How to Create PowerPoint Sub-Slides with Hidden Slides and Hyperlinks
Question details
The user wants to organize a presentation by creating a child-slide hierarchy to show supporting information only when needed during a presentation.
- Product
- PowerPoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Delivering a presentation where extra supporting details are available on demand without cluttering the main flow of the slideshow.
- Observed behavior
- PowerPoint lacks a native sub-slide feature, requiring the use of hidden slides and manual hyperlinks to simulate a drill-down presentation hierarchy.
Ensure your presentation is fully outlined and you know exactly which slides will act as main topics and which will serve as supporting sub-slides.
Use Hidden Slides and Hyperlinks for Sub-Slides
Since PowerPoint lacks a native sub-slide feature, you can simulate it by hiding the supporting slides and linking to them from your main slide for on-demand access.
By hiding slides, PowerPoint will naturally skip them during a standard presentation. Adding a hyperlink to a hidden slide allows you to pull it up only when someone asks a question or if you decide to dive deeper into the topic.
In the left thumbnail pane, select the slides you want to act as sub-slides. Right-click the selected thumbnails and click 'Hide Slide'. A crossed-out slide number indicates they are hidden.
Navigate to the main topic slide that should trigger the sub-slides. Select a shape, image, or text box, then go to the 'Insert' tab and click 'Link' (or 'Hyperlink').
In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, select 'Place in This Document' on the left. Choose the first hidden slide from the list and click 'OK'.
Go to the last hidden sub-slide, insert a shape (like an action button or arrow), and hyperlink it back to your main topic slide so you can easily resume the presentation flow.
Create Sub-Slides and Interactive Presentations with WPS Office
WPS Presentation provides all the advanced linking and slide management tools you need to easily create interactive, non-linear slideshows.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and open your presentation file in WPS Presentation.
- 2. Hide the Sub-Slides: Right-click the slide thumbnails you want to use as on-demand sub-slides in the left navigation pane and click 'Hide Slide'.
- 3. Create the Hyperlink: Select an object on your main slide, go to the 'Insert' tab, click 'Hyperlink', select 'Place in This Document', and point it to your hidden slide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I print hidden slides in PowerPoint?
Yes, when printing your presentation, you can choose to include hidden slides. In the Print menu, click the 'Print All Slides' dropdown and ensure 'Print Hidden Slides' is checked.
Will the slide numbers update automatically when I skip hidden slides?
Hidden slides retain their original slide numbers. However, because they are skipped during the presentation, your audience will just see the slide jump from the current visible slide to the next visible one without noticing the gap.
How do I unhide a slide later?
To unhide a slide, simply right-click the hidden slide thumbnail with the crossed-out number in the left pane and select 'Hide Slide' again to toggle the visibility back on.
Do transitions work when linking to a hidden slide?
Yes, any slide transitions applied to the hidden slide will still play normally when you navigate to it via a hyperlink during your slideshow.
