This article is for people with visual or cognitive impairments who use a screen reader program such as Microsoft's Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with the Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support home or Fixes or workarounds for recent office issues.
Use PowerPoint with your keyboard and a screen reader to insert video and audio files to spice up your presentations. You can even record an audio file directly from PowerPoint. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When using pictures, clip art, or other files from the internet, it's important to respect copyright. The Filter images by license type can help you choose which files to use.
In this topic
Insert a video from the internet
You can insert an online video from video sharing communities such as YouTube or from stock videos readily available in PowerPoint.
Insert a stock video
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In the slide content area where you want to insert a video, press Alt+N, then V and S. A Bing dialog box for searching online stock videos opens. The focus in on the search text field.
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Type your search words. The list of search results is updated as you type.
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To access the search results, press the Tab key until you hear "Gallery," followed by the description of the video currently in focus.
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Use the arrow keys to browse the search results. When you hear the description of the video you want, press Spacebar to select the video.
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To insert the video, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert," and then press Enter.
Insert videos from video sharing communities
Copy and paste the address of a video in an internet sharing community to quickly insert a video to a slide. The following video sharing communities are currently supported: YouTube, Stream, Flipgrid, Vimeo, and SlideShare.
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In the video sharing community, copy the address of the video you want to insert to a slide.
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In PowerPoint, navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert the video.
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Press Alt+N, then V, and O. A dialog box for inserting online videos opens. The focus is on the Enter the address for online video text field.
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Paste the video address. If the address is correct, a preview of the video is displayed.
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To insert the video, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert button," and then press Enter.
Insert a video from your device
You can insert a video from your PC to your presentation.
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Go to the slide content area where you want to insert a video.
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Press Alt+N, then V and T. The Windows Insert Video dialog box opens, with the Documents folder selected. The focus is on the File name: text field.
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Do one of the following:
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Navigate to the video file you want to add and then press Spacebar to select the file. To insert the video file to the slide, press Alt+S.
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Type or paste the path to the file, and then press Enter to insert the video file to the slide.
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If necessary, to change the video format options, select the video on the slide, and press Alt+J, P. The focus moves to the Video Format tab. To navigate through the ribbon tab options, press the Tab key. To select an option, press Enter.
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If necessary, to change the video playback options, select the video on the slide, and press Alt+J, N. The focus moves to the Playback tab. To navigate through the ribbon tab options, press the Tab key. To select, press Enter.
Insert an audio file from your device
You can insert audio files from your computer to a presentation.
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Go to the slide content area where you want to insert an audio file.
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To open the Insert Audio dialog box, press Alt+N, then O and P. The focus is on the File name: text field.
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Do one of the following:
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Navigate to the audio file you want to add and then press Spacebar to select the file. To insert the audio file to the slide, press Alt+S.
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Type or paste the path to the file, and then press Enter to insert the audio file to the slide.
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If necessary, to change the audio file format options, select the audio file on the slide, and press Alt+J, P. The focus moves to the Audio Format tab. To navigate through the ribbon tab options, press the Tab key. To select an option, press Enter.
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If necessary, to navigate to the audio playback options, select the audio file on the slide, and press Alt+J, N. The focus moves to the Playback tab. To navigate through the ribbon tab options, press the Tab key. To select an option, press Enter.
Record an audio file in PowerPoint
You can quickly record an audio file directly in PowerPoint and insert it to a slide.
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Go to the slide where you want to insert an audio file.
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Press Alt+N, then O and R. You hear: “Record sound window, name, edit box.”
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Type a short name for your audio recording.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Record button," and then press Enter. You hear: "OK button." The recording starts.
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Record the audio, and when you're done, press Enter. The recording stops and the audio file is inserted in the slide.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and edit pictures and tables in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to save your presentation in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to insert audio and video into your presentations.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
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When using videos, pictures, clip art, or other files from the internet, it's important to respect copyright. The Filter images by license type in Bing can help you choose which files to use.
In this topic
Insert a video from your device
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In the Normal view, navigate to the slide content area where you want to add a video file.
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Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab, for example, "Home, selected, tab."
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Press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Insert, selected."
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Video menu button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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In the video menu, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Movie from file," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear the name of the currently selected file.
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To browse for a video file, press the Tab key until you hear the video you want to insert to the slide.
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To insert the video in focus, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Insert a video from the internet
You can add an online video from video sharing communities such as YouTube or from stock videos readily available in PowerPoint.
Insert a stock video
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In the Normal view, navigate to the slide content area where you want to add a video file.
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Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab in the ribbon, for example, "Home, selected, tab."
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Press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Insert, selected."
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Video menu button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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In the video menu, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Stock videos," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Search stock videos." The focus is on the search text field.
