Inserting a YouTube Video in PowerPoint and Controlling Playback Options

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated January 23, 2025

Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can embed or insert a YouTube video in PowerPoint and play it during a slide show. Essentially, you are linking to the YouTube video but it will play seamlessly in PowerPoint. In order to play a YouTube video in a presentation, you will need to copy the URL or embed code first from YouTube and then paste it into PowerPoint. Because you are connecting to YouTube using this method, you will also need a reliable internet connection to play the video.

Contents

In this article, we'll review the steps to insert or embed a YouTube video in PowerPoint and then play the video:

Recommended article: How to Insert a Video in PowerPoint (from a File on Your PC or a Shared Drive)

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our virtual classroom or live classroom PowerPoint courses >

Screenshots in this article are from PowerPoint 365 unless otherwise specified.

Basic steps for embedding or inserting a YouTube video in PowerPoint

The following are the basic steps to inserting a YouTube video in PowerPoint:

  1. Find the YouTube video in YouTube and copy the URL or embed code.
  2. Open the PowerPoint presentation where you want to insert the YouTube video.
  3. In Normal View, navigate to the slide you want to insert the YouTube video.
  4. Paste the URL or embed code into PowerPoint.

Find the video in YouTube and copy the URL or embed code

The first step in the process is to get the link or embed code from YouTube:

  1. Go to youtube.com in your browser.
  2. In YouTube, use the Search box at the top to find the video you want to use in your presentation. The URL (uniform resource locator) of the video will appear in the address bar of the browser.
  3. Below the video, click Share. A dialog box appears.
  4. If you want to copy the URL, click Copy.
  5. If you prefer to include player controls and set a starting point, click Embed. A dialog box will appear with the embed code for the video. Select the desired options by checking them (such as including the player controls).
  6. If necessary, select the code (it should be selected by default).
  7. Click Copy or press Ctrl + C.

The following dialog box appears if you click Share below a video in YouTube with the URL for the PowerPoint video:

Embed a YouTube in PowerPoint by clicking Share in YouTube.

If you click Embed, the following Embed Video dialog box appears and you have the option to select the Embed code and a Start option:

Embed dialog box in YouTube.

If you scroll down, the following options appear in the Embed Video dialog box:

Options in the Embed dialog box in PowerPoint if you scroll down.

As YouTube is constantly being updated, options and dialog boxes in YouTube may change.

Paste the URL or embed code into PowerPoint

The next step is to paste the link or embed code into your PowerPoint presentation:

  1. Open the PowerPoint presentation in which you want to insert the video.
  2. In Normal View, navigate to the slide you want to insert the YouTube video.
  3. Click the Insert tab in the Ribbon.
  4. In the Media group, click Video and then choose Online Videos (or Online Video). A dialog box appears.
  5. Paste the code below Enter the URL or address for the online video by pressing Ctrl + V.
  6. Click Insert.

The YouTube video may appear as an empty box on the slide in Normal View depending on your version of PowerPoint. Double-click the video in Normal View if the video appears as a black box.

The following dialog box appears in PowerPoint 365:

Dialog box to embed a YouTube video in PowerPoint.

Once you paste the embed code, a preview of the video should appear.

The following dialog box appears in PowerPoint 2016 and 2019:

PowerPoint dialog box to embed code for YouTube video (newer versions) and link to the video.

Resize the video placeholder

To resize the YouTube video placeholder:

  1. In Normal View, click the video placeholder.
  2. Drag one of the corner handles to resize the video.

Set the video to play on click or automatically

To set the playback settings to play on click or automatically:

  1. In Normal View, click the video placeholder.
  2. Click the Playback or Video Tools Playback tab in the Ribbon.
  3. Select Automatically, When clicked on or In click sequence from the Start drop-down menu in the Video Options group. If you select Automatically, the video will play when you advance to the slide with the video during a slide show. If you select When clicked on, you will need to click on the video during a slide show to play it. If you select In click sequence, you will need to click anywhere on the slide during a slide show to play it.

The Playback tab appears in the Ribbon as follows when a video placeholder is selected:

Playback tab in the Ribbon in PowerPoint when a YouTube video placeholder is selected.

Some commands are disabled when you selected a YouTube video placeholder.

Play the YouTube video during a slide show

To play the YouTube video during a slide show:

  1. Click Slide Show on the bottom right of the screen to run the show.
  2. Position your pointer on the video and click to play it (if you have set on click). If it is set to play in click sequence, click anywhere on the slide or press the right arrow on your keyboard. You can move to the next slide during a slide show by clicking the left mouse button or using the right arrow key on your keyboard.
  3. Press ESC to exit the show.

Related article: PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Play and Control Video During a Slide Show

Recommendations

Since YouTube videos depend on a working internet connection, it's also good idea to have a backup plan in case the connection is weak or dropped.

Although there are programs that enable users to download a YouTube video, you can run into copyright issues if you download (or screen record) a YouTube video so linking or embedding can help avoid those types of problems.

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Summary
How to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint
Article Name
How to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint
Description
You can embed or insert a YouTube video in PowerPoint and play it during a slide show. Essentially, you are linking to the YouTube video but it will play seamlessly in PowerPoint. In order to play a YouTube video in a presentation, you will need to copy the URL or embed code first from YouTube and then paste it into PowerPoint. Because you are connecting to YouTube using this method, you will also need a reliable internet connection to play the video.
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Avantix Learning

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