Disclosed embodiments provide a system and method for performing a web conferencing presentation pre-staging. In a web conference with multiple participants and various presenters, each presenter is able to view a live presentation that is currently being presented to the participants, as well as view her own presentation in a pre-staged presentation mode. The test presentation mode allows a presenter to see how the presentation will appear to others, and provides an opportunity to test features such as audio, animation, time delay, lighting, and other important factors. When the current live presentation ends, the presentation that is in test presentation mode is switched to live presentation mode for viewing by the participants of the web conference.