How do I show the slide pane in PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to see a complete overview of your slide show presentation using the Outline feature. This lets you preview how the content flows between your slides as well as edit slide information. You can open the Outline from a tab on the navigation panel, which appears next to your slides by default. If you accidentally close the navigation panel, you won’t be able to view the slide show Outline tab until you restore the panel’s display.

1. Click the “View” tab on the Microsoft PowerPoint top menu.

2. Double-click the “Normal” option on the far left side of the menu. Even if you are already in Normal view, this will reopen the navigation panel on the left side of your PowerPoint slides.

3. Click the “Outline” tab from the navigation panel to view and edit your slide show’s outline. If you still don't see the Outline tab, hover your mouse over the vertical line on the left side of your screen, click the left mouse button and drag the line to the right until you see the Outline tab appear in the left pane.

Hide or Unhide Slides in PowerPoint in Normal, Slide Sorter, or Slide Show View

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated September 29, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can hide slides in PowerPoint presentations so that they do not appear during a slide show unless you want to display them. Typically, you hide slides in Normal View or Slide Sorter View and then run your slide show. During a slide show, you can unhide slides or you can return to Normal View or Slide Sorter View and unhide them.

Recommended article: How to Print a PowerPoint Presentation with Notes

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Most users will right-click to hide and unhide slides in PowerPoint. However, instead of right-clicking, you can also press Shift + F10 or press the Context button at the bottom of your keyboard (which appears as a box with lines if you have it) to display the context menu. The Hide Slide command also appears on the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.

Hiding slides in Normal View

To hide slides in Normal View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Normal in the Presentation Views group.
2. In the Navigation pane on the left, right-click the slide that you want to hide. A drop-down menu appears.
3. Click Hide Slide. In the Navigation pane on the left, the slide appears in grey and the slide number appears with a slash through it.
4. Repeat for other slides.

Below is Hide Slide in the context menu in Normal View in a PowerPoint presentation:

To use a keyboard shortcut to hide slides in Normal View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Normal in the Presentation Views group.
2. Display the slide you want to hide.
3. Press Alt > S (Alt and then S) to access the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.
4. Press H to select Hide Slide.
5. Repeat for other slides.

Unhiding slides in Normal View

To unhide or show hidden slides in Normal View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Normal in the Presentation Views group.
2. In the Navigation pane on the left, right-click the slide that you want to unhide. A drop-down menu appears.
3. Click Hide Slide.
4. Repeat for other slides.

To use a keyboard shortcut to unhide slides in Normal View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Normal in the Presentation Views group.
2. Display the slide you want to unhide.
3. Press Alt > S (Alt and then S) to access the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.
4. Press H to select Hide Slide (which will unhide a hidden slide).
5. Repeat for other slides.

Hiding slides in Slide Sorter View

To hide slides in Slide Sorter View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Slide Sorter in the Presentation Views group.
2. Click a slide thumbnail. You can also Ctrl-click multiple slide thumbnails if you want to hide multiple slides.
3. Right-click the slide (or one of the selected slides) that you want to hide. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click Hide Slide. The slide(s) appear in grey and the slide number(s) appear with a slash through it.

Below is Hide Slide in the context menu in Slide Sorter View in a PowerPoint presentation:

To use a keyboard shortcut to hide slides in Slide Sorter View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Slide Sorter in the Presentation Views group.
2. Click a slide thumbnail. You can also Ctrl-click multiple slide thumbnails if you want to hide multiple slides.
3. Press Alt > S (Alt and then S) to access the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.
4. Press H to select Hide Slide.

Unhiding slides in Slide Sorter View

To unhide one or multiple hidden slides in Slide Sorter View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Slide Sorter in the Presentation Views group.
2. Click a slide thumbnail (hidden slides appear in grey with a line through the slide number). You can also Ctrl-click multiple hidden slide thumbnails if you want to unhide multiple slides.
3. Right-click the slide (or one of the selected slides) that you want to unhide. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click Hide Slide.

To use a keyboard shortcut to unhide one or multiple hidden slides in Slide Sorter View:

1. If necessary, click the View tab in the Ribbon and select Slide Sorter in the Presentation Views group.
2. Click a slide thumbnail of a hidden slide. You can also Ctrl-click multiple slide thumbnails if you want to unhide multiple slides.
3. Press Alt > S (Alt and then S) to access the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon.
4. Press H to select Hide Slide which will unhide the selected hidden slides.

Showing a hidden slide during a slide show using See All Slides

If you are running a slide show (typically by clicking the Slide Show button on the bottom right of the screen) and you want to unhide a slide:

1. In Slide Show View, right-click the current slide. A drop-down menu appears.
2. Select See All Slides. The screen displays thumbnails of all the slides in the presentation.
3. Click the hidden slide you want to show. The selected slide is shown full-screen and the slide show resumes.

If you are using Presenter View, the audience won't see thumbnails before you select the slide. They will only see the slide you selected.

Below are slide thumbnails in a PowerPoint presentation when the user has selected Show All Slides:

Showing a hidden slide during a slide show using a keyboard shortcut (2 shortcuts)

You can also use keyboard shortcuts to show hidden slides during a slide show.

To unhide a slide during a slide show using your keyboard (method 1):

1. In Slide Show View, navigate to the slide after which there is a hidden slide. For example, navigate to slide 4 if you want to unhide slide 5.
2. Press H on your keyboard.

To unhide a slide during a slide show using your keyboard (method 2):

1. In Slide Show View, type the slide number of the hidden slide you want to display.
2. Press Enter.

These shortcuts will temporarily unhide the slide and display it in Slide Show View. It does not unhide the slide in Normal View or Slide Sorter View.

Hidden slides can be great to display optional content when needed. You can also hyperlink to hidden slides.

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More resources

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