Where to find and write presenter notes

Presenter notes in PowerPoint are text that only you see during a presentation — they appear on your screen or a speaker monitor, but not on the projector or audience display. You write them in the Notes section, which sits below the slide preview in Normal view.

To access it: open your presentation, click the View tab at the top, then select Notes from the ribbon. You'll see your slide at the top and a large text box below labeled "Click to add notes." Type directly into that box. Everything you type there stays private to you.

If you're in Normal view and the notes section isn't visible, look at the bottom of your screen. You should see a small notes area. Click inside it and start typing. If it's too small to read comfortably, drag the divider line upward to make the notes section larger.

Key Takeaways

  • Presenter notes live in the Notes section below each slide and appear only on your screen during a presentation, not on the audience display.
  • Access notes by clicking View, then Notes, or by clicking the notes area at the bottom of Normal view.
  • You can print notes pages to have a physical reference during your talk, or display them on a second monitor if your setup supports it.
  • Notes sync across devices if you save your file to OneDrive or SharePoint, so you can prepare notes on one computer and present from another.

What to put in presenter notes

Presenter notes work best when they contain things you need to remember but shouldn't put on the slide itself. This includes talking points you might forget, statistics or quotes you want to read exactly, transitions between topics, or reminders to pause for questions.

Keep notes brief and scannable. During a presentation, you won't have time to read a paragraph. Write in short phrases or bullet points. For example: "Mention the Q3 revenue jump — 23% increase. Pause here for questions. Transition: This growth came from three sources."

Some presenters use notes to track timing. If a section should take five minutes, write that down. If you need to show a specific video or demo at a certain point, note that too. The goal is to give yourself just enough information to stay on track without reading word-for-word from your notes.

Printing notes pages for reference during your talk

If you prefer to have notes on paper while you present, PowerPoint can print them. Go to File, then Print. In the print dialog, look for a dropdown that says "Full Page Slides" or "Print Layout." Click it and select Notes Pages. This prints each slide at the top of a page with your notes below it.

Before you print, check the preview on the left side of the print dialog to make sure the layout looks right. You can print all slides or just specific ones. Many presenters print only the slides they're less familiar with, rather than the whole deck.

Print notes in a larger font if you'll be reading them from a distance. You can't change the font size of notes directly in the Notes view, but you can adjust it in the print settings — look for a zoom or scaling option in your printer preferences.

Displaying notes on a second monitor or speaker view

If you have two monitors or a laptop plus a projector, PowerPoint can show your notes on one screen while the audience sees only the slides on the other. This is called Presenter View.

To set it up: connect your second monitor or projector, then start your slideshow. Press Alt + F5 on Windows or Cmd + Option + F5 on Mac to begin in Presenter View. Your screen will show the current slide, your notes, a preview of the next slide, and a timer. The projector shows only the slides.

If Presenter View doesn't activate automatically, go to Slide Show tab, click Set Up Show, and check the box that says "Show Presenter View on this computer." Make sure your second monitor is detected by your operating system before you start the slideshow.

Syncing notes across devices

If you save your PowerPoint file to OneDrive or SharePoint, your notes sync automatically. This means you can write notes on your laptop at home, then open the same file on a different computer at work and see all your notes already there.

To save to OneDrive: go to File, click Save As, then choose OneDrive from the list. Pick a folder and give your file a name. From then on, any notes you add will be available on any device where you open that file, as long as you're signed in with the same Microsoft account.

This setup is useful if you prepare notes on a desktop but present from a laptop, or if multiple people are working on the same presentation and need to see each other's notes.

Exporting notes as a separate document

Sometimes you want to share your notes with someone else or keep them in a separate file. PowerPoint can export notes as a Word document or PDF.

To export as Word: go to File, click Export, then select Create Handouts. Choose Notes Pages from the layout options, then click Create Handouts. PowerPoint opens a new Word document with your slides and notes formatted as pages. You can then save, edit, or share this document separately.

To export as PDF: go to File, click Export, select Create PDF, then save the file. The PDF will include your notes if you've chosen the Notes Pages layout. PDFs are useful if you want to send notes to someone who doesn't have PowerPoint, or if you want a file format that won't change when opened on different computers.

Troubleshooting notes that don't appear

If you've written notes but they don't show up during your presentation, check that Presenter View is actually running. Press Alt + F5 again to toggle it on. If you're using a projector and only see slides, the projector might be set as your primary display instead of your secondary one.

On Windows, right-click your desktop, select Display settings, and make sure your projector or second monitor is listed as a secondary display, not the primary one. On Mac, go to System Preferences, click Displays, and check that your main monitor is marked as the primary display.

If notes still don't appear, try restarting PowerPoint and reconnecting your second monitor. Sometimes the connection needs to be established before you open the file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the audience see my presenter notes?

No. Presenter notes appear only on your screen or speaker monitor, never on the projector or audience display. The audience sees only the slides themselves, not the notes section.

Do I have to use Presenter View to see my notes while presenting?

No. You can print notes pages and read from paper, or you can glance at your laptop screen if it's positioned where you can see it. Presenter View is the most professional setup because it hides your notes from the audience, but it's not required.

What happens to my notes if I edit the slide?

Your notes stay attached to that slide. If you move, delete, or duplicate a slide, the notes move, delete, or duplicate with it. If you just change the text or images on the slide, the notes remain unchanged.

Can I add notes to a presentation someone else created?

Yes, as long as you have edit access to the file. Open it, go to Notes view, and type your own notes. If the file is shared on OneDrive or SharePoint, your notes will be visible to anyone else who opens it in Notes view.

How do I delete notes I no longer need?

Click in the notes section below the slide, select all the text with Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (Mac), then press Delete. The notes for that slide will be removed, but the slide itself stays.