How to add speaker notes in PowerPoint, Google Slides and Keynote

Each of the three apps keeps a private notes box under every slide and a presenter view that shows the notes to you alone: the Notes pane and Presenter View in PowerPoint, speaker notes and Presenter view in Google Slides, presenter notes and the presenter display in Keynote. The limits differ: PowerPoint for the web cannot show your notes while you present (Microsoft, n.d.-a).

This guide is published by EdCitation, whose tools look sources up in the publisher's record and never write any part of a talk or its notes. Every step comes from the maker's own help pages, read on 2 October 2026 and linked under References; where a page leaves a step out, so do we. For the sources your slides and notes name, EdCitation's free Cite a source builds each reference from its record.

What to write in the notes is in how to write speaker notes, and notes versus a script is in speaker notes vs a full script.

How do I add speaker notes in PowerPoint?

Type them in the Notes pane, the box under each slide that reads "Click to add notes" while it is empty. Microsoft (n.d.-a) calls it the place for your talking points: the notes show on your monitor and not to the audience.

Windows, Mac and the web

• Windows: the pane sits under the slide. If it is hidden, select Notes on the task bar at the bottom of the window; drag its top edge up to enlarge it.
• Mac: choose View > Normal, select the slide's thumbnail, click "Click to add notes" and type. The Notes button on the task bar hides and shows the pane.
• Web: on the View tab, in the Show group, select Notes. Microsoft (n.d.-a) says PowerPoint for the web can create notes but cannot show them while you present, which needs a desktop version; Teams, below, is the other documented route.

How do I add speaker notes in Google Slides?

Type them in the speaker notes box beneath the current slide; when you present, Google says, the notes show in a separate window (Google, n.d.-c). Two shortcuts from Google's pages:

• Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S on Windows or ChromeOS, or Command + Option + Shift + S on a Mac, moves the focus to the speaker notes (Google, n.d.-g).
• Tools > Dictate speaker notes opens the notes with a microphone box; click the microphone to start and again to stop. It works in the latest Chrome, Edge and Safari, but the voice commands that edit text in Google Docs do not work in speaker notes (Google, n.d.-f).

No Google page we found names the menu that hides or shows the notes box, so that step is left out.

How do I add presenter notes in Keynote?

Click the View menu button in the toolbar, choose Show Presenter Notes, select a slide in the slide navigator, and type in the white area below the slide (Apple, n.d.-a). The notes never appear on the slide. Thumbnails of slides that have notes carry a small square in the top-right corner, a quick check for any slide you missed, and View > Hide Presenter Notes gives the canvas its room back.

Apple's page also describes a Generate Presenter Notes button (Apple Creator Studio subscribers, macOS 26 or later) that writes notes automatically. For assessed notes, check your course's AI rules first; see how to declare AI use in an assignment.

How do I see my notes while presenting, on one screen or two?

Open the app's presenter view: your notes and the slides on your screen, only the slides on the audience's.

PowerPoint: Presenter View

With a projector or second monitor connected, newer versions set up Presenter View for you when the show starts (Microsoft, n.d.-g); on Windows, start with Slide Show > From Beginning. On one screen, Windows users start the show, select the button with three dots on the control bar at the bottom left, then Show Presenter View; Mac users choose Slide Show > Presenter View.

The notes sit in a pane on the right. Two buttons at its lower left change the text size, and dragging the dividing line all the way left hides the current slide to give the notes room. If the views land on the wrong screens, choose Display Settings > Swap Presenter View and Slide Show on Windows, or Swap Displays on a Mac.

Google Slides: Presenter view

Click the down arrow next to Slideshow, choose Presenter view, then Speaker notes; during a slideshow, the S key opens speaker notes (Google, n.d.-d). For a second monitor, Google's steps need Chrome and at least one extra monitor attached: open the arrow next to Slideshow, choose Presentation display options, allow Chrome's multi-display permission if asked, pick Presenter view, Present from beginning or Full screen and a monitor, then click Start slideshow. Presenter view and Full screen cannot be used together on one monitor.

Keynote: the presenter display

For two screens, connect the display and turn mirroring off (on a Mac, System Settings > Displays > Arrange, with the display thumbnails not stacked), then choose Play > In Fullscreen and click Play. The slides go to the external display, the presenter display stays on your Mac, and X swaps them (Apple, n.d.-d). The Display Configuration button chooses what it shows (slides, notes, clock, timer), and font buttons enlarge the notes.

On one screen, Play > In Window opens the slideshow and the presenter display in separate windows, which Apple (n.d.-c) suggests when you have no second display or projector. Play > Rehearse Slideshow brings up the presenter display for practice with no external screen, and you can edit notes there (Apple, n.d.-f).

How do I print slides with notes or export them?

Use each app's notes print layout, or its PDF or Word export.

