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Make beautiful presentations, together

Stay in sync in your slides, with easy sharing and real-time editing. Use comments and assign action items to build your ideas together.

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With easy-to-use presenter view, speaker notes, and live captions, Slides makes presenting your ideas a breeze. You can even present to Google Meet video calls directly from Slides.

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What is Google Slides? The ULTIMATE Guide!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

With the onset of remote working and online education, collaboration tools have gained in popularity. Google Slides is a prime example of that. But, what exactly is Google Slides?

Google Slides is a FREE web-based presentation tool provided as part of the Google Suite. Google Slides allows you to create, modify, and deliver a presentation; all through a web browser. Google Slide is also known for its best-in-class real-time collaboration features.

If you are new to Google Slides or perhaps curious to know more about this tool, then this article is the perfect place for you to start as I will be discussing, in detail, about various key aspects of Google Slides and how to use them properly.

What is Google Slides? What is it used for?

As previously mentioned, Google Slides is an application developed by Google. It was released in 2006 as part of Google’s office applications and was previously known as “Google Presentation”. However, it was officially renamed as “Google Slides” in 2012.

Google Slides is a presentation tool that is used for creating presentations, editing an existing presentation, or delivering a presentation/debriefing your audience in an academic or professional setup. It is very useful in delivering lesson plans and works really well with Google Classroom .

There are several other use cases for Google Slides. More and more startups and corporate organizations are starting to use Google Slides and it is gaining in popularity.

Is PowerPoint the same as Google Slides?

Google Slides is akin to Microsoft PowerPoint or Keynote. It is similar in its objective as the goal of both the applications is to be the most helpful tool for its users in enabling them to create a presentation. However, PowerPoint and Google Slides is not the same as they are two different presentation applications .

While there are several differences between PowerPoint and Google Slides, one of the major differences is that Google Slides doesn’t require you to download a software.

Google Slides completely works on a web-based interface! This means, you don’t have to be using your own computer to access your presentation anymore!

Your Google Slides presentation can be accessed through web browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. It can also be used on iOS and Android devices through its mobile application.

Is Google Slides FREE to Use?

Unlike many of its competitors, Google Slides has the upper hand when it comes to being accessible to people. Google Slides is completely FREE for use and packs most of the basic essential tools for creating presentations. Hence, it is a perfect option for people who are occasionally in need of making a presentation.

Students, small-scale entrepreneurs, teachers, non-profits, or other individuals who are looking for a presentation tool on a budget will definitely find Google Slides as a far more financially viable option as it is completely FREE.

The best part is that in addition to being free to use, Google Slides packs in most of the features and tools required to build an awesome presentation for which many of its competitors charge high prices.

While you surely get additional features when using other presentation applications, but, most users won’t need those features for making a simple presentation. Makers of Google Slides have truly understood the key requirements of the users of a presentation application.

What are the Key Features of Google Slides?

Google Slides comes packed with some unique and awesome features that literally sets it apart. Of course, it definitely has the basic tools that you would expect in any presentation application such as adding and editing text, working with shapes, formatting shapes and fonts, adding background color, etc.

I’ll just list down some of the key features that make Google Slides stand out!

1. Your Presentation is Always Accessible

Since Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation tool that is accessed through a web browser, you don’t have to necessarily be next to your computer to access your presentation.

It offers great flexibility in the ways you can open and edit a presentation. You can literally use any computer that has access to an internet connection and you’ll be good to go.

2. Your Presentation is Auto-saved

One of the best features of Google Slides is that your presentation is always saved.

In this modern technology era, you may be wondering why would any application be built without a feature to save the progress automatically? However, if you have ever used PowerPoint or Keynote before, you surely can relate to the agony of losing hours of hard work simply because you perhaps forgot to press Ctrl+S or save your presentation.

With Google Slides, you never have to worry about saving your files. They are always saved automatically.

3. Awesome Collaboration Tools

One the best features of Google Slides is its ability to allow users for a real-time collaboration on the same project.

This means, multiple users can work on the same presentation at the same time and Google Slides will sync it automatically in real-time!

This feature alone has been one of the key reasons for the rapid adoption of Google Slides among users. Although other presentation applications are now slowly catching up and also building this feature, but Google Slides is way ahead of the curve!

