How to Remove Sound from Animation in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint animations can really bring your slides to life and engage your audience. However, sometimes the sound effects or audio associated with animations can be distracting or unnecessary. Fortunately, it’s easy to remove sound from animations in PowerPoint. In this article, we’ll walk through the simple steps to mute or delete audio from your PowerPoint slide transitions and animations.

Why Remove Sound from PowerPoint Animations?

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s briefly discuss some reasons why you might want to remove sound from your PowerPoint animations:

1. Professionalism: While sound effects can sometimes enhance a presentation, they can also come across as unprofessional or gimmicky if overused or misused. In many business or academic settings, it’s better to err on the side of understatement.
2. Focus: Too many audio cues can distract your audience from the actual content of your slides. Removing extraneous sounds ensures that their attention stays focused on your message.
3. Clarity: Some sound effects, especially cartoonish or humorous ones, may clash with the overall tone of your presentation and muddle your intended meaning. Removing them can help keep your message clear and coherent.
4. Technical considerations: Depending on your presentation venue and equipment, audio may not always come through clearly or consistently. Removing sounds reduces the risk of technical difficulties.

With that context in mind, let’s look at the actual process of removing animation audio in PowerPoint.

Step-by-Step Guide: Removing Sound from Animations

Follow these steps to remove sound effects and audio from animations in your PowerPoint presentation:

Step 1: Select the Animated Object

First, navigate to the slide containing the animation with the unwanted sound. Then click on the object, shape, text box, or other element that has the animation applied to it to select it.

Step 2: Open the Animation Pane

With the animated object selected, go to the Animations tab on the PowerPoint ribbon. In the Advanced Animation group, click on “Animation Pane” to open the Animation Pane on the right side of the PowerPoint window.

This pane lists all the animations on the current slide in the order they will play. It also shows any associated sound effects.

Step 3: Select the Animation

In the Animation Pane, find and click on the animation containing the sound you want to remove. The animation will highlight in the list.

Step 4: Choose the Animation Sound Option

With the animation selected, click the down arrow that appears to the right of the animation in the pane. This will open the animation’s drop-down menu.

In this menu, hover your mouse cursor over “Effect Options”. This will open the Effect Options submenu.

Step 5: Open the Sound Menu

In the Effect Options submenu, click on “Sound”. This will open the Sound menu, which lists some built-in sound effects along with options to add other audio files.

Step 6: Remove the Sound

To remove the sound, scroll to the top of the Sound menu and select “(No Sound)”. This will mute any sound effect or audio file currently associated with the animation.

Click “OK” to close the Sound menu and apply the change. The animation will now play silently.

Step 7: Preview and Save

After removing the sound, preview the slide to make sure the animation looks and behaves as intended without audio. Click the “Preview” button on the Animation Pane to watch the animations on the current slide.

If satisfied with the soundless animation, save your PowerPoint file to preserve the changes.

Deleting vs Muting Animation Sounds

In the steps above, we selected “(No Sound)” from the Sound menu to mute the animation audio. However, the sound file still remains associated with the animation, even though it’s been silenced.

If you want to completely delete a sound rather than just mute it, you can do that through the Animation Pane as well:

1. Select the animation in the Animation Pane
2. Press the Delete key on your keyboard

This will remove the animation and its associated sound effect entirely. If you want to keep the animation but permanently delete the audio, you can reapply the animation effect after deleting it.

Keep in mind that deleting a sound effect is irreversible, whereas muting still preserves the sound file. You can always unmute a muted sound by going back to the Sound menu and reselecting it.

Changing Animation Sound Effects

In addition to muting and deleting, PowerPoint also allows you to modify the sound associated with an animation:

1. Select the animation in the Animation Pane and open the Sound menu as described above
2. Choose a different built-in sound effect from the menu
3. Or click “Other Sound” to browse for an audio file on your computer

This allows you to change or update the sound effect without recreating the entire animation. Just be sure to choose an appropriate sound that enhances rather than distracts from your content.

Animation Sound Best Practices

When using sound effects in your PowerPoint animations, keep these tips in mind:

Use Sounds Sparingly

Too many audio effects can be overwhelming and annoying for an audience. Limit sounds to important animations that really benefit from an auditory cue. A good rule of thumb is no more than 1-2 sounds per slide.

Keep Sounds Short

Sound effects should be brief audio cues no longer than 1-2 seconds. Longer sounds risk disrupting the flow of your presentation and losing your audience’s attention. Stick to quick, punchy sounds that make your point and then get out of the way.

Match Tone and Topic

Choose appropriate sounds that fit the tone and subject matter of your presentation. For example, whimsical cartoon noises may work well for a lighthearted marketing pitch but would be out of place in a serious business or academic presentation. Always consider your audience and message when selecting audio effects.

Ensure Audio Quality

Use high-quality audio files for the best sound. Muffled, distorted, or grating sound effects will only irritate and distract listeners. If using your own audio files, make sure they are clear recordings in a compatible format like MP3 or WAV.

Test Your Presentation

Always preview your animations with their sounds to make sure everything works together smoothly. Test your slideshow on the actual device and in the room/environment you’ll be presenting in, if possible. This will help you catch any audio glitches or awkward transitions before going live.

By following these guidelines, you can incorporate sound into your PowerPoint presentations in a way that engages and informs your audience without overwhelming them.

Final Thoughts

Removing unwanted sound from your PowerPoint animations is a quick and straightforward process. Just select the animated object, open the Animation Pane, choose the animation, and either mute or delete the sound through the Sound menu.

More broadly, the key to effectively using audio in PowerPoint is moderation and intentionality. Every sound effect should serve a clear purpose and enhance the overall message of your presentation. By carefully applying (or removing) audio, you can create compelling slide animations that captivate your audience.

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Trish Dixon

Trish Dixon is the founder of PPTBliss and a PowerPoint expert with over a decade of experience in presentation design. Passionate about visual storytelling, Trish shares her expertise through easy-to-follow tutorials on slide design, animations, transitions, and best practices, helping professionals create impactful presentations across industries.

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