Presenter view on one screen: PowerPoint, Keynote, Marp
Presenter view works on one screen in every major tool: PowerPoint with Alt+F5 on Windows or the Presenter View button on the Mac's Slide Show tab, Keynote with Play › Rehearse Slideshow, Google Slides from the arrow next to Slideshow › Presenter view, a Marp HTML deck by pressing P in the browser. You see the notes, the next slide and a timer; the audience sees nothing until a second display is connected.
This guide covers each tool, the two reasons to present from one screen (rehearsal, and a room where the projector mirrors your laptop), and what to do when the two-screen setup puts the views the wrong way round.
Why present from one screen?
Two situations:
- Rehearsal. The presenter view with the timer running is the rehearsal tool: you see the notes as you will in the room and the clock as it will run.
- A mirrored projector. Some rooms mirror the laptop rather than extend it, so the audience sees whatever you see. Presenter view is then impossible in the normal way, and the options are a phone or tablet for the notes, a printed notes page, or a tool whose one-screen mode keeps the slide full-screen and shows the controls only on demand.
PowerPoint
- Windows: Alt+F5 starts the slide show in Presenter View on the single screen (or Slide Show › From Beginning with Use Presenter View ticked and a second display). The view shows the current slide, the next slide, the notes and the timer.
- Mac: Slide Show tab › Presenter View. Same layout.
- Two screens the wrong way round: Display Settings › Swap Presenter View and Slide Show at the top of the presenter view.
- Notes too small: the magnifier buttons under the notes pane.
Keynote
Play › Rehearse Slideshow runs the presenter display on the single screen: current and next slide, notes, clock and timer, with the layout chosen in the presenter display options. With a second display, Play › Play Slideshow puts the slides there and the presenter display on the Mac; the presenter display's own controls swap the two if they come up the wrong way round.
Google Slides
The down arrow next to Slideshow (labelled Present in older versions) › Presenter view opens a second browser window with the notes, the timer and audience tools while the slides play in the first. On one screen the two windows overlap; on two, drag the slide window to the projector. Since it is a window, it works in any room, including a mirrored one, at the cost of a visible second window.
Marp HTML decks
A Marp deck exported to HTML (marp deck.md -o deck.html or the VS Code extension's export) has presenter view built in: open the HTML in a browser, press P, and a second window opens with the current slide, the next slide, the notes and a timer. On one screen, it is the rehearsal view; on two, drag one window to the projector and make it full screen with F. The notes are the deck's HTML comments, so nothing needs exporting separately.
The mirrored room, solved differently
Lecture Studio's presenter mode was designed for one screen as well as two. On one screen the slide window is a normal window, so the menu bar, the Dock and app switching keep working; moving the pointer to the bottom of the slide shows a control strip with the slide counter, the clock, the lecture format, the timer, the break controls, Notes and End, and it hides a few seconds after the pointer leaves. Notes floats the presenter window (next slide, notes) over the slides when you want it. With a second display the audience window goes there and the presenter window stays on the Mac. The break countdown goes on the audience screen in both cases. The app runs on macOS 15 or later and presents any Marp deck; the writing assistant needs an Oberik project key.
FAQ
Can I use presenter view with one monitor?
Yes. PowerPoint: Alt+F5 (Windows) or the Presenter View button (Mac). Keynote: Rehearse Slideshow. Google Slides: the arrow next to Slideshow › Presenter view opens a window. Marp HTML: press P.
How do I see my notes in PowerPoint while presenting on one screen?
Press Alt+F5 on Windows, or click Presenter View on the Slide Show tab on a Mac. The notes appear under the current slide with the next slide beside it.
What if the projector mirrors my screen?
Use a tool whose one-screen mode keeps the slide full screen and shows controls on demand, keep the notes on a phone or paper, or open the presenter view in a separate window and put the slide window over it.
Does a Marp deck have a presenter view?
The HTML export does: press P in the browser. PDF exports do not.