How to hide and unhide a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint, and view hidden slides while you're in presentation mode
- You can hide and unhide a PowerPoint slide by right-clicking it in the sidebar.
- You can still view any hidden slides while you're in presentation mode — they'll appear gray or show a null symbol once they're hidden, however.
- You may wish to hide slides you don't plan on using for a presentation, but don't want to delete in case you wind up needing them later.
- The process behind hiding and unhiding PowerPoint slides is nearly identical in both the desktop and web versions of PowerPoint.
Hiding a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint takes only a few steps — and unhiding that slide later is just as easy
You may find this option helpful if you don't plan on using the slide in your presentation, but feel that you might need it later on. Instead of deleting the slide, you can simply hide it and then access it when you need it.
Here's how to do it all using PowerPoint for the desktop or web, on your Mac or PC.
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How to hide and unhide a PowerPoint slide on a Mac or PC
1. Open the PowerPoint presentation on your Mac or PC.
2. Right-click on the slide you wish to hide.
3. Click "Hide Slide."
4. This will immediately hide the slide and indicate it's hidden by making it gray with a null symbol in the upper left corner. When you right-click again, you'll also see a check mark next to the "Hide Slide" option.
5. Click "Hide Slide" with the check mark next to it to unhide it and reverse your previous action.
6. You can always use the COMMAND or CTRL keys to select multiple slides as well.
7. Lastly, if you start the slideshow, you can still access any of the slides you've hidden. Start the slideshow by right-clicking and selecting "Slide Show" (or using the keyboard shortcut), by accessing the "Slide Show" tab at the top, or by clicking the podium icon in the bottom right corner. You can also opt to view your slideshow in "Presenter View" which is only available in the desktop app, not the online version of PowerPoint.
8. Right-click on any slide in presentation mode, where you'll find the option "By Title." You can then jump to any slide. The hidden ones will be displayed in parentheses such as "(2) Slide 2." When you click on one, you'll automatically jump to that slide. Remember, if you simply click through your slides as normal, PowerPoint will skip over these so it's important that you manually access it if you wish to display that slide.
9. If you choose to use "Presenter View," the process is even easier. You'll already see previews of all of your slides at the bottom of the screen. Hidden slides will appear in gray with a null symbol. Click on any hidden slide to jump to it.
How to hide and unhide a PowerPoint slide on your web browser
1. Open PowerPoint on your preferred web browser.
2. Right-click on any slide thumbnail on the left side of your screen.
3. Select "Hide Slide."
4. This will automatically make the slide gray. Right-click and select "Hide" again to unhide the same slide.
5. To access hidden slides while in presentation mode, you'll need to start the slideshow. There are less options to do so on the web version, but the podium icon in the bottom right corner is the same as the desktop version. You can also choose to access the "Slide Show" tab at the top, though you won't find the "Presenter View" option there.
6. You'll see options in a small pop-up box in the bottom left corner. Click the first option that shows slide panes to jump to another screen.
7. This screen will show all of your slides, including the hidden ones. Click on a hidden slide to jump to it.
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