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How to record a presentation on Mac with your voice and webcam

Recorded presentations are everywhere now: pitch decks for investors, class lectures, conference talks, sales walkthroughs. Here's how to record a presentation on a Mac in Keynote, Google Slides or PowerPoint — and how to add your face and a live product demo so it doesn't feel like a slideshow with a voice.

Record a presentation on Mac: a webcam beside the screen in ScreenToast

Option 1: Keynote's built-in recording

  1. Open your deck in Keynote.
  2. To appear on camera, add Insert → Live Video to the slides where you want your face.
  3. Choose Play → Record Slideshow.
  4. Click the record button, present and narrate, advancing slides as usual.
  5. Press Esc to finish, then File → Export To → Movie.

Good for: a pure slide talk. Limits: you can't switch to a live demo of an app mid-presentation.

Option 2: PowerPoint's recorder

PowerPoint for Mac has Slide Show → Record Slide Show, which records narration, camera and timings, and exports a video. Same limit as Keynote: it's slides only.

Option 3: Google Slides (or anything else) with a screen recorder

Google Slides has no recorder of its own, so record the screen:

  1. Start the slideshow in your browser.
  2. Press Shift-Command-5, choose your microphone under Options, and record the whole screen.

Option 4: slides, demo and webcam in one recording

The best recorded presentations mix slides with the real product — a slide for the problem, then a live demo, then a slide with the ask. A screen recorder handles that because it doesn't care what's on screen. In ScreenToast:

  1. Switch on Camera and Mic in the recorder bar.
  2. Record the Display with your slideshow running.
  3. When you get to the demo, leave the slideshow and use your app as normal. ⌘⇧1 pauses if you need to set something up; the pause doesn't appear in the video.
  4. Stop with ⌘⇧2. Auto Polish adds zooms on your demo clicks — slides don't need them, so delete any it placed on slide changes.
  5. In the Camera tool, use Camera only for your opening, a bubble during the demo, and side by side for the slides. You can switch part-way through.
  6. Turn your voice into captions and remove filler words in one click.

Presenting tips for recordings

Frequently asked questions

Can Keynote record a presentation with voice?

Yes. Choose Play > Record Slideshow. Keynote records your narration and slide timing, and you can export it as a movie.

Can Keynote record my webcam?

Keynote can show a live camera on a slide (Insert > Live Video), so your face appears in a recorded slideshow.

How do I record a Google Slides presentation on Mac?

Start the slideshow, then record the screen with Shift-Command-5 and your microphone, or with a screen recorder that adds your webcam.

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macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel · Under 10 MB