4. Adding YouTube videos to your Presentation

Another unique but useful feature that Google Slides provides is the ability to directly embed YouTube videos in your presentation.

This is a great value add especially for teachers who want to use YouTube video as an educational tool for its students. Likewise, even students can use to embed videos to showcase case studies and examples. Moreover, embedding YouTube videos allows your presentation to be relatively small in size while still showcasing a video.

I wrote a detailed post on how to embed videos (and other elements) in another article on this website. Make sure you check this out. You can click on this following link –

How to Embed in Google Slides? The ONLY Resource You Need!

5. Publishing your Presentation to the Web

This is an extremely powerful feature that currently only Google Slides has to offer.

In addition to sharing your presentation with your audience, team members or even your clients, you can also publish your presentation to the web.

You might wonder what is the difference between sharing a presentation and publishing it on the web. When you publish your Google Slides presentation to the web, Google essentially creates a lightweight webpage (which has its own unique URL) that can be accessed by anyone with the link . You don’t need to own a domain name to publish your presentation on the web.

With this feature, you can now have hundreds of people see a presentation without the need to even own a website. Moreover, it also allows you to make changes to the source file without making it visible to your audience.

This feature is great for giving conference presentations or education institutes that can restrict access to certain group of students.

One thing to note is that publishing your Google Slides to the web can only be done if you/your company has a GSuite account with Google. (which is not free and comes at a price)

6. Huge Font Library

One of the other features that set Google Slides apart is the huge font library.

Although other common presentation applications such as PowerPoint and Keynote also provide a fairly large font library, what sets Google Slides apart is that it uses Google Fonts as part of its fonts library.

This means, your presentation will always look the same even when the recipient doesn’t have the fonts installed on his computer that you have used for your presentation.

Google Fonts are a collection of fonts that are used by the web. This allows your presentation to not just look great and in line with the latest design trends, but also ensures that your presentation looks just the same when you share it with others.

How to Use Google Slides?

Now that you know that Google Slides is FREE and it comes with some awesome features, I’m assuming you may want to give it a try.

If you are new to Google Slides, I shall be sharing with you what you need to start using Google Slides, basic steps on how to get started, and few key customizations that you can make to your Google Slides presentation.

This section will surely be enough to help you get started, and once you get a hang of it, you will be able to explore additional features.

1. Pre-requisites for using Google Slides

If you want to use Google Slides, you don’t have to do much of preparation. In fact, you don’t need to pay for anything, and you don’t need to download any software.

All you need for using Google Slides is a Gmail account. If you don’t have a Gmail account, you can create one for free . Simply click on mail.google.com , and create a new account by providing some basic details. It will just take a couple of minutes.

You’ll also obviously need to have an internet connect. But, since you are reading this, I don’t think that should be a worry for you.

With that, you are all set and good to proceed ahead.

2. How to Open a New Google Slides Presentation?

Once you have created an account, type in slides.google.com in your address bar, and it will directly lead you to Google Slides Application. If you are not signed in already, you may be prompted to sign in using your Gmail account.

The first screen will be something similar to what has been showcased in the image below –

To create a new presentation, you will either need to click on “ Blank ” or choose a pre-existing template from the “Template Gallery”.

Clicking on blank will open up a new blank presentation on Google Slides.

All the presentation that you have created previously will be visible under the “Recent Presentation” section (as indicated in the image above).

The functionality of Google Slides and its contents are the same on both Windows PC and Mac OS . Likewise, you can also use all the functionalities of Google Slides on a mobile device. Thus, you don’t have to really worry about any device restrictions.

3. How to Work on a New Google Slides Presentation?

Google Slides usually houses all the basic tools you would expect yourself to need whenever you’re planning to make a presentation.

Thus, I’ll be showing you how to utilize the most basic functions and tools in Google Slides to get yourself started with making presentations using Google Slides.

Some of the very basic actions to do once you get started with Google Slides are as follows –

Start by simply opening a new Blank Presentation as mentioned above in the article.

Next, choose a theme of your preference by scrolling through the side-bar on your right. You can also import themes from external sources if you wish by clicking on the ‘ Import Theme ’ icon.

