Display a Laser Pointer During a PowerPoint Slide Show (and Choose Red, Green or Blue Pointers)
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated September 14, 2023
Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)
During a PowerPoint slide show, you can change your mouse into a laser pointer to focus attention on a specific area on your slide. You can show or hide the built-in laser pointer using keyboard shortcuts or by using the context menu.
Recommended article: 10 PowerPoint Slide Show Tips and Tricks
Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person classroom PowerPoint courses >
There are 4 common ways to start a slide show in PowerPoint:
- Click the Slide Show button on the bottom right of the screen
- Click the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon and click From Beginning or From Current Slide
- Press F5 to start a slide show from the beginning
- Press Shift + F5 to start a slide show from the current slide
Change the mouse into a laser pointer using a keyboard shortcut
To change the mouse pointer into a laser pointer using a keyboard shortcut:
- Start a slide show.
- To display the laser pointer, press Ctrl + L. Press ESC to hide it.
Change the mouse into a laser pointer by dragging
To change the mouse pointer into a laser pointer by dragging:
- Start a slide show.
- Press and hold Ctrl and then click and drag the left mouse button to point to the contents on the slide that you want to focus on.
Change the mouse into a laser pointer using the context menu
To change the mouse pointer into a laser pointer using the context menu:
- Start a slide show.
- Right-click on the slide. A drop-down menu appears.
- Select Pointer Options and then Laser Pointer.
- Press ESC to hide the laser pointer.
The context menu appears as follows when you right-click during a slide show:
Change the color of the laser pointer
By default, the laser pointer is red. However, you can change it to green or blue.
To change the color of the laser pointer:
- In Normal View or Slide Sorter View, click the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.
- In the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show. A dialog box appears.
- Under Show options, select the color that you want from the Laser pointer color drop-won menu.
- Click OK.
The Set Up Show dialog box appears as follows:
Record laser pointer movements
To record your laser pointer movements for a self-running slide show:
- Click the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.
- In the Set Up group, click the arrow beside or below Record Slide Show. A drop-down menu appears.
- Click either Start Recording from Beginning or Start Recording from Current Slide. If a dialog box appears, select the Narrations and laser pointer check box.
- Click Start Recording or Record. To pause the narration, in the recording controls, click Pause. To resume, click Resume.
- Display the mouse pointer using the methods outlined above. Press ESC to hide the pointer.
- Click the right arrow to move to the next slide.
- Move through the presentation and show and hide the laser pointer when needed.
- To end the slide show recording, right-click the slide and then click End Show. The recorded slide show timings are automatically saved and the slide show appears in Slide Sorter view with timings below each slide.
- To view the slide show with the pointer movements and timings you recorded, on the Slide Show tab, in the Start Slide Show group, click From Beginning or From Current Slide.
- To redo the laser pointer movements or slide timings, repeat the steps above.
You can also display a pen or highlighter during a slide show. Check out the article How to Highlight or Draw on PowerPoint Slides During a Slide Show.
Subscribe to get more articles like this one
Did you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, JOIN our email list
More resources
How to Change the Font on All Slides in PowerPoint
How to Hide or Unhide Slides in PowerPoint (with Shortcuts)
How to Insert a Video in PowerPoint (from a File or Your PC or Shared Drive)
Where to Find Free Pictures for PowerPoint Presentations (10 Great Stock Image Sites)
How to Add Animation in PowerPoint (Animate Images, Text and Other Objects in PowerPoint)
Related courses
Microsoft PowerPoint: Introduction
Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced
Microsoft PowerPoint: Design for Non-Designers
Our instructor-led courses are delivered in virtual classroom format or at our downtown Toronto location at 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some in-person classroom courses may also be delivered at an alternate downtown Toronto location). Contact us at info@avantixlearning.ca if you'd like to arrange custom instructor-led virtual classroom or onsite training on a date that's convenient for you.
Copyright 2023 Avantix® Learning
You may also like
How to Insert or Type E with an Accent Mark in PowerPoint (È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë)
You can insert or type e with an accent mark in PowerPoint using built-in tools or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The letter e can be inserted with an accent in both upper or lower case in text boxes or placeholders on slides, the slide master or layouts. The following are common accents in upper or lower case – È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë.
How to Fade a Picture or Part of a Picture in PowerPoint (Using a Gradient)
You can fade a picture in PowerPoint by drawing a rectangle shape on top of the picture and then filling the rectangle with a gradient from opaque to transparent. This technique is often used to fade an image into the background of a slide. Since the rectangle is placed on top of the image and then text may be placed on top of the rectangle, you may need to reorder the objects.
How to Lock an Image, Shape or Other Object in PowerPoint
You can now lock an image, shape or other object in PowerPoint. Objects can be locked in Normal View or Slide Master View. Only PowerPoint 365 users can lock objects to prevent moving and resizing. This is helpful if you want to select and move other objects on the slide or prevent others from moving or resizing an object. You can lock items using the context menu or the Selection Pane.
Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, Microsoft Office and related Microsoft applications and logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in Canada, US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of the registered owners.
Avantix Learning |18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4 | Contact us at info@avantixlearning.ca
