Where to find the notes section in PowerPoint
PowerPoint has a built-in notes section below each slide where you can type reminders, talking points, or full scripts. The notes do not appear on the slide itself during a presentation — only you see them on your screen or on printed handouts.
On Windows or Mac, open any presentation and look at the bottom of the slide editor. You will see a small text area labeled "Notes" or "Speaker Notes". Click into that area and start typing. If you do not see it, go to the View menu and select Notes Page or Notes (the exact name depends on your version and device).
On the web version of PowerPoint, the notes section appears in a panel on the right side of the screen. Click the Notes icon (usually a speech bubble or notepad symbol) to open it, then type directly into the text field.
Key Takeaways
- Notes appear only to you during a presentation, not to your audience, and you access them through the Notes view or a side panel depending on which version you use.
- You can type notes while editing slides, print them as a separate handout, or view them on a second monitor during a live presentation.
- Notes sync across devices if you save your file to OneDrive or SharePoint, so you can add them on your computer and read them on a tablet during the talk.
- Each slide can hold as much text as you need, and you can format notes with bold, italics, and bullet points just like regular text.
Adding notes while you edit your slides
The fastest way to add notes is to type them as you build your presentation. After you finish a slide, click into the notes area at the bottom and type what you want to remember or say. You can add a single sentence, a full paragraph, or a complete script — PowerPoint does not limit the length.
If the notes area feels cramped, switch to Notes Page view for more space. On Windows, go to View > Notes Page. On Mac, go to View > Notes. This view shows one slide per page with a large notes section below it, making it easier to write longer text or see what you have already written.
You can also format your notes using bold, italics, and bullet points. Highlight text in the notes section and use the formatting toolbar, or use keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+B (Windows) or Cmd+B (Mac) for bold. This helps you organize talking points and make them easier to scan during a presentation.
Viewing notes on a second screen during your presentation
When you present, you can display your notes on your laptop or tablet while your audience sees only the slides on the projector or main screen. This is called Presenter View.
To turn on Presenter View on Windows, start your slideshow and press Alt+F5, or go to Slide Show > From Beginning and look for a Presenter View option. On Mac, start the slideshow and your notes should appear automatically on your device while the slides appear on the external display. If they do not, check Slide Show > Show Presenter View.
Presenter View also shows you the current slide, the next slide coming up, a timer, and a slide counter. You can click through your notes while presenting without your audience seeing them, making it a powerful tool for staying on track without reading directly from the screen.
Printing notes as a handout
You can print your slides with notes included so you have a paper copy to reference or give to others. On Windows, go to File > Print. Under Settings, find the dropdown that says Full Page Slides and change it to Notes Pages. This prints one slide per page with all your notes below it.
On Mac, go to File > Print and look for a dropdown menu (often labeled Layout or Print Layout). Select Notes or Notes Pages. You can also choose to print multiple slides per page if you want a more compact handout.
On the web version, click the File menu, select Print, and choose Notes from the layout options. Your browser will open a print preview where you can adjust settings before sending to your printer.
Syncing notes across your devices
If you save your PowerPoint file to OneDrive or SharePoint, your notes sync automatically across your computer, tablet, and phone. This means you can add notes on your desktop, then open the file on your tablet before a presentation and see everything you wrote.
To make sure your file syncs, save it to OneDrive or SharePoint instead of your local hard drive. Open the file on each device and the notes will be there. If you edit notes on one device, wait a few seconds for the changes to upload before switching to another device.
This setup is especially useful if you want to add last-minute notes on a tablet while walking to a meeting, or if you prefer to review your notes on a phone before you present.
Organizing and editing notes after you write them
You can go back and edit notes at any time. Click into the notes section for any slide and change, add, or delete text. If you want to see all your notes at once, switch to Notes Page view, which shows each slide with its notes below it, making it easy to review and update everything in one pass.
If you need to move notes from one slide to another, copy the text from the notes section of the first slide, then paste it into the notes section of the second slide. There is no built-in way to move notes between slides, but copying and pasting works just as well.
Some people use notes to track changes or add reminders for future edits. You might write "Add image here" or "Check this statistic" in the notes, then come back later to make those changes. This keeps your to-do list right next to the slide it applies to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my audience see my notes during the presentation?
No. Notes appear only on your screen or on printed handouts — they never show on the projector or main display unless you deliberately switch to Notes Page view and project that. Presenter View keeps notes hidden from your audience by showing them only on your device.
What if I want to share my notes with someone else?
Print the presentation as Notes Pages and give them the printout, or share the PowerPoint file itself through OneDrive or email. When they open the file, they can view the notes in Notes Page view or the notes panel. If you only want to share the slides without notes, print or export as slides only.
Can I use notes on a phone or tablet?
Yes, if you use the PowerPoint mobile app and save your file to OneDrive. Open the file, tap the notes icon, and you can read and edit notes on your phone or tablet. However, Presenter View (showing notes while presenting) works best on a laptop or tablet connected to an external display.
Do notes take up file size or slow down my presentation?
No. Notes are stored separately from the slide content and do not affect how fast your presentation runs or how large the file is. You can write as much as you want without any performance impact.
How do I delete notes from a slide?
Click into the notes section for that slide and select all the text (Ctrl+A on Windows, Cmd+A on Mac), then press Delete or Backspace. The notes will be removed, but the slide itself stays intact.