It is up to your creative skills and organizing skills to use the basic functions to make your desired presentation. But, if you struggle with designing a presentation, don’t worry, I’ve covered this in the latter part of this article.

The very first slide can be used to come up with your title. You can also choose the font size, color style, etc. as they appear on the tool-bar above.

To change the font, simply select the text box in which you type the text, and then choose the fonts from the title bar.

To create a new slide simply click on the ‘+’ icon on the top left corner of your screen. You can also select the first slide from the filmstrip view on the left (slide preview on the left panel of the screen), and press “ Enter ” to add another slide.

If you want to delete any of your slides, simply select it from the panel on the left by clicking on it and then press ‘delete’ from your keyboard.

These steps mentioned above will give you a basic overview of the interface and by now you should have a fair understanding of how to add and delete slides, how to change fonts and few other editing options.

You can play around a little bit until you get a hang of things.

You can also add media to your presentation such as images, videos, etc. For instance, if you want to add an image, simply click on “ Insert “, then from the dropdown, select “ Image ” and choose the source of your image file.

Likewise, you can also insert other elements such as Text Box, Video, Audio, Tables, Charts, etc.

Now, let us move onto understanding a few other features that will help you get the ball rolling.

4. How to Animate Objects in Google Slides?

Sometimes, you want to avoid a monotonous presentation which may otherwise bore your audience. In such a scenario, you may want to animate the objects on your presentation.

Animating objects like shape, images and other elements is pretty simple in Google Slides.

First, select the object that you would like to animate in Google Slides. Then, click on “ Insert “. A dropdown menu will appear. Scroll down and click on “ Animation “. (Note – if you have not selected the object or element, you will not be able to choose this option).

Then you will see an animation panel on the right side of the screen. This panel provides you with various options to animate objects in Google Slides.

From the Animation Panel, you can start by choosing the animation effect (as indicated in the image above). Then, choose how you want the animations to appear. This could be “ On click ” or “ With or After Previous “.

Choosing “On Click” will allow you to control the animation manually by a click of a button or a mouse click while presenting while the other two options will automatically make the animation appear with or after the previous/other animations.

You can also add multiple animations to your presentation or even to the same object. For instance, first animation can be an “Appear” animation, whereas the second animation on the same object can be set to “Disappear”. This will make the object appear and disappear either automatically or manually during the slideshow.

5. How to Add Transitions in Google Slides?

You can also add slide transitions in Google Slides. Transitions are basically animating or adding an effect between two slides.

Adding transitions in Google Slides is also quite easy.

First, click on the slide that you want to add the transitions. Then, click on “ Transition “. You’ll notice the “ Animation Panel ” appear on the right side of your screen.

Then, under “ Slide Transition “, click on “ None “. A dropdown will appear. Choose any transition effect from the dropdown. That’s it!

You will now notice that the transition effect has been applied. You may also notice a small icon under the slide number tab on the left slide of the screen. This icon means you have some motion effect applied on the slide. (Check slide 2 and slide 1 in the image above for comparison).

6. How to Send (or Share) your Google Slides Presentation with Others?

Once you are done creating your presentation, you may need to share it with your boss or your clients. You may perhaps also want to share it with your colleagues in case you want to leverage the real-time collaboration feature of Google Slides. Either way, you need to know how to share your Google Slides presentation with others.

To share your Google Slides Presentation with others, simply open the presentation and click on “Share” on the top-right corner of your presentation screen. Then, simply add the email ID of the person you intend to share the presentation with or copy the link and share it with the person in a separate email.

TIP – When sharing the presentation with others, make sure you have assigned the appropriate permissions so that the recipients of your presentation do not face an “Access Denied” error.

While sharing the presentation, make sure you have provided appropriate permissions for the intended person to access the presentation file. Otherwise, they may get a “Access Denied” error.

I wrote a detailed article on the various reasons why people get this error and how you can avoid it too. Make sure to check it out!

[FIXED!] Access Denied/You Need Permission Error on Google Slides

I’ve also explained the correct process of sharing the file with others in the above link. So, do make sure to check it out!

7. How to Access your Saved Google Slides Presentation?

There are times when you need to refer back to your presentation that you had created a few weeks back.

