Using PowerPoint’s Laser Pointer on a Mac

If you want to point at a detail in a PowerPoint slide on your Mac, try the application’s laser-pointer mode before buying a handheld pointer. It places a software marker in the presentation. Check whether that marker already does the job you need.

Find the pointer in Slide Show view

The macOS section of Microsoft’s pointer guide describes this route:

1. Open the Slide Show tab and choose Play from Start or Play from Current Slide.
2. In Slide Show view, find the helper buttons at the slide’s lower-left corner.
3. Select the Pen button, then choose Laser Pointer from its menu. Move the mouse to the slide detail you want to indicate.

For color selection, the same macOS instructions say to right-click the slide, open Pointer Options → Laser color, and choose Red, Green or Blue. These change the on-screen marker’s color. Follow the instructions for your PowerPoint version; this guide does not establish the controls of a separate remote.

Check the pointer mode after a pause

Microsoft describes a pointer setting named Automatic: the pointer hides after three seconds without activity and appears again when the mouse moves. It lists separate options for hiding the pointer, showing an arrow or writing with the pen. If the marker disappears while you pause, check the mode before treating that behavior as a reason to buy another device.

Choose equipment for the remaining action

Try the feature with your deck and the display your audience will use. These are suggested checks, not a test we have performed on your Mac.

If you need to operate slides away from the computer, check a remote’s documented Mac, PowerPoint and connection support. If you need to point at an object outside the slide, evaluate a physical pointer separately. Our pointer-versus-remote guide explains those different functions.

The Light Tracer listing describes a handheld green pointer and charging kit. It does not document Mac pairing or PowerPoint commands. Write down the action the software leaves unmet before selecting equipment for it.