A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails

You know you created a slide -- you can see it in the thumbnails in the navigation and slide panes -- but in slide show view, it disappears.

Possible causes and solutions

There are several reasons why this might happen. Courtesy of PowerPoint MVP Sandy Johnson, here they are:

The slide is hidden.

In the animation pane or slide sorter view each slide thumbnail is numbered. If the number is covered with a gray box, then it is
hidden. To fix (in all versions of PowerPoint)

  • Right click on the thumbnail (or select all affected thumbnails, then right click)
  • Click Hide Slide on the pop-up menu to remove the checkmark next to it.

Set up Show Settings are causing the problem.

Go to Slide Show | Set up Slide Show.
In the Show Slides section, choose All. The other options will cause PowerPoint to display just a range of slides or a custom show.

Slide(s) set at zero second auto transition

If the slide is set to advance automatically after a very short time, PowerPoint won't have enough time to display it at all.

  • In PowerPoint 2003 and previous choose Slide Show|Slide Transition
  • In PowerPoint 2007 choose Animations | Transition To This Slide
  • Set Transition to occur on click or set auto transition to allow enough time for slide to be viewed before it advances to the next slide automatically.

Invisible Monitor Problem.

The slide show might be set up to display on a second monitor. If you don't have a second monitor attached to your computer, the slide show will be very difficult to see.

As you add more slides to a presentation, it can be difficult to keep everything organized. Fortunately, PowerPoint offers tools to help you organize and prepare your slide show.

Optional: Download our practice presentation.

Watch the video below to learn more about managing slides in PowerPoint.

About slide views

PowerPoint includes several different slide views, which are all useful for various tasks. The slide view commands are located in the bottom-right of the PowerPoint window. There are four main slide views.

A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  • Normal view: This is the default view, where you create and edit slides. You can also move slides in the Slide Navigation pane on the left.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  • Slide sorter view: In this view, you'll see a thumbnail version of each slide. You can drag and drop slides to reorder them quickly.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  • Reading view: This view fills the PowerPoint window with a preview of your presentation. It includes easily accessible navigation buttons at the bottom-right.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  • Slide show view: This is the view you'll use to present to an audience. This command will begin the presentation from the current slide. You can also press F5 on your keyboard to start from the beginning. A menu will appear in the bottom-left corner when you move the mouse. These commands allow you to navigate through the slides and access other features, such as the pen and highlighter.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails

Outline view

Outline view shows your slide text in outline form. This allows you to quickly edit your slide text and view the content of multiple slides at once. You could use this layout to review the organization of your slide show and prepare to deliver your presentation.

To view an outline:

  1. From the View tab, click the Outline View command.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  2. An outline of your slide text will appear in the slide navigation pane.
  3. You can type directly in the outline to make changes to your slide text.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails

Slide notes

You can add notes to your slides from the Notes pane. Often called speaker notes, they can help you deliver or prepare for your presentation.

To add notes:

  1. Click the Notes command at the bottom of the screen to open the Notes pane.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  2. Click and drag the edge of the pane to resize it if desired.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  3. Click the Notes pane, and begin typing to add notes.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails

You can also access Notes Page view to edit and review your notes. Just click the Notes Page command from the View tab. From there, you can type notes in the text box below each slide.

A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails

Slide sections

If you have a lot of slides, you can organize them into sections to make your presentation easier to navigate. Sections can be collapsed or expanded in the Slide Navigation pane and named for easy reference.

To create slide sections:

In our example, we will add two sections: one for dogs that are available for adoption, and another for cats and other pets.

  1. Select the slide you want to begin a section.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  2. From the Home tab, click the Section command, then choose Add Section from the drop-down menu.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  3. An Untitled Section will appear in the Slide Navigation pane.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  4. To rename the section, click the Section command, then choose Rename Section from the drop-down menu.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  5. Type the new section name in the dialog box, then click Rename.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails
  6. Repeat to add as many sections as you need.
  7. In the Slide Navigation pane, click the arrow next to a section name to collapse or expand it.
    A PowerPoint view that shows all slides represented as small thumbnails

To remove a section, click the Section command, then click Remove Section. You can also click Remove All Sections to remove all sections from your slides.

In which view she can see slides in small thumbnail option?

In Normal (editing) view, the slide thumbnail pane is on the left margin of the PowerPoint window. It allows you to easily move from one slide to another or to rearrange (by dragging) the order of your slides.

Which view display smaller version of slides in a PPT?

Choose the Standard or Widescreen slide size PowerPoint may prompt you about scaling your content. Choose one of the following options: Scale: Select this option to decrease or increase the size of your slide content.

Which view shows all slides of a presentation in small size and allow to change their order *?

Slide Sorter view shows thumbnails of all your slides. In Slide Sorter view, you can easily add, delete, or change their order of your slides.