Presenter Mode

Overview

Presenter mode shows the presenter everything they need while the audience sees only the slides.

UI Layout

┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ┌──────────────────┐  ┌──────────┐      │
│  │                  │  │          │      │
│  │     Current      │  │   Next   │      │
│  │                  │  │          │      │
│  └──────────────────┘  └──────────┘      │
│                                          │
│  Notes:                                  │
│  - Remember to demo the sparkle button   │
│  - Mention PDF export                    │
│                                          │
│  Slide 3/12 · Step 2/4  12:34  Timer 1:23  [Open] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Includes:

• Current slide preview (larger)
• Next timeline-state preview (smaller): the next step on the current slide when one exists, otherwise the next slide at step 0
• Speaker notes for current slide
• Slide number / step counter
• Wall clock and an elapsed presentation timer with start, pause, continue, restart, and close/reset controls
• Button to open audience view in a new tab/window
• Color mode toggle that also updates audience views and cast receivers
• Blank screen toggle (b) that makes audience and cast views black while presenter mode shows a Screen blanked (b) indicator
• Button to cast the audience view to a secondary display when supported; the same control becomes a stop button while casting. Unsupported browsers show a visibly disabled-looking button with hover/accessible text explaining why casting is unavailable.
• Desktop keyboard shortcuts that move through the timeline while staying in presenter mode.

Speaker Notes

Use the Notes component:

import { Notes } from '@honeydeck/honeydeck'

# My Slide

Content here.

<Notes>
  # Demo cue

  - Remember to demo the sparkle button
  - Mention PDF export
</Notes>

Notes content is:

• Hidden from the normal audience slide view.
• Excluded from PDF output.
• Visible only in presenter mode.
• Rendered as compact Markdown prose in the notes panel, including headings, lists, links, code, and quotes.

Opening Presenter Mode

• Keyboard shortcut p from normal presentation → opens presenter mode in the current tab.
• Navigation controls button in normal presentation on md and wider screens.
• Direct URL: /#/presenter/1/0

Pressing p opens presenter mode in the current tab. In presenter mode, press p to return to the audience slide view at the same slide and step. Press Escape to close the presenter overview first if it is open, then press Escape again to return to the audience slide view.

Navigation

Presenter mode uses the same timeline keyboard shortcuts as normal slide view:

Keyboard navigation keeps the URL under /#/presenter/.... Presenter controls use lucide-react icons imported from suffixed ...Icon exports.

The Next preview shows the next timeline state, not just the next slide. Reveals and code step-through highlights therefore preview exactly what the audience will see after the next forward navigation.

Reveal content from later timeline steps is also shown in the Next preview at reduced opacity, so the speaker can see what is still coming on that slide. Future steps remain hidden in audience view and in the presenter Current preview.

When no next timeline state exists, the Next preview shows an end-of-deck placeholder instead of trying to render a missing slide.

Slide overview

Press o in presenter mode to open a slide overview inside the Current slide cell.

• The overview shows rendered thumbnails of all slides.
• Use the arrow keys to move the selection. Timeline shortcuts (d/a/s/w) are disabled while the overview is open.
• Press Enter or click a thumbnail to jump to that slide at step 0. The audience and cast views follow the jump through sync.
• Selecting the slide you are already on exits the overview and returns to the current slide and step.
• Press o or Escape to close the overview and return to the plain presenter view.
• Press p to exit presenter mode entirely, even if the overview is open.
• b (blank screen) remains active while the overview is open.

Blank Screen

Press b or use the blank screen button to make the audience and cast views black. Press b again or use the same button to restore the slide. Audience tabs unblank automatically when presenter mode disconnects.

Presenter/Audience Sync

Presenter mode and audience view synchronize navigation via BroadcastChannel and, when supported, the Presentation API.

• Presenter mode acts as the controller.
• Audience view (opened from presenter mode) listens for navigation, color mode, and blank-screen updates.
• The cast audience sends a sync-request as soon as the receiver connection appears; the presenter replies with the current slide/step in a sync-response so late connections resync immediately.
• The cast audience follows presenter navigation through Presentation API receiver messages.
• No server, internet, WebSocket, or device pairing required.
• If BroadcastChannel is unavailable, both views function independently.

This supports the common laptop/projector setup.

Mobile Presenter Mode

Presenter mode is not supported below Tailwind's md breakpoint. The navigation bar hides the presenter-mode button on mobile. If someone opens a /#/presenter/... URL on mobile, Honeydeck shows a full-page hint and a Go to slide button that returns to the same slide and step in audience view.