Action Buttons in PowerPoint

Have you ever wanted to transform your presentation into an interactive experience, similar to a website or a digital kiosk? An alternative and highly effective method to connect your audience to webpages, local files, email addresses, or specific slides is through the use of action buttons. These are built-in shapes engineered specifically to trigger an event—such as navigating to another slide or playing an auditory cue—when a user clicks or hovers over them. While they share common functionality with standard hyperlinks, their intuitive, graphical nature makes them ideal for professional environments where self-guided navigation is required.

Inserting action buttons

PowerPoint provides the flexibility to deploy action buttons with precision. You may choose to insert them onto a single, specific slide for a targeted interaction, or globally across every slide in your deck. This universal application is particularly beneficial when creating consistent navigation tools, such as a "Home" button or a link to a "Table of Contents."

To insert an action button on one slide:

The logical progression for adding a button to a targeted slide begins within the Illustrations group.

1. Navigate to the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
2. Click the Shapes command. A comprehensive drop-down menu will appear; the action buttons are located at the absolute bottom of this gallery.

3. Select the specific action button style that aligns with your intended function.
4. Click the desired location on your slide to insert the button. The Action Settings dialog box will automatically launch.
5. Decide on the trigger: select either the Mouse Click or Mouse Over tab. Choosing Mouse Click ensures the action occurs only upon an active click, whereas Mouse Over triggers the event simply by moving the cursor across the button.

6. In the Action on click section, select Hyperlink to:, then use the drop-down arrow to define the destination.

7. To add a layer of sensory engagement, check the Play Sound box. Select a preset audio clip or choose Other sound to upload a proprietary file from your computer. Click OK to finalize.

To insert an action button on all slides:

For a unified navigation experience, you can implement a button across the entire presentation blueprint. This is achieved via Slide Master view. If you are unfamiliar with this design environment, we recommend reviewing our Slide Master View lesson first.

1. Navigate to the View tab and click the Slide Master command. In the hierarchy on the left, scroll to the absolute top and select the primary slide.

2. Go to the Insert tab, select your chosen action button, and draw it directly onto the slide master. Configure the Action Settings as needed.
3. Return to the Slide Master tab and click Close Master View. Your new button is now globally active on every slide.

To test an action button:

Professional validation is essential before any live presentation. To ensure your navigation functions as intended, you must test the buttons within the delivery environment.

1. Navigate to the Slide Show tab.
2. Select From Current Slide to launch the presentation.

3. Interact with your button to verify the logic.
4. Upon completion, right-click anywhere and select End Show to return to the editor.

To edit an action button:

1. Select the button and navigate to the Insert tab.
2. In the Links group, click the Action command to reopen the settings dialog.

3. Modify the logic and click OK.

To change the appearance of an action button:

Because action buttons are fundamentally shapes, they can be customized to match your branding perfectly.

1. Select the button and navigate to the Format tab.
2. Utilize the Shape Styles group to modify the color, border, or visual effects.

3. To alter the geometry, click Edit Shape and select a new icon from the gallery.

Challenge!

Apply these interactive techniques to our practice file to master the workflow of action buttons:

1. Open our practice presentation.
2. Enter Slide Master view and select the first (parent) slide.
3. In the bottom-right corner, insert the Action Button: Information icon.
4. Configure the button to link to the last slide.
5. Modify the visual branding: set the shape style to a green variant.

6. Close Master View and launch your Slide Show to verify functionality.