Play Sound and PowerPoint Animation at the Same Time

Have music play during transitions in PowerPoint

Have you tried to make the sound on a PowerPoint slide play at the same time as an animation, but it won't work? It's all about PowerPoint audio timing. Applying the right timing setting to the audio file enables the sound and animation to play in sync.

Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, and PowerPoint 2010.

Play Sound at Same Time as Animation

Save time by going directly to the Timing dialog box after adding the sound file.

  1. Add an animation to the object on the slide (such as a text box, picture, or Excel chart).

    Animation in PowerPoint.
  2. Insert the sound file onto the slide.

    Audio file on PowerPoint slide.
  3. Select the Animations tab of the ribbon.

    The Animations menu
  4. Towards the right side of the ribbon, in the Advanced Animation section, select Animation Pane. The Animation Pane opens on the right side of the screen.

    Click the Animation Pane button
  5. In the Animation Pane, select the drop-down arrow beside the sound file and choose Timing. The Play Audio dialog box opens.

    The Timing command
  6. Select the Timing tab of the dialog box and choose Triggers.

    The Triggers menu
  7. Select Animate as part of click sequence and select OK.

    Animate as part of click sequence option in Triggers list

Test the slideshow by pressing the F5 key to start the show from the beginning. Or, press the shortcut key combination Shift+F5 to start the show from the current slide, if the slide in question is not the first slide.

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