How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

You can embed a video into a PowerPoint presentation in two ways: 1) Add an online video from YouTube or another site or 2) Add a video from your computer.

In PowerPoint, click on the Insert Ribbon. Go to the Media grouping on the far right side, and then click on the drop-down arrow under Video. Choose Online Video to add a video from YouTube. Choose Video on My PC to add a video saved on your computer. Select the video you want to add to your presentation, and then click Insert. The video will appear on your slide for you to edit as needed. 


Adding an Online Video

1. In PowerPoint, click on the Insert Ribbon. Go to the Media grouping on the far right side, and then click on the drop-down arrow under Video.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

2. To add a video from online, choose Online Video from the drop-down menu under video. PowerPoint only supports embedding YouTube videos at this time. An Insert Video box will appear:

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

If you aren't sure what video you want, you can search YouTube by entering keywords in the YouTube search box (above). This will bring up videos for you to select and insert into your presentation. 

If you already know what video you want to include you will copy and paste the video's embed code into the embed code box (above). YouTube makes it easy to copy and paste the embed code. 

3. Once you have selected your video from YouTube or pasted the embed code, hit insert.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint


Adding a Video from computer

1. In PowerPoint, click on the Insert Ribbon. Go to the Media grouping on the far right side, and then click on the drop-down arrow under Video.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

2. On drop-down menu, click on Video on My PC. An Insert Video box will appear. Using left sidebar of Insert Video box, navigate to where you have saved your video. Select the video you want to insert, then click the Insert button in bottom right corner.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

3.  Your video will appear on your slide:

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

4. You can edit your video in PowerPoint using the Video Tools ribbon (this ribbon will only appear when you are clicked on your video in the slide). 

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint


Some points to consider:

  • YouTube videos can be taken down at any time, so there is no guarantee it will always be available in your presentation. 
  • Be aware of potential copyright restrictions on the videos you choose.
  • Adding a video from your computer increases your PowerPoint's file size. Be aware that this can make it difficult to send through email.

You can also add media into your slide using the placeholder commands that appear on new slides. Click on the icon corresponding to the type of media you want to include, and then follow the steps above. 

Adding video to your PowerPoint presentation can help to make it more appealing for your audience. Here’s how to do it.

If you want your PowerPoint presentation to stand out, consider adding a video. It might be just what your presentation needs to appeal to your audience, rather than overwhelming everyone with too many static slides or endless text — also known as death by PowerPoint.

There are a few ways you can add a video to a PowerPoint presentation. You can insert your own video files or add a YouTube video instead. Here’s how to do both.

Inserting Video Files to a PowerPoint Presentation

Inserting your own video files into a PowerPoint presentation requires you to have the video available on your PC. If you’re presenting on multiple PCs, you’ll need to keep your video file alongside your presentation to be able to show it.

To insert a video file into PowerPoint, open your presentation and select a slide. From the ribbon bar, click Insert > Video > Video on my PC.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

Locate the video file on your PC in the Insert Video box, then click the Insert button to insert it into your presentation.

You’ll need to use a supported video format like mp4 or convert your video to that format before inserting it.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

You can then change how your video will play during your presentation from the Video Tools section on the ribbon bar. Click the Playback tab to access your video playback settings.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

To loop the video while the slide is in view during your live presentation, click the Loop until Stopped check box to enable it.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

If you want the video to be full screen during playback, click to enable the Play Full-Screen checkbox.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

You can also set how your video file will begin playing, which, by default, is set to In Click Sequence.

Choose When Clicked On from the Start dropdown menu to play your video when you click on it during your presentation. To play your inserted video automatically, select the “Automatically” option instead.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

Embedding YouTube Videos to a PowerPoint Presentation

Rather than use your own files, you can also embed YouTube videos into your PowerPoint presentation. It may be possible to insert videos from other online video sources, depending on the site. YouTube has the greatest selection of videos to choose from, however.

The latest versions of PowerPoint (including 2019 and 365) allow you to insert a YouTube video using just the URL. For older versions of Powerpoint (2016 and older), you may need the embed code instead.

If you’re using PowerPoint 2019, open your PowerPoint presentation and select an appropriate slide. From the ribbon bar, click Insert > Video > Online Video.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

In the Online Video box, paste the URL to a YouTube video into the box provided. Click Insert to add the video to your presentation.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

The video will appear as a thumbnail with a large play icon in the middle. Clicking on the thumbnail will load the video with YouTube controls, where you can play the video, pause it, or change volume.

If you want the video to begin playing automatically when the slide loads, select the video thumbnail and click Playback under the Video Tools section on the ribbon bar.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

From here, select Automatically from the Start dropdown menu. If you’d rather have the video play when you click it, choose When Clicked On instead.

How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint
How to insert a clip of a video into powerpoint

Improving Your PowerPoint Presentations Further

If you’re adding video to your PowerPoint presentation, you’re stepping things up. Adding other forms of content like audio and using special effects like slide transitions can help improve your presentation even further and make it better for your intended audience.

Think bold and think big by broadcasting your PowerPoint presentation online to newer and bigger audiences. If you’re struggling, try ditching PowerPoint altogether by trying Microsoft Sway instead.

How do you use part of a video in PowerPoint?

In Normal view, click the video in your slide. Under Video Tools, click the Playback tab. Next to Start, click the down arrow, and select Automatically. When you are delivering your presentation in Slide Show View or Presenter View, the video will play automatically when you arrive at the slide.

Can you clip a video in PowerPoint?

In Normal view, select the video frame on the slide. Select the Playback tab, and then select Trim Video. To determine where you want to trim your video footage, in the Trim Video dialog box, press the Play button. When you reach the point where you want to make the cut, press the Pause button.