How to Embed YouTube Videos Into PowerPoint Presentations

You can insert videos into PowerPoint using the Insert Online Video command. You may search for videos to insert into PowerPoint using the Search YouTube field or embed a video manually by copying the embed code from a video on the YouTube website. While the original releases of Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 do not include native support for embedding YouTube videos, you can update PowerPoint to support the PowerPoint YouTube feature using Microsoft Updates.

Select the slide for which you want to insert a YouTube video. Click the "Insert" tab, the "Video" drop-down button in the Media group and then "Online Video…" Alternatively, you can click the "Insert Video" button, which resembles a movie reel frame, in a blank content box of a new slide. Enter the name of the video into the "Search YouTube" field and then press "Enter." Select the video from the search results and then click the "Insert" button. You video appears as an object in the center of your slide.

Open the video in YouTube that you wish to embed into your presentation. Click "Share" under the video and then click "Embed." Select all of the video's embed code and then press "Ctrl-C." Open the PowerPoint slide for which you want to embed the video. Click the "Insert" tab, "Video" in the Media group and then "Online Video." Select the "Paste Embed Code Here" field and then press "Ctrl-V" and then "Enter." Your embedded video appears on your selected slide.

Videos you've inserted from YouTube require an active Internet connection in order to stream the video. To adjust the size of the video in your slide, select the video and then click and drag the handles, which resemble small white boxes, on the edges and corners of the video. When you view your presentation in Slide Show mode, your embedded video will automatically load the video's player controls, title and thumbnail. When you click the "Play" button, which resembles a white arrow with a red background, the video will buffer and then begin playing.

The PowerPoint YouTube feature requires that your system has Internet Explorer 9 or later as well as the necessary updates for PowerPoint 2013. If you're unable to use the PowerPoint YouTube feature, you may need to update PowerPoint. The update process varies depending on the method that PowerPoint was installed on your PC. Click "File," "Account," "Update Options" and then "Apply Updates." If you don't' see the "Update Options" button on the Account screen, then you may need to download and install two Microsoft updates from April 2014 (links in Resources).