How to Set Up a Kiosk Mode PowerPoint With Restricted Controls

You want to run a PowerPoint slideshow continuously at a trade show booth or lobby display without letting viewers edit the file or exit the presentation. PowerPoint includes a built-in kiosk mode that loops the slide show and disables most keyboard shortcuts. This article explains how to configure a self-running, restricted presentation using PowerPoint settings and Windows tools. You will learn to block the Escape key, hide navigation controls, and lock the presentation to full-screen mode.

What Kiosk Mode Does in PowerPoint and Its Limitations

PowerPoint kiosk mode is a built-in slideshow setting that forces the presentation to run full-screen and loop continuously until the user presses Escape. The setting is located under Slide Show > Set Up Slide Show. When you select “Browsed at a kiosk (full screen),” PowerPoint hides the navigation toolbar, disables mouse-click advancement, and ignores most keyboard shortcuts except the Escape key.

The main limitation of this mode is that the Escape key still works. A viewer pressing Escape will exit the slideshow and reveal the PowerPoint editing interface. From there they can edit slides, delete content, or open other files. To create a truly restricted kiosk, you must combine PowerPoint settings with additional Windows-level controls.

Before you begin, ensure your presentation is saved as a .pptx or .ppsx file. A .ppsx file opens directly in slideshow view, which reduces the chance of someone accessing the editing window. You also need administrator rights on the Windows machine to apply the PowerShell-based restrictions.

Steps to Configure PowerPoint Kiosk Mode With Locked Controls

1. Open your presentation and go to Slide Show > Set Up Slide Show
   In the Set Up Show dialog, under Show type, select “Browsed at a kiosk (full screen).” This forces the presentation to run in a continuous loop. Under Show options, check “Loop continuously until ‘Esc’.” Under Advance slides, choose “Using timings, if present” if you have set slide timings, or “Manually” to let viewers click through slides. Click OK.
2. Disable the shortcut keys overlay in Slide Show view
   Go to File > Options > Advanced. Scroll to the Slide Show section. Uncheck “Show shortcut keys in Slide Show view.” This removes the on-screen shortcut hints that appear when you move the mouse during a slideshow. Click OK.
3. Save the presentation as a PowerPoint Show (.ppsx)
   Press F12 or go to File > Save As. Choose the .ppsx format from the Save as type dropdown. A .ppsx file opens directly in slideshow view when double-clicked, bypassing the editing interface. Place this file in a folder on the kiosk computer.
4. Create a shortcut that launches the .ppsx file in slideshow mode
   Right-click on the .ppsx file and select Create shortcut. Move the shortcut to the desktop or startup folder. Right-click the shortcut, select Properties, and in the Target field add a space followed by /S after the file path. Example: "C:\Kiosk\Presentation.ppsx" /S. The /S switch forces the show to start immediately without showing the PowerPoint splash screen.
5. Use PowerShell to block the Escape key during the slideshow
   Open PowerShell as Administrator. Run the following command to map the Escape key to a null action:
   Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Keyboard Layout\Toggle" -Name "Scancode Map" -Type Binary -Value ([byte[]](0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x02,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x01,0x00,0x3B,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00))
   This disables the F1 key (scancode 0x3B) as a test. To block Escape, use scancode 0x01. Replace the last two bytes before the final zeros with 0x01,0x00. After running the command, restart the computer. The Escape key will no longer function in any application until you remove the registry entry.
6. Remove the Escape key block after the kiosk session ends
   Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
   Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Keyboard Layout\Toggle" -Name "Scancode Map"
   Restart the computer to restore normal keyboard behavior.

Common Issues When Running a Restricted Kiosk PowerPoint

The Escape key still exits the slideshow after applying the registry fix

The registry-based scancode map blocks the key at the system level, but it requires a restart to take effect. If the block does not work, verify that the binary value is correct. Use the PowerShell command exactly as shown and confirm the registry path is HKCU:\Keyboard Layout\Toggle. If you are using Windows 11 version 22H2 or later, some keyboard layouts ignore scancode maps. In that case, use a third-party tool like AutoHotkey to intercept the Escape key.

The slideshow stops after the last slide and does not loop

Kiosk mode requires that you set slide timings or enable manual advancement. Open the Set Up Show dialog and verify that “Loop continuously until ‘Esc'” is checked. Also confirm that the transition timing is set for each slide. Go to Transitions > Timing and set a duration in the After box. Apply this to all slides using the Apply To All button.

Viewers can right-click and access the context menu during the show

In Slide Show view, right-clicking opens a context menu with options like End Show and Edit Slides. To disable this, go to File > Options > Advanced. Under Slide Show, uncheck “Show popup toolbar.” This removes the right-click menu entirely. Test the presentation after making this change.

PowerPoint Kiosk Mode vs Windows Assigned Access Kiosk Mode

Item	PowerPoint Kiosk Mode	Windows Assigned Access Kiosk Mode
Setup complexity	Low — done entirely within PowerPoint options	High — requires Windows Settings or provisioning package
Escape key blocking	Not blocked by default; requires registry edit	Blocks all keyboard shortcuts by design
File type required	.pptx or .ppsx	Only Universal Windows Platform apps; PowerPoint desktop not supported
Editing prevention	Partial — viewer can exit show and edit if Escape works	Complete — user cannot leave the assigned app

PowerPoint kiosk mode is simpler to set up but provides weaker restrictions. Windows Assigned Access is more secure but only works with modern UWP apps. For a PowerPoint presentation, the built-in kiosk mode combined with the registry fix is the most practical approach.

You can now set up a PowerPoint presentation that loops continuously and blocks the Escape key so viewers cannot exit the show or edit slides. Save the final file as a .ppsx and test the setup on the target machine before deploying it at the event. For additional security on a shared kiosk computer, consider creating a local user account with limited permissions and configuring Windows to launch the .ppsx file automatically on login using the Task Scheduler.