# What is an appendix in a presentation? > **Appendix:** The appendix is the section after the closing slide that holds backup material, such as detailed data, methods and extra analyses, which you show only when someone asks. - Source: https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/appendix/ - Updated: 21 October 2026 - Language: English - German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/glossar/anhang/ Also called: backup slides The **appendix** is the part of a deck that comes after the closing slide. It holds the backup material: detailed tables, the method and sources, extra analyses and the answers to questions you expect but do not want to present. You do not present it. You open it when someone asks. An appendix keeps the main story short without leaving you empty-handed. The audience sees one clear line of argument, and the evidence is still ready. ## What goes where Apply one test: does the audience need this slide to follow the argument or to make the decision? If yes, it belongs in the main part. If it only backs up a claim, it belongs in the appendix. | Main part | Appendix | | ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | The conclusion and the recommendation | The data table behind each chart | | One chart per message | The same chart split by region, product or year | | The result of the analysis | Method, sources and assumptions | | The option you recommend | The options you rejected, with reasons | An example: a pitch deck states one blended [CAC](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/cac/) on its slide, and the split by sales channel waits in the appendix for the investor who asks. ## How to use an appendix well 1. **Plan it before you build the deck.** Write down the questions you expect, especially the hard ones, and prepare one backup slide for each. 2. **Add a divider slide** labeled "Appendix" that lists what follows. It lets you find the right slide without scrolling past the others while people watch. 3. **Title each slide with its message** and add the source. Appendix slides get forwarded and read without you. 4. **Keep it organized.** Group the slides by topic and number them, for example A1 to A9. 5. **Count only the main part** when you plan the talk and the [number of slides](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/how-many-slides/). The appendix is not part of the speaking time. ## Typical mistakes - **A dumping ground.** Sixty unsorted slides do not help anyone find the one they need. - **Hiding the key slide.** If the audience needs it to decide, it belongs in the [storyline](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/storyline/). - **Presenting appendix slides because you have them.** This stretches the meeting and weakens the main argument. - **No divider and no index.** - **Slides without a title or a source,** which nobody can follow once the file is forwarded. Decide, too, when the file goes out. A deck shared as a [pre-read](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/pre-read/) should carry its appendix, because readers use it to check the numbers. ## Frequently asked questions ### What goes in the appendix of a presentation? Backup material: detailed data tables, method and assumptions, sources, extra breakdowns and the options you rejected. The test is whether the audience needs the slide to follow the argument. If not, it goes in the appendix. ### Where does the appendix go in a deck? After the closing slide, behind a divider slide labeled Appendix. That way the deck ends on the request or the conclusion and not on backup material. ### Do appendix slides count toward the slide limit? No. Count only the main part against the slide limit and the speaking time, because you do not present the appendix. It still adds to the size of the file, so keep it organized and give each slide a title and a source. The guide on how many slides covers how to size the main part. ### Should you send the appendix with the deck? If the deck goes out as a pre-read, yes, because readers use the appendix to check the numbers. If you present live and share nothing, keep it in your file and open it on request. ## Related pages - [Pre-read](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/pre-read/): A pre-read is a document sent before a meeting so attendees arrive informed and the meeting goes to questions and decisions. See the format and an example. - [Storyline](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/storyline/): A storyline is the logical chain of messages that carries a presentation from its opening to its conclusion. Definition, an example and how to build one. - [How many slides?](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/how-many-slides/): 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes? Plan one slide per 1 to 2 minutes of talking, subtract the time for questions and leave the appendix out. With a table and examples. - [Handout](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/handout/): A handout is a document given to the audience to take away: a summary, the key slides or reference material. The types and how to design one that gets read. - [Presenting to executives](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/presenting-to-executives/): How to present to executives and senior management: lead with the recommendation, plan for a shortened slot, keep detail in the appendix and send a pre-read. --- ai-presentations.com is published by Slaide (https://www.slaide.de), a sole proprietorship run by Nathalie Scholl in Heilbronn, Germany. [How this site is written, checked and corrected](https://ai-presentations.com/editorial-policy/).