How to Add a GIF in PowerPoint

Adding animated GIF files to your presentation is a great way to grab the attention of your audience, or explain a concept better.

However, it’s not always clear how you can put an animated GIF inside your PowerPoint presentation slide. This is where we come into the picture.

Our article explains various ways to insert animated GIFs into PowerPoint on various platforms. If you need help, make sure to read our article and learn all the tips and tricks related to these animated goodies.

Note: The instructions below apply to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010; PowerPoint for Office 365 subscribers, and PowerPoint Online. Some steps in other PowerPoint versions may not be available or slightly differs from what’s described in our article.

Let’s get started!

How to add a GIF in PowerPoint

To add  GIF in PowerPoint 2019, select the slide that you want to add the animated GIF to. On the Home tab of the ribbon, under Insert, click Picture > Picture from File. Navigate to the location of the animated GIF you want to add, make sure the file name ends with a . gif extension, select the file, and then click Insert.

Let's discuss this in detail 

1. How to find and add GIFs in PowerPoint

If you don’t know where to find GIFs suitable for your presentation, don’t be afraid to use the integrated features of PowerPoint. Of course, if you already have the files necessary for your project, feel free to skip this section and proceed with the steps for your platform!

For those in need, this is how you can find GIFs inside PowerPoint.

1. Open PowerPoint and select the slide you want to use for inserting a GIF. This can be a new, blank slide or an already existing one.
2. Go to the Insert tab in the ribbon.
3. Select Online Pictures (PowerPoint 2013 or newer) or Clip Art (PowerPoint 2010).
4. Type in either “animated” or “gif” to get results. You can also narrow down the search for specific kinds of animations with keywords such as “animated person” or “airplane gif.”
5. If legality is a concern, make sure you check the Creative Commons Only option to get results for GIFs that were marked for commercial reuse.
6. Select any GIF you want to use in your presentation and click on the Insert button. Voila! You have a flashy animated image on your slide.

2. How to insert a GIF in PowerPoint 2010 and newer

The process of adding GIFs that are saved on your computer into PowerPoint is similar to adding regular images, except for one additional step. Here is a complete guide on how you can easily add animated files to your presentations.

1. Open PowerPoint and select the slide you want to use for inserting a GIF. This can be a new, blank slide or an already existing one.
2. Go to the Insert tab in the ribbon.
3. Select the Pictures option. This will open up the Insert Picture dialog box.
4. Use the File Explorer to locate the GIF you want to insert into your presentation. Once you have it, simply select it and click the Insert button.
5. Switch to the Slide Show tab in the ribbon, then select Play From Current Slide in the Start Slide Show options to make the GIF move.

3. How to insert a GIF in PowerPoint for Mac

On Mac operating systems, the process of adding GIFs to PowerPoint for Mac is slightly different than it is on Windows. Here are all the steps you need to know when using the macOS version.

1. Open PowerPoint and select the slide you want to use for inserting a GIF. This can be a new, blank slide or an already existing one.
2. Go to the Insert tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on Picture, then choose Picture from File… in the drop-down menu. This will open up a Finder window where you can browse your Mac computer for the GIF saved on it.
4. Select the GIF you want to add and click on the Insert button.
5. Switch to the Slide Show tab in the ribbon, then select Play From Current Slide in the Start Slide Show options to make the GIF move.

4. How to insert a GIF in PowerPoint Online

Despite not being a full-featured version of the desktop application, PowerPoint Online supports GIFs. However, you’ll only see these animations move when you import your finished presentation into the desktop application on either Windows or Mac.

Here are the steps needed to insert a GIF file when working in PowerPoint Online.

1. Navigate to powerpoint.office.com in your web browser to access PowerPoint Online. When prompted, make sure to log in with your Microsoft account.
2. Select the slide you want to use for inserting a GIF. This can be a new, blank slide or an already existing one in one of your projects.
3. Switch to the Insert tab using the ribbon.
4. Expand the Pictures option, then click on This device. This will allow you to browse your computer and locate the GIF you want to insert.
5. Select the GIF file you want to add to your presentation and hit the Insert button. You should see the first frame preview of the GIF now.
6. Save and open your presentation in the desktop application to animate the GIF.

We hope that this article helped you learn how you can insert GIF files into PowerPoint on different platforms.

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