You have put a lot of effort into creating a new PowerPoint presentation. Everything looks great, but the PowerPoint won’t play video. Most of the time, this happens due to an incompatible audio or video file format or wrong PowerPoint settings. The solutions presented in this article will help you make the PowerPoint play embedded video without any difficulty. So, let’s start!
First things first: check the video format
If PowerPoint does not support the video format, the video may not play at all or may not have audio. In that case, you should look for another version of the video or use a free online video converter.
A few clicks are more than enough to convert your videos to .wmv, .mp4, .avi, .mov, .mpg or any other supported video file format. All you need is a web browser and the internet connection.
Video and audio file formats supported in PowerPoint
There are many supported video file formats for Windows users. The most recommended format is .wmv (PowerPoint 2010), and for newer versions of PowerPoint .mp4 files encoded with H.264 video and AAC audio. Regarding macOS, .mp4 files encoded with H.264 video and AAC audio are also the best format. Find more about video and audio file formats supported in PowerPoint for Windows and macOS here.
PowerPoint won’t play video? Download the video again
If PowerPoint supports the video file format but still can not play it, there may be something wrong with the video itself. To test it, play the video outside of the PowerPoint. There are more reasons why you cannot play a video in a PowerPoint presentation. The video may be missing certain files, or the storage location may be damaged. The video itself could be corrupted, or the video stream may be out of sync. The simplest solution is to re-download the video from another source.
The temporary files
If your computer has accumulated too much temporary data, you could encounter all kinds of problems, including the one where – video won’t play in PowerPoint. Even if your system should automatically remove temporary files, you can still manually delete them.
How to delete temporary files?
First, go to the “Start” menu of your computer and launch the “Run Prompt”.
Type “%temp%” in the search box and hit the “OK” button. A new folder will open on your screen containing all the temporary files that are present on your computer. Select all the files (except those that are still in use) and delete them. Once you have deleted the temporary files, restart your computer and check if the PowerPoint can now play the videos.
Check out the options for playing videos and slideshows within the PowerPoint
Couldn’t find anything wrong with the video? Then it is time to move on and check your PowerPoint playback settings. PowerPoint can play the video automatically or wait for you to click on the video before it starts playing.
Check if PowerPoint is set up correctly to play the video:
- In Normal view, click the video frame on the slide.
- On the toolbar, open the Playback tab.
- Go to the Video Options menu and open the Start drop-down menu.
- Select the desired option:
- Automatically,
- On Click or When Clicked On,
- In Click Sequence.
Set the volume of a video
Also, check if the sound is not muted in PowerPoint. Under Video Tools, on the Playback tab, click the Volume icon. Choose one of the options (Low, Medium, High, Mute). You can also set the volume by using the volume slider on the play control bar.
Optimize PowerPoint media compatibility
If PowerPoint supports the video format but still has problems playing it, you should optimize PowerPoint media compatibility.
Open the File menu and select Info. Then click on the Check Issues button and select the “Check Compatibility” option from the drop-down menu.
After you have selected this option, PowerPoint will automatically detect the media files. It will report to you the existing issue and of course – try to fix it. To finish, click on the “OK” button.
Save your PowerPoint presentation in PPTX format
PowerPoint users are well aware that the file extension for PowerPoint presentations is .ppt. This comes with the advantage of being able to open the .ppt file with older versions of Office. However, older versions have problems when it comes to playing PowerPoint videos. Therefore, we suggest that when saving the presentation, you select the .pptx option, which is intended for modern versions of Office.
YouTube video not playing in PowerPoint? Embed codes for YouTube videos
You would like to include a YouTube video in your presentation, but the YouTube video is not playing in PowerPoint? Copying and pasting the link will not be enough. Instead, you will need to embed the video code in your presentation.
How to embed codes for YouTube videos?
Follow these few easy steps:
- Navigate to the YouTube video you want to insert into your slideshow.
- Click Share below the video and select Embed.
- Copy the embedded code.
- In PowerPoint, open the Insert tab and click Media > Video.
- Select Online Videos and paste the embed code from YouTube.
- Then, click on Insert.
Note: Keep in mind that the YouTube video that you embedded in your presentation may not be available anymore. Avoid using videos in the “Private viewing only” settings. It is also recommended to make sure that the video file you want to use is in the right file format.
YouTube plays its videos in an HTML5 player. The older versions of PowerPoint use Flash player. For this reason, embedded YouTube videos may not play at all for PowerPoint 2010 users. The best way to fix the audio or video error is to upgrade to the latest PowerPoint version.
PowerPoint Won’t Play Video: Conclusion
PowerPoint is a fantastic tool for creating a presentation from scratch. Adding video to your presentation is a neat thing to do, and it makes it look even more professional. Whenever you encounter a problem and the PowerPoint simply does not want to play the video, the above tips will help you to make everything work according to plan. Your video will be ready to roll in no time!
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