PowerPoint Hide Slide vs Custom Show: Practical Differences

When you need to skip certain slides during a live presentation in PowerPoint, you have two main options: hide a slide or create a custom show. Both methods prevent selected slides from appearing in the normal slide show sequence, but they work differently and suit different scenarios. Hiding a slide is a quick toggle that affects the entire presentation file. A custom show is a saved subset of slides that you can name and reuse. This article explains the practical differences between hiding slides and using custom shows, including when to use each and how to set them up.

What Hiding a Slide Does in PowerPoint

Hiding a slide is a binary on-off setting applied to individual slides. When you hide a slide, it remains in the presentation file and appears in Normal view with a crossed-out slide number. During a standard slide show (F5 or Shift+F5), hidden slides are skipped. The audience never sees them, and no transition occurs to indicate a slide was skipped.

To hide a slide, right-click the slide thumbnail in the left pane and select Hide Slide. You can also select the slide and go to Slide Show > Hide Slide on the ribbon. The slide number becomes gray with a diagonal line through it. To unhide, repeat the same action.

Hiding slides is ideal for quick adjustments during a rehearsal. If you realize a slide is no longer relevant, you hide it instead of deleting it. The slide is still available if you need it later. However, hiding affects only the default slide show. If you have multiple presenters or need to show different slide sets to different audiences, hiding becomes cumbersome because you must manually hide and unhide slides each time.

Limitations of Hiding Slides

Hidden slides cannot be discovered by the audience, but they are visible to anyone who opens the presentation file. If you share the file, collaborators can see hidden slides in the thumbnail pane. Hiding also does not allow you to reorder slides within the show. The slide order remains fixed; you can only skip slides entirely.

What a Custom Show Is in PowerPoint

A custom show is a named subset of slides from your presentation. You define which slides to include and in what order. The custom show can be played directly from the Slide Show tab without affecting the main presentation. Multiple custom shows can exist in one file, each with a different slide selection.

To create a custom show, go to Slide Show > Custom Slide Show > Custom Shows. Click New, give the show a name, and then select the slides you want to include from the list on the left. Use the Add button to move them to the right pane. You can reorder slides in the right pane using the up and down arrows. Click OK to save.

Once created, you can run a custom show by going to Slide Show > Custom Slide Show and choosing the show name. The presentation plays only the slides you selected, in the order you specified. Custom shows are saved with the presentation file and travel with it when shared.

Key Feature: Hidden Slides in Custom Shows

A slide can be hidden in the main presentation but still appear in a custom show. This is useful when you want a slide to be available only in a specific context. For example, you might hide a detailed financial chart from the main presentation but include it in a custom show for the finance team. The custom show overrides the hidden status for the slides it contains.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Both Methods

The following steps show how to hide a slide and how to create a custom show in PowerPoint. These instructions apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, and PowerPoint 2019.

How to Hide a Slide

1. Open the presentation
   Launch PowerPoint and open the file containing the slide you want to hide.
2. Select the slide thumbnail
   In the left thumbnail pane, click the slide you want to hide. To select multiple slides, hold Ctrl and click each thumbnail.
3. Apply the Hide Slide command
   Right-click the selected thumbnail and choose Hide Slide from the context menu. Alternatively, go to the Slide Show tab and click Hide Slide in the Set Up group. The slide number becomes crossed out.
4. Test the result
   Press F5 to start the slide show from the beginning. The hidden slide is skipped. To unhide, repeat the same steps.

How to Create and Run a Custom Show

1. Open the presentation
   Open the presentation file where you want to create the custom show.
2. Open the Custom Shows dialog
   Go to the Slide Show tab and click Custom Slide Show in the Start Slide Show group. From the dropdown, select Custom Shows.
3. Create a new custom show
   In the Custom Shows dialog, click New. The Define Custom Show dialog opens.
4. Name the show and select slides
   In the Slide show name box, type a descriptive name such as “Executive Summary” or “Technical Deep Dive.” In the Slides in presentation list, click each slide you want to include, then click Add to move it to the Slides in custom show list. Use the up and down arrows to reorder slides if needed. Click OK.
5. Run the custom show
   Back in the Custom Shows dialog, select the show name and click Show. The presentation plays only the selected slides in the specified order. To run it later, go to Slide Show > Custom Slide Show and pick the show name from the list.

When to Use Each Method and Common Mistakes

The choice between hiding slides and using custom shows depends on your specific needs. Here are the most common scenarios and pitfalls.

Hiding Slides Is Best for Temporary Changes

If you are rehearsing and want to skip a slide for one run, hiding is faster. You do not need to create a named show. Hiding is also useful when you want to keep a slide in the file for reference but never show it to any audience. For example, a slide with speaker notes or data sources can be hidden permanently.

Custom Shows Are Best for Multiple Audiences

When you present the same deck to different groups, custom shows save time. You create one custom show for the sales team, another for engineering, and a third for executives. Each show includes only the slides relevant to that audience. You do not need to hide or unhide slides manually between meetings.

Common Mistake: Hiding Slides That Are Needed in a Custom Show

Some users hide a slide and then try to include it in a custom show, but the slide does not appear. This happens because the custom show definition was created before the slide was hidden. The fix is to edit the custom show: go to Slide Show > Custom Slide Show > Custom Shows, select the show, click Edit, and ensure the hidden slide is in the right pane. Hidden slides are included in custom shows if they were added to the custom show definition.

Common Mistake: Forgetting to Switch Back to Normal Show

After running a custom show, the presentation is still set to that custom show. If you press F5 later, only the custom show plays. To go back to the full presentation, go to Slide Show > Custom Slide Show and select Custom Shows, then choose Show for the default show named “Main Presentation” or simply close the Custom Shows dialog. Alternatively, you can set the show type to Presented by a speaker (full screen) under Set Up Slide Show.

Hide Slide vs Custom Show: Feature Comparison

Feature	Hide Slide	Custom Show
Setup time	Seconds per slide	Minutes to define
Number of sets	One hidden set per slide	Multiple named shows
Slide reordering	Not possible	Possible within the show
Hidden slides included	Hidden slides are skipped	Hidden slides can be included
Audience visibility	Hidden slides invisible	Only selected slides visible
File sharing impact	Hidden slides visible to editors	Custom shows travel with file
Best for	Quick skip during rehearsal	Different audiences, one file

Now you can choose between hiding a slide for a fast temporary skip or building a custom show for a reusable targeted presentation. Try creating a custom show with a name like “Board Meeting” and include only the slides that match that agenda. For advanced control, combine both methods by hiding sensitive slides and adding them only to custom shows that require them.