Microsoft PowerPoint adds feature to insert videos with closed captions; Know how to use it

Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most popular products in the company’s Office suite and the go-to option for millions of users for creating presentations. Although multiple other options such as Visme and Google Slides have recently emerged, none have been able to dethrone Microsoft PowerPoint as the primary means of making presentations. To keep users engaged and offer them more functionalities, Microsoft keeps adding new features to the program from time to time. The tech giant has now added a new feature to Microsoft PowerPoint that lets users insert videos with closed captions and subtitles into presentations. Know all about it and check out how it works.

Insert videos with closed captions in Microsoft PowerPoint

In an Insider blog a few days ago, Microsoft announced that PowerPoint for the web now supports inserting videos with closed captions and subtitles. Therefore, users can make their presentations more engaging and visually striking by embedding videos into them. It also allows them to add closed captions and subtitles to go along with their videos.

Microsoft says that users can insert more than one caption file for the same video, meaning that you can add captions for additional languages too! Moreover, when you turn on captions for a video, and then play a second video in PowerPoint, captions will be on for the second video if any are available and will appear in the language that you selected for the first video if it is available for the second video. Not just on the web, but you can also insert videos and captions in PowerPoint for Windows and PowerPoint for Mac, and also play captions on videos in PowerPoint for iOS.

How to add videos with closed captions in Microsoft PowerPoint

1. To add videos with closed captions in Microsoft PowerPoint, create a new presentation in PowerPoint for the web by going to the PowerPoint website and logging into your account.

2. Then select Insert, Video, and then choose Insert Video From: This Device.

3. Choose the video file that you want to embed into your presentation.

4. To add the captions, select the Video ribbon tab, and then select Insert Captions.

5. Now select the captions file in the WebVTT format you would like to insert.

6. Click on the Captions button in the lower right corner of the video player to select the captions track you wish to use. The captions will now appear on your screen.

Inclusive features

These changes are part of Microsoft’s ambition to make its suite of products more inclusive and accessible. Videos with closed captions can be particularly useful for people with hearing disabilities. When using PowerPoint Live, each participant in the meeting can turn on closed captions for videos for themselves even if the presenter doesn’t turn them on. Changes have been made to Windows as well, with Microsoft calling Windows 11 the “most inclusive version of Windows yet.” Continuing its efforts, Microsoft has expanded the Narrator with 7 new natural voices. Moreover, the Voice access feature now works from the lock screen, meaning you can use it to log into your PC!