How to Embed YouTube Videos in a PowerPoint

YouTube is ubiquitous for sharing video content. In fact, YouTube are so popular that YouTube.com is currently the #2 search engine behind Google. This makes looking for YouTube videos a piece of moist, delicious cake. One of the easiest ways to share YouTube videos with an audience is to embed YouTube videos in a PowerPoint.

Here’s how to embed a YouTube video in a PowerPoint 2007 presentation:

First, you need to make sure the Developer tab is visible. If not, click the Microsoft Office button and click PowerPoint Options.

Select the Popular tab and select the Show Developer tab in Ribbon options.

Click OK. The Developer tab now appears in the Ribbon. Now, you’re ready to embed the YouTube video.

Navigate to the slide where you want to add the video.

Select the Developer tab and click More Controls.

The More Controls dialog box appears, displaying a long list of controls that you can add to your presentation. Scroll through the list and select Shockwave Flash Object. Click OK.

Draw a rectangular object on the slide that will eventually hold the YouTube video.

Select the rectangular object. Click Properties from within the Developer tab.

From the Properties list, locate the Movies field. Here is where you need to add the URL to the YouTube video. Before adding the URL, delete the watch? text and replace the = that follows the v with /. For example, if you’re using the URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjk85MQNRHo, it will look like this:

Close the Properties window by clicking the X in the top corner.

The YouTube video is now in your presentation. Press F5 to preview the video. See? Not too bad. Take these steps a few times and you’ll be able to do it in your sleep — just don’t let your boss know you’re napping on his or her dime!