How to create a Countdown Timer in PowerPoint. Open PowerPoint. If your Slide Layout is a Title slide or any other slide, change it to a Blank slide. Now, we are going to format the background.

You can use a countdown timer in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 to let your audience know that you'll be starting in a few minutes. There's no automated way. Chron Logo Hearst Newspapers Logo.

Type the beginning time for your countdown. For example, if you want a one-minute countdown, type "1:00," without quotes, into the box. Adjust your font, size and color settings.