Office Settings & Configuration

How to Hide PowerPoint Sound-Control Shapes During a Slide Show

Bushra Parveen Oct 10, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to hide a clickable sound-control shape from the audience during a slide show while keeping it accessible to the presenter.

How to Hide PowerPoint Sound-Control Shapes During a Slide Show

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Delivering a presentation where audio needs to be triggered manually via a shape, but the trigger shape should not be visible to the audience.
Observed behavior: PowerPoint cannot display an object in Presenter View while hiding it in Slide Show view. Objects hidden via the Selection pane become completely unclickable in both views.

Before you start

Decide on an easy-to-remember, fixed location on your slides (such as the bottom-right corner) for your invisible controls so you can easily locate and click them during your presentation.

Solution 1Recommended

Make the Sound-Control Shape 100% Transparent

Since you cannot selectively hide objects in Slide Show view only, the best workaround is to make the clickable shape completely transparent.

PowerPoint links the visibility of objects across both Presenter View and Slide Show view. By removing the shape's visual elements but keeping its physical presence on the slide, it remains an active, clickable target for triggering actions without distracting your audience.

Insert the shape

Navigate to the 'Insert' tab on the ribbon, click 'Shapes', and draw a shape (like a rectangle or circle) in your preferred location on the slide.

Remove the outline

Right-click the newly created shape and select 'Format Shape'. Under the 'Line' settings, choose 'No line' to remove the border.

Set fill transparency to 100%

In the same 'Format Shape' pane, go to the 'Fill' section, select 'Solid fill', and drag the 'Transparency' slider all the way to 100%.

Assign the sound action

Keep the transparent shape selected, go to 'Insert' > 'Action', and assign a 'Play Sound' or 'Hyperlink to File' action to the shape. Click 'OK' to save.

Make the Sound-Control Shape 100% Transparent

Avoid the Selection Pane for This Task: Do not use the eye icon in the Selection pane to hide the shape. Doing so hides the shape entirely from the rendering engine, meaning it will not be clickable during the slide show.

Solution 2

Use Built-in Audio Controls with 'Hide During Show'

If you do not strictly need a custom trigger shape, you can insert an audio file directly and hide its default icon.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make an object visible only in Presenter View?

No, Microsoft PowerPoint does not currently support showing an object exclusively in Presenter View while hiding it in Slide Show view. Any visibility changes made to an object will affect both views simultaneously.

Why doesn't the Selection pane work for hiding clickable objects?

When you click the eye icon in the Selection pane to hide an object, PowerPoint removes it entirely from the slide's active rendering. This means the object becomes completely invisible and unclickable in both Presenter View and Slide Show view.

Is there a way to hide the default audio speaker icon during a presentation?

Yes. Select the audio speaker icon on your slide, navigate to the Audio Tools 'Playback' tab on the ribbon, and check the 'Hide During Show' option. The icon will disappear during the presentation, but the audio will still play if you have it set to start automatically or in sequence.

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