How to Set Slide Show ‘From Slide N’ Without Reordering

You need to start a PowerPoint slide show from a specific slide, for example slide 12, without moving that slide to the beginning of the presentation. The standard From Current Slide option works only if you have already navigated to that slide in Normal view. Reordering slides to place the target slide first breaks the logical flow for your audience. This article explains how to use PowerPoint’s custom slide show feature and keyboard shortcuts to start from any slide without changing the original slide order.

How PowerPoint Handles Slide Show Start Positions

PowerPoint offers four built-in commands to start a slide show: From Beginning (F5), From Current Slide (Shift+F5), From Slide Show (Alt+F5, which starts the show in Presenter View from the current slide), and Custom Slide Show. The From Current Slide command is the most direct way to start from a specific slide without rearranging slides. However, many users accidentally reorder slides when they drag thumbnails in the left pane to bring a target slide to the top. This reordering changes the presentation flow for everyone who views the file later.

The root of the confusion is that PowerPoint does not have a one-click dialog labeled “Start from slide number 12.” Instead, you must either select the slide first in Normal view or create a custom show that begins at your desired slide. Both methods keep the original slide order intact. The custom show method also lets you hide slides from the main sequence while still including them in the presentation.

Why You Should Not Rearrange Slides

When you move a slide earlier in the deck, all subsequent slides shift. If you then share the file with a colleague, they see the modified order. The audience handout also changes. Using From Current Slide or a custom show avoids these side effects entirely.

Steps to Start From Slide N Using From Current Slide

1. Open your presentation in Normal view
   Click the View tab and select Normal if you are not already in that view. The thumbnail pane appears on the left side of the window.
2. Select the target slide in the thumbnail pane
   Scroll through the thumbnails and click once on the slide where you want the show to start. The slide appears in the main editing area.
3. Start the slide show from the selected slide
   Do one of the following:
   – Press Shift+F5 on your keyboard.
   – Go to the Slide Show tab and click From Current Slide.
   The slide show begins at the slide you selected. All subsequent slides play in their original order.

This method works for any slide in the deck. You do not need to save or name anything. The next time you open the file, the slide order remains unchanged.

Steps to Start From Slide N Using a Custom Slide Show

If you need to start from the same slide repeatedly or want to hide certain slides from the main sequence, create a custom slide show. A custom show is a named subset that plays only the slides you add to it.

1. Open the Custom Shows dialog
   Go to the Slide Show tab and click Custom Slide Show. From the dropdown menu, select Custom Shows.
2. Create a new custom show
   In the Custom Shows dialog, click New. A dialog box titled Define Custom Show opens.
3. Name the custom show
   In the Slide show name field, type a descriptive name such as “Start from Slide 12.”
4. Add slides to the custom show
   In the Slides in presentation list, click the first slide you want to include (for example, slide 12). Hold Ctrl and click each additional slide you want to play. Click Add to move them to the Slides in custom show list. To include all slides from the target slide onward, press Shift, click the last slide in the list, then click Add.
5. Save the custom show
   Click OK to return to the Custom Shows dialog. Click Close.
6. Play the custom show
   Go to the Slide Show tab, click Custom Slide Show, and select the name you created. The show starts from the first slide you added in the custom show definition.

The custom show does not delete or reorder slides in the main presentation. You can create multiple custom shows each starting at a different slide. To edit or delete a custom show, return to Custom Shows in the Slide Show tab.

Using the Set Up Show Dialog to Specify a Starting Slide

The Set Up Show dialog includes a Show slides section where you can enter a starting slide number. This method is useful when you want the presentation to always start at a specific slide when opened by any user.

1. Open the Set Up Show dialog
   Go to the Slide Show tab and click Set Up Slide Show.
2. Choose the show type
   Under Show type, select Browsed at a kiosk (full screen) or Presented by a speaker (full screen).
3. Define the starting slide
   Under Show slides, select From: and enter the slide number in the first box. In the second box, enter the last slide number you want to include. For example, to start at slide 12 and end at slide 30, enter 12 and 30.
4. Save and close
   Click OK. The next time you press F5, the show starts at the slide you specified.

This setting persists in the file until you change it. To revert to starting from the beginning, return to the dialog and select All under Show slides.

Common Issues When Starting From a Specific Slide

Slides After the Target Slide Are Missing or Skipped

If you used the Set Up Show dialog and entered an end slide number that is too low, slides after that number will not appear. Open the dialog again and increase the end slide number or select All.

Custom Show Does Not Appear in the List

If you created a custom show but cannot see it under Custom Slide Show, the definition may have been deleted. Reopen the Custom Shows dialog and click New to recreate it. Custom shows are saved inside the presentation file, so they travel with the file when you email it.

From Current Slide Starts at the Beginning Instead

This happens if you have not selected a slide in the thumbnail pane. Click once on any thumbnail, then press Shift+F5. If the slide show still starts at the beginning, close and reopen the file to reset the selection state.

From Current Slide vs Custom Show vs Set Up Show

Item	From Current Slide	Custom Slide Show	Set Up Show Dialog
How to start	Select slide, press Shift+F5	Slide Show > Custom Slide Show > choose name	Slide Show > Set Up Slide Show > enter numbers
Slide order preserved	Yes	Yes	Yes
Supports multiple start points	No, one at a time	Yes, multiple named shows	No, one range at a time
Persists after closing file	No	Yes	Yes
Can hide slides from main show	No	Yes, by not adding them	No

All three methods keep the original slide order intact. Choose From Current Slide for a one-time start. Use a Custom Slide Show when you need to replay the same starting point or hide specific slides. Use the Set Up Show dialog when you want the file to always open at a certain slide for every user.

After selecting a slide in Normal view, you can also press Alt+F5 to start the show in Presenter View from that slide. This shortcut works identically to Shift+F5 but opens the presenter tools on a second monitor if one is connected.