Accessing your saved Google Slides presentation might seem confusing at first since it works a bit differently from the traditional methods of saving a file on your computer.

Nevertheless, the process is pretty straight-forward. If you remember the initial few steps of opening a new google slides presentation, then this will be quite easy for you to follow.

Simply type in your address bar slides.google.com (or click on this link). Make sure you are logged in to your Google Account.

You will be welcomed with a screen that may look similar to the image above.

You can easily access your previously saved Google Slides presentation under the “ Recent Presentations ” section. Alternatively, you can also directly search by the name of the presentation by entering it in the search bar.

You can also access your Google Slides presentation files from your Google Drive. The process will be similar to what I’ve just mentioned. However, instead of visiting the link mentioned above, you will need to go to your Google Drive page. Make sure you are logged in to your Google account when accessing your Google Drive.

Personalizing Your Google Slides (Themes, Add-ons, and Other Modifications)

The virtual aesthetic of your slides is also crucial to captivate your audience with your presentation. And, Google Slides does not leave any stones unturned when it comes to personalizing your slides according to your preference.

Themes/Templates

As mentioned previously in an earlier paragraph, you have access to both built-in themes and you even have the option to import templates from external sources to further amplify the visual aesthetics of your slideshow. There are a few third-party vendors from where you can get your Google Slides templates although most of them are paid.

This feature outshines Google Slides as you can further extend this program’s capacity of tools by installing easy-to-use plugins. There’s already a dedicated button for installing Add-ons on the navigation bar.

Thus, you can always get your hands on some cool add-ons. A lot of these add-ons you will come across will let your add icons, charts, diagrams, gifs, and various other things that you usually can’t do with the basic tools of Google Slides

Other Modifications

Depending on your Google Slides usage, there are a few other modifications that you may want to consider.

One of the most important modifications would be to install an offline extension service to run your Google Slides program on your browser even with no internet access. We’ll talk about this in detail later in the article.

You can also add new fonts from external sources in Google Slides. Adding fonts from Google Fonts library is a great place to start.

Can you Use Google Slides Offline?

Google Slides also provides you with the ability to not just work online but also continue working offline in case you internet gets disconnected.

Although using Google Slides offline eliminates the possibility to collaborate with others since that will require an internet connection, it still is a great feature especially if you are in a poor network zone or when you want to work while traveling on a flight.

However, you will need to activate Google Slides’ offline feature before you get disconnected. Fortunately, you don’t have to download any software for this either.

While the mobile application has a built-in feature to support offline, the browser version on laptops and computers has some prerequisites.

In order to run Google Slides offline, you need to go through the following steps –

Step 1 – Install Google Docs Offline extension on Chrome

Install the “ Google Docs Offline extension ” on your Chrome browser by either going to the Chrome Web Store OR by clicking on this link which will lead you to the extension. (Make sure you are using a Chrome Browser)

When the page opens, click on “ Add to Chrome ” to add the extension to your Chrome Browser. Google Chrome will automatically add the extension and activate it for you.

Step 2 – Enable Offline Editing in Google Slides

You need to remember that the offline extension only works if you have the Google Chrome browser. Furthermore, make sure your browser is updated to the latest version for the extension to work correctly.

Now, go to your Google Slides page by visiting slides.google.com (make sure you are logged in to your correct Google Account).

On the top left corner of your screen, click on the hamburger menu (as indicated in the image above).

You’ll then see a drop-down menu on the left side of your screen. Then click on “ Settings “.

A new settings window will pop open. Make sure you toggle the “Offline” button to activate offline editing of Google Slides. Then, click “ OK “

A word of caution here – Working offline on Google Slides still lacks a few key features. Thus, it is best to always work online mode. However, use the offline version when you expect a lack of internet access. This is more of a stop-gap arrangement.

How to Download Google Slides on your Computer?

Downloading your slides on from Google Slides is a very easy task which I’ll be covering in this section.

PRO TIP! The best format to save your presentation file is in the .pptx as we can easily open it in Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint as well as other presentation applications.

Furthermore, a PPTX file format is usually compatible with most presentation applications. It is important to remember that most companies will still prefer that your presentation be delivered in PowerPoint rather than Google Slides.

