Presentation present mode

Quick start

1. In Presentations, open a deck and click Present (or use the ⋮ menu → Present).
2. Browse slides in the filmstrip on the left (desktop) or bottom (mobile). The large preview shows the current slide; Next up shows what follows.
3. Click Edit in the toolbar to open the presentation editor in a modal without leaving present. Close it when you are done.
4. Click Start in the toolbar when you are ready. The indicator turns Live (red).
5. In the bottom panel, open at least one output from the screen grid — click Open on a screen card.
6. Use Next and Previous (or arrow keys / spacebar) to advance slides. Open outputs follow automatically while live.

You should now see the current slide on your audience screen and a synced preview in present mode.

Deep dive

Opening present mode

Present mode lives at /presentations/[id]/present. Open it from the presentation library by clicking Present on a tile, or from the ⋮ menu on any deck.

Use this mode for a single presentation — one song, sermon, or announcement — without a service setlist.

If the presentation is part of a live service, standalone Present is blocked (library and editor). A Not ready badge explains why — open the live service present console instead. Visiting the presentation present URL redirects there automatically.

Toolbar

The top bar includes:

• Back — returns to the library. If you arrived with a returnTo query parameter (a safe in-app path), Back goes there instead of browser history.
• Edit — opens the presentation editor in a modal overlay so you can fix slides without leaving present. Saves sync to open outputs while live. Click Done (or close the modal) to return to present.
• Live indicator — shows Not started in preview, or Live when realtime sync is active.
• Start / End — toggles live mode. End stops sync and may prompt you to close local screen windows.

Editing without leaving present

Use toolbar Edit any time — including while live — to open the full presentation editor in a large modal. You stay on the present page underneath.

• Changes save in the editor as usual and update open outputs while live.
• Use Done in the editor (or the modal close control) to dismiss the overlay and return to the operator console.
• If another person holds the edit lock, you will see the usual lock dialog inside the modal.

For full editor features (filmstrip reorder, insert, themes), see Presentation editor.

Preview vs live

In preview (Not started), you can click any slide in the filmstrip or use Next / Previous without affecting audience outputs. Outputs only follow your actions after you click Start.

While Live, slide changes sync to all open outputs and connected presenter views in realtime.

Filmstrip and variants

The filmstrip lists every main slide as a thumbnail. Slides with content variants (alternate translations or versions) appear grouped under their main slide with letter labels (A, B, C…).

• Click a main slide thumbnail to jump to that slide.
• Click a variant thumbnail to preview that variant without changing the main slide index.
• Use the Preview variant dropdown above the preview when variants exist for the current slide.

See Live controls for switching variants while live.

Navigation and slide counter

Below the preview, Previous and Next move through main slides. The counter shows Slide X of Y.

Keyboard shortcuts (when focus is not in a text field):

• → or Space — next slide
• ← — previous slide

Annotation tools

When live, an annotation toolbar appears below the preview. Tools include pen, line, arrow, rectangle, oval, eraser, laser pointer, and Clear drawings. Annotations appear on audience outputs, not only on your operator preview.

Drawings are per-slide and clear when you change slides or end live.

Bottom panel

The bottom card has two areas:

Presenter views — quick links to open speaker notes or Open chord charts in a new tab. Use these on a separate podium monitor or tablet.

Open screens — the screen grid for audience outputs. Each card shows the screen name, status (ready, unbound, remote), and an Open button. See Outputs and displays for local windows, remote displays, and popup blockers.

Before going live, you can:

• Choose a Screen layout from the dropdown (or keep the church default).
• Enable Open outputs when going live to auto-open bound local monitors and paired remote displays on Start.

[!warning] In presentation present, the bottom-panel screen layout cannot be changed while live. Plan your layout before Start, or see Screens and layouts. In a service, change an item’s layout from the setlist ⋮ menu.

While live, the layout name appears as a read-only label with Layout locked while live.

Inline speaker notes

Above Presenter views & outputs, a Speaker notes bar starts collapsed. Tap it to expand a compact notes panel for the current slide so you can read notes and advance slides at the same time. The chevron points up when collapsed and down when expanded. For the full-deck notes view on a separate device, use Open speaker notes in the bottom panel.

Tips

• Test outputs before Sunday — popup blockers can block local screen windows.
• On Windows, install the automatic fullscreen tool once per presentation PC so outputs do not show Click for full screen on every monitor.
• Assign a screen layout to the presentation before going live; the bottom-panel layout picker locks once you click Start.
• Use Edit to fix a typo or slide without ending live or navigating away.
• Use preview to walk through the deck without affecting the congregation.
• Open presenter views in a new tab and place that window on a podium monitor.
• If your deck has variants, rehearse switching between them with the filmstrip or dropdown.
• Bind monitors in settings so Open all local screens opens on the correct displays.

[!tip] Add ?returnTo=/presentations/folder/... when linking to present mode from another page — Back returns to that path instead of browser history.

Troubleshooting

Outputs do not update when I change slides

• Confirm the presentation is Live (red indicator).
• Check that the output window is still open — browsers may close popups.
• Re-open the screen from the bottom panel.

I cannot change the screen layout

• The bottom-panel layout dropdown is disabled while live. Click End, change the layout, then Start again.
• In a service, change layout from the setlist filmstrip ⋮ menu instead — see Service present mode.

Edit modal will not open or save

• Confirm you have edit permission for the church.
• If another person holds the edit lock, request access or wait until they finish.
• After saving while live, outputs should update; if a window looks stale, close and reopen it.

Pop-up blocked when opening a screen

• Allow pop-ups for WorshipDeck in your browser, then click Open again.
• See Outputs and displays for more help.

Output asks me to click for full screen

• Click once to continue, or install the Windows automatic fullscreen tool and restart the browser.
• See Outputs and displays for the full setup.

Annotations do not appear on the projector

• Annotations only work while Live.
• Confirm the output window is open and synced — annotations draw on the slide shown to the audience.