Turn PowerPoint speaker notes into cue cards
Last updated: 5 October 2026
Presenter view is great until the laptop is ten metres away or the clicker stops working. This free converter reads the speaker notes in your PowerPoint file and turns them into printable cue cards: every slide starts a new card headed “SLIDE 3”, so your cards stay in step with the deck. If a presentation has no notes, the text on the slides is used instead.
How to convert PowerPoint notes to cue cards
- Save the presentation as .pptx. PowerPoint uses .pptx by default. From Google Slides choose File → Download → Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx); from Keynote choose File → Export To → PowerPoint.
- Upload the file on the cue card maker. The file is opened in your browser; only the extracted text is sent for splitting.
- Check the cards. Long notes are split at natural pauses, so one slide may need two cards. Names, numbers, dates and times are highlighted automatically.
- Print or practise. Print on 4 × 6 or 3 × 5 index cards, A6 or A5, several to a sheet with cut lines – or use Practice mode to rehearse card by card with a timer.
What happens to each slide
- Notes present: the speaker notes of every slide that has them are used, in the order of the presentation – even if slides were moved around. Hidden slides are skipped.
- No notes anywhere: the titles and bullet text of the slides are used, so you still get a prompt card per slide.
- Slides without notes in a deck that has notes elsewhere are skipped, so you don’t print empty cards.
- Each slide starts a new card. Text from two slides never shares a card, and the card is headed with the slide number.
Writing speaker notes that work on cue cards
Notes written for presenter view are often a mix of reminders and half sentences. If you plan to speak from printed cards, it pays to tidy them up:
- Write what you will actually say, in the order you will say it.
- Keep notes for one slide to roughly 60–120 words; a slide you talk over for two minutes deserves two cards.
- Spell out names, figures and dates exactly as they should be read.
- Put stage directions in brackets – [CLICK], [VIDEO], [PAUSE] – so they stand out from the spoken text.
- Add a one-line transition at the end of each slide’s notes so you know what comes next.
Cue cards or presenter view?
Presenter view shows your notes, the next slide and a timer on the laptop screen, which is ideal when you stand behind a lectern. Printed cue cards win when you move around the stage, present from a different machine, share a stage with other speakers, or simply want a backup that cannot crash. Many experienced presenters use both: presenter view for timing, cards in hand for the words that matter.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert PowerPoint speaker notes to cue cards for free?
Yes. Upload the .pptx file on the cue card maker; there is no account, watermark or payment.
Does it work with Google Slides or Keynote?
Yes, once the presentation is saved as PowerPoint (.pptx). In Google Slides use File → Download → Microsoft PowerPoint; in Keynote use File → Export To → PowerPoint.
What if my slides have no speaker notes?
The text on the slides – titles and bullet points – is used instead, one section per slide.
Are older .ppt files supported?
No. Open the file in PowerPoint and save it as .pptx first.
Is my presentation uploaded?
The file itself is opened in your browser. Only the extracted text is sent over an encrypted connection to split it into cards; it is not stored on our servers.
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