You can also save your Google Slides presentation directly on a flash drive. Either way, you will need to first download your Google Slides presentation.

I wrote a detailed article explaining the various ways in which you can download your Google Slides presentation on a flash drive. I’ll leave a link to that article below –

How to Save Google Slides on a USB Flash Drive? [EASY WAY]

Here’s how to download your Google Slides presentation in a few simple steps –

• Click on the ‘File’ tab and then proceed to the ‘Download’ option on the drop-down menu.
• Another drop-down menu on the side will appear with a list of formats to choose from to save your file.

• As I have discussed above, the safest and clear option is to save the File as PowerPoint (.pptx) format as it is both compatible with slides and PowerPoint.
• The file will be automatically downloaded, and then you will have to open the file click on the Save As option.
• If you want to save the presentation to a flash drive, then navigate through your folders in the Flash drive dialog box and hit ‘save’ to successfully download your project with a title.

How to Open PowerPoint Presentations using Google Slides?

There are various ways to open PowerPoint files on Google Slides. Though some methods may seem more complicated than others, I’ll focus on the easier method of converting a PPTX into Google Slides Format and vice versa.

Here are the steps that you need to follow in order to open a PowerPoint file in Google Slides –

Step 1 – Open Google Slides, a Bank Slide for a presentation will show up.

Step 2 – Click on the ‘ File ’ tab and then proceed to ‘ Open ’ on the drop-down menu.

Step 3 – A dialog box will appear that will allocate several bars for you to choose your PowerPoint file from. If your (.ppt) slides are saved in your computer, choose ‘ Upload ’ and proceed to your folders to find the desired file and click ‘ Open ’.

If it is shared or uploaded to your drive, then resort to the ‘Shared with me’ or ‘My Drive’ section of the dialog box and open accordingly. Step 4 – Voila, now you can access your PowerPoint presentation in Google Slides with ease!

Is there an App to Use Google Slides on the Phone?

Google Slides not only can be accessed on a browser, but it also comes with an app.

Google Slides has an app for both Android and iPhone. It can easily be accessed from the play store on android and the app store on iPhone.

The Google Slides app is great for reviewing presentations. You can also use the app to deliver a presentation directly from your phone. However, the Google Slides app is limited in functionality. You can edit text on the app, but working with shapes is rather difficult.

The best use of the Google Slides app is really to view the presentation, download the presentation, make it available for offline use or even deliver a presentation using the phone directly!

That said, if you want to create a presentation, I wouldn’t recommend using the app. In fact, your time would be best served if you create a presentation on a computer.

Is Google Slides App FREE to Use?

The Google Slides app, just like the application itself, is completely FREE to download and use. It is FREE for both Android and iOS devices.

That said, as mentioned above, the app doesn’t have the full functionality of Google Slides that you can see on a browser. It only has limited use cases and works well for the purpose it is designed for.

Can You Use Google Slides on an iPad?

You can definitely use Google Slides on iPad too. You can download the Google Slides app for an iOS device to use it on an iPad. However, in my opinion, the best way to use Google Slides on an iPad is by installing a Chrome Browser!

By using Google Slides through a Chrome Browser on an iPad, you get many more functionalities than a traditional Google Slides app.

Simply open your Chrome Browser, and visit the Google Slides Home Page . Make sure you log in to your Google Account while using Google Slides. Then, on your chrome browser on your iPad, go to the settings tab, and enable the desktop version of the site.

Google Chrome will then convert your browser to a desktop version providing you with many more functionalities such as adding and removing transitions, working with shapes, and adding animations to your Google Slides presentation directly on your iPad!

Benefits and Limitations of Using Google Slides

If you are still unsure of using Google Slides, let me share with you some benefits as well as limitations of using Google Slides.

I hope these will help you make your decision.

In fact, I wrote a detailed article highlighting several benefits and limitations of using Google Slides. I would highly encourage you to check it out. I’ll leave a link below –

17 Pros and Cons of Google Slides! (Should You Use it?)

For your convenience, I’ll list a few key benefits and limitations below. However, I’d highly recommend that you check out the above article.

