How to Insert a YouTube Video into PowerPoint

To insert a YouTube video into PowerPoint on Windows, copy the video’s watch-page URL, select your slide, then choose Insert > Video > Online Video, paste the URL, and select Insert. These steps apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 and PowerPoint 2024 for Windows. On Mac and in PowerPoint for the web, you can paste the same URL through slightly different menus.

Insert the YouTube video on Windows

Open the video’s watch page on YouTube and copy its URL. In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 or PowerPoint 2024 for Windows, select the destination slide, then choose Insert > Video > Online Video. Paste the URL and select Insert.

You can also insert YouTube HTML embed code in these Windows editions. On YouTube, choose SHARE > Embed to obtain the HTML, then in PowerPoint choose Insert > Video > Online Videos and paste the embed code. Keep the two inputs distinct: the URL method uses the watch-page address, while this option uses HTML.

Add the video on a Mac

In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac or PowerPoint 2024 for Mac, copy the YouTube watch-page URL and select your destination slide. Choose Insert > Video > Online Movie. Paste the URL, then select Insert.

If you prefer a clickable link, select the text, picture, or shape you want to use. Choose Insert > Link and enter the YouTube URL in Address. This gives you a way to open YouTube externally.

Insert the video in PowerPoint for the web

Copy the YouTube watch-page URL, then select the destination slide in PowerPoint for the web. Choose Insert, then select Online Video in the Media group. Paste the URL and select Insert.

You can access the browser version from Microsoft’s PowerPoint product page by selecting Open PowerPoint. Use that route if you are moving from an older edition and want to use the browser insertion path.

Insert the video with your keyboard

In current PowerPoint for Windows, copy the YouTube URL and focus the destination slide’s content area. Press Alt + N, then V, then O, and paste the URL into Enter the address for online video. Press Tab to reach Insert, then press Enter. Microsoft documents this sequence for Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA.

In current PowerPoint for Mac with VoiceOver, copy the YouTube URL, navigate to the slide, and press F6 to reach the ribbon. Use Control + Option + Left Arrow or Control + Option + Right Arrow to reach Insert, then activate it with Control + Option + Spacebar. Press Tab to reach Video and activate it.

Use Up Arrow or Down Arrow to reach Online movie and activate it, then paste the URL. Press Tab to reach Insert and activate it with Control + Option + Spacebar.

Add a YouTube link instead

A hyperlink opens YouTube externally instead of placing a player on the slide. In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 or PowerPoint 2024 for Windows, select the text, picture, or shape you want to link. Choose Insert > Link > Insert Link > Existing File or Web Page, paste the YouTube URL into Address, and select OK.

For a simple text link on those Windows editions, you can also type the URL in slide text and press Enter. In PowerPoint for the web, select your text and choose Insert > Link. Complete Display text and Address, then select Insert.

On an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet, tap the slide location where the link should go. Choose Insert > Link > Insert Link, then complete Address and Text to display. Select Done on iPhone or iPad, or Insert on Android.

Insert a video file for offline use

If you uploaded the YouTube video yourself, you can download your own upload for offline insertion, subject to YouTube’s download restrictions. Sign in to YouTube Studio, choose Content, select your video, then choose Menu > Download. Use the resulting MP4 with the local file options below.

In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 or PowerPoint 2024 for Windows, select the destination slide and choose Insert > Video > This Device. Select the video file, then select Insert. If your version uses the older label, choose Video on My PC.

In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac or PowerPoint 2024 for Mac, choose Insert > Video > Movie from File and select the file. Select Insert to embed it in the presentation.

In PowerPoint for the web, choose Insert > Video > This Device, select the file, and select Open. The web upload limit is 256 MB. If you already have the original video file, you can use these same local file methods to embed a video in PowerPoint.

Record permitted screen content into a slide

In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 or PowerPoint 2024 for Windows, you can record screen content that you have permission to record. Microsoft provides this as a general screen recording feature; capture of every YouTube player or protected video is not guaranteed.

Display the content in your browser, then select your destination slide in PowerPoint. Choose Insert > Screen Recording > Select Area and drag over the region you want to record. You can also press Windows + Shift + E to select an area.

Audio is enabled by default, so account for that before you select Record and play the content. Select Stop or press Windows + Shift + Q when you finish. PowerPoint inserts the recording into the slide.

Fix blocked online insertion

In Microsoft 365 desktop apps, optional connected experiences affect access to online video insertion. On Windows, open File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings and review whether optional connected experiences are enabled. On Mac, open PowerPoint > Preferences > Privacy to review that setting.

While editing in PowerPoint for the web, open File > About > Privacy Settings to review connected-experience availability. While viewing, open the more-options menu and choose Privacy Settings. Available controls depend on your account type and organizational policy.

On a managed Microsoft 365 installation, ask your administrator to review Allow the use of additional optional connected experiences in Office, Allow the use of connected experiences in Office that download online content, and Allow the use of connected experiences in Office. Restrictive policies can block online insertion, and you cannot override enforced settings. Once access is enabled, add the video using the insertion path for your version.

Fix embedding permissions and network blocks

If embedding is disabled for your own YouTube video, open YouTube Studio and choose Content, then open Details for that video. Select SHOW MORE, check Allow embedding, and select SAVE.

You can change this setting only for a video you own; viewers cannot change another uploader’s setting. For someone else’s video, use the hyperlink method to open YouTube externally.

If your network blocks YouTube embedded playback, ask the network administrator to allow YouTube through the firewall. YouTube’s instructions call for allowing its domain, but the administrator must use the controls for your network’s firewall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you link to a local video file instead of embedding it?

Yes, in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 or PowerPoint 2024 for Windows, keep the presentation and video together, choose Insert > Video > This Device, and select the file. Open the arrow beside Insert and select Link to File; moving the linked video can break playback. In the corresponding Mac editions, choose Insert > Video > Movie from File, select the file, choose Show Options, select Link to file, and select Insert.

Can you export all your own YouTube uploads together?

Yes, Google provides Google Takeout as an option for exporting all your uploads. This applies to videos uploaded by your own YouTube account.

Can you review Microsoft 365 privacy settings from your personal account?

Yes, sign in to your Microsoft account privacy dashboard, then choose Privacy > Find privacy settings in Microsoft products > Microsoft 365. Review connected-experience availability there; available controls depend on your account type and organizational policy.

Where can you get the desktop PowerPoint app?

On Microsoft’s PowerPoint product page, select Download the app. Follow the applicable plan options to obtain the app.