How to Print Notes Pages in PowerPoint

What You’ll Need

A PowerPoint presentation with notes added to slides (if you haven’t added notes, the notes area will be blank).
A printer (or a PDF printer like “Microsoft Print to PDF” if you want a digital copy).

Step-by-Step

Open your presentation in PowerPoint. Make sure you’re on the slide whose notes you want to print, though the process works for the whole file.
Go to File > Print. You can also press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on Mac) to open the Print dialog directly.
Select your printer from the Printer dropdown. To save as a PDF, choose “Microsoft Print to PDF” (Windows) or “Save as PDF” (Mac).
Change the layout to “Notes Pages”. In the Settings section, click the dropdown that currently shows “Full Page Slides” and select “Notes Pages” from the list. This tells PowerPoint to print each slide with its notes below.
Adjust other print settings as needed: choose color or grayscale, select the slides you want (e.g., “Print All Slides” or a custom range), and set copies. For notes pages, you can also choose “Print Order” if printing multiple copies.
Click the big Print button at the top. Your notes pages will be sent to the printer or saved as a PDF.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to select “Notes Pages” – The default is “Full Page Slides”, which prints only the slide, no notes. Many people miss this dropdown.
Notes not showing – If your notes area is blank, it’s because you haven’t typed anything in the Notes pane. Check each slide’s notes before printing.
Printing too many slides – If you only need a few slides, you might accidentally print the whole deck. Use the “Custom Range” option to specify slide numbers.
Notes cut off – If your notes are long, they may be truncated on the printed page. PowerPoint does not automatically shrink notes to fit; you may need to shorten them or adjust layout.

Tips

Preview before printing – The print preview on the right side of the Print dialog shows exactly how each page will look. Scroll through it to catch issues.
Use “Notes Page” view to edit – Go to View > Notes Page to see how your notes will appear on the printed page. You can resize the slide image and notes box there.
Print to PDF for sharing – Instead of wasting paper, save as a PDF and email it to yourself or colleagues. It’s often more practical.
Add page numbers – In the Notes Page view, you can insert page numbers via Insert > Header & Footer. This helps keep printed pages organized.
Use grayscale to save ink – If you don’t need color, choose “Pure Black and White” in the Color dropdown to speed up printing and save ink.

Troubleshooting

No “Notes Pages” option? – This option exists in all modern versions of PowerPoint (2010 and later). If you don’t see it, check that you’re in the Print dialog (File > Print), not the printer’s own dialog. Also, ensure you’re not in “Outline” view.
Notes pages print blank – This usually means the notes are empty. Go to View > Normal, click the Notes button at the bottom of the slide, and type your notes. Then print again.
Notes are too small – In the Notes Page view, you can increase the font size of the notes text. Select the notes text box and change the font size in the Home tab.
Print layout looks off – If the slide image is too large or small, adjust it in Notes Page view by dragging the corners of the slide placeholder. Then print.
Print button is grayed out – This can happen if no printer is installed. Install a printer or use “Microsoft Print to PDF” as a virtual printer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I print notes pages for only selected slides?

Yes. In the Print dialog, under Settings, choose “Custom Range” and type the slide numbers you want, e.g., “1,3,5-7”. Then select “Notes Pages” layout.

How do I add notes to my slides?

In Normal view, click the “Notes” button at the bottom of the PowerPoint window to open the notes pane. Type your notes there. They won’t be visible in the slide show, but they’ll appear on printed notes pages.

Why are my notes getting cut off when printing?

PowerPoint does not automatically shrink notes to fit the page. If your notes are too long, they’ll be clipped. You can either shorten the notes, reduce the font size, or adjust the size of the notes placeholder in Notes Page view.

Can I change the layout of notes pages?

Yes. Go to View > Notes Page. You can resize the slide image and the notes box, change fonts, and even add headers/footers. This layout is what gets printed.

Is there a way to print notes without the slide thumbnail?

No, the Notes Pages layout always includes the slide image. If you only want the notes text, you can copy the notes to a Word document or use the Outline view to print just the text (but that includes slide titles).

Does this work on PowerPoint for Mac?

Yes, the steps are nearly identical. In the Print dialog, choose “Notes Pages” from the Layout dropdown. The option is there in PowerPoint for Mac 2011 and later.

Sources: Microsoft Support. Menus and buttons can differ slightly by version. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.