Last updated: 2026-01-18

To record a PowerPoint presentation with audio in a way that’s clear, reusable, and easy to share, the most flexible route is to present your slides through StreamYard’s studio and record your screen, mic, and layout in one go. If you only need a quick one‑off file, you can also use PowerPoint’s built‑in recording, Loom, or OBS—but each comes with trade‑offs.

Summary

• StreamYard lets you present PowerPoint, capture your screen and mic, and add branding in a browser‑based studio.
• PowerPoint’s built‑in recorder is fine for simple voice‑over videos, but limited for layouts, cameras, or multi‑presenter sessions. (Microsoft)
• Loom and OBS can also record PowerPoint with audio; Loom favors quick async clips, while OBS favors advanced local setups. (Loom) (OBS)
• For most US users on typical laptops, StreamYard offers the easiest balance of quality, control, and team‑friendly pricing.

How do you record a PowerPoint with audio directly in PowerPoint?

If you just need a self‑contained video and don’t care about on‑screen camera layouts or overlays, start with PowerPoint itself.

On recent desktop versions of PowerPoint for Windows and Mac, you can use the Record feature to capture narration and timings for your slideshow. PowerPoint can record your voice, ink gestures, and even your video presence, then export the result as a video file. (Microsoft)

Basic workflow (high level):

1. Open your deck in PowerPoint.
2. Go to the Slide Show or Record tab (label varies by version).
3. Choose Record to start capturing narration for each slide.
4. Advance through your slides while speaking.
5. When finished, stop the recording and use Export to create an MP4.

This route is straightforward and self‑contained, but you give up a lot:

• No live layout control or branding.
• Limited flexibility for multiple presenters.
• Harder to keep presenter notes visible only to you.

That’s where StreamYard becomes a stronger default for most day‑to‑day presentation recordings.

How can you record a PowerPoint with audio using StreamYard?

StreamYard works in the browser, so you can join a studio, share your slides, and walk through your talk while everything is recorded—without installing heavy software. (streamyard.com)

Here’s a simple workflow:

1. Create a recording studio

   • Log into StreamYard and create a new recording session (you don’t have to go live).
   • Select your camera and microphone; do a quick levels check.

2. Bring your PowerPoint into the studio
   You have two practical options:

   • Upload slides directly using the built‑in Slides feature (upload your PowerPoint or a PDF export).
     Note: animations, audio, and video embedded in the file are not supported when you upload; those elements will be flattened. (StreamYard Help)
   • Share your screen with PowerPoint in Slide Show or Presenter View.

3. Control what viewers see
   Inside the studio, you can:

   • Switch layouts so your face is big, small, or side‑by‑side with the slides.
   • Keep your presenter notes visible only to you while the audience sees the clean slide view.
   • Use branded overlays, logos, and backgrounds so the final recording looks intentional, not like a raw screen grab.

4. Capture screen audio and your mic cleanly
   StreamYard lets you control your microphone level separately from screen audio, so your narration stays clear. When you need to share a video or sound from your browser, you can share a Chrome tab with audio so both your voice and the tab’s sound are recorded. (StreamYard Help)

5. Record once, reuse everywhere

   • Paid plans include cloud recording and unlimited local recording time (subject to your hardware), so you end up with files that you can download, edit, or repurpose later. (StreamYard Help)
   • The same session can produce both landscape and vertical outputs, which makes it much easier to cut social clips from a single presentation.

For most people answering “how do I record a PowerPoint with audio?”, this browser‑based studio approach is a strong default: it’s simple, works on typical laptops, and doesn’t force you into complex encoder settings.

When does StreamYard work better than Loom or OBS for this?

Loom and OBS are useful alternatives, but they each lean toward different extremes.

• Loom focuses on quick async screen + cam recordings with instant share links. On the free Starter plan, you’re limited to 5‑minute screen recordings and 25 videos per person, which caps longer presentations unless you upgrade. (loomhelp.zendesk.com)
• OBS Studio is free desktop software with deep control over scenes, sources, and encoding. It’s powerful, but configuration is manual, and performance depends heavily on your hardware. (OBS)

StreamYard tends to be the better default when:

• You want minimal setup and don’t want to worry about codecs or bitrates.
• You need presenter‑led recordings with clean layouts and branding rather than raw screen capture.
• You’re on a typical work or school laptop and can’t install heavy software, or your IT team limits desktop apps.
• You’re recording as a team; our pricing is per workspace, so multiple people can use the same StreamYard subscription instead of paying per user like Loom. (loom.com)

OBS is worth considering when you specifically want hardware‑tuned, local‑only recording and are comfortable investing time in setup. Loom is convenient if your main goal is quick feedback clips with instant links. But for full‑length, polished slide recordings you’ll reuse, a StreamYard studio usually gives the best balance of quality, simplicity, and collaboration.

Does StreamYard capture system audio when presenting slides?

Yes—with the right sharing method.

If you simply upload a PowerPoint file into StreamYard’s Slides feature, any audio or video that was embedded in the deck won’t play back, because animations, audio, and video inside the file aren’t supported in that upload workflow. (StreamYard Help)

To capture audio from a video or demo inside your presentation, use screen sharing instead:

1. Put your PowerPoint into Slide Show mode.
2. Choose Share Screen in StreamYard.
3. Select a Chrome tab or the full window, and enable Share tab audio (for tabs with sound).
4. Speak into your mic while the computer audio plays.

StreamYard records your microphone and the tab’s audio together, so your viewers hear both your voice and the presentation sound in a single, synced recording. (StreamYard Help)

How do you export a narrated PowerPoint as a video file?

Sometimes the simplest answer really is “do it all in PowerPoint,” especially if you’re just emailing a file or uploading to an LMS.

Using PowerPoint’s recorder, you can create narration and timings, then export directly to video:

1. Record your narration and timings using the Record or Record Slide Show option.
2. When you’re done, go to File → Export.
3. Choose Create a Video, set your resolution, and export.

Microsoft’s documentation confirms that you can record a full presentation (or a single slide) with voice, ink, and your video presence, then save the result as a shareable video. (Microsoft)

This approach is handy for one‑off decks, but you don’t get the same control over layouts, camera framing, or branding that you get in a StreamYard studio.

Recording PowerPoint Presenter View (notes visible) — what are your options?

A common request is: “I want my viewers to see my slides full‑screen, while I see Presenter View with notes.”

In StreamYard, that’s a natural workflow:

• You share the slide window or display you want viewers to see.
• You keep Presenter View and notes visible on your own screen.
• The recording shows only what you shared, not your private notes.

Loom’s desktop app can record your PowerPoint or Keynote window with a camera bubble, but its Chrome extension does not support Presenter View, which matters if you rely on browser‑based recording and need notes. (Loom)

With OBS, you can certainly capture either the slide show or Presenter View window, but you’ll have to wire up scenes manually—another reason many non‑technical presenters prefer a browser studio.

For most presenters who want notes, the balance of control and simplicity tips toward StreamYard: you get presenter‑only notes and fully controllable layouts without wrestling with complex configurations.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your default to record PowerPoint with audio when you care about layout, branding, and easy reuse across platforms.
• Use PowerPoint’s built‑in recorder for quick, single‑presenter narration when you just need an MP4 and don’t mind basic visuals. (Microsoft)
• Reach for Loom when you want short async feedback clips with instant share links and are fine with its free‑plan limits. (loomhelp.zendesk.com)
• Choose OBS only if you specifically need deep encoder control and are comfortable configuring a desktop recording stack. (OBS)