How to Freeze the Last Slide in PowerPoint Presentations?

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Trish Dixon

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Have you ever wanted to freeze the last slide in your PowerPoint presentation, so it stays on screen while you talk to your audience? Freezing the final slide is a useful technique that allows you to end your slideshow but still display your closing slide, whether it’s your contact information, a final message, or a “Questions?” slide encouraging the audience to ask questions.

In this article, we’ll show you exactly how to freeze the last slide in PowerPoint in a few simple steps. We’ll cover how to do it using PowerPoint’s built-in settings as well as some alternative methods using hyperlinks or the “end show” command. Let’s get started!

Table of contents

Freeze Last Slide Using PowerPoint Settings

The easiest way to freeze your final PowerPoint slide is by adjusting your slideshow settings:

  1. Open your PowerPoint presentation
  2. Click the Slide Show tab in the top ribbon
  3. Click the Set Up Slide Show button
  4. Under Show options, check the box next to “Keep slides on screen“
  5. Under Advance slides, select “Manually“
  6. Click OK to save the settings

Here’s what these settings do:

  • “Keep slides on screen” makes it so your presentation doesn’t automatically end when it reaches the last slide. The final slide will stay displayed until you manually end the show.
  • Setting “Advance slides” to “Manually” ensures you control when to advance each slide, rather than having the slides advance automatically after a certain time.

With these settings enabled, when you reach the last slide, it will freeze on screen until you press the Esc key to end the slideshow. You can talk to your audience, answer questions, etc. with your final slide still showing behind you.

Limitations

The main limitation of this method is that all your slides will remain on screen after advancing, not just the last one. So if you go back to a previous slide, that slide will stay frozen too until you press Esc. However, for most presentations this isn’t a major issue.

Another way to freeze your final slide is by using a hyperlink to create a loop back to that same slide. Essentially, you make the last slide link to itself. Here’s how:

  1. In PowerPoint, go to your last slide
  2. Select a shape, image, or text box – anything you can hyperlink. Or insert a shape via the Insert > Shapes menu.
  3. Right-click the object and select Hyperlink
  4. In the Insert Hyperlink box, click “Place in This Document” on the left
  5. Select the same slide you are currently on (the last slide)
  6. Click OK to create the hyperlink

Now when you reach the end of your slideshow and click the hyperlinked object on your last slide, it will just take you back to that same slide, creating a loop. The slideshow will be effectively frozen on that final slide.

To end the presentation, simply right-click and select “End Show” from the popup menu. Or press the Esc key.

Adding Navigation

You may want to add a “home” button or full navigation to your looping last slide so you can jump to other slides if needed during Q&A. To do this:

  1. Go to View > Slide Master
  2. Right-click the first smaller slide thumbnail on the left and select Insert Layout
  3. Click the big empty box that appears in the new layout and select Insert > Shapes > Action Button (in PowerPoint 2007-2010) or Insert > Links > Action (PowerPoint 2013 and later). Choose “Home” to add a home button.
  4. Right-click the action button and select Edit Hyperlink
  5. Under “Place in This Document” choose First Slide
  6. Close Slide Master (Slide Master > Close)
  7. In your presentation, go to your last slide
  8. Go to Home > New Slide > Layout and select the new layout you made with the action button
  9. Move the action button where you want it

Now your last slide has a home button that will take you back to the start of the presentation. You can use the same process to insert action buttons for “Previous Slide”, “Next Slide”, “Last Slide”, etc. This lets you set up custom navigation on your looping end slide.

Freeze Last Slide Using “End Show” Command

A third way to freeze your last PowerPoint slide is using the little-known “end show” command. This method ends your slideshow but leaves the current slide on screen, effectively freezing it. Here’s how to set it up:

  1. In PowerPoint, go to your last slide
  2. Go to Insert > Shapes and select the shape you want to use as the trigger to end your show. I recommend a rectangle shape.
  3. Right-click the shape and select Hyperlink
  4. In the Insert Hyperlink box, click “Object Action” on the left
  5. Select “End Show” from the dropdown menu
  6. Click OK

Now when you reach your last slide, clicking that shape will end the presentation but leave the final slide on screen, freezing it in place. You can press Esc when you’re ready to fully exit the slideshow.

The nice thing about this method is it keeps your last slide frozen while allowing you to navigate back to previous slides normally if needed (unlike the first method which freezes every slide).

Limitations

The “end show” method works great, but keep in mind a few things:

  • The shape you use to trigger the “end show” action will be visible on your slide
  • You need to remember to actually click it to freeze the slide – accidentally clicking elsewhere will advance to a blank screen
  • There’s no way to set up additional navigation or a “home” button using this method, unless you combine it with the hyperlink method described earlier

For these reasons, I recommend the hyperlink looping method for most users who want to freeze their final slide. But the “end show” trick is a nice option to have in your toolkit as well.

Why Freeze Your Last PowerPoint Slide?

So why bother freezing your last PowerPoint slide anyway? Here are a few reasons:

ReasonExplanation
Q&A SessionsFreezing your final “Any Questions?” slide gives you a nice background for answering audience questions after your talk.
Contact InfoLeaving your contact slide up makes it easy for people to jot down your email or website after the presentation.
Closing MessageKeep your concluding slide on screen to drive home your main point or takeaways while you wrap up.
Avoid “Black Screen of Death”Sometimes presenters accidentally advance past their last slide, showing an awkward black screen. Freezing the last slide prevents this.

Even if your presentation doesn’t require a dedicated Q&A or closing time, it’s generally a good idea to plan on freezing your last slide for at least a minute or two after you finish talking. It provides a more polished, professional ending than abruptly cutting to black.

Summary

Freezing the last slide of a PowerPoint presentation is a simple technique, but one that can make a big impact on the flow and professionalism of your talk. Whether you use PowerPoint’s built-in settings, hyperlinks, or the “end show” command, it only takes a few steps to set up.

To recap, here are the key methods we covered:

  • Use the Slide Show settings to freeze all slides (best for simple, linear presentations)
  • Use a hyperlink to make the last slide link to itself in a loop (allows custom navigation)
  • Use the “end show” command to end the slideshow while freezing the current slide (quick but limited)

FAQs

What does it mean to “freeze” the last slide in PowerPoint?

Freezing the last slide in PowerPoint means that the final slide of your presentation remains on screen even after the slideshow has ended. This allows you to display important information, such as your contact details or a “Questions?” slide, while you interact with your audience.

What is the easiest way to freeze the last slide in PowerPoint?

The easiest way to freeze the last slide is to adjust your PowerPoint slideshow settings. Go to the Slide Show tab, click “Set Up Slide Show,” and check the box next to “Keep slides on screen” under Show options. This will make all your slides, including the last one, stay on screen until you manually end the show.

How can I freeze only the last slide without affecting the rest of my presentation?

To freeze only the last slide, you can use the hyperlink method. Create a hyperlink on your last slide that links back to the same slide, effectively creating a loop. When you reach the end of your presentation and click the hyperlinked object, it will keep returning to the last slide, freezing it in place.

Can I add navigation to my frozen last slide?

Yes, you can add navigation to your frozen last slide by using action buttons. In the Slide Master view, create a new layout with the desired action buttons (e.g., “Home,” “Previous Slide,” “Next Slide”). Then apply this layout to your last slide, allowing you to navigate to other slides during a Q&A session while keeping the last slide frozen.
Yes, you can use the “end show” command. Create a shape on your last slide and hyperlink it to the “End Show” action. When you click this shape during your presentation, it will end the slideshow but leave the final slide on screen, effectively freezing it.
Trish Dixon
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