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How to Add Music or Audio to a Microsoft Sway Presentation

Elise Williams Sep 30, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to insert audio files or add continuous background music to a presentation in Microsoft Sway.

How to Add Music or Audio to a Microsoft Sway Presentation

Product: Microsoft Sway
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Enhancing a presentation by embedding music, voiceovers, or continuous background audio.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Sway does not support continuous automatic background music, but it does allow the insertion of individual, manually playable audio media items.

Before you start

Ensure your audio or music file is saved locally on your device in a supported format like MP3 or WAV before uploading it to your Sway storyline.

Solution 1Recommended

Add a Playable Audio Item in the Sway Storyline

Since Microsoft Sway does not currently support automatic background music across the entire presentation, you can manually insert an audio media card for viewers to play.

Adding an audio file directly into the Sway Storyline creates a media card. This allows viewers to engage with your presentation by clicking the play button on the audio track whenever they reach that specific section.

Open your Sway Storyline

Navigate to Microsoft Sway in your web browser, log in, and open the specific presentation you want to edit.

Insert a Media Card

Click the plus sign (+) at the bottom of any existing card where you want the audio to appear, select the 'Media' tab from the menu, and choose 'Audio'.

Upload the Audio File

Click the 'Add an audio file' button on the newly created Audio card, then browse and select the music or voiceover file from your computer.

Allow Manual Playback

Wait for the file to finish uploading. Once complete, viewers will be able to manually play the audio track while viewing your Sway presentation.

Continuous Background Music Limitation: Microsoft Sway does not feature a tool to loop background music seamlessly across the entire presentation. To request this feature for future updates, you can submit feedback through the Microsoft Sway feedback portal.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Use WPS Presentation for Full Audio and Background Music Control

If you need a presentation tool that seamlessly supports continuous, auto-playing background music across all your slides, consider using WPS Presentation. It is a powerful, free, and lightweight Office suite alternative that gives you complete creative control over your multimedia slideshows without the limitations of Microsoft Sway.

1. Open WPS Presentation: Download and install WPS Office, then open WPS Presentation and create a new slide deck or open an existing file.
2. Insert the Audio File: Navigate to the 'Insert' tab on the top ribbon menu, click on 'Audio', and select 'Insert Audio' to choose your background track.
3. Configure Background Playback: Click on the inserted audio icon on your slide. In the Audio Tools tab that appears, check the options for 'Play Across Slides' and 'Loop until Stopped' to set it as continuous background music.

Easily set audio files to play automatically and loop continuously across multiple slides.Fully compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint formats (.ppt, .pptx) for seamless sharing.Completely free, lightweight, and features a familiar, user-friendly interface.Rich built-in multimedia tools for advanced presentation design.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the audio play automatically when a Microsoft Sway presentation opens?

No, auto-play functionality for audio is not supported in Microsoft Sway. Viewers must manually click the play button on the audio card to listen to the embedded sound or music.

What audio formats can I upload to Microsoft Sway?

Microsoft Sway generally supports standard audio formats such as MP3, WAV, and M4A. However, it is highly recommended to use MP3 format to ensure maximum compatibility across different devices and browsers.

Why is my audio file failing to upload to Sway?

Upload failures in Sway are typically due to exceeding the file size limit imposed by your Microsoft 365 subscription tier, or using an unsupported file format. Try compressing your audio file or converting it to an MP3 before uploading again.

Does WPS Presentation have the same audio limitations as Microsoft Sway?

No, WPS Presentation operates much like traditional desktop presentation software, allowing you to insert audio files, set them to play automatically upon opening a slide, and configure them to loop continuously as background music across your entire slideshow.

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