Embed YouTube Videos in PowerPoint 2010

Video has become a primary means of communicating, whether it's over the internet or over a meeting room table, and YouTube is the primary source for hosting video. Presentations using PowerPoint are a business staple, and those presentations often include YouTube videos as a means of keeping an audience's interest, building excitement, and conveying not just information but emotion and tone. You may be presenting a product or the method used to produce that product or even a destination vacation, but the possibilities to instruct and entertain your audience are many when you consider embedding YouTube video in your PowerPoint presentation.

Preparing to Embed YouTube Video in PowerPoint

To embed a video, you'll need:

• The HTML code from YouTube that will embed the video into your presentation.
• A live internet connection during the presentation (the video is not downloaded and added to the presentation file, but rather it is streamed from YouTube).
• A little PowerPoint know-how on how to play the video on a screen.

Get the YouTube Embed HTML Code

On the YouTube website, locate the video you want to use in your presentation. The URL of the video displays in the address bar of the browser.

1. Click the Share button, located right below the video.
2. Click the Embed button, which opens a text box showing the HTML code for this video.
3. Check the box beside Use old embed code [?].
4. In most cases, select the video size as 560 x 315. This is the smallest size of the video and will be the quickest to load during the presentation. However, in certain circumstances, you may want a larger file size for better clarity on screen.

Copy the Embed Code

After the previous step, the HTML code should be visible in the expanded text box. Click this code to select it.

Right click on the highlighted code and select Copy from the shortcut menu that appears. (Alternatively, you may press the keyboard shortcut keys Ctrl+C to copy this code.)

Add Embed Code to PowerPoint

When the HTML code copies to the clipboard, place that code in a PowerPoint slide.

1. In PowerPoint, select the desired slide.
2. Click the Insert tab of the ribbon.
3. Toward the right side of the ribbon, in the Media section, click Video.
4. From the drop-down menu, choose Insert Video from Web Site.
5. In the dialog box, right-click the blank area and choose Paste from the context menu, or press Ctrl+V.
6. Click Insert.

Resize Video Placeholder on the PowerPoint Slide

The YouTube video appears as a black box on the slide. The dimensions of the placeholder match what you previously selected. To modify the size of the box:

1. Click the video placeholder to select it. Tiny selection handles appear in each corner and side of the placeholder. These selection handles allow for resizing the video.
2. To retain the proper proportions of the video, drag one of the corner handles to resize the video. (Dragging a selection handle on one the sides will cause distortion of the video.) You may have to repeat this task to get the sizing just right.
3. Hover the mouse over the middle of the black video placeholder and drag to move the whole video to a new location, if necessary.

Test the YouTube Video on the PowerPoint Slide

Never assume that everything will work fine without a test. Press the keyboard shortcut Shift+F5 to start the slide show from this current slide.

Press the big triangular Play button in the middle of the video.