What are the steps to add a video background to a PowerPoint presentation?

Adding a video background to a PowerPoint presentation can critically enhance the visual engagement of your slides. Here are the detailed steps to do it:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add the video background.
2. Go to the ‘Insert’ tab on the PowerPoint toolbar, then choose ‘Video’ from the dropdown menu. You will see two options – ‘Video on My PC’ and ‘Online Video’. If you have a video file on your computer, choose the first option. If you want to use a video from YouTube or similar platforms, choose the second option.
3. If you’re adding a video from your computer, navigate to the file you want to use and click ‘Insert’. If you’re adding an online video, paste the video URL into the dialog box and click ‘Insert’.
4. Once the video is inserted, click on it to activate the ‘Video Tools’ tabs. Go to the ‘Playback’ tab, and under ‘Video Options’, check the ‘Loop until Stopped’ box. This ensures your video plays on a loop during the slide show.
5. Next, in the same ‘Playback’ tab, select ‘Automatically’ from the ‘Start’ dropdown menu. This setting ensures your video starts playing as soon as you navigate to the slide.
6. Finally, to make your video a background, right-click on it and select ‘Send to Back’. Now, your video sits behind any text or images on the slide.

Please note that videos can significantly increase the size of your PowerPoint file and may require robust hardware and software to run smoothly.