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How to Prevent a PowerPoint Video from Restarting When Clicked
Question details
The user wants to stop a video from restarting if it is accidentally clicked while playing automatically during a slide presentation.
- Product
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Presenting a slideshow where an embedded video is set to play automatically upon reaching the slide.
- Observed behavior
- The video unexpectedly restarts from the beginning when the presenter clicks on it during the slideshow, instead of continuing to play.
Ensure your presentation is open in Edit mode and the video is already configured to start automatically from the video playback settings.
Change the Mouse Click Action to None
Modify the interaction settings of the video object to ignore accidental mouse clicks during the presentation.
By default, PowerPoint might assign a 'Play' action to video objects when they are clicked. Disabling this action prevents the video from restarting if you click the video frame while attempting to advance the slide or use a pointer.
Open your presentation in PowerPoint edit mode and click on the video frame you want to modify.
Navigate to the 'Insert' tab on the top ribbon and click on 'Action' located in the Links group.
In the Action Settings dialog box, go to the 'Mouse Click' tab. Select the 'None' option instead of 'Play', then click OK to apply the changes.
Enter Slide Show mode by pressing F5 or Shift+F5. Click on the video while it is playing to ensure it no longer restarts.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PowerPoint video play from the beginning when I click it?
By default, PowerPoint assigns an action to video objects that triggers playback upon a mouse click. If the video is already playing automatically, clicking it triggers the 'Play' action again, causing the media to restart.
Can I make a video play automatically but still allow slide progression on click?
Yes. First, set the video to play 'Automatically' in the Video Playback tab. Then, go to Insert > Action and ensure the Mouse Click action on the video is set to 'None'. Clicking outside the video will advance the slide, and clicking on the video will do nothing.
What if the 'Action' button is grayed out in PowerPoint?
The Action button may be grayed out if you haven't selected an object on the slide. Ensure you have clicked directly on the video frame to select it before navigating to the Insert tab to change the Action settings.
