Create a menu in PowerPoint by Hyperlink

In this tutorial, I will guide to you how create a menu in PowerPoint by Hyperlink. It is very simple and helpful.

Just like when creating a table of contents for a text file, for the purpose of quickly accessing a certain slide in the currently open PowerPoint file, you may want to create yourself a menu bar. To make one is very simple, just use the drawing and designing tools, so what about linking it to slides? That’s when we have to use Hyperlink.
That is briefly how to do that, now let’s get started, don’t worry, it’s much simpler than making a table of contents on Word.

I. Create a menu in PowerPoint by Hyperlink

1: First, go to Insert and then Shape. Draw a button with a shape and this is called the “Menu call button”. Go to Format and fill the color, style, decorate the button as you like, then we will proceed on creating the menu bar later.

2: Keep using Shape to draw a frame for the Menu, then draw smaller boxes inside as the menu choices. You can refer to the sample I made below or creatively make your own:

3: Then, now we will create slides corresponding to the menu, simply create the content slides corresponding to the buttons, here I already have it, create some if you don’t have so that you can link them later.

4: The next step we gonna use Hyperlink to connect the slides to those menu sections. First right click at the menu button and select Hyperlink.

Insert Hyperlink window, select Place in This Document. Then in the Select a place in this document section, select the corresponding slide. You can check if it’s the right slide or not in Slide preview. Then click OK.

Comeback and do the same for the rest menu buttons.
5: For convenience, let’s gather the shapes together. Hold Ctrl and select the shapes one by one, right-click and select Group => Group.

6: Zoom out the slide, then move the menu bar to the left side of the slide, like this:

7: Now straight to the effect part. Go to tab Animation, select More Motion Paths.

When the Change Motion Path box appears, select Right.

You will see an arrow indicating the moving direction. You can arrange the menu bar arrow so that the Menu bar will appear from left to right, right next to the edge of the slide when you click on the menu call button.

Click Preview to check out the result, so you can reorganize it better.

Here I’m making it appears right below the call button.
8: To make the menu bar disappear like how it appears, select Add Animation, then More Motion Paths again and choose the effect as Left.

9: Select Animation Pane. Select the object below, as the second effect we’ve just added, then hold the green arrow, drag it towards the red arrow.

10: In Timing section you can adjust the timing for the effect, like Duration and Delay time. Select the name of the object then change the value of timing.

11: Finally, use Trigger so that when we first click the call button, the Menu appears, click on it again, the Menu disappears.

12: Of course, you need this menu bar to appears on all the slide, only then can you get quick access. Ctrl + C to copy the Menu and paste it into other slides. The position and effects will be kept the same.

It is OK, but  wanna you try another way?

II. Create menu Powerpoint (second method).

You do not need the call button this time, so you can remove it.
 1: Using the same menu bar as the first method, first I will bring it to the front:

2: Move the menu to the upper right corner like this.

3: Add Animations. Go to More Motion Paths. Set 2 effects as the method 1, first you select Down, then Up,until there are two arrows pointing in opposite directions.

Set the Trigger, this time select the Menu to set. Because it is called Group 10 in my example, so I select Group 10. Then click OK.

So when you click on the Menu bar, it will slide down, press 1 more time it will slide up. That’s it!

CONCLUSION

A very long post and we have finally accomplished our purpose for today. That is all about how to create a menu bar and how to make them appear and disappear with effects. Perhaps after this article, you may want to learn more about PowerPoint’s great features and effects tools. Wish you have fun creating those Menu bar, to help with your work.
Thank you for reading, I hope you will come back to support the next time.
-hhchi