How to Set Up Presenter View on Single Monitor With Window Mode

Presenter View is a PowerPoint feature that shows your speaker notes, a preview of the next slide, and presentation controls while your audience sees only the main slide on a projector or second display. By default, PowerPoint expects two monitors to enable Presenter View. But you can set up Presenter View on a single monitor using Window Mode, which lets you run the slide show in a resizable window instead of full screen. This article explains how to enable that mode and configure Presenter View on one screen, so you can practice with notes or present through screen-sharing tools that capture a single window.

What Window Mode Does for Presenter View on a Single Monitor

PowerPoint Presenter View normally requires two displays: one for the full-screen slide show and another for the presenter interface with notes and controls. On a single monitor, PowerPoint hides Presenter View because it assumes you cannot show both simultaneously. Window Mode bypasses this limitation by running the slide show inside a standard window instead of taking over the entire screen. You can resize that window and position it alongside the Presenter View window, effectively creating a two-panel experience on one physical monitor.

The feature is part of the Set Up Slide Show dialog in PowerPoint. It is available in PowerPoint 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 (Office 365) on Windows 10 and Windows 11. No additional hardware or third-party software is required. Window Mode does not affect the actual presentation content — slides, animations, transitions, and embedded media all behave the same as in full-screen mode.

Steps to Enable Presenter View on a Single Monitor

1. Open the Set Up Show dialog
   In PowerPoint, go to the Slide Show tab on the ribbon. Click the Set Up Slide Show button in the Set Up group. This opens the Set Up Show dialog box where you control how the presentation runs.
2. Select Window Mode
   In the Show type section, choose Browsed by an individual (window). This tells PowerPoint to display the slide show inside a standard window rather than in full-screen mode. Leave the Show scrollbar checkbox unchecked — that option is for kiosk-style presentations and interferes with Presenter View controls.
3. Assign Presenter View to the same monitor
   At the bottom of the dialog, locate the Multiple monitors section. In the Slide show monitor drop-down, select Primary Monitor or the name of your single display. Check the box labeled Use Presenter View. This forces PowerPoint to show Presenter View even though only one monitor is detected.
4. Start the slide show
   Click OK to close the dialog. On the Slide Show tab, click From Beginning or press F5. The slide show opens in a resizable window. Presenter View appears as a second window, usually on top or to the side. You can arrange both windows side by side on your single monitor.
5. Resize and position the windows
   Drag the title bar of the slide show window to move it. Drag the edges to resize it. Do the same for the Presenter View window. Place them so you can see your speaker notes and the current slide at the same time. The audience sees only the slide show window if you share that specific window in a meeting app like Teams or Zoom.

After completing these steps, Presenter View remains active on your single monitor each time you start a slide show, as long as the Browsed by an individual (window) option stays selected.

Using Alt+F5 to Quickly Start Presenter View in a Window

If you do not want to permanently change the slide show mode to window, use the Alt+F5 keyboard shortcut. Pressing Alt+F5 from any slide in Normal view starts the presentation from the first slide in Presenter View inside a window. This shortcut works regardless of the current setting in the Set Up Show dialog. It is the fastest way to test Presenter View on a single monitor without modifying your default presentation settings.

Common Issues and Limitations When Using Presenter View in Window Mode

Presenter View window does not appear

If you select Browsed by an individual (window) but do not check Use Presenter View in the Set Up Show dialog, PowerPoint runs the slide show as a plain window without Presenter View. Open the dialog again, confirm that Use Presenter View is checked, and restart the show. Also ensure your monitor is set as the primary display in Windows Display Settings.

Slide show and Presenter View overlap on the same monitor

When both windows open on top of each other, manually move and resize them. PowerPoint does not automatically tile them. Drag the slide show window to the left half of the screen and the Presenter View window to the right half. Use Windows Snap (Windows key + Left or Right arrow) to snap each window into place quickly.

Animations and transitions stutter in window mode

Window Mode may reduce performance for complex animations or high-resolution videos because PowerPoint uses software rendering instead of hardware-accelerated full-screen rendering. Close other applications to free system resources. Lower the video resolution in your presentation. If stuttering persists, switch back to full-screen mode and use a second monitor for Presenter View.

Presenter View controls are cut off or unreadable

If your screen resolution is below 1280×720 pixels, the Presenter View window may be too small to display all controls. Increase your display resolution in Windows Settings > System > Display > Display resolution. Alternatively, reduce the zoom level in Presenter View by pressing Ctrl+Minus (-) while the Presenter View window is active.

Presenter View in Window Mode vs Full-Screen Mode on Two Monitors

Item	Window Mode (Single Monitor)	Full-Screen Mode (Two Monitors)
Monitor requirement	One monitor	Two monitors
Slide show display	Resizable window	Full-screen on second monitor
Presenter View display	Separate window on same monitor	Full-screen on primary monitor
Performance with media	May stutter with heavy content	Full hardware acceleration
Screen sharing in meetings	Share only the slide show window	Share the entire second monitor
Setup time	Under one minute	Requires external display configuration

Window Mode works best for rehearsing with notes on a laptop or when presenting through video conferencing tools that let you share a single application window. Full-screen mode with two monitors is better for in-person presentations where the audience sees a projector or large display and you control the show from a separate screen.

You can now run Presenter View on a single monitor by switching to Window Mode in the Set Up Show dialog or by pressing Alt+F5. To refine your setup, adjust the window sizes with Windows Snap and test the presentation in your screen-sharing software before the live meeting. For presenters who frequently switch between single and dual monitors, store the window-mode configuration in a custom slide show or use a separate PowerPoint profile with the Slide Show tab settings saved.