Tech Reference

'What is Keynote on iPhone?': How to use the Keynote app on your iPhone to make slideshow presentations on the go

Written by Steven John
man using iphone
Once you know how to use it, the Keynote app on iPhone can make a solid slideshow presentation. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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To Microsoft Word, you have Apple's Pages. To Microsoft's Excel, you have Apple's Numbers. And for PowerPoint, the Apple counterpart is Keynote, the presentation app that comes preloaded on your iPhone (and is free from the App Store if you deleted it).

Keynote is a presentation-design program perfect for everything from a report you're giving in school, to a proposal you want to share with your colleagues at the office. And once you spend some time with Keynote, you'll realize it's really not that hard to use.

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iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to use Keynote on your iPhone

To create a new Keynote project, open the Keynote app, which is a blue box with a white image of a lectern inside it.

Tap the "Create Presentation" icon — it's the plus (+) symbol in the top-right — then select the theme you wish to use. You can always use your own images in the slides, so don't be thrown off by the stock images.

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There are a great number of preset themes to choose between.  Steven John/Business Insider

Once inside the new project, double-tap in the various boxes on the first slide to add text or media. You can simply begin typing after double tapping, or hit the plus symbol at the top to add images, graphs, video, audio, drawings, and more.

To add a new slide, hit the plus symbol in a blue box at the bottom left corner of the screen. Slides can always be dragged into new order by tapping, holding, and moving them up or down in the pane on the left. 

what is keynote add slide
Add a slide by tapping the lower-left "+" symbol.  Steven John/Business Insider

To add transitions between your slides (and alter various other settings) tap the three little dots in a circle in the top-right corner and select "Transitions and Builds." Then tap the slide to which you want to add a transition, tap "Add Transition," and then make your selection.

Using Keynote can be a collaborative process; just hit the "Add People" button at the top of the screen (it looks like a silhouette of a stick figure's head and shoulders in a circle), and invite others to work with you.

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You can invite people through iMessage, email, and more.  Steven John/Business Insider

Once you're happy with your Keynote presentation, it's time to export it. Tap those three dots at the top-right and select "Export." You can then choose the type of file you'd like to create, which can then be shared with others, saved to your phone, sent to Google Drive, and so on.

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Keynote presentations can be converted into a variety of formats.  William Antonelli/Business Insider

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Steven John
Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.