Applies ToPowerPoint for Microsoft 365 PowerPoint 2024 PowerPoint 2021 PowerPoint 2019 PowerPoint 2016

You can create notes pages as you build your presentation. You may want to print them and review them as you deliver your presentation.

A Green Idea... Green leaf   

However, before printing notes pages, consider viewing your notes in Presenter View instead. You can view your notes as you deliver your presentation on a second monitor to conserve paper and printer ink. For more information, see View your speaker notes privately, while delivering a presentation on multiple monitors.

Use the notes pane in Normal view to write notes about your slides. To get to Normal view, on the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click Normal.Sreenshot showing a PowerPoint slide deck in Normal view along with the notes section.

You can type and format your notes as you work in Normal view, but to see how your notes pages will print and to see the full effect of any text formatting, such as font colors, switch to Notes Page view. You can also check and change the headers and footers of your notes in Notes Page view.

Each notes page shows a slide thumbnail, together with the notes that accompany that slide. In Notes Page view, you can embellish your notes with charts, pictures, tables, or other illustrations.

Notes pages in PowerPoint

(The following numbers correspond to the numbers in the illustration.)

  1. Notes pages include your notes and each slide in the presentation.

  2. Each slide prints on its own notes page.

  3. Your notes accompany the slide.

  4. You can add data, such as charts or pictures, to your notes pages.

As you add notes, keep the following in mind:

  • The changes, additions, and deletions that you make on a notes page apply only to that notes page and to the note text in Normal view.

  • If you want to enlarge, reposition, or format the slide image area or notes area, make your changes in Notes Page view.

  • You can't draw or put pictures in the notes pane in Normal view. Switch to Notes Page view and draw or add the picture there.

  • Pictures and objects that you add in Notes Page view appear on your printed notes page, but not on your screen in Normal view.

A default notes page consists of a slide thumbnail on the top half of the page and an equally sized section for notes on the lower half of the page.Screenshot showing one slide in a PowerPoint slide deck with its associated notes.

If a half page isn't enough space for your notes, you can add more room.

To add more space on a single notes page:

  1. On the Home tab, select the slide to which you want to add more space for notes, then select the View tab.

  2. On the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, select Notes Page.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To delete the slide thumbnail, on the notes page, select the slide, and then press DELETE. This will not delete the slide from the deck, just from the notes page to allow you more space for notes.

    • To decrease the size of the slide thumbnail on the notes page, drag a sizing handle on the slide thumbnail.

  4. On the top border of the notes placeholder, drag the sizing handle to enlarge the notes placeholder to as much of the page as you need.

To add art, such as a shape or picture, or to format all the notes pages in your presentation, change the Notes Master. For example, to put a company logo or other piece of art on all notes pages, add the art to the Notes Master. Or, if you want to change the font style for all notes, change the style on the Notes Master. You can change the look and position of the slide area, notes area, headers, footers, page numbers, and date.

You can print your notes pages with a slide thumbnail to hand out to your audience or to help you prepare for your presentation.

Note: You can print only one slide thumbnail with notes per printed page.

  1. Open the presentation for which you want to print notes pages with slide thumbnails.

  2. Click the File tab.

  3. On the left side of the File tab, select Print.

  4. Under Settings, select the arrow next to Full Page Slides, and then under Print Layout, select Notes Pages.

  5. To specify the page orientation, select the arrow next to Portrait Orientation, and then select Portrait Orientation or Landscape Orientation.

  6. If you want to print your notes and slide thumbnails in color, select a color printer. Select the arrow next to Color, and then select Color in the list.

  7. Select Print.

Note: You can print only one notes page per printed page.

  1. Open the presentation for which you want to print notes pages without slide thumbnails.

  2. Open each slide in Notes Page view. To get to Notes Page view, on the View menu, in the Presentation Views group, click Notes Page.

  3. Delete the slide thumbnail from each of the notes pages. To delete the slide thumbnail, on the notes page, click the slide thumbnail, and then press DELETE.

  4. Select the File tab.

  5. On the left side of the File tab, select Print.

  6. Under Settings, select the arrow next to Full Page Slides, and then under Print Layout, select Notes Pages.

  7. To specify the page orientation, select the arrow next to Portrait Orientation, and then select Portrait Orientation or Landscape Orientation.

  8. If you want to print your notes and slide thumbnails in color, select a color printer. Select the arrow next to Color, and then select Color in the list.

  9. Select Print.

Need more help?

Want more options?

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.