Add video and audio

You can add video or audio—a music file, a playlist from your iTunes library, or a sound clip—to a slide, or you can add a soundtrack that plays for the entire presentation.

Note: Audio and video files must be in a format that QuickTime supports on your Mac or device. If you can’t add or play an audio file or a video file, try using iMovie, QuickTime Player, or Compressor to convert the file to a QuickTime file, in MPEG-4 audio or H.264 video format.

Add video and audio

When you add a video or audio file to a slide, the video or audio plays only when that slide is showing in your presentation.

  • Do either of the following:

    • Drag a media file from your computer to anywhere on the slide, or to a media placeholder.

    • Click Media Media button in the toolbar, select Photos, Music, or Movies, then select a file.

Adjust media playback

You can specify whether your media loops in your presentation and set when your media begins playing.

  1. Select the audio or video file on the slide.

  2. Click the Audio or Movie tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have an Audio or Movie tab, click Format button in the toolbar

  3. Do any of the following:

    • Trim the audio or video: Click the disclosure triangle next to Edit Audio or Edit Movie, then drag the Trim slider to change the length of the audio or video.

    • Set playback: Click the Repeat pop-up menu and choose an option. Choose Loop to have the media play until you advance the slide. Choose Loop Back and Forth to have it play forward then backward.

    • Set when the media begins playing: Select the “Start media on click” checkbox to start playback when you click. If you want the media to play automatically when the slide appears, deselect the checkbox.

    • Adjust playback volume: Drag the volume slider.

Optimize movies for iOS

You can set a preference in Keynote to automatically convert movies in your presentation to H.264 (720 p) so they play on iOS devices.

  1. Choose Keynote > Preferences (from the Keynote menu at the top of your screen).

  2. Click General at the top of the preferences window, then select the checkbox next to “Optimize movies for iOS.”

Add a soundtrack to a presentation

When you add a soundtrack to your presentation, the audio begins playing when the presentation starts. If there are slides that already have audio or video, the soundtrack also plays on those slides.

A file added as a soundtrack always plays from its beginning.

  1. Click the Audio tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

    If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have an Audio tab, click Document button in the toolbar.

  2. Click Media button, then select a song or playlist.

  3. Click the soundtrack pop-up menu, then choose an option:

    • Off: The soundtrack doesn’t play.

    • Play Once: The soundtrack plays through the presentation and doesn’t repeat if the presentation is longer than the soundtrack.

    • Loop: The soundtrack repeats until the presentation ends.

If you want to play your presentation on a different computer or device, choose Keynote > Preferences (from the Keynote menu at the top of your screen), click General, then select “Copy audio and movies into document.” Doing so ensures the soundtrack is available whenever you play it.

Some media files are protected under copyright law. Some downloaded media may be played only on the device where the download occurred. DRM (digital rights management) protected music can’t be added to the presentation soundtrack. Make sure the computer you’re using has permission to play all the media files included in your presentation.

You can also record a narration for your presentation to make a self-running presentation for a kiosk, for example.