How to Customize Your PowerPoint Presentations with Hide Slide

Are you spinning your wheels re-creating new PowerPoint files every time you make a presentation? Do you want to shorten a presentation without creating a new one? Try the PowerPoint Hide Slide feature to hide slides you don't need to show in a slide show.

Would you like to work more effectively with a presentation that provides different levels of detail on a subject, even perhaps for different audiences? Do you want to be prepared with more detailed supporting data and answers to possible questions about your topic? Do you work with colleagues that resist leaving out their detailed charts and statistics even though the audience probably isn't interested? Just hide the slides with the backup reference materials knowing you can quickly move to them if or when these additional resources are needed.

The PowerPoint Hide Slide option customizes your presentation and adds flexibility so you can reduce the length and timing of a presentation without creating a new presentation, add slides to backup data and answer audience questions, or provide additional information when time allows.

Note: Instead of hiding slides, some presenters prefer to move unused slides to the end of their presentations so they can maintain a logical sequence within their core presentation.

How to Use the PowerPoint Hide Slide Feature

The Microsoft PowerPoint Hide Slide option can be switched on and off for any slide in a presentation. When you hide a slide, the slide remains in the presentation file in sequence even though it is hidden when you run the presentation as a slide show.

To hide a slide in PowerPoint:

1. Switch to either the Normal view or the Slide Sorter view.
2. Next, do one of the following to hide (or unhide) a slide:

• Right-click the slide you want to hide, and then left-click on Hide Slide, or
• Select the Slide Show tab in the PowerPoint Ribbon and pick the Hide Slide option from the Setup group.

A hidden slide is indicated by the slide number with a diagonal line across it. Depending on the view, the slide number appears next to or below the slide you have hidden.

Move to Hidden Slides

One way to navigate to a slide—even to a hidden slide—while a slide show is running is to type in the slide number and then hit [Enter]. Of course, you will want to know the number of the slide you want to move to so it will help to have a handy numbered printout of your handout or slides.

Another technique to move to a hidden slide is to right-click on any slide while delivering your slide show. You can also bring up the list during a slide show by pressing [Ctrl] + S. (Outside of the slide show view, the [Ctrl] + S shortcut saves your presentation). Next, choose the option for your version of Microsoft PowerPoint:

• PowerPoint 365, PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016 & PowerPoint 2013: Choose “See All Slides” from the shortcut menu which displays all of the slides in your presentation including hidden slides. All hidden slides will show with a grayed-out background and the slashed out slide number. Click on the slide you want to display.
• PowerPoint 2010: Pick "Go to Slide" from the shortcut menu. Hidden slides will show up with parentheses around the slide number such as (18). Left-click on the slide you want to show whether or not it is hidden.

Note: Under most presentation setups, the audience will also see the slide list from the menu.

Printing Hidden Slides

When you print a presentation in the most recent versions of PowerPoint, the default is to not print hidden slides while PowerPoint 2010 prints hidden slides unless you change the setting. You can easily check and change your preference from the Print screen Settings. Choose the drop-down for Print All Slides and click Print hidden slides. A check mark indicates this feature is currently enabled. You can also set a range or selection of slides to print from this drop-down option. Including hidden slides for your own printouts can be helpful. Make sure to turn off this option, however, if you are printing out handouts for your audience.

Grab control of your PowerPoint presentations and build in more flexibility with hidden slides.

Were these PowerPoint tips helpful? Discover more PowerPoint techniques and shortcuts here.

© Dawn Bjork, MCT, MOSM, The Software Pro® | Microsoft Certified Trainer, Productivity Speaker, Software Consultant

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About Dawn

Dawn Bjork is The Software Pro® and a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) as well as a certified Microsoft Office Specialist Master (MOSM) and certified Microsoft Office expert. Dawn shares smart and easy ways to increase your productivity through her work as a productivity speaker, software trainer, computer consultant, and author of 9 books. Discover more software tips, tricks, and timesavers at www.TheSoftwarePro.com.