Office Settings & Configuration

How to Trigger a PowerPoint Animation on Another Slide

Adam Davis Oct 1, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to trigger an animation on a different slide than the one currently being viewed.

How to Trigger a PowerPoint Animation on Another Slide

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating interactive presentations where clicking a button or text on one slide initiates an animation effect on a completely different slide.
Observed behavior: PowerPoint animation triggers natively only function for objects located on the current active slide, preventing direct cross-slide animation triggering.

Before you start

Before setting up cross-slide triggers, ensure your presentation's slide order is mostly finalized, as you will need to link between specific slides using hyperlinks.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Hyperlinks to Navigate and Auto-Play Animations

Since presentation software cannot directly trigger an animation on an inactive slide, you can use a hyperlink to jump to the target slide where the animation is configured to play automatically.

This workaround simulates a remote trigger. By clicking an object on the first slide, you are instantly transported to the target slide. If the animation on that target slide is set to play automatically upon arrival, the viewer perceives it as a seamless triggered event.

Create the trigger object

Select the text, shape, or image on your current slide that you want to use as the clickable trigger button.

Insert a hyperlink to the target slide

Right-click the selected object and choose 'Link' or 'Hyperlink' (or press Ctrl+K). Select 'Place in This Document', choose the specific slide that contains your animation, and click 'OK'.

Navigate to the target slide

Go to the target slide you just linked to and select the object you wish to animate.

Apply the animation effect

Open the 'Animations' tab on the ribbon and apply your preferred entrance, emphasis, or exit animation to the object.

Set the animation to auto-play

In the Animations tab, find the 'Start' dropdown menu and change it from 'On Click' to 'With Previous' or 'After Previous'. This ensures the animation plays immediately when the slide opens.

Use Hyperlinks to Navigate and Auto-Play Animations

Seamless Navigation: To make this look even smoother, you can apply a 'Fade' slide transition between the two slides so the jump is less jarring to your audience.

Create Interactive Slides with WPS Presentation

Build Engaging and Linked Presentations for Free

You can seamlessly link slides and set up automatic animations to simulate cross-slide triggers using WPS Presentation, a lightweight and fully capable presentation tool.

1. Open your slideshow: Launch WPS Presentation and open your .pptx file.
2. Insert the hyperlink: Select your trigger shape, press Ctrl+K, and link it to the target slide under 'Place in this document'.
3. Configure the animation: Go to the target slide, select the object, and choose an effect from the 'Animation' tab.
4. Automate the playback: Set the Start option on the Animation tab to 'After Previous' so the effect triggers instantly upon navigating to the slide.

Fully compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt and .pptx) formatsEasily set up hyperlinks, action buttons, and slide transitionsRich library of built-in animation effects for interactive slidesFree, lightweight, and completely ad-free core presentation features

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I trigger an audio file on another slide?

Similar to visual animations, audio files cannot be triggered remotely from another slide. You must hyperlink to the slide containing the audio file and set the audio playback settings to start automatically.

Will my hyperlinks work if I export the presentation to PDF?

The hyperlinks to other slides will still function in the PDF document, allowing viewers to click and jump between pages. However, the animations will not play, as PDF readers do not support presentation animation engines.

Is there a VBA macro to trigger animations on other slides without leaving the current slide?

No. While VBA can automate complex navigation and manipulate shapes, it cannot bypass the core limitation of the presentation engine, which requires a slide to be actively rendered on screen for its animations to play.

How do I return to the original slide after the animation plays?

You can add a hidden shape or an 'Action Button' on the target slide. Link this button to 'Last Slide Viewed' or explicitly back to the original slide, allowing you to return immediately after the animation finishes.

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