How do I embed video in PowerPoint with relative paths?

Solution 1:

Note: doesn't work for PowerPoint 2003, only for new pptx files (since 2007)

Seems like relative paths are supported, they are just not straightforward to implement. For example if your Powerpoint presentation is in the MyFiles folder, and the MyMovie.avi is in the Media folder inside MyFiles. The trick is to edit the xml files inside the Powerpoint file:

• Make a copy of your presentation as Presentation.pptx (just to keep the original safe).
• Rename your Presentation.pptx file into Presentation.pptx.zip
• Open the resulting zip file by clicking on it.
• It will open as a folder. Inside it, go to ppt, then slides, then _rels
• You will see files called slide1.xml.rels etc.
• Copy (drag and drop) all those to another place, outside the archive.
• Now open the file corresponding to the number of your slide with video with some editor (for example, Notepad).
• Look for the line that says something like: Target="file:///C:\MyFiles\Media\MyMovie.avi"
• If your Powerpoint presentation is in the MyFiles folder, and the MyMovie.avi is in the Media folder inside MyFiles, then change the above line to: Target="Media\MyMovie.avi"
• Save the slide1.xml.rels file (or whatever number it was), then drag it back to that archive (that is actually a Powerpoint file), and then rename the archive back to Presentation.pptx
• This is it. Now you should be able to carry around the folder MyFiles with the presentation and with the Media folder inside it that contains your video.

Works for me on Windows 7.

Good luck!

Solution 2:

This would be why Microsoft has the "Pack and Go" Wizard - running it on a PowerPoint will collect all linked videos, fonts, sound files, etc. and package it on a CD you can take anywhere or in a self-extracting file that you can take where you need to go.

At your discretion it can even embed the viewer so you don't have to worry about if the target computer has an app that supports your presentation.

Solution 3:

If your video is in the same folder as your presentation, the link should continue to work even when moved.

P.S. You have to move the video file too.