To add notes to a Keynote slide on your Mac, open the deck, choose View > Show Presenter Notes, select a slide in the slide navigator, and type in the notes area below it. Presenter notes are for the person presenting; they don’t appear on the slide itself. You can then review them in the presenter display or while rehearsing. Apple’s Keynote User Guide

Add notes to individual slides

  1. Open the presentation in Keynote.

  2. In the toolbar, click View and choose Show Presenter Notes. If the notes area is already visible, you can start typing there.

  3. Click a slide in the slide navigator, then type in the white notes field below the slide. Select another slide to add its notes in the same way.

Keep each note attached to the slide it supports. For example, add a reminder to explain a chart’s units or to pause for a question. The small square shown in the top-right corner of a slide thumbnail indicates that the slide has presenter notes. To change how the notes look, select their text, click Format in the toolbar, and use the text controls in the sidebar. Apple’s instructions for adding and viewing presenter notes

Check your notes and make edits

You can revise notes in the editing view by selecting the relevant slide and changing the text beneath it. To make more room on the slide canvas, click View > Hide Presenter Notes; this hides the field without removing its contents. Choose View > Show Presenter Notes to bring it back.

To practice with the notes visible, choose Play > Rehearse Slideshow. Keynote opens the presenter display; while viewing it, double-click the Presenter Notes field to edit, then click Done. Press Esc when you want to stop rehearsing. You can rehearse without connecting an external display. Apple’s guide to rehearsing a Keynote presentation

View notes while presenting

With a separate display connected, Keynote can show the audience the slideshow while you use the presenter display on your Mac. That display can include presenter notes alongside slide and presentation controls. If the notes aren’t visible, use the presenter display’s display configuration options to show them. Check the display arrangement before presenting so you know which screen is showing the slideshow and which one you’re using to read notes. Apple’s guide to presenting on a separate display

Without a second display, choose Play > In Window to keep the slideshow and presenter display in separate windows. Apple describes this mode as useful when you need to access your notes on the same Mac. The audience will only see your notes if you share or project the screen or window that contains them, so check what’s being shared before you begin. Apple’s guide to playing a presentation on Mac

What to know about automatic notes

Keynote’s manual notes field is available for writing your own slide notes. Apple also documents a Generate Presenter Notes toolbar control for subscribers to Apple Creator Studio; that feature requires macOS 26 or later. If you don’t meet those requirements or don’t see the control, add notes by typing in the field below each slide. Apple’s presenter notes guide

Before presenting, click through the slides and confirm that notes appear where you expect. Then rehearse in the display setup you plan to use, or use Rehearse Slideshow to review them on your Mac. Press Esc to stop rehearsal. This final pass helps you catch an empty notes field or a note attached to the wrong slide before you present.

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