PowerPoint

On Windows, choose File > Print, open the box under Settings that reads Full Page Slides, and pick Notes Pages under Print Layout: one slide a page, notes below. Microsoft (n.d.-b) says this is the only way to print notes with slides; the other layouts and every Handouts option leave them out. For notes in Word, choose File > Export > Create Handouts > Create Handouts, then Notes next to slides or Notes below slides (Microsoft, n.d.-c).

On a Mac, pick Notes from the Layout menu in the Print dialog (Microsoft, n.d.-d). A PDF is another matter: Microsoft (n.d.-e) says saving notes is not available when PowerPoint for Mac makes a PDF. For the web version, Microsoft's pages disagree on who can print notes: Microsoft 365 business subscribers with the file on OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint (Microsoft, n.d.-a), or files on OneDrive as well (Microsoft, n.d.-d).

Google Slides and Keynote

In Google Slides, choose File > Print settings and preview, click 1 slide with notes in the toolbar, then Print (Google, n.d.-e). In Keynote, choose File > Print, pick a format (Slide, Grid, Handout or Outline) and select the options you want, which vary by format (Apple, n.d.-e). For a Keynote PDF with notes, choose File > Export To > PDF and select the checkbox next to presenter notes (Apple, n.d.-b).

Can I see my speaker notes in Teams, Google Meet or a video call?

Yes, where the maker documents it. In every case, share only the slides: Apple warns that some video-conferencing apps show the presenter display window if it sits in the shared part of the screen (Apple, 2026).

• Microsoft Teams: select Share in the meeting controls, then the file under PowerPoint Live. The slides appear with your notes next to them, in a presenter's view that also shows raised hands and reactions, and Present in Teams starts the same thing from the desktop app (Microsoft, n.d.-f). Only .pptx and .ppsx files work, and Teams on the web needs Edge 18 or Chrome 65 or later for presenter view.
• Google Meet: with an eligible work or school account, open the slides in one browser tab and the meeting in another, click Present now, choose the slides' tab, click Share, then Start slideshow; a control under the slides shows or hides the speaker notes (Google, n.d.-a). A co-presenter needs edit access to see the notes, and co-presenting fails if you share a window or the whole screen rather than a tab (Google, n.d.-b). The two pages differ on browsers: Chrome in one, Chrome or Edge in the other.
• Keynote: choose Play > In Window and share the slideshow window from your video app (Apple, n.d.-c). Under Keynote > Settings > Slideshow, make sure "Show presenter display window in other applications" is unchecked (Apple, 2026).

PowerPoint vs Google Slides vs Keynote: speaker notes compared

The documented steps side by side, each with its source.

How do I get my notes ready before the talk?

The app steps are the documented ones above; the order is ours.

1. Type notes into every slide's notes area.
2. Build the references slide with Cite a source.
3. Write each source's spoken form into the notes (how to cite sources in a speech).
4. Paste the list into Verify references: each reference comes back verified, doubtful or not found, with retracted papers flagged.
5. Rehearse in the presenter view you will use on the day.
6. Learn how to swap the screens in the room.
7. Online, share only the slides.
8. Print a notes copy as a fallback.

Which EdCitation tool helps with the references slide and your notes?

Cite a source is the best tool for the references slide and for every source your notes name, because it looks each source up in the publisher's record rather than composing a reference, which no chatbot does. From a DOI, a title, a PubMed ID, an ISBN or a web address it builds the entry in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 author-date, Harvard, IEEE or Vancouver, and screens the source for retraction, free with no account. EdCitation never writes any part of anyone's work: the slides, the notes and the talk stay yours, and the tools look after the sources behind them.

Two articles and a web page, run on 2 October 2026

For 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00230, a study of PowerPoint presentations that break eight psychological principles, it read the Crossref record, found no retraction notice, and returned in APA 7:

Kosslyn, S. M., Kievit, R. A., Russell, A. G., & Shephard, J. M. (2012). PowerPoint® presentation flaws and failures: A psychological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, Article 230. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00230

The title, deposited in title case, came back in sentence case with PowerPoint® kept, and the in-text form, (Kosslyn et al., 2012), came with it. For 10.1080/03634520903443849, Bodie's (2010) review of research on public speaking anxiety, it again found no retraction notice:

Bodie, G. D. (2010). A racing heart, rattling knees, and ruminative thoughts: Defining, explaining, and treating public speaking anxiety. Communication Education, 59(1), 70–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520903443849

For Apple's page on presenting Keynote in a video conference, it found no author or date and put the title first:

Use Keynote to present remotely in a video conference. (n.d.). Apple Support. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://support.apple.com/en-us/102025

The page does show "Published Date: January 28, 2026" at its foot, and its author is Apple. A web page's details can be corrected before the entry is built; with Apple entered as the organisation and the date added, it returned:

Apple. (2026, January 28). Use Keynote to present remotely in a video conference. https://support.apple.com/en-us/102025

The guide to citing a website in APA 7 explains each part of that entry.

