# Speaker notes and presenting

> Write what to say under each slide, then present the deck with a presenter panel that shows your notes, the next slide and a timer.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-speaker-notes-and-present
Section: Office > PlexiiSlides
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

Speaker notes hold what you mean to say on each slide. When you present, the slide fills the PlexiDesk window and a presenter panel beside it shows your notes, the next slide and how long you have been going.

## Before you start

- Speaker notes and presenting are on every plan.
- Open a deck in PlexiiSlides. See [PlexiiSlides overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-overview).

## Write speaker notes

1. Open the slide in the rail.
2. Type in the **Speaker notes** box under the slide.

Notes save as you type, with the rest of the deck. The **Notes** box on the side panel's **Slide** tab holds the same notes, with more room to write.

> **Tip:**
> To get started faster, let AI draft them. In the side panel's **AI Assistant**, click **Add speaker notes**, read the draft, and click **Insert notes** to put it in the slide's notes, replacing what was there. Then edit the draft into your own words. See [AI in PlexiiSlides](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-ai).

## Present the deck

1. Open the slide you want to start from. To start at the beginning, click the first slide in the rail.
2. Click **Present** in the toolbar, or choose **View** > **Present**.

The slide fills the PlexiDesk window, with the presenter panel on the right.

### Move through the deck

| Action | Keys |
| --- | --- |
| Next slide | Right arrow, `Space` or `N` |
| Previous slide | Left arrow or `P` |
| Black out the screen, and bring the slide back | `B` |
| Stop presenting | `Esc` |

You can also click the arrows under the slide. Between them, the slide number and the number of slides show where you are, such as **3 / 12**.

Transitions and entrance animations play as each slide comes on. See [Animations and transitions](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-animations-and-transitions).

### The presenter panel

- **Presenter** and a timer at the top. The timer starts at 00:00 when you begin and counts minutes and seconds.
- **Next**: a preview of the next slide, or **End of deck** on the last one.
- **Notes**: the current slide's speaker notes, or **No notes for this slide.**
- **Exit (Esc)** at the bottom stops presenting.

> **Note:**
> The presenter panel is part of what is on screen. If you share your screen in a meeting, the people watching see the panel and your notes too.

## Present a deck that is on a desk

A Slides widget shows the same deck as PlexiiSlides. To present it, open the deck in PlexiiSlides and click **Present** there. See [Slides widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-slides).

## Rehearse

Present the deck on your own and watch the timer to see how long the talk runs. Press `Esc`, tighten the notes or slides that ran long, and present again.

## Common questions

**Presenting starts in the middle of the deck.** Presenting starts from the slide you have open. Click the first slide in the rail, then click **Present**.

**My notes do not show while I present.** Check that you typed them on that slide: the presenter panel shows **No notes for this slide.** when its notes box is empty.

**Do my notes go into an exported file?** They go into a .pptx file as each slide's notes. A PDF has the slides only. See [Import and export PowerPoint and PDF](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-powerpoint-import-export).

**Do notes come in from a PowerPoint file?** Yes. Importing a .pptx file brings each slide's speaker notes with it.

## Related tasks

- [Animations and transitions](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-animations-and-transitions)
- [AI in PlexiiSlides](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-ai)
- [PlexiiSlides overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-overview)
- [Import and export PowerPoint and PDF](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-powerpoint-import-export)
- [Start a meeting from a desk or document](https://plexiidesk.com/help/meet-from-desk-or-document)