PowerPoint Sound & Music Guide

1) Insert a Sound or Music File

• Go to Insert → Audio → Audio on My PC 

• Select your file → Click Insert 

• A small speaker icon will appear on your slide. 

2) Set Playback

• Click the speaker icon → Go to Playback tab 

• Choose: 

o Start Automatically (plays when slide opens) 

o Start On Click (plays only when clicked) 

o Play Across Slides (continuous) 

• To sync with animations: 

o Go to Animations tab → Animation Pane 

o Right-click the sound → Set to Start With Previous (so it auto-plays with your 

first animation/slide). 

o Drag the sound to the top of the list in the Animation Pane so it runs first. 

3) Trim Settings

• Select the sound → Playback → Trim Audio 

• Use green handle = Start point 

• Use red handle = End point 

• Uses: 

o Cut silence at beginning/end 

o Shorten long music for intro only 

o Use exact seconds of voiceover 

4) Fade In / Fade Out

• Select sound → Playback tab 

• Fade In: Smooth start (e.g., 2 sec) 

• Fade Out: Smooth ending (e.g., 3 sec) 

5) Play Across Slides

• Select sound → Playback tab 

• Check Play Across Slides 

• Music will continue through all slides until stopped. 

6) Why Convert Files to .wav and .wmv

• Audio → WAV: 

o Best quality, universally supported, fewer errors. 

o Prevents “file not found” issues when moving presentations. 

• Video → WMV: 

o Old but most stable in PowerPoint. 

o Plays smoother, fewer crashes than MP4. 

• Render to WMV: 

o Ensures all sounds/videos sync perfectly in exported video. 

7) Convert FREE at Convertr.org

• Go to: https://convertr.org/en 

• Steps: 

1. Click Choose File → Upload audio/video. 

2. Select output format: WAV (for audio) or WMV (for video). 

3. Click Convert → Wait for process. 

4. Download file and insert into PowerPoint.