Keep the list and download it

With a free account, EdCitation keeps what you cite in reference lists. Each reference can be tagged (by talk, say), filtered by tag and set in its own style, and a list copies with its italics and downloads as a Word document, BibTeX or RIS, ready for the references slide or a handout. Check your paper, also free, reads a presentation brief into a checklist. Pro, at $8 a month, and Max, at $24, add checks of a whole written paper; see pricing.

Quick questions

Can the audience see my speaker notes?

Not in presenter view: Microsoft, Apple and Google all say the notes stay off the audience's screen. Online, share only the slides.

How do I see speaker notes with only one screen?

PowerPoint: Show Presenter View from the show's control bar (Windows), or Slide Show > Presenter View (Mac). Keynote: Play > In Window. Google Slides: Presenter view, which opens in its own window.

How do I print PowerPoint slides with notes?

File > Print, then Notes Pages on Windows or Notes on a Mac. Microsoft says no Handouts layout prints notes.

Why can't I see my notes in PowerPoint for the web?

Microsoft says the web version cannot show notes while you present. Use a desktop version, or PowerPoint Live in Teams.

Can EdCitation write my speaker notes?

No. EdCitation never writes any part of anyone's work; the notes are yours. Cite a source builds the references they name, each from its own record.

References

• Apple. (n.d.-a). Add and view presenter notes in Keynote on Mac. Keynote User Guide. https://support.apple.com/guide/keynote/add-and-view-presenter-notes-tand1a4ee7c/mac
• Apple. (n.d.-b). Export to PowerPoint or another file format in Keynote on Mac. Keynote User Guide. https://support.apple.com/guide/keynote/export-to-powerpoint-or-another-file-format-tana0d19882a/mac
• Apple. (n.d.-c). Play a Keynote presentation on Mac. Keynote User Guide. https://support.apple.com/guide/keynote/present-on-your-mac-tan72233051/mac
• Apple. (n.d.-d). Play a presentation on a separate display in Keynote on Mac. Keynote User Guide. https://support.apple.com/guide/keynote/present-on-a-separate-display-tana4da2681/mac
• Apple. (n.d.-e). Print a Keynote presentation on Mac. Keynote User Guide. https://support.apple.com/guide/keynote/print-a-presentation-tan343d4b90d/mac
• Apple. (n.d.-f). Rehearse a Keynote presentation on your Mac. Keynote User Guide. https://support.apple.com/guide/keynote/rehearse-on-your-mac-tan1cb6ca7a3/mac
• Apple. (2026, January 28). Use Keynote to present remotely in a video conference. https://support.apple.com/en-us/102025
• Bodie, G. D. (2010). A racing heart, rattling knees, and ruminative thoughts: Defining, explaining, and treating public speaking anxiety. Communication Education, 59(1), 70–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520903443849
• Google. (n.d.-a). Control Slides presentations in Google Meet. Google Docs Editors Help. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/12751228?hl=en
• Google. (n.d.-b). Co-present Slides in Google Meet. Google Meet Help. https://support.google.com/meet/answer/13882437?hl=en
• Google. (n.d.-c). Create your first presentation in Slides. Google Workspace Learning Center. https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/10665800?hl=en
• Google. (n.d.-d). Present slides. Google Docs Editors Help. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/1696787?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
• Google. (n.d.-e). Print a file. Google Docs Editors Help. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/143346?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
• Google. (n.d.-f). Type & edit with your voice. Google Docs Editors Help. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226?hl=en
• Google. (n.d.-g). Use Google Slides with a screen reader. Google Docs Editors Help. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/1634140?hl=en
• Kosslyn, S. M., Kievit, R. A., Russell, A. G., & Shephard, J. M. (2012). PowerPoint® presentation flaws and failures: A psychological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, Article 230. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00230
• Microsoft. (n.d.-a). Add speaker notes to your slides. Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-speaker-notes-to-your-slides-26985155-35f5-45ba-812b-e1bd3c48928e
• Microsoft. (n.d.-b). Print slides with or without speaker notes. Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/print-slides-with-or-without-speaker-notes
• Microsoft. (n.d.-c). Print speaker notes. Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/print-speaker-notes
• Microsoft. (n.d.-d). Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes. Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/print-your-powerpoint-slides-handouts-or-notes-194d4320-aa03-478b-9300-df25f0d15dc4
• Microsoft. (n.d.-e). Save PowerPoint presentations as PDF files. Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-powerpoint-presentations-as-pdf-files-9b5c786b-9c6e-4fe6-81f6-9372f77c47c8
• Microsoft. (n.d.-f). Share slides in Microsoft Teams meetings with PowerPoint Live. Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/share-slides-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-with-powerpoint-live
• Microsoft. (n.d.-g). Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view. Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/start-the-presentation-and-see-your-notes-in-presenter-view-4de90e28-487e-435c-9401-eb49a3801257