When you finish a PowerPoint slide show, a black screen appears with the text “End of slide show, click to exit.” This black slide is a built-in feature in PowerPoint designed to signal that the presentation has ended. For many presenters, this black screen can feel abrupt or unprofessional, especially during a live presentation or when the deck loops continuously. This article explains exactly why the black slide appears and provides the steps to disable it in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. You will also learn what happens after you turn off this setting.
Key Takeaways: Disabling the End-of-Show Black Slide
- File > Options > Advanced > Slide Show > End with black slide: Uncheck this box to prevent the black screen from appearing after the last slide.
- Keyboard shortcut Escape: Press Escape during a black slide to exit the slide show immediately without clicking.
- Loop continuously with kiosk mode: Enable Set Up Slide Show > Browsed at a kiosk (full screen) to automatically restart the show and bypass the black slide entirely.
Why PowerPoint Shows a Black Slide After the Last Slide
PowerPoint includes a default setting called “End with black slide” that adds a plain black slide after the final slide in a presentation. This feature serves a simple purpose: it gives the audience a clear visual cue that the presentation has finished, preventing confusion about whether more slides are coming. The black slide also protects the presenter from accidentally revealing the PowerPoint application window or the desktop behind the slides.
The black slide appears only when you run the slide show from the beginning or from the current slide using the Slide Show tab or the F5 key. It does not appear during a rehearsal or when you are editing slides in Normal view. The setting is enabled by default in all modern versions of PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, PowerPoint 2019, and earlier releases.
Some presenters find the black slide disruptive because it breaks the flow of a live talk, especially when the final slide contains a call to action or a logo that should remain visible. In kiosk or looping scenarios, the black slide stops the loop, forcing manual restart. Disabling the setting removes this behavior entirely.
Steps to Turn Off the End-of-Show Black Slide in PowerPoint
The setting to disable the black slide is located in the PowerPoint Options dialog. The procedure is identical in Windows 10 and Windows 11. No administrator permissions are required.
- Open the File menu
In PowerPoint, click the File tab in the top-left corner of the ribbon. This opens the Backstage view. - Select Options
In the left navigation pane of the Backstage view, click Options. A new dialog box named PowerPoint Options opens. - Go to the Advanced category
In the PowerPoint Options dialog, click Advanced in the left sidebar. This section contains many display and editing options. - Scroll to the Slide Show section
Scroll down the Advanced page until you see the heading Slide Show. It is located near the bottom of the list, above the Print and Save sections. - Uncheck End with black slide
Find the checkbox labeled End with black slide. Click the checkbox to remove the check mark. The default state is checked. - Click OK to save the change
Click the OK button at the bottom of the PowerPoint Options dialog. The setting is applied immediately to the current presentation and all future presentations you create or open.
Verify the Change
To confirm the black slide no longer appears, run your slide show from the first slide by pressing F5. Advance through all slides until you reach the end. Instead of a black screen, the slide show will exit and return to Normal view, showing the last slide in the editing window.
What Happens When the Black Slide Is Disabled
After you uncheck the End with black slide option, PowerPoint behaves differently at the conclusion of a slide show:
- Slide show exits immediately: After the last slide, the screen returns to the PowerPoint window without any intermediate black screen.
- No visual cue for the audience: The audience sees only the final slide content until the presenter exits the show. If you want a closing screen, you must add a dedicated slide with a message like “Thank you” or a logo.
- Looping works without interruption: If you configure the presentation to loop continuously using Set Up Slide Show > Loop continuously until Esc, the show restarts from the first slide without pausing on a black slide.
- Keyboard shortcuts still work: Pressing Escape still ends the slide show at any point, including after the last slide.
If the Black Slide Still Appears After Disabling the Setting
In rare cases, the black slide may still appear even after you uncheck the option. The following scenarios explain why this can happen and how to resolve each one.
Black Slide Appears When Using Presenter View
Presenter View has its own setting that can show a black slide. Open the Slide Show tab on the ribbon. In the Monitors group, uncheck Use Presenter View or check Show Presenter View and then click Display Settings > Show Presenter View On > Monitor 2. The black slide in Presenter View is controlled separately from the main setting.
Black Slide Shows When Presentation Is Saved as a PPSX File
A PowerPoint Show file (.ppsx) opens directly in Slide Show mode without showing the editing window. The End with black slide setting still applies to PPSX files. Open the PPSX file in PowerPoint by right-clicking the file and selecting Open with PowerPoint. Then follow the steps above to disable the setting and save the file again as a PPSX.
Black Slide Appears During a Web Presentation in PowerPoint Online
PowerPoint for the web does not include the End with black slide option. The black slide always appears after the last slide in a browser-based slide show. To remove it, open the presentation in the desktop version of PowerPoint, disable the setting, and then save the file back to OneDrive or SharePoint.
PowerPoint Desktop vs PowerPoint Online: Black Slide Behavior
| Item | PowerPoint Desktop | PowerPoint Online |
|---|---|---|
| End with black slide setting | Available in File > Options > Advanced | Not available |
| Default behavior | Black slide enabled | Black slide always enabled |
| Disable possible | Yes, per user account | No |
| Workaround for no setting | Not needed | Edit in desktop app then save |
After disabling the black slide, you gain full control over the final screen of your presentation. Consider adding a custom closing slide that matches your branding or includes a call to action. For kiosk displays, combine the disabled black slide with the Loop continuously setting so your presentation runs unattended without interruption. The keyboard shortcut Escape remains the fastest way to end a slide show at any moment.