Video and audio file formats supported in PowerPoint

Video recommendations

PowerPoint 2010: .wmv

PowerPoint for Mac 2011: .mpg

Newer versions of PowerPoint: .mp4 files encoded with H.264 video and AAC audio

Audio recommendations

PowerPoint 2010: .wav, .wma

PowerPoint for Mac 2011: .wav

Newer versions of PowerPoint: .m4a files encoded with AAC audio

These names and formats sound complicated, but you can easily convert to and use these formats without having to know anything more than the names.

Supported formats

Windows macOS iOS Android Windows Mobile

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Supported video file formats

File Format	Extension
Windows Video file (Some .avi files may require additional codecs)	.asf
Windows Video file (Some .avi files may require additional codecs)	.avi
MP4 Video file*	.mp4, .m4v, .mov
Movie file	.mpg or .mpeg
Adobe Flash Media**	.swf
Windows Media Video file	.wmv

*Only PowerPoint 2013 and newer versions. The 32-bit version of PowerPoint 2010 can play an .mp4 or .mov file only if the computer has a QuickTime Player installed. (Read Download QuickTime for Windows, on the Apple site, for more information.) PowerPoint 2013 and newer versions DO require the QuickTime Player to be installed for playing MP4 video files in one particular situation: when you are using Windows 7 running on a virtual machine (VM). 

**Adobe Flash isn't available in Office on a Windows RT PC. Want to see what version of Office you're using?

Supported audio file formats

File format	Extension
AIFF Audio file	.aiff
AU Audio file	.au
MIDI file	.mid or .midi
MP3 Audio file	.mp3
Advanced Audio Coding - MPEG-4 Audio file*	.m4a, .mp4
Windows Audio file	.wav
Windows Media Audio file	.wma

*Only PowerPoint 2013 and newer versions. The 32-bit version of PowerPoint 2010 can only play an .mp4 or .mov file if the computer has a QuickTime Player installed. (Read Download QuickTime for Windows, on the Apple site, for more information.)

Additional information

• If you experience slow playback, a lag between audio and video, audio stuttering, or frames being lost, see Tips for improving audio and video playback and compatibility.

• PowerPoint may also support additional file types if you install additional codecs on your PC. If you want to learn about finding codecs for your PC, read Are you having playback issues (in PowerPoint)?

• Certain older video file formats may not compress or export properly in Office on a Windows RT PC. Instead, use modern media formats such as H.264 and Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), which PowerPoint 2013 RT supports. PowerPoint 2010 supports the AAC format if the correct codec (such as ffDShow) is installed. Want to see what version of Office you're using?

Audio from the iTunes Store may not play back when shared

Music files purchased from the iTunes Store can only be played on authorized computers, so people whom you share presentations with might be unable to play iTunes files.

Newer versions of PowerPoint for macOS

Supported video file formats in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac, PowerPoint 2019 for Mac, and PowerPoint for Office 365 for Mac

File Format	Extension
AVI movie (Some .avi files may require additional codecs)	.avi or .vfw
MPEG-4 movie	.mp4, .mpg4
Apple MPEG-4 movie	.m4v
MPEG movie	.mpg, .mpeg, .mpe, .m75, .m15
MPEG-2 video	.m2v
MPEG-2 Transport Stream	.ts
QuickTime movie	.mov or .qt
DV movie	.dv or .dif

Supported audio file formats in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

File format	Extension
AIFF Audio file	.aiff or .aif
AU Audio file	.au or .snd
MP3 Audio file	.mp3 or .mpga
MP2 audio	.mp2
MPEG-4 Audio file	mp4 or .mpg4
Waveform Audio file	.wav, .wave, .bwf
Audible.com audio	.aa or .aax
Apple MPEG-4 audio	.m4a
Advanced Audio Coding - MPEG-2 Audio file	.aac or .adts
Apple CoreAudio format	.caf
Adaptive Multi-rate Audio	.amr
Ringtone	.m4r
AC-3 audio	.ac3
Enhanced AC-3 audio	.eac3, .ec3

Windows Media files (.wmv, .wma) aren't supported on PowerPoint 2016 for Mac or PowerPoint for Office 365 for Mac. However, if Flip4Mac is installed on your Mac and you already have a .wmv or .wma file inserted on a slide, PowerPoint will offer to convert it in place to an .mp4 or .mp3 file. Read the Flip4Mac download page to see if this plugin supports your version of macOS.

PowerPoint for Mac 2011

Supported video file formats in PowerPoint for Mac 2011

File Format	Extension
AVI movie	.avi, .vfw
DVI movie	.dv, .dif
MPEG movie	.mpg, .mpeg, .mpe, .m75, .m15
MPEG-2 video	.m2v
MPEG-2 Transport Stream	.ts
MPEG-4 movie Apple MPEG-4 movie	.mp4, .mpg4 .m4v
QuickTime movie	.mov, .qt
Windows Media Video file*	.wmv*

* Windows media format (.wmv) requires a that you install a plugin named Flip4Mac for playback on macOS. Read the Flip4Mac download page to see if this plugin supports your version of macOS.