Benefits of using Google Slides

Here are a few key benefits of using Google Slides –

• Google Slides is FREE to use.
• Accessibility – Google Slides presentation is always accessible.
• Cross-platform availability.
• Google Slides is a web-based tool. It doesn’t require a software.

These are just a few of the benefits. For a full list and a comprehensive explanation, make sure you check out the other article by clicking on this link .

Limitations of using Google Slides

Here are some of the key limitations of using Google Slides –

• Limited number of built-in themes.
• Lack of Advanced features.
• Limited options for animations and transitions.

These are just a few of the limitations. For a full list and a comprehensive explanation, make sure you check out the other article (mentioned above) by clicking on this link .

Is Google Slides Safe to Use?

When it comes to safety concerns regarding Google Slides, one thing to consider is the fact that it’s developed by Google. Google’s security protocols include strict password protection.

They have also pledged to protect your privacy and data unless you’re willingly sharing your files.

All your data and files are protected on secure data servers where they stay protected and out of reach from others. Google refuses to discuss in-depth about their data protection protocols for security measures, however, rest assured, you don’t have much to worry about your data or files being hacked as Google’s servers are some of the most secure in the world!

According to Google’s copyright policies, Google claims no content from its users is exploited and all users hold their ownership rights. Thus your Google slides files will always be safe from exploitation. If you’re still concerned about safety measures, try changing your password once in a while and link your Google Account to a backup account. Make sure your Google Drive stays private at all times and only share your files with trusted contacts.

Lastly, when sharing presentations with others, share it by adding the email address of the concerned person rather than creating a shareable link. This will act as a deterrent and will serves as another way to avoid unwanted intruders from accessing your Google Drive files.

Google Slides vs PowerPoint vs Keynote – A Quick Comparison

You might be wondering; how does Google Slides compete with its more renowned competitors? Well, let’s understand this in a quick comparison.

PowerPoint is the earliest presentation program and has many dedicated users. This makes it the most reliable and popular presentation application in the market. Bigger and more professional companies will prefer a presentation made using PowerPoint due to its compatibility.

The number of ways you can use PowerPoint for design projects is also quite large. In that sense, it is a more complete program when it comes to presentation design. While it can be used by beginners, but it is most well-suited for pro-level presentation creators.

PowerPoint has a better reputation and many more features than any of its competitors. That said, it is also the most expensive of the three. However, PowerPoint houses the most number of animations and effects in its default library. It is also available on mobile devices, Windows, and Mac OS. You will also find a lot of help if you choose PowerPoint as your go-to presentation application.

Keynote, on the other hand, only works on Mac OS and is free on the latest ones but needs to be bought for previous versions of Mac. It has more features as compared to Google Slides but less than PowerPoint.

Using Keynote does give you a premium feel and also helps you bring out your creativity. But, it still lacks the charm of both Google Slides and PowerPoint when it comes to having unique features. Moreover, it is not really compatible enough as it is not available for Windows and can only be used with Apple devices. Keynote also lacks a huge community due to its lower number of users as compared to PowerPoint. That said, it is a robust presentation software. If you are a Mac user and do not want to spend money using PowerPoint, Keynote is a great alternative!

Google Slides is the only free option that comes with a full package filled with the basic tools to execute a perfect presentation option. It is even compatible with PowerPoint formats. You can further extend the tools in its inventory.

Google Slides has the strongest collaboration features out of all. You can share and backup your files with ease. However, being a web-based free app has its drawbacks. It lacks the more advanced features compared to its other full-featured desktop presentation competitors.

That said, in my opinion, it is THE BEST tool for beginners, students or even people who need to create presentations but are not comfortable spending money on a presentation software.

Final Thoughts

Starting from, “ What is Google Slides ?” to “How to use Google Slides?” I’ve discussed various basic aspects there is to know about Google Slides. I hope I’ve been able to cover all of your concerns and questions about Google Slides, and that this article has made it easier for you to make your decision.

Hopefully, the knowledge you attained throughout reading this article was helpful and productive.

Our goal of this site is to provide you with similar helpful content. Make sure that you bookmark this site, and if you have any questions or topics that are related to presentation, make sure you check it out on our website!

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Google Slides  - Getting Started with Your Presentation

Google slides  -, getting started with your presentation, google slides getting started with your presentation.