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Type your search words. The search results are updated as you type. To browse the results, press the Tab key until you hear "Entering gallery, list box," and then press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear the description of the video you want. To select the video, press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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To insert the video, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Insert videos from video sharing communities
Copy and paste the address of a video in an internet sharing community, such as YouTube to quickly insert a video to a slide.
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In the video sharing community, copy the address of the video you want to insert to a slide.
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In PowerPoint, navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert the video.
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Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab in the ribbon, for example, "Home, selected, tab."
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Press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Insert, selected."
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Video menu button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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In the video menu, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Online movie," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Enter the URL for the online video." The focus is on the video address text field.
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Paste the video address to the text field.
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To insert the video, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert, default, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Insert an audio file from your device
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In the Normal view, navigate to the slide content area where you want to add an audio file.
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Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab in the ribbon, for example, "Home, selected, tab."
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Press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Insert, selected."
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Audio menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key, until you hear "Audio from file," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. The Choose Audio dialog box opens.
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Press the Tab key or Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you hear the name of the audio file you want. If the audio file is in a folder, press the Tab key until you hear the name of the folder you want and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. Press the Tab key or Control+Option+Right or Left arrow key until you find the file you want.
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To insert the audio file, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
Record an audio file in PowerPoint
You can quickly record an audio file directly in PowerPoint and insert it into a slide.
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In the Normal view, navigate to the slide content area where you want to add an audio file.
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Press F6 until you hear the currently selected tab in the ribbon, for example, "Home, selected, tab."
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Press Control+Option+Left or Right arrow key until you hear "Insert tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Insert, selected."
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Audio menu button," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Record audio," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
If you hear "Microsoft PowerPoint would like to access the microphone," press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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The Record Audio pane opens, and the focus is on the record button. To start recording, press Control+Option+Spacebar. To stop the recording, press Control+Option+Spacebar. If you've moved the focus away from the record button, move the focus to the Record Audio pane, press the Tab key until you hear "Stop, button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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To insert the recording to the slide, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert button," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to insert video files to spice up your presentations.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
-
When using videos, pictures, clip art, or other files from the internet, it's important to respect copyright. The Filter images by license type in Bing can help you choose which files to use.
In this topic
Insert a video from your phone
You can use a video you have recorded with your device's camera or download a video from the web. By default, videos are saved to Photos.
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Navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert a video.
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Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Show ribbon, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the name of the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab."
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Double-tap the screen, swipe right until you hear "Insert, tab," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Insert video, button," and double-tap the screen. The video repository in your device opens.
If you hear "PowerPoint would like to access your videos," swipe right until you hear "OK, button," and double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Videos," followed by the number of videos in the folder. Double-tap the screen to open the folder.
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Swipe right until you locate the video you want. VoiceOver reads the duration and date of each video.
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To select the video, double-tap the screen, and then swipe right until you hear: "Choose, button."
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To insert the video, double-tap the screen. The focus returns to your presentation with the video selected.
Insert a video from your phone camera
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Navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert a video.
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Tap near the top of the screen with four fingers, swipe right until you hear "Show ribbon, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the name of the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab."
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Double-tap the screen, swipe right until you hear "Insert, tab," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Insert picture from camera, button," and then double-tap the screen. Your phone camera activates.
If you hear "PowerPoint would like to access the camera," swipe right until you hear "OK, button," and double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear: "Camera mode, photo." To change the mode to video, swipe down with one finger. You hear: "Video."
If you hear “PowerPoint would like to access the microphone,” swipe right until you hear "OK button," and then double-tap the screen.
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To start recording your video, swipe right until you hear: "Record video, button." Point the camera in the direction you want, and then double-tap the screen.
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To stop recording, double-tap the screen. If you have moved the focus away from the record button, swipe right until you hear "Stop recording video, button," and then double-tap the screen.
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To insert the video, swipe right or left until you hear "Use video, button," and then double-tap the screen. The focus returns to your presentation with the video selected.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to insert video and audio files to spice up your presentations.
Notes:
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
-
When using videos, pictures, clip art, or other files from the internet, it's important to respect copyright. The Filter images by license type in Bing can help you choose which files to use.
In this topic
Insert a video from your phone
You can use a video you have recorded with your device's camera, or a video you've downloaded from the web. The videos are saved to the default image storage on your phone.
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Navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert a video.
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Swipe left until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the name of the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab menu."
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Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear "Insert, tab," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Videos menu," and then double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Video button," and double-tap the screen.
If you hear "PowerPoint would like to access your videos," swipe right until you hear "OK, button," and double-tap the screen.
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The default image and video storage on your phone opens. Swipe right or left to navigate to the video file you want to insert.
Note: Depending on your Android version or if you're using a corporate account, the steps might be slightly different. You might have to choose whether to use your work or personal profile, select the storage app, and choose whether to use the app only once or always.
