One of the common ways to remember what you want to say or emphasize on a slide is to add speaking notes in the Notes section below a slide in PowerPoint. Then you can use the Presenter View mode to show you the slides and your notes while you only share the slides with the audience without them seeing your notes. In a meeting room this is usually the default approach when you connect to a projector or screen.
Now that meetings have moved to Zoom and will be using this technology in the future, how can you use PowerPoint Presenter View in a Zoom meeting to present your PowerPoint with your notes? Below you will find the answer, whether you have one or two screens/monitors and whether you use Windows or a Mac. I’ll also explain why you might need three screens and how to set up that option. You can also learn expert tips for using Presenter View such as a quick way to jump to any slide without the audience seeing it and how you can zoom in on a slide while presenting in this article and video (if you are presenting with just one screen, this article and video will show you how to use some of these advanced Presenter View features).
Summary of steps
Full detailed article
I have an article with full details, including screen captures, on PowerPoint Presenter View with 2 screens in Windows.
Video
The steps are very similar to using 2 screens in Teams because sharing a screen is similar in Teams or Zoom. This video will show you how to set up a second screen in Windows using a monitor and give you the basic steps you need.
Why put your webcam above the screen? This article and video show you how to put the webcam between the two screens and use this setup to have your notes, Zoom videos, and chat on one screen while you slides are shared in the meeting from the other screen. The article is here and the video is below.
If you run into an issue when sharing the Slide Show window in Zoom with 2 screens, this article may help.
When you display your slides full screen in Slide Show mode you can actually switch to Presenter View and share the hidden Slide Show window in the Zoom meeting. This way your attendees see high-res slides while you see your notes and have all the expert features of Presenter View. You can watch how to do this in the video below.
Summary of steps
Full detailed article
I have an article with full details, including screen captures, on PowerPoint Presenter View with 1 screen in Windows. I also have an article and video on how to smoothly transition from the gallery view into your presentation so the attendees don’t see you adjusting what is shared on the screen.
Video
Summary of steps
Full detailed article
I have an article with full details, including screen captures, on PowerPoint Presenter View with 2 screens on a Mac.
Video
When you display your slides full screen in Slide Show mode you can actually switch to Presenter View and share the hidden Slide Show window in the Zoom meeting. This way your attendees see high-res slides while you see your notes and have all the expert features of Presenter View. You can watch how to do this in the video below.
Summary of steps
Full detailed article
I have an article with full details, including screen captures, on PowerPoint Presenter View with 1 screen on a Mac. I also have an article and video on how to smoothly transition from the gallery view into your presentation so the attendees don’t see you adjusting what is shared on the screen.
Video
If you want to see the attendees videos and chat while using Presenter View in Zoom you will need three screens to do so. I have an article with a full explanation and instructions on how to set this up and use the three screens.
Windows
In this article for using Presenter View with 3 screens in Windows I use a Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter connected to a TV to create the third screen. In the video below I use another way to connect a third screen. If you have an iPad or iPhone you can use an app called Duet Display. It is a paid app and it allows you to connect your iPad or iPhone to the laptop via a USB cable and use it as another display.
Mac
In this article for using Presenter View with 3 screens on a Mac I use an Apple TV device connected to a TV to create a third screen. In the video below I use another way to connect a third screen. If you have an iPad or iPhone you can use an app called Duet Display. It is a paid app and it allows you to connect your iPad or iPhone to the laptop via a USB cable and use it as another display.
Google Slides can read PowerPoint files and has a Presenter View that shows the slides in a browser window and your notes and slide preview in another window. This can be an alternative if you have one screen since you can share the browser window that has the slides in Zoom or Teams so the meeting attendees see just the slides while you can see the slides and your notes. This article shows you how to use Google Slides Presenter View in Zoom or Teams and the video below shows me demonstrate these steps.
Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world. His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don’t overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 4.8 million times and liked over 17,000 times on YouTube.
Dave Paradi has over twenty-two years of experience delivering customized training workshops to help business professionals improve their presentations. He has written ten books and over 600 articles on the topic of effective presentations and his ideas have appeared in publications around the world. His focus is on helping corporate professionals visually communicate the messages in their data so they don't overwhelm and confuse executives. Dave is one of fewer than ten people in North America recognized by Microsoft with the Most Valuable Professional Award for his contributions to the Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams communities. His articles and videos on virtual presenting have been viewed over 4.8 million times and liked over 17,000 times on YouTube.