Google Slides: Getting Started with Your Presentation

Lesson 8: getting started with your presentation.

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Getting started with your presentation

Google Slides allows you to create dynamic slide presentations. These presentations can include animation, narration, images, videos, and much more. In this lesson, you'll learn about the Google Slides interface and the basics of setting up your document, including the menu and shortcut toolbars , zoom settings , and choosing a theme .

Watch the video below to learn more about using Google Slides.

The Google Slides interface

When you create a new presentation in Google Slides, the interface for Slides will appear. This interface displays the toolbar , along with the main view of your presentation. It allows you to create and modify slides , choose a theme , and share the presentation with others.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about the interface for Google Slides.

Presentation Title

Google Drive displays the title of your presentation here and in the View pane of your Google Drive homepage. By default, new presentations are named Untitled presentation . Click the title to change the name.

Google Slides Home Screen

This icon indicates that you are in the Google Slides interface. Click the icon to navigate back to your Google Slides home screen.

Menu Toolbar

Various menus for working with your presentation can be found on the menu toolbar . Click a menu to see available commands and options .

Collaboration Options

Click Share to share your spreadsheet, as well as to allow others to edit it and collaborate on it. Click Comments to add comments or change notification settings.

Shortcut Toolbar

This toolbar provides convenient shortcut buttons for formatting your presentation.

Slide Navigation Pane

The Slide Navigation pane allows you to view and organize the slides in your presentation.

Here, you can view and edit the selected slide.

Click here to add notes to your current slide. Often called speaker notes , they can help you deliver or prepare for your presentation.

Click this button to play your presentation.

Choosing a theme

When you first create a new presentation, Google Slides will prompt you to choose a theme . Themes give you a quick and easy way to change the overall design of your presentation. Each theme has a unique combination of colors , fonts , and slide layouts . Select a theme from the panel on the right side of the window, and it will be applied to your entire presentation.

You can choose from a variety of new themes at any time, giving your entire presentation a consistent, professional look. If you want to change your theme, you can open the Themes panel again by clicking the Theme command on the shortcut toolbar .

Working with the Google Slides environment

Here, we'll show you how to navigate the Google Slides environment. You'll learn how to use the menu and shortcut toolbars , zoom in and out, and play your presentation .

The menu and shortcut toolbars

The Google Slides interface uses a traditional menu system with a s hortcut toolbar . The menus contain commands grouped by function. The shortcut toolbar has buttons for some frequently used commands.

Showing and hiding the menus

You can choose to minimize the menu bar to free up more space to display your slides. Click the Hide the menus command to hide the menu bar, leaving only the shortcut toolbar at the top of the window. Click it again to show the menu bar again.

Zooming in and out

You can zoom in and out of your presentation with the Zoom shortcut. Click Zoom on the shortcut toolbar, then move the mouse cursor over your slide. The cursor will change to a magnifying class with a plus sign inside of it. Now you can left-click to zoom in or right-click to zoom out. Press Escape on your keyboard to return your cursor to normal.

Within the View drop-down menu, hover over Zoom and there you will see options to set the zoom more precisely.

Playing the presentation

When you are ready to show your presentation—or if you want to see what it will look like during a presentation—click the Present button to the right of the menus. You can also click the drop-down arrow for additional presentation options.

• Open Google Slides and create a blank presentation.
• Change the presentation title from Untitled Presentation to Practice Presentation .
• Choose a theme for your presentation.
• Use the View menu to set the zoom to 50%.

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Google Slides cheat sheet: How to get started

How to use google slides to create, collaborate on, and lead business presentations..

Need to build a slide presentation for a meeting, training, or other event? Google Slides is an easy-to-use web app that comes with the essential tools and more. It stores your presentations in the cloud with Google Drive. Anyone with a Google account can use Slides and Drive for free, and they’re also included with a Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) subscription for business and enterprise customers. There are Google Sheets mobile apps for Android and iOS, too.

This guide will help you become familiar with the Google Slides web interface and show you how to start a new presentation, upload a Microsoft PowerPoint file to edit in Google Slides, collaborate with others on your presentation, and finally, present it to others.

