Get started with Keynote on Mac

Keynote makes it easy to create beautiful and engaging presentations with fun animations, interesting transitions, and professional polish.

The theme chooser. A sidebar on the left lists theme categories you can click to filter options. On the right are thumbnails of predesigned themes arranged in rows by category, starting with Basic at the top and followed by Dynamic, Minimal, and Bold. The Cancel and Create buttons are in the bottom-right corner.

Begin with a theme

Creating a slideshow? Start with a theme, then modify it however you want. Themes include predesigned slide layouts that have placeholders for your own content. Go to the Keynote app on your Mac, choose File > New, click the theme you want in the theme chooser, then click Create.

The Keynote window with the Shape menu opened from the toolbar.

Add photos, movies, and more

You can add objects such as photos, movies, shapes, and charts to your presentation. To add an object to your slide, click an object button in the toolbar, then select an object from the menu.

The Keynote window with a dashed line selected on the slide. The Animate sidebar with the Build In animation controls is showing on the right.

Bring your presentation to life with animations

Animations help your slideshow appear more dynamic by moving objects onto, off, or around the slide. Click the object you want to animate, click the Build In, Action, or Build Out tab in the Animate sidebar, click Add an Effect, then choose an animation.

The Keynote window with a slide selected in the slide navigator on the left side of the screen. The Transitions controls appear in the Animate sidebar is open on the right side of the screen.

Use slide transitions

Transitions give your slideshow a more seamless appearance as you move from one slide to the next during a presentation. To add a transition, click a slide in the slide navigator, click Add an Effect in the Animate sidebar, then choose a transition effect.

The Keynote window with the Share menu open from the toolbar.

Export your presentation

You can save a copy of your presentation as a Keynote file or in another format, such as PDF, PowerPoint, a movie, and more. Click in the toolbar, click Export and Send, then select the format you want use.

The Keynote window with the presenter view showing. The current slide in on the left with the next slide on the right. The presentation timer appears at the top of the screen.

Play your presentation

To practice your presentation, choose Play > Rehearse Slideshow. When you’re ready to deliver your presentation to an audience, click the slide you want to begin with in the slide navigator, then click in the toolbar. Press the Right Arrow key or Space bar to advance through the slideshow, or the Left Arrow key to go back a slide.

Want to learn more?

Helpful?

Keynote User Guide for Mac