Export Keynote as a movie or as HTML?
Keynote can turn a deck into a video file or into a web page. Both keep the animations and the clips. The difference is who is in control: a movie plays on its own clock, the HTML export waits for the viewer's tap. Choose by what the viewer is meant to do.
The movie export
File → Export To → Movie. Keynote renders the deck to a video file, with builds and transitions as they play. You choose the resolution and how slides advance: on timings you set, or following a slideshow you recorded with a voiceover. The result plays in any video player and uploads to YouTube, Vimeo or a social feed.
The HTML export
File → Export To → HTML. Keynote writes a folder with index.html and an assets folder, and its web player runs the deck in a browser. The viewer taps or clicks to advance at their own pace, hyperlinks still work, and clips play when their slide comes up. A folder cannot be attached to a message, so it needs hosting to become a link; that is the job Linkdeck does.
Side by side
| Movie export | HTML export on Linkdeck | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the pace | The timer or your recording | The viewer, tap by tap |
| Builds and transitions | Yes, rendered into the video | Yes, played live |
| Hyperlinks | No | Yes |
| Embedded video and audio | Yes | Yes; sound starts on the first tap |
| Posting to video platforms | Yes | Share the link instead |
| Per-slide viewing time | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Changing it after sending | Export again, send a new file | Replace in place, same link (Pro) |
When the movie is right
- Nobody will interact with it: a loop on a screen at a stand, a social post, a reel.
- You want your voiceover baked in, so the deck presents itself.
- It has to play offline from a file.
When HTML is right
The deck is read, not watched: a pitch, a proposal, a treatment the client steps through on a phone, at their speed, maybe twice. You want links to work, to see which slides held attention, and to fix a typo without sending a new file. Export to HTML, compress the folder and upload it; the first deck is free.
Questions
Does the HTML export keep animations?
Yes. Apple's export guide says builds and transitions are exported, and Keynote's web player runs them in the browser. Test any unusual build on a phone before sending.
Can I upload a Keynote movie to Linkdeck?
No. Linkdeck hosts Keynote HTML exports only, as a zipped folder. For a video file, a video host such as Vimeo or YouTube is the better fit.
Which export is smaller?
It depends on the deck. A movie grows with running time and resolution; an HTML export is roughly the size of the media inside it. Export both from a copy and compare.
Keep the deck interactive
Export to HTML, compress the folder, upload. Free for one deck, no account needed; Pro (€12 a month) keeps it permanent.