?

Export your file to Word (File > Export > Create Handouts or Send to Word) and choose the layout option that shows notes only. Alternatively, print to PDF using Notes Pages layout, then open the PDF and delete the slide images if you want text-only pages.

Can I add notes to a PowerPoint file on my phone or tablet?

The PowerPoint mobile app lets you view notes but not edit them in detail. For full note-editing, use the desktop version of PowerPoint or open your file in a web browser at Office.com, where you can add and edit notes in the Notes pane.

Do notes take up file size or slow down my presentation?

No. Notes are stored separately from the slide content and don't affect how your presentation runs or how quickly it loads. They also don't increase file size significantly unless you've added thousands of words across many slides.

Can I use notes in PowerPoint Online?

Yes. Open your file at Office.com, click the slide you want, and look for the Notes pane at the bottom of the editor. Click it and type your notes. Changes save automatically if your file is on OneDrive or SharePoint.