How to Set PowerPoint Animations to Trigger on Click vs With Previous

You want an object on your slide to appear or move at the exact moment you decide, or you want several animations to run automatically one after another. PowerPoint provides three animation trigger options: On Click, With Previous, and After Previous. This article explains the difference between these triggers and shows you how to set each one. By the end, you will control exactly when every animation starts during your presentation.

Understanding the Three Animation Triggers in PowerPoint

Every animation effect on a PowerPoint slide has a trigger setting that determines when it starts. The three options are On Click, With Previous, and After Previous. These triggers control the sequence and timing of animations during a slide show.

On Click is the default setting for any new animation you add. It means the animation will not start until you click the mouse, press the Spacebar, or press the Right Arrow key. This trigger gives you full control over when each element appears or moves.

With Previous makes the animation start at the same time as the previous animation in the Animation Pane list. If the animation is the first item in the list, it starts as soon as the slide appears. This trigger is useful when you want multiple objects to appear or move together.

After Previous starts the animation automatically after the previous animation finishes. The delay is zero by default, but you can add a delay in seconds using the Delay box in the Timing group. This trigger creates a sequential flow without requiring any clicks.

To see and change these triggers, you must use the Animation Pane. The Animation Pane shows every animation on the current slide in the order they will play. Each animation has a number and an icon that indicates its trigger type.

How to Change the Animation Trigger for an Object

You change the trigger setting for any animation using the Animation Pane. The process is identical for text boxes, shapes, pictures, charts, and SmartArt graphics.

1. Open the Animation Pane
   Go to the Animations tab on the ribbon. In the Advanced Animation group, click Animation Pane. The pane opens on the right side of the window.
2. Select the animation you want to modify
   In the Animation Pane, click the animation entry for the object you want to change. A border appears around the selected entry.
3. Open the Start dropdown
   In the Animation Pane, click the downward arrow next to the selected animation entry. A menu appears with three options: Start On Click, Start With Previous, and Start After Previous.
4. Choose the trigger
   Click the option you want: Start On Click, Start With Previous, or Start After Previous. The animation icon in the pane updates to reflect the new trigger.

You can also change the trigger using the ribbon. Select the animated object on the slide. In the Animations tab, locate the Timing group. Click the Start dropdown and choose On Click, With Previous, or After Previous. This method works only when a single animated object is selected on the slide.

Setting On Click for the First Animation on a Slide

When you add an animation to an object and it is the first animation on the slide, PowerPoint sets it to On Click by default. This means the animation will not play until you click during the slide show. If you want the first animation to start automatically when the slide appears, change its trigger to After Previous or With Previous.

Setting Multiple Animations to Play Together With Previous

To make two or more animations start at the same time, set all of them except the first to With Previous. The first animation in the group should remain On Click or After Previous depending on when you want the group to start.

For example, you want a title to fly in when you click, and the subtitle and an image to appear at the same time as the title. Set the title animation to On Click. Set the subtitle animation to With Previous. Set the image animation to With Previous. During the slide show, clicking once starts all three animations together.

Creating an Automatic Sequence With After Previous

To create a chain of animations that play one after another without any clicks, set each animation after the first to After Previous. The first animation can be On Click to start the sequence, or it can be After Previous if you want the entire sequence to start automatically when the slide appears.

Add a delay to each animation by selecting it, then in the Animations tab, Timing group, increase the Delay value in seconds. A delay of 1 second means the animation starts 1 second after the previous animation finishes.

Common Mistakes When Setting Animation Triggers

Animations Play Out of Order

If animations play in the wrong sequence, check the order in the Animation Pane. The top entry plays first. Drag an animation entry up or down in the pane to reorder it. Trigger settings depend on the order in the list, not the order you added the animations.

On Click Trigger Does Not Work for the Second Animation in a Sequence

When you set the first animation to With Previous or After Previous, the second animation set to On Click still requires a click to start. However, if the first animation is set to After Previous with a delay, you must wait for the delay to finish before the click for the second animation registers. To avoid confusion, use On Click only for the first animation in a sequence or for animations that should wait for a deliberate click.

With Previous Causes Unwanted Simultaneous Starts

If you set too many animations to With Previous, they all start at the same time, which can overwhelm the audience. Use With Previous for elements that logically belong together, such as a title and its subtitle, or an icon and its label.

After Previous Animation Starts Too Quickly

Without a delay, After Previous animations start immediately after the previous animation ends. If the previous animation has a duration of 0.5 seconds, the next animation starts 0.5 seconds after the slide show advances. Add a delay of 1 or 2 seconds to give the audience time to read or see the previous element.

On Click vs With Previous vs After Previous: Comparison Table

Item	On Click	With Previous	After Previous
Start condition	Click, Spacebar, or Right Arrow	Simultaneously with the previous animation	Automatically after the previous animation ends
Best use case	Revealing content one piece at a time with manual pacing	Animating multiple objects at the same time	Creating a timed sequence without user interaction
Effect on audience attention	Requires active click, keeps audience focused	Can be overwhelming if too many objects move at once	Ideal for self-running kiosk or timed presentations
Delay support	Yes, in the Timing group Delay box	Yes, in the Timing group Delay box	Yes, in the Timing group Delay box
Animation Pane icon	Mouse icon next to the number	Clock icon next to the number	Clock icon with a green bar next to the number

You can now control exactly when each animation runs in your PowerPoint presentation. Use On Click for manual pacing, With Previous for simultaneous effects, and After Previous for automatic sequences. To refine your timing, experiment with the Delay and Duration values in the Timing group for each animation.