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You can play audio on a single slide (Slide audio) or across the whole presentation (Presentation audio), and you can turn sound effects on or off for greater control over the experience.
Slide audio and Presentation audio are available only on paid plans. Sound effects are available on all plans.

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Before you start: how slide and presentation audio work

On AhaSlides, you can set audio to play on each slide as you present (Slide audio) or throughout the entire presentation (Presentation audio). Both are set up in the Audio tab of the right-hand editing panel, which has two sub-tabs: Slide for Slide audio and Presentation for Presentation audio and the sound-effect toggles. Slide audio and Presentation audio need a paid plan; sound effects are available on every plan.
The Audio panel in the AhaSlides editor, with the Slide audio picker and Upload button highlighted
Slide audio can play on participants’ devices, but Presentation audio cannot. Presentation audio autoplays only on the presenter’s device for the duration of the presentation. When both Presentation audio and Slide audio are set up, Slide audio takes priority on the slides that have it. Any slide without Slide audio reverts to playing the Presentation audio.
The quiz Lobby screen plays its own music by default. To silence it, use the volume control described below; on a paid plan, you can replace it by choosing a Presentation audio track. You cannot set up audio on the Spinner Wheel, YouTube, Google Slides, or QR Code slides.

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Play and control audio while you present

While you present, the audio controls sit in the top bar at the top-left of the slide, next to the back arrow:
AhaSlides presenting top bar with the audio play button and the speaker icon highlighted at the top left of the slide
  • Play button: plays or pauses the audio. On a slide with Slide audio it controls that track; on other slides it controls the Presentation audio. It stays on screen whenever there is audio to play. Hover over it to open the progress bar and time, and drag the bar to skip ahead or back.
  • Speaker icon: the volume control for everything you hear on the presenter screen — Slide audio, Presentation audio, and sound effects. Move your mouse to reveal it, then click it to mute or unmute, or hover over it to reveal a slider and set the volume level.
You can also press P on your keyboard to play or pause the current slide’s Slide audio. The shortcut works only on slides that have Slide audio (Presentation audio is controlled with the play button), and it does nothing while you are typing in a text box. On quiz slides, it works once the question is showing. The play button also appears on the slide in the editor whenever the selected slide has Slide audio, so you can preview the track before you present. Your volume setting is saved in that browser on that device, not on your account. It carries over the next time you present from the same browser, while a different browser, another device, or one with its site data cleared starts at full volume — so a mute set in that browser earlier can still be in place at a later session.

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Set up Slide audio

Slide audio works the same way on interactive slides and on the original Content slide. On a Content v2 slide, you can also insert an Audio block from the Media section of the + Insert panel; see Add audio.
1

Open the Audio tab

Select the slide you want to play audio on, click Audio in the right-hand editing panel, and make sure the Slide sub-tab is selected.
2

Choose or upload a track

Under Slide audio, click Select to pick a track from the AhaSlides audio library, or click Upload to add your own. Uploads must be mp3 format with a maximum size of 15 MB.
3

Configure playback settings

Once a track is set, the playback settings appear below it:
  • Autoplay: the audio plays immediately when you arrive at the slide on your presenting screen. This is on by default — turn it off if you’d rather start the track yourself while you present.
  • On repeat: the audio plays again automatically when it finishes.
  • Playable on audience’s devices: the audio plays through the audience’s devices as well as the presenter’s. When on, a Show media controls option lets the audience pause, resume, and seek on their own devices.
To swap the track, click Change audio track; to remove it, click Remove.
Some devices prevent audio from playing automatically. On those devices, the participant sees a prompt to press the play button.

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Set up Presentation audio

1

Open the Presentation sub-tab

Click Audio in the right-hand editing panel, then select the Presentation sub-tab.
2

Choose a track

Under Presentation audio, click Select and choose a track from the AhaSlides library.
3

Change or remove the track (optional)

Once a track is chosen, its name and a player appear with two buttons. Click Change audio track to pick a different one, or Remove to clear the Presentation audio.
You cannot upload your own audio file as Presentation audio yet. Presentation audio does not play on slides that already have Slide audio.

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Where sound effects play

Sound effects can play on both the presenter screen and participants’ devices, depending on the interaction. On the presenter screen, sound effects help guide the flow of the presentation:
  • Micro-interactions: button clicks and answer reveals
  • Transitions: moving to the next slide, a QR code appearing, submissions closing
  • High-impact moments: countdowns, drumrolls, leaderboard reveals
The quiz lobby music that plays as participants join is not a sound effect and is not affected by these toggles — it is the quiz’s background music, which plays by default (see the Lobby note above). On participants’ devices, sound effects provide feedback during interactions:
  • When submitting answers on quiz slides
  • Result notifications, including correct or incorrect answers, time’s up, and answer streaks

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Turn sound effects on or off

1

Open the Presentation sub-tab

Click Audio in the right-hand editing panel, then select the Presentation sub-tab.
2

Toggle sound effects

Under Sound effects, use the toggles next to On the presenting screen or On participants’ devices to enable or disable them.
What each toggle covers:
  • On the presenting screen: music and sound effects for quiz slides, the leaderboard, and the spinner wheel, plus interaction sound effects for other slide types. It does not control the quiz lobby music, which plays by default — use the volume control while presenting to mute it, or replace it with a Presentation audio track.
  • On participants’ devices: interaction sound effects that play from participants’ devices during audience interaction.

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Frequently asked questions

Slide audio plays on a single slide and can play on participants’ devices. Presentation audio plays across the whole presentation but autoplays only on the presenter’s device.
Select the slide, click Audio in the right-hand editing panel, and on the Slide sub-tab click Select to choose a library track or Upload to add your own mp3 (up to 15 MB). The playback settings — Autoplay, On repeat, and Playable on audience’s devices — appear once a track is set. This works on the original Content slide too; on a Content v2 slide you can also insert an Audio block from the Media section.
The most common cause is that Autoplay has been turned off (it’s on by default). Open the Audio tab, select the Slide sub-tab, and turn Autoplay back on so the track starts when you reach the slide. You can also start it at any time with the play button in the top bar while you present. To have the audience hear it on their own phones too, turn on Playable on audience’s devices.
Click the play button in the top bar at the top left of the slide. It controls the current slide’s audio, or the Presentation audio on slides without their own track. On a slide with Slide audio, you can also press P to play or pause it. The Speaker icon next to the play button sets the volume for all audio.
No. On a quiz slide, Slide audio keeps playing when the timer ends, when everyone has answered, and when you end the question early. It stops when you move to another slide. To stop it sooner, click the play button in the top bar or press P. If On repeat is on, the track loops until you leave the slide. A quiz slide with its own Slide audio doesn’t play the built-in quiz music.
Slide audio takes priority on the slides that have it. Any slide without Slide audio reverts to playing the Presentation audio.
Click Audio in the right-hand editing panel, select the Presentation sub-tab, and under Sound effects use the toggles for On the presenting screen and On participants’ devices.
Slide audio and Presentation audio are available only on paid plans. Sound effects are available on all plans.
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.