When starting a presentation in PowerPoint, the view typically switches to full-screen mode. This is good for projectors, but suboptimal for video calls. With a small trick, you can better control the presentation window in Zoom, Whereby, and similar platforms.
The trick is to run the presentation in its own window, which you can then resize as needed. Most video call apps also allow you to selectively share individual windows with others, without exposing your entire desktop.
In the following, I’ll show you how to set up window presentations in PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides.
Windowing in PowerPoint
Go to the menu “Slide Show” -> “Set Up Slide Show”. There you’ll find the option to run a presentation in a window.
In Zoom or another video call app, you can then share exclusively this window and have the entire desktop available for other apps.
It might be important to note: the presenter view is not available in a windowed presentation. This isn’t necessary anyway, as you have full access to the desktop and can see what’s happening around the presentation.
Windowing in Keynote
The same trick works in Keynote. Here, you can start a presentation in full screen or directly in a window via the menu.
Windowing in Google Slides
In Google Slides, the process is naturally a bit simpler, as you’re presenting from a browser window. However, Google Slides also switches to full-screen mode by default. You can quickly exit this using the corresponding button on the navigation bar.
