How to Fade Text in and Out in PowerPoint Using Animations

Fade Text In and Out on a PowerPoint Slide

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated August 26, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft^® PowerPoint^® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can fade text in and out on a PowerPoint slide during a slide show using animations. There are several ways to fade text and you can combine different types of animations as well as Effect Options.

Recommended article: How to Make a Picture Transparent in PowerPoint

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To apply one animation to a text box or placeholder, you can use the Animations gallery in the Ribbon. If you want to apply more than one animation to a text object, you will need to use Add Animation in the Advanced Animation group (the same gallery options appear). Animations are typically added to text objects in Normal View but may be added in Slide Master View.

Fading a text object in using an entrance animation

To apply a fade in entrance animation to a text object on a slide in Normal View (to make it fade in on click):

1. Select a text box or placeholder on a slide by clicking its edge.
2. Click the Animations tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Animations group, click the More down arrow on the bottom right of the Animations gallery.
4. Click the Fade entrance animation in the Entrance group. By default, the text will fade in on click during a slide show.

This works well with a text box or placeholder containing one word or one line of text. A number will appear to the left of the placeholder.

The entrance Fade animation appears in the Animation gallery as follows:

Fading bulleted text in one by one using an entrance animation

To apply a fade in entrance animation to bulleted text in Normal View (to make it fade in one by one on click):

1. Select a text box or placeholder on a slide containing bulleted text by clicking its edge.
2. Click the Animations tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Animations group, click the More down arrow on the bottom right of the Animations gallery.
4. Click the Fade entrance animation in the Entrance group. By default, the text will fade in on click during a slide show.
5. Click Effect Options on the Animations tab in the Animation group. A drop-down menu appears.
6. Select By Paragraph (each bullet is considered to be a paragraph).

This method will fade the bulleted text in one by one assuming the bullets are all level 1 bullets.

Making bulleted text appear in gray (or some other color) after animation

If you want each instance of bulleted text to appear in gray (or some other color) when the next bullet appears, you will need to customize the animation.

To make bulleted text appear in gray (or some other color) after animation:

1. Apply the entrance Fade animation to a text box or placeholder on a slide using the method outlined above.
2. Click the Animations tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click Animation Pane in the Advanced Animations group. The Animation Pane appears on the right side of the screen.
4. Click the animation (Content Placeholder or Text Box appears) in the Animation Pane, click the arrow that appears and then select Effect Options from the drop-down menu. You can also double-click the animation in the Animation Pane. A dialog box appears with the Effects tab selected.
5. From the After animation drop-down menu, select gray or another color. You may also choose a color from More Colors.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Effect Options on the Animations tab in the Animation group. A drop-down menu appears.
8. Select By paragraph (each bullet is considered to be a paragraph).

In the following example, gray has been selected After Animation:

Fading text out using an exit animation

You can also make text fade out. If you want to add more than one animation to a text object, you’ll need to use Add Animation on the Animations tab in the Ribbon.

To apply a fade out exit animation to a text object in Normal View (to make it fade out on click):

1. Select the text box or placeholder on a slide by clicking its edge.
2. Click the Animations tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click Add Animation in the Advanced Animations group (you must select Add Animation if you are adding more than one animation to an object). A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click the Fade exit animation in the Exit group. By default, the text will fade out on click during a slide show.
5. If the text box or placeholder contains bulleted text, you can set Effect Options in the Animations tab in the Ribbon to exit By Paragraph or select another option.

The exit Fade animation appears in the Add Animation gallery as follows:

Changing the way an animation starts during a slide show

Animations are set by default to start on click during a slide show. If you want an animation to start automatically, you will need to change the start setting.

To start an animation automatically, you can select one of two options:

• After Previous – the animation sequence will begin once a previous animation effect or effects is  completed. The start of a slideshow is also a previous effect.
• With Previous – the animation sequence will begin at the same time as a previous animation effect or effects. The start of a slideshow is also a previous effect.

To change the way an animation starts:

1. If the Animation Pane is not displayed, click the Animations tab in the Ribbon and then click Animation Pane in the Advanced Animations group. The Animation Pane appears on the right side of the screen.
2. Select the animation effect in the Animation Pane.
3. On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, select an option from the Start drop-down menu.

Setting the speed or duration of a fade animation

When you apply an animation, a duration or speed is automatically set for the animation (in seconds). The default duration is different for each animation effect. You may want to increase the duration to slow the animation down.

To set a speed or duration of an animation:

1. If the Animation Pane is not displayed, click the Animations tab in the Ribbon and then click Animation Pane in the Advanced Animations group. The Animation Pane appears on the right side of the screen.
2. Select the animation effect in the Animation Pane.
3. On the Animations tab, in the Animations group, enter a time for the animation in the Duration area of the Timing group. You can click the up and down arrows to change the duration or type a duration.

In the example below, the duration is set to 1 second:

Running a slide show

The final step is to run the slide show to see your text fade in and fade out.

Click the Slide Show button on the bottom right of the screen. Use the right and left arrows to move from slide to slide or start the animations (if they are set to on click). You can use many other methods to advance a presentation. Check out PowerPoint Slide Show Shortcuts (50+ Shortcuts) for other shortcuts you can use during a slide show.

One last thing …

You can apply these animations to placeholders on layouts in Slide Master View. If you animate a placeholder on layouts in Slide Master View, all slides using those layouts will automatically animate.

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