Collaborating on PowerPoint/ Word while on TEAMS

Lyns 0 Reputation points
2026-03-12T13:54:00.2933333+00:00

Hi,

I tutor children.

I would like to be able to share PPts/ Word docs for my students to be able to work on live with me, while also being able to see them.

At the moment, this is a very clunky process: share, split screens etc and it doesn't flow well when I work.

Is there another way of doing this - like when in presenter mode and the doc takes priority on screen but you can still see chat and videos of participants?

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for education | Meetings and calls | Screen sharing
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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-12T13:54:16.7066667+00:00

    Yes. Use PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams to get exactly this experience.

    For PowerPoint:

    1. Join the Teams meeting.
    2. Select Share in the meeting controls.
    3. Under PowerPoint Live, choose the PowerPoint file to present. If it’s not listed, select Browse OneDrive or Browse my computer to upload it.
    4. The slides appear in the meeting, and the presenter view lets the document take priority while still showing participants’ video, raised hands, reactions, and chat in the same window.
    5. Use the Layout button in the meeting controls to change how the slides and video appear (for example, to keep students’ video visible while presenting).
    6. Use tools like Laser pointer, Pen, Highlighter, and Eraser to annotate the slides live.

    For student interaction on the slides:

    • Students can interact with the PowerPoint Live deck during the meeting:
      • Use navigation arrows to move around slides on their own without affecting the main presentation.
      • Click hyperlinks and interact with embedded videos at their own pace.
      • Use accessibility options like Translate slides and View slides in high contrast.
    • If independent navigation is not desired, turn off Private view in the meeting controls so students stay synced to the presenter’s slide.

    This avoids manual screen-splitting and keeps both the teaching content and student video/chat in one integrated view.

    For Word documents:

    • Word does not have a PowerPoint Live–style presenter mode in Teams, but a similar collaborative effect can be achieved by opening the Word document in the browser or desktop app and sharing it via Teams while students co-author in Word itself. For a presenter-style layout with chat and video integrated, PowerPoint Live is the supported option.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Nam-D 3,980 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-12T15:49:14.55+00:00

    Hello @Lyns,

    If you would like to collaborate with your students on a PowerPoint or Word document while still seeing them during a Teams meeting, there are a couple of features in Microsoft Teams that can make this process smoother than sharing and manually splitting screens.

    Option 1: Use PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams (recommended for PowerPoint) PowerPoint Live allows you to present slides while still seeing meeting participants, chat, and notes in the Teams interface.

    Steps:

    1. During the Teams meeting, select Share.
    2. Under the PowerPoint Live section, choose your PowerPoint file (or upload it to OneDrive if it is not listed).
    3. Start presenting.

    With PowerPoint Live, you can:

    • See participant videos and chat while presenting.
    • Navigate slides smoothly.
    • Allow participants to follow along or move through slides themselves if permitted.

    You can learn more here: Share slides in Microsoft Teams meetings with PowerPoint Live - Microsoft Support

    Option 2: Collaborate on Word or PowerPoint using a shared file (co-authoring) If the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, you can share the file link in the meeting chat so both you and your students can edit it at the same time.

    Steps:

    1. Upload the document to OneDrive.
    2. During the meeting, open the file and select Share.
    3. Send the edit link to your students in the Teams chat.
    4. Everyone can open the document and work on it simultaneously while staying in the meeting.

    More information about real-time collaboration in Office: Collaborate on Word documents with real-time co-authoring - Microsoft Support

    This approach usually works well for tutoring sessions because you can keep the Teams meeting visible while students edit the document in real time.

    If the experience still feels difficult to manage, please let us know:

    • Whether you are using Teams desktop app or web version
    • Whether the files are stored in OneDrive/SharePoint or locally on your device

    With a bit more detail, the community can suggest the best setup for your scenario.

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