How to Print PowerPoint with Notes (Step-by-Step Guide for Windows & Mac)

Printing PowerPoint slides with notes allows you to include your speaker notes beneath each slide, making it easier to present, study, or review a presentation offline. Instead of printing slides alone, PowerPoint lets you print Notes Pages, which show the slide image at the top and the presenter notes below it.

How To Print Notes With Powerpoint Slides

This guide explains how to print PowerPoint with notes on both Windows and Mac, including helpful tips, troubleshooting steps, and common mistakes to avoid.

What Does “Print PowerPoint with Notes” Mean?

When you add notes in Microsoft PowerPoint, they appear in the Notes pane below each slide. These notes are often used by presenters to remember talking points.

Printing with notes creates a Notes Page layout, which includes:

• The slide image at the top
• Speaker notes underneath
• One slide per printed page

This format is useful for:

• Presenters who want printed speaking notes
• Students studying lecture slides
• Trainers distributing annotated presentations

How to Print PowerPoint with Notes on Windows

Follow these steps if you are using PowerPoint on Windows.

Step 1: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

Launch Microsoft PowerPoint and open the presentation that contains your speaker notes.

To check your notes:

1. Go to the slide you want.
2. Look at the Notes pane below the slide.
3. Make sure your notes are written there.

If you don’t see the Notes pane:

• Click View
• Select Notes

Step 2: Open the Print Menu

1. Click File in the top-left corner.
2. Select Print from the menu.

This opens the PowerPoint print settings.

Step 3: Choose “Notes Pages”

Under Settings, you will see a dropdown that usually says:

Full Page Slides

Click this dropdown and select:

Notes Pages

This tells PowerPoint to print:

• Slide image
• Speaker notes

Each slide will print on its own page with notes below.

Step 4: Adjust Print Settings

Before printing, adjust these options:

Select Printer

Choose the printer you want to use.

Number of Copies

Set how many copies you want.

Color Options

You can choose:

• Color
• Grayscale
• Black and White

Orientation

Normally Portrait works best for notes pages.

Step 5: Preview and Print

Look at the print preview on the right side to confirm:

• Slide appears at the top
• Notes appear below

If everything looks correct, click:

Print

Your slides will now print with notes.

How to Print PowerPoint with Notes on Mac

The process is similar on Mac, but the interface looks slightly different.

Step 1: Open the Presentation

Start Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac and open your file.

Confirm your notes exist:

1. Click a slide
2. Check the Notes section below the slide

If you do not see notes:

• Click View
• Select Notes

Step 2: Open Print Settings

1. Click File in the top menu.
2. Select Print.

A print dialog window will appear.

Step 3: Select Notes Layout

In the print window:

1. Find the dropdown labeled Layout
2. Choose Notes

This layout prints:

• One slide per page
• Notes underneath

Step 4: Adjust Printing Options

Before printing, review these settings:

• Printer selection
• Copies
• Color settings
• Paper size

Mac users can also click Show Details to access more print options.

Step 5: Print the Slides

Once everything looks correct:

Click Print.

Your slides will be printed with speaker notes included.

Tips for Printing Multiple Slides with Notes

PowerPoint normally prints one slide per notes page, but there are ways to make large presentations easier to print.

Tip 1: Print Only Selected Slides

If you don’t want to print the entire presentation:

1. Go to File → Print
2. In Slides, choose Custom Range
3. Enter the slide numbers (example: 1–5)

This saves paper and ink.

Tip 2: Export Notes to Word for More Flexible Printing

You can send slides and notes to Microsoft Word.

Steps:

1. Click File
2. Select Export
3. Choose Create Handouts
4. Send to Microsoft Word

This lets you:

• Print multiple slides with notes on one page
• Edit notes before printing
• Add extra annotations

Tip 3: Use Print Preview

Always check Print Preview before printing.

Look for:

• Missing notes
• Text cut off
• Wrong orientation

This prevents wasted paper.

Troubleshooting: PowerPoint Notes Not Printing

Sometimes notes don’t appear when printing. Here are common fixes.

Notes Section Is Empty

If nothing prints below the slide, the notes area may be blank.

Fix:

1. Go to each slide
2. Add notes in the Notes pane
3. Try printing again

Wrong Print Layout Selected

The most common issue is choosing the wrong layout.

Fix:

Make sure Notes Pages is selected instead of:

• Full Page Slides
• Handouts
• Outline

Printer Scaling Issues

Some printers shrink or crop the page.

Fix:

In print settings:

• Disable Fit to Page
• Use Portrait orientation

Outdated PowerPoint Version

Older software may cause formatting issues.

Fix:

Update Microsoft PowerPoint to the latest version.

Common Mistakes When Printing PowerPoint with Notes

Avoid these mistakes to save time and paper.

Printing Full Slides Instead of Notes Pages

Many users forget to change the print layout.

Always choose Notes Pages before printing.

Not Checking Print Preview

Preview shows exactly what will print.

Skipping this step can cause:

• Missing notes
• Wrong page layout

Forgetting to Add Notes

Notes must be written in the Notes pane, not on the slide itself.

Text boxes on slides will print as part of the slide—not as speaker notes.

Printing the Entire Deck by Accident

Large presentations can easily exceed 50–100 pages.

Use Custom Range to print only the slides you need.

FAQ: Printing PowerPoint with Notes

Can I print multiple slides with notes on one page?

PowerPoint’s default Notes Pages prints one slide per page.
To print multiple slides with notes, export the presentation to Microsoft Word using Create Handouts.

Why are my PowerPoint notes not printing?

This usually happens because the print layout is set to Full Page Slides instead of Notes Pages. Change the layout in the print settings.

Can I print notes without the slides?

Yes. You can copy the notes into Microsoft Word and print them as text, or use Outline View.

Do PowerPoint notes print automatically?

No. You must manually select Notes Pages in the print settings.

Can I print PowerPoint notes as a PDF?

Yes.

1. Go to File → Print
2. Choose Save as PDF (or Microsoft Print to PDF)
3. Select Notes Pages

The PDF will include slides and notes.

Conclusion

Printing PowerPoint slides with notes is simple once you know where to find the Notes Pages option. By selecting this layout in the print settings, PowerPoint prints each slide with its speaker notes underneath, making it perfect for presentations, studying, or training materials.

Whether you’re using Windows or Mac, the process is nearly identical: open the Print menu, select Notes Pages, review the preview, and print. Remember to check your notes beforehand, use print preview, and print only the slides you need to avoid wasting paper.

With these steps and tips, you can quickly create clear, professional printouts of your PowerPoint slides with notes whenever you need them.