Create a presentation in Keynote on iPad
To create a new presentation, you first choose a theme to use as a starting point. Themes use coordinated fonts and colors for a unified look and often include placeholders that you can replace with your own content.
Create a presentation from a theme
Go to the Keynote app
on your iPad.In the presentation manager, tap Choose a Theme to open the theme chooser (shown below). If you don’t see Choose a Theme, tap
.
In the theme chooser, tap the category names at the top of the screen to view different themes, then tap a theme to open it.
Some themes aren’t downloaded to your device until you choose them or open a presentation that uses one. If your connection is slow or you’re offline when this happens, placeholder images and slide backgrounds in the presentation may appear at a lower resolution until you’re online again or the theme finishes downloading.
To use a different slide layout for the first slide, tap the slide in the slide navigator on the left, tap
, tap Layout, then tap a layout.Each slide layout offers a different arrangement of text and images that you use as a starting point for your content.
Do any of the following to build your presentation:
Add a slide: In the slide navigator, tap the slide you want the new slide to follow, tap
, then tap a layout. If you don’t see the slide navigator, pinch closed on the screen to zoom out.Add text: Double-tap placeholder text to add your own.
Add an image: Tap
to replace placeholder images with your own.
To play the presentation, tap
, then tap a slide to go to the next slide.To end the presentation, pinch closed anywhere on the screen. For more ways to show a presentation, see Play a presentation on your iPhone or iPad.
To close the presentation, tap
in the top-left corner of the screen. Closing the presentation doesn’t quit Keynote.Keynote automatically saves your changes as you work, so you don't need to worry about consistently saving your presentation manually. However, it's a good idea to rename your presentation so you can easily find it the next time you want to work on it. You can change the name of the presentation or change where it’s saved at any time.
Create a presentation outline
You can create a text outline of a new presentation in outline view in Keynote. Outline view displays your slides as a hierarchical series of titles, subtitles, points, and media placeholders. You can add and edit text, place images and videos, and change the format of slides in outline view. This is useful for creating an initial draft, taking notes, or focusing on the structure of a new presentation.
Go to the Keynote app
on your iPad.In the presentation manager, tap Start an Outline to open a new presentation in outline view.
Do any of the following:
Add a slide: Tap
at the bottom of your screen.To quickly add a slide while typing in the last row of a slide, tap Return twice.
Delete a slide: Tap the top row of the slide you want to delete, tap
, then tap Delete.Reorder slides: In the slide navigator, touch and hold the slide until the slide appears to lift up, then drag it to a new location.
Use a different slide layout: Select the slide you want to edit, tap
, tap Layout, then pick a layout from the menu. Tap to dismiss the menu.Add text: Tap a row in the text outline, then type.
Add a photo or video to a slide with a media placeholder: If the slide has only one placeholder, select the slide, then tap
. If the slide has multiple placeholders, tap 
and select the placeholder you want to use. Navigate to the image or video, then tap it to add it to the slide.
To close the presentation, tap
in the top-left corner of the screen.Your presentation is saved automatically as you work, so you don’t lose your work when you close the presentation. Closing the presentation doesn’t quit Keynote.
To learn more about working in outline view, see View slides as text outlines.
To exit outline view without closing the presentation, tap 
in the toolbar, then select Slide View or Light Table.