Getting Started with Presentation Remote

Show your presentation on a Windows PC or Mac and use your phone as the remote. This guide walks you through connecting the devices, choosing your files, and controlling the slides on a bigger screen.

1. Install on Your Phone and Computer

Install Presentation Remote on your Android phone or iPhone and on the Windows PC or Mac that will display the presentation.
Connect both devices to the same local network. Your phone can use Wi-Fi while the computer uses either Wi-Fi or a wired connection to the same router.
Open Presentation Remote on both devices and allow local-network access when prompted.
If you are using a monitor or projector connected to your computer, move the Presentation Remote window onto that display before starting in fullscreen.

The steps below use your phone to choose files and control the show, and your computer to display it. You can also present to another phone or tablet, or choose This Device to present locally without pairing. Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows can all send, receive, and control presentations.

2. Pair Your Phone with the Computer

On your phone, open Present and find your computer under Nearby devices.
Select the computer and request pairing.
Approve the pairing request on the computer.
On the computer, open Devices, select your paired phone, and check that Start presentations and Remote control are enabled.

Each receiving device manages its own permissions. Start presentations lets your phone open a show on the computer; Remote control lets it change the slides. If the computer does not appear, use Devices → Add → Look up IP address to find it by its local IP address.

3. Choose and Arrange Your Files

On your phone, open Present and choose Add.
Choose Files to select images, PDFs, or supported documents available on your phone. Choose Images, then Photos or Albums, to add pictures from your photo library.
Put the selected items in the order you want to present them. Switch between list and grid views, remove individual items, or clear the selection to start again.

Images and PDFs work on every supported receiving device. Mac and Windows can also convert PPT, DOC, XLS, ODP, ODT, and ODS using compatible Microsoft Office or LibreOffice software installed on that computer. RTF requires LibreOffice. You can choose the Office document converter in desktop Settings.

Documents become static slides in Presentation Remote. Animations and embedded audio or video do not play. Export your document to PDF first if the receiving device has no compatible converter. Password-protected PDFs are not supported.

Whole-album selection requires full photo-library access. Cloud-backed photos may need to download to your phone first. On Android, images must be available in the system photo library; cloud-only Google Photos albums are not available through that library.

4. Start on the Big Screen

On your phone, check Quick Options. Enable Fullscreen to fill the computer's display and Save to Recent if you want to reuse the selection later.
Select your paired computer as the destination.
Wait while the files transfer and the computer prepares the slides. The presentation opens once the first slide is ready.
Keep Presentation Remote open on both devices while you present.

The presentation opens in the computer's current app window. To change screens, leave fullscreen, move the window to the desired monitor or projector, and enter fullscreen again. Each participating device supports one active presentation at a time.

5. Use Your Phone as the Remote

Navigate: Use Previous and Next, or tap a thumbnail in the slide strip to jump directly to a slide.
Pause for discussion: Use Blank screen to show black or white, then resume the slides when you are ready.
Choose a transition: Select Slide, Fade, Zoom, Wipe, or None.
Fill the display: Use Fullscreen to change how the presentation appears on the computer.
Watch your time: Enable Show timer on the controller. Tap the timer to switch between elapsed slide and presentation time; long press to reset. The audience does not see this timer.

You decide when to advance; there is no automatic playback. You can also control the presentation directly on the receiving device. If that device disables Remote control for your phone, the phone can still follow the show but its slide controls are disabled.

6. End the Presentation

Use the close control and confirm that you want to end the presentation. Ending it from your phone also closes the presentation on the computer when the devices can communicate. The receiving device then removes its temporary presentation files.

7. Reuse a Selection from Recent

With Save to Recent enabled, a successful presentation saves its selection on the device that sent it. Open Recent to restore that selection into Present, rename it, pin a favorite, filter by destination, or combine selections.

Restoring a selection lets you review it before starting another show. Recent remembers the selected files and their order, along with a first-slide cover; it does not save a finished copy of the presentation. Keep the source files available, or restore access or relink them where offered.

Quick Troubleshooting

The computer does not appear: Check that both devices are on the same local network, the app is open, and local-network access is allowed. A firewall, VPN, guest network, or router isolation setting can block the connection. Try looking up the computer by local IP address.
A presentation cannot start: Add at least one available file, enable Start presentations for your phone on the computer, and end any active presentation on the target.
The phone's slide controls are disabled: On the computer, open Devices, select your phone, and enable Remote control.
The slides are on the wrong monitor: Leave fullscreen, move the app window to the audience's display, and enter fullscreen again.
An Office document will not open: Use a Mac or Windows receiver with a compatible Microsoft Office or LibreOffice installation. Check Office document converter in desktop Settings, or export the document to PDF first. RTF requires LibreOffice.
A photo is missing: Check photo-library access and make sure the photo is downloaded and available in the phone's system library.
A Recent selection has missing files: Restore access to the originals, relink them where offered, or remove unavailable items and add their replacements.

Once paired, the everyday flow is simple: choose your files on your phone, select your computer, and present with the controls in your hand.

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