Can I share a Keynote with someone who doesn't have Keynote?
Yes. Pick the method by what you need to survive the trip. Four routes work; three of them cost you something you built, and one of them keeps the deck as it is.
The direct answer
The other person does not need Keynote if you send them something other than the .key file. Keynote can share a view link through iCloud, export a PDF, export a movie, or export the whole deck as HTML. Which one you pick decides whether they get your builds, your video and your hyperlinks, or a flattened version of them.
The four methods compared
| iCloud view link | Movie export | HTML export as a link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builds and transitions | Most, when played in Keynote for iCloud | No | Baked in, fixed timing | Yes, as built |
| Video and audio | Yes | No | Yes, as one recording | Yes |
| Hyperlinks clickable | When played | Yes | No | Yes |
| Viewer needs | Supported browser or Keynote | Any PDF reader | Any video player | Any browser |
| File size to send | None, it is a link | Small | Large | None, it is a link |
| Updates after sending | Live, every edit shows | Resend | Re-export, resend | Replace in place (Pro) |
Why the usual answer is 'export a movie' and why that is not enough
Ask this question on a forum and the common reply is to export the deck as a movie. It is not wrong: a movie plays anywhere and keeps every animation. But it plays on its own clock. Nobody can click a link, pause on the pricing slide, or go back two slides to check a number. Your deck becomes a video of your deck, and a 20-slide pitch with builds turns into a 300 MB file that will not go through email either.
The link route
Export the deck to HTML (File → Export To → HTML…). Apple documents that animations and builds are exported, and the folder includes the deck's media. Zip that folder, upload it, and send the link. The person opens it in Safari, Chrome or Edge on whatever they have: iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac. Keynote's own player runs in the browser, so builds fire on tap, video plays inside the slide, hyperlinks work, and they control the pace.
Free hosts one deck up to 200 MB for 3 days. Pro (€12 a month) keeps 10 decks online permanently and adds a custom slug, password, email gate, per-slide analytics and replace in place.
Which one to pick
- They need to print it or mark it up: PDF.
- It is going on a screen in a lobby with nobody clicking: movie.
- They are editing it with you and have an Apple Account: iCloud.
- You want them to see the deck you built, on their phone, and know whether they opened it: HTML export as a link.
Questions
Does the movie export keep interactivity?
No. A movie is a recording of the deck, so hyperlinks, click-to-advance and any interactive build are gone; it plays through on its own timing.
Does the HTML export keep music and video?
Apple's export page says animations and builds are exported. In the decks we host, embedded video and soundtracks play in the hosted player as well; check your own deck once after upload, since codecs vary.
Do they need to download anything?
No. A hosted link opens in the browser they already have. No Keynote, no app, no Apple Account.
Upload the export and send the link to someone on Windows
Free for the first deck. Builds, video and hyperlinks stay as you built them.