Powerpoint - Duplicating presenter view

James Davidson 0 Reputation points
2026-10-12T04:16:57.11+00:00

Hi all,

I work at a local venue, frequently offering AV systems for presenters with PowerPoint presentations.

have two external outputs from the computer, one running to the projector, and one running to a TV on the floor for the speaker to see their own presenter view and notes. I then use the laptop display as well as my own monitor. This is an extremely common setup in corporate AV systems.

The issue i am running into is that I want the presenter view duplicated on the output going to the TV on the floor, as well as the laptop display so that I, as the AV tech, can see what is going on. I can set it up in windows for those two monitors to be duplicated just fine, but, frustratingly, PowerPoint overrides it.

I have seen this done, so i believe it is possible, but I can't get to the bottom of it. It's probably something simple?

James

Microsoft 365 and Office | PowerPoint | For business | Windows
0 comments

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Ana Le 2,705 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-12T04:50:25.8933333+00:00

    Hi James,

    I’d first check whether PowerPoint is changing the Windows display layout when the slide show starts. Microsoft documents that PowerPoint automatically switches to Extend for a slide show, which could explain why your duplicated laptop/TV pair gets separated.

    There is a related setting worth testing, although Microsoft’s documentation does not specifically cover duplicating Presenter View in a four-screen setup:

    1/ End the slide show. Go to File > Options > Advanced > Display, and clear “Automatically extend display when presenting on a laptop or tablet”.

    2/ In Windows Settings > System > Display, restore the duplication between your laptop and the floor TV. Keep the projector extended, and set the laptop as your main display if it is not already.

    3/ In PowerPoint’s Slide Show tab, check that “Use Presenter View” is selected and choose the projector in the Monitor dropdown. This dropdown selects the screen for the audience’s slides.

    4/ Start a test slide show and check both the displayed content and the Windows display layout.

    Please test this outside a live presentation. Microsoft’s description also associates clearing that advanced setting with turning off Presenter View, so if Presenter View stops appearing, restore the setting and let me know. I would not treat this as a confirmed fix for your particular setup.

    References: PowerPoint Options (Advanced)—Display section and Present on multiple monitors.

    If it still fails, could you share your PowerPoint version/build from File > Account > About PowerPoint, your Windows version, and how each external display connects to the laptop? Also, when you start the show, does Windows separate the duplicated laptop/TV pair, or do they remain duplicated but show the wrong content? That distinction will help narrow down the next step.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.