Hyperlink to Animation Within Your PowerPoint

Spence Dowlen


One of the advantages of using PowerPoint is that you can incorporate animations and videos provided by most textbook publishers usually in an “instructor resource CD-ROM”. I have found that seeing an animation of a complicated process or concept can make all the difference in student understanding. These animations can be opened independent of the PowerPoint in a separate window. However, you then have to switch between windows during your presentation. A smoother and more streamlined way is to create a hyperlink to the animation within your PowerPoint. This can be done the following way.

  1. Select a word on your PowerPoint slide using the left mouse button. I usually use the word “Animation”.

  2. Then right click to get a menu of choices.

  3. Select “Hyperlink…”

  4. Select the animation file to play

  5. lick “OK” (The word will now have a “hyperlink color”.

  6. When playing the PowerPoint presentation, all you have to do is click on the hyperlinked word, and the animation or video will open and play.

You can also hyperlink to movies on websites. One great site with free movies that are very good is http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs/index.html  Make sure the computer you are playing them on is connected to the internet. One other thing to note is that the hyperlinks will only work when you are actually doing the slide show. While in the edit view, the hyperlinks can be edited but will not work. Also if you play your PowerPoint from a jump drive or CD, make sure the file that the hyperlink refers to is also on this drive or CD.

Spence Dowlen
Biology Instructor
Columbia State Community College
1665 Hampshire Pike
Columbia, TN 38401
931-540-2807