Microsoft PowerPoint makes it simple to build everything from professional presentations to multimedia kiosk exhibits. However, even with all of the built-in features, PowerPoint does not have a random slide command. You must use Visual Basic to make the next slide random in PowerPoint. The simplest method is to create an action button that will run a macro that calls for a random slide. Likely applications for this type of macro include games and picture slideshows.
Do the Initial Setup
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Step 1
Launch Microsoft PowerPoint from the "Start" menu.
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Step 2
Open the slideshow you want to use with the random slide macro.
Step 3
Click on the Office symbol to open the menu.
Step 4
Click "PowerPoint Options" and navigate to the "Trust Center."
Step 5
Click the "Trust Center Settings" button, and click the radio button to "Disable all macros with notification." Click "OK" to return to the PowerPoint Options window.
Step 6
Click "Popular" and verify that "Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon" is enabled. Click "OK" to return to the presentation.
Create the Visual Basic Macro
Step 1
Press "Alt" + "F11" to open the Visual Basic Editor.
Step 2
Click "Insert" and choose "Module."
Step 3
Copy and paste the code below into the editor window.
Sub sort_rand() ActivePresentation.SlideShowWindow .View.GotoSlide Int(Rnd * ActivePresentation.Slides.Count) + 1 End Sub
Step 4
Press "Alt" + "Q" to save the macro and return to the presentation.
Create the Action Button
Step 1
Click the "Insert" tab and then the "Shapes" button.
Step 2
Click on the desired shape under the "Action Buttons" heading at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
Step 3
Click on the work area, and drag the shape to the desired size.
Step 4
Click the radio button beside "Run macro" in the dialog box that appears, and select the "sort_rand" macro you created earlier. Click "OK."
Step 5
Press "Ctrl" + "C" with the button selected to copy it to the clipboard.
Step 6
Click on the next slide in the left pane.
Step 7
Press "Ctrl" + "V" to paste the button into the slide. Repeat this for each slide in the presentation.
Step 8
Press "F5" to begin the slideshow from the first slide.
Step 9
Click on the button you created to make the next slide a random slide. Every time you click on the button, the PowerPoint macro will select a random slide to display.