01: The Focus

The whole picture, one point at a time.

SparkSpotlight is a PowerPoint add-in for Windows and Mac. You add spotlights while editing. The finished deck plays in any PowerPoint, with no add-in needed to present or view it. Every way to highlight part of a slide

Spotlight each point of a complex slide, one at a time

Launching soon

See how it works

A Q3 Results slide before any spotlight is opened, showing three cards: Revenue, Active users and Churn. — Your slide, unchanged

A Q3 Results slide in slide show: the Active users card stays bright inside a white ring, the rest of the slide is dimmed, and a card titled "Onboarding drove this" explains the number. — In slide show: click a box to spotlight it

Demo video coming soon

You know this slide

It holds the whole story: a workflow with eight steps, a framework where every box connects to the next, a dashboard with a chart and five numbers. It belongs on one slide, because the connections are the point.

But the moment it appears, the room reads everything at once. You are explaining step three while they are still on step seven.

So you try the workarounds. Split it across six slides, and the big picture is gone. Build it with entrance and exit animations, and you spend an hour in the Animation Pane, one misclick away from the wrong box appearing. Reach for the laser pointer, and on a video call the dot is easy to miss.

One slide. One point at a time.

SparkSpotlight leaves your slide exactly as it is. In slide show, click any element: the rest of the slide dims, that element stays bright, and a card gives its key point. Click anywhere and the full slide returns. Then take the next point.

The short version

What it is: A PowerPoint add-in that turns any element into a click-to-open spotlight
What it replaces: Splitting one slide into many, entrance and exit animations, a laser pointer that is easy to miss
When it works: In slide show: click the element to open, click anywhere to close
Where: Add spotlights: Microsoft 365 on Windows (2601 or later) or Mac (16.105 or later). Present: any PowerPoint on Windows or Mac, no add-in needed
Cost: One-time purchase. No subscription.
Privacy: Runs inside PowerPoint. Your slides are never uploaded
Best for: Workflows, frameworks, diagrams, dashboards, key numbers

Why it works in the room

Focus on cue.

Nothing else is bright, so every eye goes where you point.

The big picture stays.

One slide, not six. After every point, the audience comes back to the whole.

Nothing fragile to build.

No animation timelines. Select an element, type its key point, click Add spotlight. When you change the slide later, Rebuild brings its spotlights up to date.

What SparkSpotlight does

Spotlight any element.

A number, a box, a picture, a table, a chart or a text box. One spotlight per element, and as many elements per slide as you need.

Your point, in your words.

Add an optional title and a key point of up to 240 characters. Choose where the card sits, or let Auto find the side with the most room.

On and off with one click.

In slide show, click the element to open its spotlight. Click anywhere to close it, and you are back on your slide, ready for the next point.

One button for every change.

Add, Update and Remove each take one click. Remove all clears the deck, and Rebuild refreshes spotlights after you edit a slide.

Native to PowerPoint.

Everything happens in a pane beside your slide: no other app, and nothing is uploaded. Your slide is never replaced, so its notes, comments and animations stay as they were.

Plays in any PowerPoint.

The finished deck presents on Windows or Mac, with no add-in needed to present or view it.

How it works

01
Select
Select an element on your slide: a number, a box, a picture, a chart.
02
Write
Type a title and the key point, and choose where the card sits.
03
Add
Click Add spotlight. In slide show, click the element to open it and click anywhere to close.

Set it up

01
Get the add-in file
When SparkSpotlight launches, buy and download the add-in file (the manifest).
02
Put it in a simple shared folder
Put it in your add-ins folder, for example C:\PPTAddin (the same folder SparkEmbed uses is fine). If you do not have one yet, create a plain folder with no spaces in the name, for example on your C drive, and move the file into it.
C:\PPTAddin
Right-click the folder, choose Properties, open the Sharing tab, click Share, pick your own username, then Share and Done. The Sharing tab now shows a network path that begins with two backslashes, such as \\YOUR-PC\PPTAddin. Copy that path.
03
Tell PowerPoint to trust that folder
Share that folder and add it in PowerPoint under File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Add-in Catalogs.
- Paste the network path into the Catalog Url box and click Add catalog.
- Tick the Show in Menu checkbox on that row. This step is easy to miss, and the add-in will not appear without it.
- Click OK to close both windows.
04
Restart, then insert it
Restart PowerPoint, then Insert > My Add-ins > Shared Folder > SparkSpotlight.
05
Add a spotlight and play
Select an element, type your key point, click Add spotlight, and play the slide show.

