How to Create Lightweight Slideshow Presentations in Your Linux Terminal

Forget heavy PowerPoint files. Sometimes, all you need is a fast, distraction-free way to present your ideas—straight from the terminal. Whether you’re giving a talk, teaching a class, or just want to share some notes, there are lightweight tools that make terminal presentations quick and easy. Here’s how to get started.

Why Use the Terminal for Presentations?

• No bloat. Terminal tools use barely any system resources.
• Always available. No need for a GUI or big office suite.
• Easily versioned. Slides are just text files—perfect for git or sharing.

Tool #1: mdp (Markdown Presenter)

mdp turns a simple Markdown file into a clean slideshow you can present right in your terminal.

1. Install mdp

# On Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install mdp

# On Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S mdp

2. Create Your Slides

Each slide is separated by three equal signs (===) in your Markdown file.

example.md:

# Welcome to My Presentation

- It's simple
- It's fast
===

# Why Use Terminal Slides?

- Lightweight
- Scriptable
- Minimal distractions

3. Present

mdp example.md

Use the arrow keys or space to move between slides. That’s it.

Tool #2: sent

sent is even lighter, using one-line-per-slide plain text. It’s great for minimalists.

1. Install sent

# On Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S sent

# For other distros, build from source: https://tools.suckless.org/sent/

2. Create Your Slides

Each line is a slide. Separate multiline slides with a blank line.

talk.txt:

Welcome to Sent
Terminal slides made simple

---
Why use sent?
- It's tiny
- It's fast

3. Present

sent talk.txt

Tips for Great Terminal Slides

• Keep it short. Terminal slides are for bullet points and key phrases.
• Use simple formatting. Markdown (for mdp) is usually enough.
• Version control everything. Text slides work perfectly with Git.

Wrapping Up

You don’t need fancy software for a powerful presentation. With tools like mdp and sent, you can create effective, lightweight slideshows right from your Linux terminal. Perfect for live-coding sessions, talks over SSH, or anytime you just want to keep it simple.

Have a favorite terminal slideshow tool? Share it in the comments!

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!