How to send a Keynote presentation

Every way to send it, side by side

Nine ways, and what each one asks of the person on the other end. The mail limits are the ones Apple, Google and Microsoft publish; a work account may set its own.

If they'll edit it: send the file

In Keynote on your Mac, click Share in the toolbar and choose Send Copy (Send a Copy on macOS 27 or later, File → Send a Copy on macOS 12 or earlier). Pick Mail, Messages or AirDrop. They get the .key itself, open it in Keynote and can change anything.

AirDrop is the quick one for someone in the room: they need to be nearby, you both need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, and they accept the file. For a deck you're both still working on, share it through iCloud instead. Everyone with access sees changes as they're made, so nobody ends up with version 7b. iCloud link or Linkdeck link goes into when that live link is right and when it isn't.

If it's too big to email

Mail limits are small next to a deck with film in it: 25 MB on a personal Gmail account, 25 MB on Outlook.com with the message counted in, and 35 MB by default on Microsoft 365 work mail, though your company can set its own. Gmail swaps anything bigger for a Google Drive link.

Apple Mail offers Mail Drop when an attachment is too big for your mail server. It takes up to 5 GB, and the download stays up for 30 days. They still receive a .key, so they still need Keynote.

If they have Keynote, a transfer or cloud link works just as well: WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud Drive. They download the .key and open it as usual. How big it can be and how long the link lasts depend on the service and your plan.

Or make the file smaller (how to reduce a Keynote file size), or send a link to the deck instead of the file. How to send a large Keynote file puts transfers, Mail Drop and links side by side.

If they don't have Keynote

Then the .key is no use to them, and you're choosing between a PDF, a movie, an iCloud link and a link to the HTML export. Each costs something different: a PDF turns builds into pages, a movie plays on your clock, iCloud.com drops the soundtrack and some builds, and the HTML export has to be made on a Mac.

On Android, Apple says people can view a shared iCloud presentation but not edit it. On Windows, Keynote for iCloud runs in a supported browser. There's more on both in sharing a Keynote with someone who doesn't have Keynote and sending a Keynote to someone on Windows.

If the builds, film or sound matter

Here the options differ most. A PDF keeps each build only as a still page. On iCloud.com, action builds don't show, other builds and transitions it doesn't support play as a Dissolve, the soundtrack and recorded narration don't play, and video and audio stop during transitions. A movie keeps all of it, at the timing you set.

Keynote's HTML export keeps animations and builds, Apple says, and it's the one that moves on the viewer's own taps. In the decks we host, film plays inside the slide. Browsers usually hold back sound until the viewer has tapped or clicked the page, so on Linkdeck a film starts muted and its sound comes in with their first tap or click. More in keeping Keynote animations when you share, music and video in the HTML export and exporting a Keynote as a movie.

Sending from an iPhone or iPad

Keynote on iPhone and iPad can send the .key with Send Copy, or export and send a PDF, a PowerPoint file, a movie, an animated GIF, images or a Keynote theme. HTML isn't on that list, so a link to the real deck has to be made on a Mac.

If you open linkdeck.me on your phone, it offers to send the upload page to your Mac so you can make the link there. Watching works on any phone; here's what they see on an iPhone.

Put a password on it first

On the .key itself, choose File → Set Password. Keynote encrypts the file, and Apple is clear that a forgotten password can't be recovered, so keep it somewhere safe.

PDF and PowerPoint exports have a Require password to open checkbox, which applies only to the exported copy. If your .key already has a password, those exports carry it unless you change it.

A Linkdeck link takes a password on a kept deck (€9 once) or on Pro. You set it in the deck's settings, and the link stays the same.

Presenting live instead?

Keynote Live is no longer available. Apple now suggests playing your presentation in a FaceTime call, or sharing your screen in Zoom, Webex or a similar app. Linkdeck is for the other case: a deck people open on their own time, before or after the meeting.

When you don't need Linkdeck

Often. Use what you already have when:

• They'll edit it: send the .key, or an iCloud link if you're working on it together.
• They have Keynote: attach the .key if it fits under their mail limit, or send a transfer or cloud link if it doesn't.
• They need to print it, sign it or upload it to a portal: send a PDF.
• It's a loop on a screen or a post on social media: export a movie.
• You're presenting live: FaceTime, Zoom or Webex.
• You run your own website and want the deck on your own domain: host the HTML export yourself.

The link route, in three steps

The link is made on your Mac. The free Keynote shortcut does the first two steps from inside Keynote and copies the link for you.

• In Keynote, choose File → Export To → HTML and save it. The export guide goes through what comes out.
• Drop the exported folder, or a .zip of it, on linkdeck.me. Your first deck needs no account.
• Send the link by email, Messages, WhatsApp or Slack. It plays in their browser, on a phone or a laptop. A free link lasts 3 days (24 hours until you sign in); on a kept or Pro deck you can see who opened it and fix it without changing the link.

Questions

How do I send a Keynote to someone who doesn't have a Mac?

Send a PDF if they need to read or print it, a movie if it should play by itself, an iCloud link if they'll view it in a browser on Windows, or a link to the HTML export if they should click through it with the builds, film and sound on any device. Making that link needs a Mac; watching it doesn't.

How do I send a Keynote that's too big for email?

If they have Keynote, use Mail Drop in Apple Mail (up to 5 GB, available for 30 days) or a transfer or cloud link such as WeTransfer or Google Drive. You can also shrink it with File → Reduce File Size, or send a link to the deck instead of the file. A Linkdeck link takes an HTML export of up to 200 MB on Free and 500 MB on Pro, and there's no file for them to download first.

Can I send a Keynote from my iPhone?

Yes: the .key with Send Copy, or a PDF, PowerPoint file, movie, animated GIF or images with Export and Send. Keynote on iPhone and iPad can't export HTML, so a link to the real deck has to be made on a Mac.

Will they see my animations?

In Keynote, yes. On iCloud.com, action builds don't show, and other builds and transitions it doesn't support play as a Dissolve. In a PDF, only as still pages. In a movie, yes, at the timing you set. At a link to the HTML export, as Keynote exported them, at their own pace.

Can I send a Keynote on WhatsApp?

You can send the .key as a document, but it opens properly only in Keynote or Keynote for iCloud. A link opens in a browser straight from the chat, so for someone watching on a phone, send the link.

Is Keynote Live still available?

No. Apple says Keynote Live is no longer available and suggests presenting in a FaceTime call or sharing your screen in Zoom, Webex or a similar app.

Send the version that plays

Export to HTML, drop the folder, send the link. The first deck is free and needs no account.

Upload a Keynote export

Free for 3 days. €9 once keeps one deck for good; €12 a month keeps every deck. See pricing

Related

• Guides: How to send a large Keynote file
• Questions: Can I share a Keynote with someone who doesn't have Keynote?
• Guides: Keep your Keynote animations when you share the deck
• Guides: How to reduce a Keynote file size