Office Settings & Configuration

How to Make PowerPoint Advance Only Through Hyperlinks or Action Buttons

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to lock slide navigation so the presentation only moves to another slide when a specific hyperlink or action button is clicked, ignoring random mouse clicks on the background.

Product: PowerPoint / WPS Presentation
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating an interactive presentation, kiosk display, or non-linear quiz where users must follow specific navigation paths rather than advancing chronologically.
Observed behavior: By default, clicking anywhere on a slide advances the presentation to the next slide, which breaks the intended interactive experience.

Before you start

Ensure you have already added the necessary hyperlinks or action buttons to your slides before disabling the default mouse click advancement, so viewers do not get stuck on a slide.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Kiosk Mode in Slide Show Settings

Setting up the presentation to run in a kiosk prevents ordinary mouse clicks and standard keyboard inputs from advancing slides, making it the most robust method for enforcing hyperlink navigation.

Kiosk mode is a built-in presentation setting designed for self-running or interactive displays. It locks down the presentation completely, forcing the user to rely entirely on the navigation elements you have embedded on the slides.

Open Slide Show Settings

Navigate to the 'Slide Show' tab in the top ribbon and click on 'Set Up Slide Show' (or 'Set Up Show').

Select Kiosk Mode

In the dialog box under the 'Show type' section, select the 'Browsed at a kiosk (full screen)' option.

Apply and Test

Click 'OK' to save your settings. Enter presentation mode to verify that clicking on the background no longer advances the slide.

Navigation Locked: With Kiosk mode enabled, users can no longer use the spacebar, arrow keys, or mouse clicks to advance. Only your predefined hyperlinks will work.

Solution 2

Disable 'On Mouse Click' in Slide Transitions

This method disables the default click-to-advance feature for specific or all slides without completely locking the presentation into kiosk mode.

Create Interactive Presentations Easily

Design Kiosk Presentations Seamlessly with WPS Office

WPS Presentation offers intuitive tools to design interactive slides, including easy-to-use kiosk mode and transition settings that restrict slide advancement to hyperlinks, exactly like Microsoft PowerPoint.

1. Open WPS Presentation: Launch WPS Office and open your .pptx presentation file.
2. Insert Hyperlinks or Buttons: Select any object or text, go to the 'Insert' tab, and click 'Hyperlink' to link it to another slide.
3. Enable Kiosk Mode: Navigate to the 'Slide Show' tab, click 'Set Up Show', and choose the 'Browsed at a kiosk' option.
4. Save and Present: Save your document and click 'Play' from the bottom right to test your restricted navigation.

Free, lightweight, and fast office suiteFully compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) formatsEasily insert action buttons, shapes, and hyperlinksOne-click setup for kiosk mode presentations

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my presentation get stuck on one slide?

If you disabled 'On Mouse Click' or enabled Kiosk mode without adding hyperlinks or action buttons to that specific slide, there is no way for the user to advance. Always ensure navigation links are placed on every single slide before applying these settings.

Can I still use the keyboard to advance slides in Kiosk mode?

No. In Kiosk mode, most standard keyboard navigation (such as the arrow keys, spacebar, or Enter key) is disabled to prevent users from bypassing the intended navigation flow. Viewers must click the on-screen action buttons.

How do I add an action button in PowerPoint or WPS Presentation?

Go to the 'Insert' tab, select 'Shapes', and scroll down to find 'Action Buttons'. Draw the button on your slide, and a dialog box will appear allowing you to hyperlink it to the next slide, previous slide, or a specific slide within your document.

Will these navigation restrictions apply if I save the presentation as a PDF?

No, Kiosk mode and transition settings only apply when presenting in Slide Show mode within presentation software. If exported to a PDF format, hyperlinks may still function, but the specific Kiosk mode restrictions will not apply to PDF viewers.

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