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Once on the correct video file, double-tap the screen. The video is inserted to the slide. The focus returns to your presentation with the video selected.
Insert a video from your phone camera
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Navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert a video.
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Swipe left until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the name of the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab menu."
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Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear "Insert, tab," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Videos menu," and then double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Record video, button," and double-tap the screen. The camera on your phone activates.
If you hear "PowerPoint would like to access the camera," swipe right until you hear "OK, button," and double-tap the screen.
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To start recording your video, swipe right until you hear: "Shutter, button." Point the camera in the direction you want, and then double-tap the screen.
If you hear “PowerPoint would like to access the microphone,” swipe right until you hear "OK button," and then double-tap the screen.
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To stop recording, swipe right until you hear "Shutter, button," and then double-tap the screen. If you've moved the focus away from the shutter button, swipe left or right until you hear "Shutter button," and double-tap the screen.
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To insert the video, swipe right or left until you hear "Unlabeled button," and then double-tap the screen. The focus returns to your presentation with the video selected.
Insert an audio file from your phone
You can add audio files from your phone to a presentation.
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Navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert an audio file.
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Swipe left until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the name of the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab menu."
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Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear "Insert, tab," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Audio menu," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Insert audio from device," and double-tap the screen.
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The default audio storage on your phone opens. Swipe right or left to navigate to the audio file you want to insert.
Note: Depending on your Android version or if you're using a corporate account, the steps might be slightly different. You might have to choose whether to use your work or personal profile, select the storage app, and choose whether to use the app only once or always.
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Once on the correct audio file, double-tap the screen. The audio is inserted to the slide. The focus returns to your presentation with the audio selected.
Record an audio file in PowerPoint
You can quickly record an audio file directly in PowerPoint and insert it to a slide.
-
Navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert an audio file.
-
Swipe left until you hear "More options, button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear the name of the currently selected tab, for example, "Home tab menu."
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Double-tap the screen, swipe right or left until you hear "Insert, tab," and then double-tap the screen.
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Swipe right until you hear "Audio menu," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Record audio," and double-tap the screen.
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To start recording the audio file, swipe right until you hear "Record button," and then double-tap the screen. Your phone is now recording.
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To stop recording, double-tap the screen. If you've moved the focus away from the record button, swipe right or left until you hear "Record button," and double-tap the screen.
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To insert the audio file to the slide, swipe right until you hear "Insert button," and double-tap the screen. The audio is inserted to the slide. The focus returns to your presentation with the audio selected.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with slides in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use PowerPoint for the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to insert video and audio files to spice up your presentations. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
Notes:
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If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
-
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
-
To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use PowerPoint for the web with a screen reader, switch to the full screen mode. Press F11 to toggle the full screen mode on and off.
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When using videos, pictures, clip art, or other files from the internet, it's important to respect copyright. The Filter images by license type in Bing can help you choose which files to use.
-
When you use PowerPoint for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because PowerPoint for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not PowerPoint for the web.
In this topic
Insert a video from video sharing communities
Copy and paste the address of a video in an internet video sharing community to quickly insert a video to a slide. The following video sharing communities are currently supported: YouTube, Stream, Flipgrid, Vimeo, and SlideShare.
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In your browser, go to the video you want to add and copy the URL of the video from the address bar.
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In PowerPoint, navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert the video.
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Press Alt+Windows logo key, N, V, O. You hear: “Online video.” A dialog box for inserting online videos opens. The focus is on the Enter the address for online video text field.
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Paste the video address to the text field. If the address is correct, a preview of the video is displayed.
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To insert the video, press the Tab key until you hear "Insert button," and press Enter.
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To play the video in the presentation, press Alt+Windows logo key, S, C. The slide show starts from the current slide containing the video. Press the Tab key until you hear "Play button," and then press Enter.
Insert an audio file from your device
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Navigate to the slide content area where you want to insert an audio file.
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Press Alt+Windows logo key, N, P. The Windows Open dialog box opens, and the focus is on the File name: text field.
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Do one of the following:
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Navigate to the audio file you want to add and then press Spacebar to select the file. To insert the audio file to the slide, press Alt+O.
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Type or paste the path to the file, and then press Enter to insert the audio file to the slide.
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If necessary, to change the audio file format options, select the audio file on the slide, and press Alt+Windows logo key, J, P. The focus moves to the Audio Format tab. To navigate through the ribbon tab options, press the Tab key. To select an option, press Enter.
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If necessary, to navigate to the audio playback options, select the audio file on the slide, and press Alt+Windows logo key, J, N. The focus moves to the Playback tab. To navigate through the ribbon tab options, press the Tab key. To select an option, press Enter.
See also
Use a screen reader to insert and edit pictures and tables in PowerPoint
Use a screen reader to add and format text in PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