01
Get the add-in file
When SparkSpotlight launches, buy and download the add-in file.
02
Open the PowerPoint add-in folder
In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and paste the path below. If the final wef folder does not exist yet, create it.
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Powerpoint/Data/Documents/wef
03
Drop the file in
Drop the add-in file into the wef folder.
04
Restart, then insert it
Restart PowerPoint, then Insert > Add-ins > My Add-ins > SparkSpotlight.
05
Add a spotlight and play
Select an element, type your key point, click Add spotlight, and play the slide show.

Using SparkSpotlight

Add: Select one element, type a key point (a title is optional), pick a position, Add spotlight.
Edit: Select the element again. The pane shows its spotlight; change it and click Update spotlight.
Remove: Remove spotlight for one, Remove all spotlights for the whole deck. Your slides return to how they were.
After you change a slide: Click Rebuild this slide (or Rebuild all) so the spotlights show the new version.
Hover hint: The short text viewers see when they hover over the element. Default "Click for details".
Presenting: Click to open, click anywhere to close. The right arrow or a clicker's Next continues the deck. To jump back several slides, type the slide number and press Enter.

If something looks wrong

SparkSpotlight is not in the menu

Check the folder step, then restart PowerPoint. Still missing: clear the Office add-in cache (Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef\, Mac the wef folder above, keeping your add-in files) and restart.

The pane says it needs a newer PowerPoint

Adding spotlights needs Microsoft 365 (Windows 2601+, Mac 16.105+). Presenting works in any version.

"This shape already has a link"

The element has its own link. Remove it (right-click > Remove Link) or choose another element.

The slide's transition replays when a spotlight closes

Set that slide's transition to None or Fade.

The spotlight shows an old version of the slide

Click Rebuild this slide.

Going back several slides passes through spotlights opened earlier

Type the slide number and press Enter, or right-click > See All Slides.

A spotlight slide was deleted or moved by hand

Click Rebuild all to repair it.

Downloads

The add-in and the PDF setup guide arrive at launch.

Frequently asked questions

Do my viewers need the add-in?

No. The spotlights are ordinary PowerPoint slides and links. Anyone can present or view the deck in PowerPoint on Windows or Mac.

Does it work on Mac?

Yes. You can add spotlights with Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Mac 16.105 or later, and decks play on any Mac PowerPoint.

Does it change my slides?

Your slide is never replaced. SparkSpotlight adds hidden spotlight slides after it and links the element to them. Comments, notes and animations stay as they were. Remove all spotlights undoes it.

Can I highlight part of a chart?

Not yet. Version 1 spotlights whole elements: a chart, a shape, a picture, a table. To stress one point, draw a small shape over it and spotlight that. Area highlighting is planned.

Does it work with a clicker?

A clicker's Next button continues the deck as usual. Open a spotlight with a mouse click or a tap.

Will the audience see it on Teams or Zoom?

Yes. The spotlight is part of your slides, so it appears on any screen share and in recordings.

How many spotlights can a slide have?

One per element, and as many elements as you like.

What if I edit the slide later?

Click Rebuild this slide and the spotlights update.

Which PowerPoint do I need?

Adding spotlights: Microsoft 365 on Windows (2601 or later) or Mac (16.105 or later). Presenting: any PowerPoint on Windows or Mac.

How much does it cost?

SparkSpotlight is a one-time purchase, with no subscription. The price is announced at launch.

Is my deck uploaded anywhere?

No. SparkSpotlight runs inside PowerPoint. There is no server.

How is it different from building the effect by hand?

The manual method (duplicate slides, masks, Morph) takes minutes per point and breaks when the slide changes. SparkSpotlight builds it in one click and rebuilds it when the slide changes.

More from SparkSlides

Live web pages on your slide? → SparkEmbed puts a live, interactive web page directly on a slide.

Want the whole deck on the web? → SparkPublish turns a full presentation into a shareable website.

Animated titles for the same deck? → SparkText makes GIF/MP4 title animations for PowerPoint.

Your next point lands.