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You can write private notes for each slide. During your presentation, these notes appear on your own screen in Backstage, and your audience cannot see them.

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Add notes to a slide

In the AhaSlides editor, you will find a notes box below each slide preview. Type as much as you want into this box. Your notes save automatically and stay attached to that slide. The slide notes box in the AhaSlides editor, with the Type your note for this slide field highlighted

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Presenting with your notes

To see your notes while you present, you must present with Backstage. Backstage opens a separate window that you use to control your presentation, so you can project the presentation window to your audience while you read your notes on the control window. Open the Present menu and choose Present with Backstage. The Backstage window opens and displays the notes you wrote for each slide as you present it.
Your notes are visible only in the Backstage window. They never appear on the audience screen or on the projected presentation.

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Frequently asked questions

In the AhaSlides editor, type into the notes box below each slide preview. Your notes save automatically and stay attached to that slide.
No. Your notes are visible only in the Backstage window. They never appear on the audience screen or on the projected presentation.
Present with Backstage. Open the Present menu and choose Present with Backstage; the Backstage window opens on your own screen and displays the notes you wrote for each slide as you present it.
Notes appear only when you present with Backstage. If you started the presentation without Backstage, your notes will not be shown.
Yes, when you export to PDF. Exporting your slides to PDF can include your speaker notes as annotations: if your slides contain notes, the download dialog shows an Include speaker notes checkbox, ticked by default. Leave it ticked to add your notes to the PDF, or untick it to export slide content and audience responses only. This applies to PDF exports only — a JPG (image) export never includes your notes.
Have a question? Contact our support team — if you’re logged in, use the chat bubble in the bottom-right of your dashboard; otherwise contact us here or email hi@ahaslides.com. Want to connect with other users? Join the AhaSlides community to share tips, request features, and see how others engage their audiences.