Upgrade your presenting style by controlling the whole show from your iPad

A huge part of giving any presentation is how you come across as you go through the slides of your beautifully crafted Keynote file. Using just your Mac can feel restrictive, though, as you have to keep stepping back to it in order to move along to the next slide.

Thanks to the addition of the new Remote feature, you can now use your iOS device to control your presentation, moving through slides as it suits you. Remote uses either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to enable you to connect Keynote on both Mac and iOS and run your presentation. This is the perfect solution if you don’t have access to an Apple TV for mirroring features. Follow these steps and you will be giving polished and smooth presentations in no time thanks to your iOS devices and Mac.

Step-by-step: Use Keynote Remote to give presentations

1 Remote on iOS
Start by launching Keynote on your iOS device, and moving to the Presentations screen. Tap the central of the three icons in the top-left corner to open the Remote settings window.

2 Remote on Mac
Having now been prompted by your iPhone or iPad, open Keynote on your Mac and go to Preferences. Select Remotes from the top menu and then tick the Enable box.

3 Create the link
Ticking the box will see your iPad’s name appear in the list on the right. Click the Link button to the right of it and you will kick start the pairing of your two devices.

4 Enter the code
A code will now appear on the screens of both of your devices. Check that they match and then click Confirm on your Mac. The code will change to a Play icon in iOS.

5 Taking over the screen
When you hit the Play button, your presentation will open on both of your screens, ready to be controlled. The time will appear at the top of the screen so you can stay on schedule too.

6 Interact and present
Tap the screen to move through interactions and slides, enabling you to step away from your Mac and engage the audience. Just tap the ‘x’ to close your presentation when you’re done.

The key parts of the presenter screen

With your Mac screen showing off your slides, there is space on your iOS device for handy prompts and options to make things go a little smoother. There are coloured indicators to show when a page has finished loading to keep your timing accurate. There are also multiple ways to view slides, and these steps will give you an idea about how to get even more from these settings.

1 Timing is everything
When the presenter mode launches on your iPad, a live clock drops intuitively in to the top of the screen. This way, you can keep track of the time as you move through your slides, ensuring you don’t overrun.

2 Change the view
Tap the icon next to the ‘x’ in the top-right corner of the screen to access the different viewing options. Here, you can view the current slide and the upcoming one, so you can speak about both seamlessly.