How to Pause PowerPoint Animation: Easy Guide

Are you looking to pause PowerPoint animation to create more engaging and dynamic presentations? PowerPoint’s animation features allow you to add movement and visual interest to your slides, but sometimes you may want to pause an animation partway through for emphasis or to interact with your audience.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about pausing animations in PowerPoint, from the basics of applying animations to advanced techniques for maximum impact.

Understanding PowerPoint Animation Basics

Before we dive into how to pause an animation in PowerPoint, let’s review some animation fundamentals:

• PowerPoint allows you to animate text, objects, and slides to add visual interest
• Animations can be applied to individual elements or entire slides
• You can choose from Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, and Motion Path animation types
• Animations happen in a sequence which you can reorder and customize
• You can preview animations to see how they look before presenting

Understanding these core concepts will help you work more effectively with pausing animations.

How to Apply Animations in PowerPoint

Adding an animation in PowerPoint is a straightforward process:

1. Select the object you want to animate (text box, image, shape, etc.)
2. Go to the Animations tab in the PowerPoint ribbon
3. Choose an animation type (Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, or Motion Path)
4. Select a specific animation effect from the menu
5. Use the Effect Options drop-down to customize the animation if desired
6. Adjust timing options in the Timing group on the Animations tab

You can apply multiple animations to a single object or slide for more complex effects. The Animation Pane will show you the sequence of animations and let you reorder or customize them further.

Pausing Animation in PowerPoint

Now that you know how to apply animations, let’s look at how to pause an animation in PowerPoint presentations:

Pause an Animation Directly in Slide Show Mode

The simplest way to pause an animation is during your actual presentation in Slide Show mode:

1. Start your slide show as normal
2. When you reach an animated slide, click once to start the animation sequence
3. To pause, simply don’t click or advance to the next slide
4. The animation will pause on the current effect until you click again
5. Click again to resume the animation sequence

This allows you to easily pause any animation in real-time while presenting to emphasize a point or interact with your audience. The animation will hold on the current frame or effect until you resume it.

Pause Animation by Adding Triggers

For more control over pausing animations during your presentation, you can use a trigger:

1. Select the animated object
2. Go to the Animations tab
3. Click Trigger in the Advanced Animation group
4. Choose On Click Of and pick an object to serve as the trigger
5. Now the animation will only advance when you click the trigger object

Instead of automatically playing, the animation sequence will pause until the trigger object is clicked. You can use any object on the slide as a trigger, such as a shape or text box.

Pause Animation with the Pause Timeline Feature (Newer PowerPoint Versions Only)

If you’re using PowerPoint 2016 or later, the Pause Timeline feature offers another way to pause your animation at a specific point:

1. Select the animated object
2. Open the Animation Pane
3. In the animation sequence, click the small down arrow next to the effect where you want to pause
4. Select Pause Timeline
5. A pause icon will appear in your animation sequence

During your presentation, the animation will automatically pause when it reaches that effect in the timeline. Click again to resume playing the remaining animation sequence.

Advanced PowerPoint Animation Pausing Techniques

Here are a few more advanced tips and tricks for pausing animations in PowerPoint:

Pausing Looped Animations

If you have an animation set to loop continuously:

1. Select the looping animation in the Animation Pane
2. Click the small down arrow next to the animation
3. Choose Effect Options
4. Select Until End of Slide to make it loop
5. Use the Pause Timeline feature or a trigger to pause the looping animation

The looping will pause until you resume the animation sequence by clicking.

Pausing Multiple Animation Sequences

To pause animations across multiple objects or slides:

1. Animate each object individually rather than grouping them
2. Use the Animation Pane to adjust the sequence
3. Insert Pause Timeline commands or triggers where needed
4. Each animated object will now pause and resume independently based on your settings

This allows granular control over complex animation sequences across your presentation.

Pausing Videos and Audio in PowerPoint

You can also pause embedded videos or audio files in your PowerPoint presentation:

1. Insert your video or audio file onto a slide
2. Select the video or audio object
3. Go to the Playback tab in the PowerPoint ribbon
4. Look for the Pause button or checkbox option
5. Set the video/audio to pause at a chosen point or when you click

The video or audio will now pause during playback based on your settings, like with animations.

Benefits of Pausing PowerPoint Animations

Using the pause animation feature in PowerPoint offers several key benefits:

• Emphasis: Pause an animation to highlight or draw attention to important points
• Pacing: Control the flow and rhythm of your presentation by pausing as needed
• Interaction: Pausing lets you interact with your audience or elaborate on topics
• Drama: Well-timed pauses create anticipation and add dramatic flair

Pausing gives you greater flexibility to adapt your presentation on the fly based on your audience’s needs and reactions. It’s a simple but powerful technique.

Key Takeaways on Pausing PowerPoint Animation

To recap, here are the key points to remember about pausing animations in PowerPoint:

• Animations add visual interest and engagement to presentations
• You can pause any animation directly in Slide Show mode by clicking
• Triggers and the Pause Timeline feature offer more control over pausing
• Advanced techniques let you pause looped animations, multiple sequences, videos and audio
• Pausing helps with emphasis, pacing, audience interaction, and drama

By mastering the skill of pausing PowerPoint animations, you can take your presentations to the next level and deliver your message with greater impact. Experiment with these techniques and see what works best for your specific needs and style.

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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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