Supported audio file formats in PowerPoint for Mac 2011

File format	Extension
AC-3 Audio Enhanced AC-3 audio	.ac3 .eac3, .ec3
Adaptive multi-rate audio	.amr
Apple Lossless Audio	.m4a
AU audio	.au, .snd
Audible.com audio	.aa, .aax
Audio Interchange File Format	.aif, .aiff, .aifc
QuickTime Movie Sound^	.mov, .moov, .qt
Core Audio File	.caf
MPEG Audio Layer-2	.mp2
MPEG Audio Layer-3	.mp3, .mpga
MPEG-4 Audio	.mp4, .mpg4, .m4a
Ringtone	.m4r
Windows Media Audio*	.wma, .asf
Windows Waveform Audio file	.wave, .wav, .bwf

^QuickTime Virtual Reality (QTVR) files, which also have a file extension of .mov or .qt, don't play in a PowerPoint for Mac 2011 presentation.

* Windows media format (.wmv) requires a that you install a plugin named Flip4Mac for playback on macOS. Read the Flip4Mac download page to see if this plugin supports your version of macOS.

Insert the file in your slide

Once you have a converted media file in a suitable format with the correct encoding, go back to the PowerPoint slide where you want to insert your video or audio file. On the Insert tab of the ribbon, click Audio or Video. (For complete details about inserting the media file, see Insert and play a video file from your computer or Add audio to your slide show.)

Audio from the iTunes Store may not play back when shared

Music files purchased from the iTunes Store can only be played on authorized computers, and people with whom you share presentations might be unable to play iTunes files.

Supported video file formats

File Format	Extension
MP4 Video file	.mp4, .m4v, .mov
Movie file	.mpg or .mpeg

Supported audio file formats

File format	Extension
AIFF Audio file	.aiff
AU Audio file	.au
MP3 Audio file	.mp3
Advanced Audio Coding - MPEG-4 Audio file	.m4a, .mp4

Supported video file formats

File Format	Extension
MP4 Video file	.mp4
VP8, VP9	.mkv

Supported audio file formats

File format	Extension
MP3 Audio file	.mp3
Windows Audio file	.wav
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)	.mid, .midi

You can play the following audio and video formats in PowerPoint Mobile and PowerPoint for Windows Phone 10, but you can't play YouTube videos.

Supported video file formats

File format	Extension
Windows Media file	.asf
Windows Video file (Some .avi files may require additional codecs)	.avi
MP4 Video file	.mp4, .m4v, .mov
Movie file	.mpg or .mpeg
Adobe Flash Media	.swf
Windows Media Video file	.wmv

Supported audio file formats

File format	Extension
AIFF Audio file	.aiff
AU Audio file	.au
MIDI file	.mid or .midi
MP3 Audio file	.mp3
Advanced Audio Coding - MPEG-4 Audio file*	.m4a, .mp4
Windows Audio file	.wav
Windows Media Audio file	.wma

Wrong format? Convert and re-insert your file

If PowerPoint doesn't let you insert a video or audio file, convert it to the recommended format:

1. Go online to CloudConvert.com.

2. Click Select Files. The Open dialog box appears. Navigate to the folder that contains the video or audio file you want to convert.

   

   Alternatively, to select a file stored in the cloud, select the arrow next to Select Files, and choose the cloud system (Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive) where your media file is stored.

3. Select the media file and then click Open.

4. The name of your selected media file and its format are shown on the page.

   

5. Click the Format button ( ), and choose the appropriate format for the media file.

   

6. Click the Conversion Options button:

7. Select a Video Codec, and/or Audio Codec.

   

   (There are other options available in the dialog box to choose from for people who have more expertise with media files.)

8. Click Okay.

   The web page now summarizes the conversion: The format you're starting with is named on the left side, and the format that it'll be converted to is named on the right.

9. Click the red Start Conversion button at the bottom of the page.

   

   When the conversion is complete, a green Download button appears on the page.

10. Click Download.

    

    The file is copied to your Windows Downloads folder. You can then move it to any folder you like. It's ready to be inserted in your PowerPoint presentation.

    

(CloudConvert.com is independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of that service.)

Go back to the PowerPoint slide where you want to insert your video or audio file. On the toolbar ribbon, on the Insert tab of the Media group, choose the arrow under Audio or Video and then choose the appropriate command for inserting your file.

For complete details about inserting the media file, see:

• Windows or macOS: Add audio to your PowerPoint presentation or Insert and play a video file from your computer

• Mobile device: Add pictures or videos to a file by using your mobile device

See Also

Add audio to your presentation

Insert and play a video file from your computer

Insert or link to a video on YouTube

File formats that are supported in PowerPoint

PowerPoint videos not playing on secondary monitor