Embed YouTube Videos in PowerPoint 2010

Add video to your presentation to enliven your discussion

PowerPoint presentations are a business staple. Many professionals like to embed their projects with YouTube videos to keep audiences engaged, build excitement, and convey important information.

In this guide, we show you how to embed a YouTube video in a PowerPoint presentation.

This guide is for PowerPoint 2010.

Prepare to Embed a YouTube Video in PowerPoint

To embed a video, you'll need:

  • The HTML code from YouTube that will embed the video into your presentation.
  • A live internet connection during the presentation (the video isn't downloaded and added to the presentation file, but rather streamed from YouTube).
  • A little PowerPoint know-how on how to play the video on a screen.

Get the YouTube Embed HTML Code

On the YouTube website, navigate to the video you want to use in your presentation.

  1. Select the Share button, located below the video.

    YouTube Share button
  2. Select Embed, which opens a text box showing the HTML code for the video.

    YouTube select embed
  3. You have a few options for how the video is to be embedded in your PowerPoint presentation:

    • Select the Start at checkbox to choose the point during the video when the embedded video begins to play.
    • Select Show player controls to display the video playback controls in the embedded video.
    • Select Enable privacy-enhanced mode to prevent YouTube from storing information about people who view your PowerPoint presentation on the web and watch the video.

    Make your selections.

  4. Select the HTML code to highlight it, then select Copy.

    Alternatively, press Ctrl+C on the keyboard to copy the text.

    YouTube embed HTML copy

Add the Embed Code to PowerPoint

After you copy the HTML embed code to the clipboard, place the code in a PowerPoint slide.

  1. In PowerPoint, navigate to the desired slide for the YouTube video.

  2. Choose the Insert tab of the ribbon.

  3. On the right side of the ribbon, in the Media section, select Video.

  4. From the drop-down menu, select Insert Video from Web Site.

    Insert video from a website into PowerPoint
    Wendy Russell
  5. In the dialog box, right-click the blank area and choose Paste from the context menu, then select Insert.

    Alternatively, press Ctrl+V on the keyboard to paste the text from the clipboard.

Resize the Video Placeholder on the PowerPoint Slide

The YouTube video appears as a black box on the slide. The dimensions of the placeholder match what you previously selected. Here's how to modify the size of the box.

  1. Click the video placeholder to select it. Selection handles appear in each corner and side of the placeholder. Use these selection handles to resize the video.

    Resize YouTube video placeholder on PowerPoint slide


  2. To retain the proper proportions of the video, drag one of the corner handles to resize the video. (Dragging a selection handle on one of the sides distorts the video.) You may have to repeat this task to get the sizing correct.

  3. Hover the mouse over the middle of the black video placeholder and drag it to move the video to a new location on the slide, if necessary.

Test the YouTube Video on the PowerPoint Slide

Never assume that everything will work fine without a test. Press the keyboard shortcut Shift+F5 to start the slide show from this current slide. Press the Play button in the middle of the video.

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