PowerPoint: Create a Looping Presentation

Creating a Looping PowerPoint Presentation Video Walkthrough

A looping introduction is useful when you want slides to rotate continuously. Such as before an event begins, while guests are arriving, or during a transition period until you’re ready to start the main presentation.

Note - These instructions apply to the PowerPoint desktop application (not PowerPoint Online).

• Open the Slides You Want to Loop

  • Open the PowerPoint presentation that contains the slides you want to display as a looping introduction.

• Set Slides to Advance Automatically

  • Select the first slide in your looping section.
  • Go to the Transitions tab.
  • Locate the Advance Slide section.
  • Check After and enter a time (for example, 5 seconds).
  • Click Apply to All.

Repeat as needed to confirm that each slide in the loop is set to advance automatically after the same amount of time.

• Enable Continuous Looping

  • Go to the Slide Show tab.
  • Select Set Up Slide Show.
  • Check Loop continuously until ‘Esc’.
  • Click OK.

This ensures the slideshow will return to the first slide after the last slide and continue looping.

• Test the Loop

To verify the loop is working:

• Start the slideshow.
• Wait for the slide timing you set (e.g., 5 seconds).
• Confirm the slides advance automatically.
• Allow the slideshow to reach the last slide and confirm it loops back to the beginning.

*Optional: Add a Main Presentation After the Loop

You can append a full presentation after the looping introduction and keep it hidden until you’re ready to begin.

• Copy the Main Presentation
  • Open the presentation you want to show after the loop.
  • Select all slides.
  • Copy the slides.
  • Close the presentation.
• Paste into the Looping Presentation
  • Open the looping introduction presentation.
  • Paste the copied slides using Keep Source Formatting.

​​​​​

• Hide the Main Presentation Slides

  • Select the slides you just pasted.
  • Right‑click and choose Hide Slide.

Hidden slides will appear with a slash through the slide number.
Your visible slides (the looping intro) should remain unhidden.

• Start the Main Presentation When Ready

While the looping slideshow is running:

• Identify the slide number of the first hidden slide (for example, slide 5).
• On the keyboard, type the slide number and press Enter (e.g., 5 + Enter).

PowerPoint will immediately jump to that slide, and you can continue presenting normally.

Common Use Cases

• Event welcome screens
• Pre‑meeting loops
• Conference or lecture transitions
• Guest arrival periods

Tips

• Keep loop slides visually simple and readable from a distance.
• Use consistent timing for smoother transitions.
• Practice the slide number jump in advance to avoid delays.

return to top