How to Make a PowerPoint Introductory Slide Wait During a Zoom Meeting
Question details
The user wants to display an introductory slide in PowerPoint that remains on screen while Zoom participants join, and then manually advance to start the actual presentation.
- Product
- PowerPoint 2010
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Waiting for participants to join a Zoom meeting before starting the main presentation.
- Observed behavior
- The goal is to prevent the presentation from auto-advancing and to keep the first slide visible until manually triggered.
Ensure your presentation is fully loaded and you are familiar with how to share a specific window in your Zoom meeting before participants begin joining.
Configure the Slide to Advance on Mouse Click
Set your first slide to only advance when you manually click your mouse, effectively holding it on screen as a waiting room display.
By default, slides might have automated timings applied to them. Modifying the transition settings for the introductory slide ensures it will wait indefinitely until you are ready to formally begin the presentation.
Open your PowerPoint presentation and click on the very first slide in the left-hand thumbnail pane.
Click on the 'Transitions' tab located on the top ribbon menu.
Look for the 'Advance Slide' section on the far right of the Transitions ribbon. Check the box that says 'On Mouse Click'.
In the same section, ensure the 'After' checkbox is completely unchecked so the slide does not progress on a timer.
Share your screen in Zoom, launch the presentation in Slide Show mode, and simply click your mouse when everyone has joined to advance to the second slide.
Control Your Presentation Pacing with WPS Presentation
WPS Presentation provides intuitive transition and slideshow controls, making it easy to display waiting screens for webinars and online meetings while seamlessly managing your slides.
- 1. Open your file in WPS Presentation: Launch WPS Office and open your existing PowerPoint presentation.
- 2. Navigate to the Transitions tab: Select your introductory slide and click on the 'Transitions' tab in the top menu.
- 3. Adjust Advance Slide settings: Check the 'On Mouse Click' option on the right side of the ribbon to ensure the slide waits for your manual input.
- 4. Present in your meeting: Click 'Play' to start the slideshow and share this specific presentation window in your Zoom meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play background music on the introductory slide while waiting?
Yes. You can insert an audio file onto the first slide, set it to play automatically in the background, and configure it to stop when you click to advance to the next slide.
Why does my slide still advance automatically without me clicking?
This happens if the 'After' checkbox is selected under the Advance Slide settings in the Transitions tab. Uncheck 'After' and ensure only 'On Mouse Click' is checked.
How do I share just the presentation slides and not my presenter notes in Zoom?
When sharing your screen in Zoom, choose to share a specific application window rather than your entire screen. Select the 'PowerPoint Slide Show' window so participants only see the slides, allowing you to view your notes on another monitor.
Will changing the advance settings on the first slide affect the rest of my slides?
No, transition settings are applied on a per-slide basis unless you click 'Apply to All'. By modifying only the first slide, your other slides will retain their original timing and transition settings.
