2 Easy Ways to Add Transitions to a PowerPoint Presentation

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An easy-to-follow guide to create animated transitions between PowerPoint slides

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: March 22, 2025 Fact Checked

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Is your PowerPoint presentation boring? Spice it up by adding transitions between your slides! Slide transitions are effects that happen when you move from one slide to the next during a presentation and can make your presentation a little more interesting. This wikiHow article shows you how to add transitions to PowerPoint on your PC or Mac, and using the mobile app using an Android, iPhone, or iPad.

Things You Should Know

Add a transition from one slide to another by selecting an option from the "Transition" tab.
Click or tap "Apply to all" if you want that transition to appear on every slide throughout your presentation.
If you don't apply a single transition to all your slides, you can use different ones on each slide.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

On a Computer

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You can either create a new presentation on your PC or Mac or open a file by going to File > Open.
You will see your slides in the panel on the left side of your screen.

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Click the Transitions tab. You'll see a bunch of transitions that are available. Click the arrow icon to see more options.^{[1]
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- Click a transition to see a preview of it.
- For example, if you have slide 3 picked and choose a "Fade" transition, slide 2 will fade out to reveal slide 3.
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Select your effect options (if available). You'll see this to the right of the transition options. Click the down arrow to see more effect options. However, not every transition has effect options.^{[2]
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- There is also "Sound" so you can set a specific sound to that transition and "Duration" so you can adjust how long the transition effects last.
You'll see this button in the far left corner of the editing ribbon. This will preview the transition again along with your "Sound", "Duration", and "Effect Options" choices. You can go back and tweak any of those settings to get your transition just right.^{[3]
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Click Apply to all if you want to use the same transition between every slide in your presentation. If you don't do this, you'll be able to use multiple different transitions throughout your presentation.^{[4]
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- If you want to remove a transition, click None under the Transitions tab. Repeat this and click Apply to all to remove all the transitions in your presentation.^{[5]
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- Slides that have a transition display a star icon in the slide panel.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Mobile App

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Open your presentation in PowerPoint. You can start a blank document to make a new one or you can tap to open a saved document.
- This method works for Android, iPhone, and iPad.
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Tap the Transitions tab. It's in the editing ribbon above your presentation with File and Home if you're using a tablet.
- If you're using a phone, tap the "Edit" icon (it looks like an "A" next to a pencil) at the top of your screen, then tap Home and Transitions.^{[6]
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The transitions will be grouped into "Subtle," "Exciting," and "Dynamic" categories.
Once you select it, you'll see a short preview of the transition.
The effect options will vary depending on the transition you picked.
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Tap Apply to all if you want to use the same transition between every slide in your presentation. If you don't do this, you'll be able to use multiple different transitions throughout your presentation.
- If you want to remove a transition, tap None under the Transitions tab. Repeat this and tap Apply to all to remove all the transitions in your presentation.^{[7]
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  Microsoft Support
  Technical support and product information from Microsoft.
  
  Go to source}

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I add videos to my slides?

Community Answer

Select "Insert" from the top toolbar. On the far right there will be an option to insert a "movie." Click that and then locate your video file.

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Question

Can I make custom transitions for Powerpoint?

Community Answer

No, you cannot make your own transitions, but you can use animations instead.

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Question

How do I transition only on one slide? I have one question on it and want to transition the answer in on a mouse click.

Community Answer

Have your question and answer be in separate text boxes, then you can add fade in and out animations to each text box to have them appear or disappear with your mouse click. It is helpful to add your animations to text boxes and then bring up the animation pane to help sort things out.

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Tips

Use transitions that fit the tone of your presentation. If you are creating a professional slideshow to show your boss, adding goofy effects or excessive and irrelevant sounds will take away from your presentation.

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You do not have to add a transition between every slide in order to create a flowing outcome.

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Once you save your presentation and download it, the transitions that you've applied will also download with the PowerPoint.

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