How to export a Keynote presentation to HTML
Keynote for Mac can export a deck as a self-contained web page that keeps the animations, builds, audio and video. This is the exact path, what comes out, and how to zip it so it uploads first time.
The menu path
In Keynote for Mac, with the deck open:
- Choose File → Export To → HTML… from the menu bar.
- Leave the options as they are unless you have a reason to change them, then click Save.
- Pick a location such as the Desktop and click Export.
What is in the folder
Keynote writes a folder, not a single file. Inside it you will find index.html and an assets folder holding the slide images, media and the player scripts. The index.html is what a browser opens; the assets folder is everything it needs. Keep them together.
Zip the folder itself
In the Finder, right-click the exported folder (the one that contains index.html) and choose Compress. You get a .zip next to it with the same name. That .zip is what you upload.
Linkdeck unzips it, checks that index.html is at the root or one folder down, and hosts the result.
Three mistakes that stop the upload
Each of these shows up every week.
- Zipping the parent folder. If you compress the Desktop folder that holds the export, index.html ends up two levels deep. Compress the export folder itself.
- Uploading the .key file. The Keynote document is not the export. Linkdeck needs the HTML export, zipped.
- Exporting to PDF or PowerPoint. Neither keeps the builds, and neither will upload. It has to be HTML.
Check it before you upload
Double-click index.html inside the export folder to open it in Safari. Advance a few slides, play any video, listen for audio. If it works locally, it will work as a link. If a build looks wrong, fix it in Keynote and export again.
Then upload
Drop the .zip on the Linkdeck home page. Free decks can be 200 MB; Pro decks 500 MB. You get a link that opens the deck in any browser, on any device, with no Keynote installed.
Questions
Why is my export so large?
The HTML export includes your images and video at the size they are in the deck. A deck with several minutes of video is typically hundreds of megabytes. Shorten or compress video in Keynote before exporting if you need to get under the 200 MB (Free) or 500 MB (Pro) limit.
Do I need to keep the export folder after uploading?
No. Keep the original .key file, which is what you edit. You can export again any time.
Can I do this from PowerPoint?
No. This export is a Keynote feature, and Linkdeck hosts Keynote HTML exports only. It does not convert PowerPoint files.
Upload the ZIP and get a link
The first deck is free and needs no account. Open the link on your phone to see the deck play.