Good presentations need little touches. With screen real estate at a premium when it comes to Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, you also need to justify design with functionality.

One of the little touches you can add to your presentation to impress your audience is the display of time and date on a PowerPoint slideshow. It's an essential option if you are using handouts too. Thankfully, this is very easy to accomplish and will make your presentation complete.

Without counting the seconds, let's dive straight into the method.

Add the Current Time and Date to a PowerPoint Slide

First, open your PowerPoint document and get to the View tab on the Ribbon. Choose the Normal view. Select the first slide of the slideshow.

Next, click on the Insert tab and go to the Text group. Click on the little Date and Time icon, which gives you options to insert the current date and time into the PowerPoint document.

Clicking on the Date and Time icon opens up the Header and Footer dialog box. Using the two tabs (as in the screenshot) we can add the date and time values to our main slides. Likewise, we can add the same details to Notes and Handouts, which we usually print out and give to the audience as reference material.

Insert time and date

The next few steps are pretty simple—choose the date and time format from the drop-down. Selecting a Fixed time acts as a marker that lets you know when the slide was created. It is obviously constant. The Update automatically selection displays a dynamic time that takes the current time from the system clock. The options are the same for the Notes and Handouts tab. (Preferably, don't show the date and time on the title slide).

Remember: Each time you open or print the presentation, PowerPoint will update the date and time. PowerPoint does not continuously update automatically, but only at the start of the slideshow.

Finally, select Apply to All and you are done.

Related: Every Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcut for Windows Worth Knowing

Add the Current Time and Date According to the Language

Another useful addition is using date and time formats according to the culture of the audience you are showing the presentation to. Do this if you work in a global company or present to a specific audience. To permanently set your preferred format, implement the following settings.

First, choose File > Options > Language. The Options dialog gives you a lineup of additional languages to edit your document.

Expand the drop-down for Add additional editing languages and select the language(s) of your choice which you want to use for the date and time. Click on Add. Press OK to confirm and exit the PowerPoint file.

Language menu in PowerPoint

Reopen the presentation and position your cursor where you wish to insert the date. Take the usual route of selecting the Insert tab and then clicking on the Date and Time button.

If you are using something like a text box to insert your date and time, you will get a dialog box like this:

Insert time and date

If you are adding the date and time as a footer, then the usual box appears. In both cases, select the date and time format, and pick the language from the drop-down. After you OK the changes, the date and time is entered in the language of the country chosen.

Related: How to Add a Watermark in PowerPoint

Date Your PowerPoint Presentations

Using the date and time with your PowerPoint slides is a simple final step to follow before you give or distribute a presentation.

In case of big events with limited time for each presentation, this will help you manage your time better and make sure you respect the set schedule.