PowerPoint Kiosk Mode ‘Browsed at a Kiosk’: Setup Steps

You need a PowerPoint presentation that runs by itself at a trade show or reception without anyone touching the keyboard. The built-in kiosk mode, officially called Browsed at a Kiosk, locks the slideshow so only navigation controls appear and the presentation loops until you press Escape. This article explains how to enable kiosk mode, what settings to configure, and how to handle common setup problems.

What Browsed at a Kiosk Does and What You Need First

Browsed at a Kiosk is a display mode in PowerPoint that runs a slideshow in full screen without allowing the viewer to edit slides or exit the presentation. The mode hides the taskbar, disables keyboard shortcuts except Escape, and shows a small navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. The presentation loops automatically unless you press Escape to stop it.

Before you set up kiosk mode, confirm these prerequisites:

• PowerPoint 2019, 2021, or Microsoft 365. Older versions like PowerPoint 2010 support kiosk mode but the menu path differs slightly.
• A presentation with all slides completed. Kiosk mode does not let you edit slides during playback.
• Timings set for each slide or a single timing applied to all slides. Without timings, the slideshow stays on one slide until you press a key.
• A computer that will remain on and unlocked. Kiosk mode does not prevent Windows sleep or screen saver unless you configure power settings separately.

Kiosk mode works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. The feature is identical on both operating systems.

Steps to Enable Browsed at a Kiosk Mode

Follow these steps to configure kiosk mode for your PowerPoint presentation. The process takes about two minutes once your slides are ready.

1. Open the Set Up Show dialog
   Go to the Slide Show tab on the ribbon. Click Set Up Slide Show. The Set Up Show dialog box opens.
2. Select Browsed at a kiosk (full screen)
   In the Show type section, click the radio button next to Browsed at a kiosk (full screen). The Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ check box automatically becomes selected and grayed out. This is normal.
3. Choose which slides to include
   In the Show slides section, select All to run every slide. To run only a subset, click From and enter the starting and ending slide numbers.
4. Set the advance method
   In the Advance slides section, select Using timings, if present. This tells PowerPoint to follow the slide timings you have set. Do not select Manually unless you want someone to click through each slide.
5. Configure slide timings
   Go to the Transitions tab. In the Timing group, locate the Advance Slide section. Check the After box and enter the number of seconds you want each slide to display. For a 5-second display, enter 00:05.00. Click Apply To All to set the same timing for every slide.
6. Start the kiosk slideshow
   Press F5 to start the slideshow from the first slide, or click the Slide Show icon at the bottom of the PowerPoint window. The presentation runs in full screen and loops until you press Escape.

Set the Presentation to Loop Continuously

If the Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ check box is not automatically selected after step 2, check it manually. Without this setting, the slideshow stops after the last slide and shows a black screen. To enable looping from the Slide Show tab:

1. Open Set Up Show again
   Click Set Up Slide Show.
2. Check Loop continuously until ‘Esc’
   In the Show options section, check the box labeled Loop continuously until ‘Esc’. Click OK.

Hide the Navigation Bar

By default, kiosk mode shows a small navigation bar at the bottom of the screen with Previous, Next, and Exit buttons. To hide this bar:

1. Open Set Up Show
   Click Set Up Slide Show.
2. Uncheck Show navigation bar
   In the Show options section, uncheck the box labeled Show navigation bar. Click OK.

When the navigation bar is hidden, viewers cannot skip slides or exit the show. Only pressing Escape on the keyboard stops the presentation.

Common Kiosk Mode Setup Problems and Fixes

Presentation Stops After the First Slide

If the slideshow plays one slide and then shows a black screen, slide timings are missing or set to zero. Go to the Transitions tab, check the After box, enter a value such as 5 seconds, and click Apply To All. Also verify that Advance slides is set to Using timings, if present in Set Up Show.

Keyboard Shortcuts Still Work During Kiosk Mode

Browsed at a Kiosk mode disables most keyboard shortcuts, but some keys like the arrow keys may still advance slides if the navigation bar is visible. Hide the navigation bar as described in the section above. If arrow keys still advance slides, check that you have not selected Manually in the Advance slides section of Set Up Show.

Presentation Runs But the Computer Goes to Sleep

Kiosk mode does not override Windows power settings. If the computer sleeps during the presentation, configure power options:

1. Open Power & sleep settings
   Press Windows key + I to open Settings. Go to System > Power & sleep.
2. Set sleep to Never
   Under Sleep, set When plugged in, PC goes to sleep after to Never. Close Settings.

Presentation Does Not Loop After the Last Slide

Open Set Up Slide Show and confirm that Loop continuously until ‘Esc’ is checked. If it is grayed out, Browsed at a kiosk (full screen) is already selected and looping is enabled by default. If it is not grayed out, select Browsed at a kiosk (full screen) again.

PowerPoint Kiosk Mode vs Normal Slideshow: Key Differences

Feature	Browsed at a Kiosk	Normal Slideshow (F5)
Looping behavior	Loops automatically until Escape is pressed	Stops after last slide unless manually set to loop
Keyboard shortcuts	Only Escape works; arrow keys, Space, and Enter are disabled	All shortcuts work (arrows, Space, Enter, B, W, numbers)
Navigation bar	Shows by default; can be hidden	No navigation bar; full screen with no on-screen controls
Editing during show	Not possible	Not possible
Slide timings required	Yes, or slides will not advance	No; presenter controls advancement manually

You can now set up a self-running PowerPoint kiosk presentation that loops continuously and hides navigation controls. After configuring kiosk mode, test the presentation on the actual display hardware to confirm timings and visibility. For a more advanced setup, combine kiosk mode with PowerPoint’s Record Slide Show feature to add narration that plays automatically during the loop.