Create or open a presentation

Log in to your Google or Workspace account. Then:

From Google Slides : At the top of the home page, you’ll see a “Start a new presentation” header, with a row of thumbnails underneath. To start a new, blank presentation, click the Blank thumbnail. To start a new presentation in a template, select one of the thumbnails to the right or click Template gallery toward the upper-right corner, then click any thumbnail on the page that appears.

The Google Slides home page. (Click image to enlarge it.)

Below the “Start a new presentation” area you’ll see a list of presentations that are stored in your Google Drive or shared with you. To open a presentation, click it in this list.

The list of your presentations appears in reverse chronological order starting with the presentation you most recently opened. Clicking the “AZ” icon at the upper right of this list changes the sort order to Last modified by me , Last modified , or in alphabetical order by presentation title. You can also browse to a specific folder by clicking the folder icon next to the “AZ” icon.

From Google Drive : Presentations stored in your Google Drive are listed in the main window of the Drive home page. To see a listing of presentations that others are sharing with you, click Shared with me in the left column. From either list, double-click a presentation to open it in Google Slides.

To start a new, blank presentation, click the New button at the upper-left of the screen and then click Google Slides .

If you want to use a template to start a new presentation, click the New button, then move the cursor over the right arrow next to Google Slides and select From a template . The template gallery for Google Slides will open; click a thumbnail to start a new presentation in that template.

Creating a new presentation from Google Drive.

From Google Slides or Drive: You also can use the search box at the top to find presentations in your Google Drive or shared with you. Enter words or numbers that may be in the presentation you’re looking for.

Upload a PowerPoint presentation to Slides

You can edit a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation in Google Slides, but first you must upload it to Google Drive.

From Google Slides: Click the folder icon ( Open file picker ) that’s above and toward the right corner of your presentations list. On the panel that opens, click the Upload tab. Drag-and-drop your PowerPoint file (.ppt or .pptx) onto this panel, or browse your PC’s drive to select it.

From Google Drive: Click the New button, then File upload , and select the PowerPoint file from your PC’s drive and click Open .

Traditionally, when you uploaded PowerPoint files to Google Drive, they were automatically converted to Slides format. That’s still the case when you upload PowerPoint files via the Google Slides home page .

However, Google now supports the ability to edit Microsoft Office files in their native format. By default, any .pptx files that you upload via Google Drive will remain formatted as PowerPoint documents. You can edit and collaborate on a PowerPoint file right in Slides, with all changes made by you or your collaborators saved directly to the PowerPoint file.

On the Google Slides and Drive home pages, native PowerPoint files will be denoted with an orange “P” icon, and when you open a native PowerPoint file in Sheets, you’ll see a “.PPTX” flag to the right of the document title.

Native PowerPoint files show the PowerPoint icon (top) instead of the Google Slides icon (bottom).

If you’d rather have Google convert PowerPoint files to Slides format automatically when you upload them via Google Drive, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the Drive home screen and select Settings from the drop-down menu. In the Settings box next to “Convert uploads,” check the checkbox marked Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format .

Work in a presentation

When you open a new or existing presentation, its first slide appears in the main window of Google Slides. Here’s a breakdown of the toolbars, menus, panes, and sidebars that appear around your presentation.

The left pane shows thumbnails of all the slides in your presentation. Click a thumbnail, and the slide it represents will appear in the main window, where you can edit it.

The Google Slides editing interface. (Click image to enlarge it.)

Your presentation’s title appears along the top of the screen. To change it, click anywhere inside the title and start typing.

The menu bar below your presentation’s title has a complete set of tools for working with presentations. These are the main submenus to know:

• File has commands for taking action on the whole presentation, including Print, Rename, and Share.
• Edit lists the standard editing commands such as copy, cut, paste, delete, duplicate, and find and replace.
• View lists several ways that you can view your slides as you design and edit them. This includes arranging them into a grid, previewing them as a slideshow, or zooming in on them. You can also watch the transition effect that takes place between slides when they’re played in a slideshow.
• Insert lets you add several objects to your slides, including charts, diagrams, pictures, tables, and text. You can also add links to YouTube videos or sound or video files that are stored in your Google Drive.
• Format lets you change the look of your slides. Certain functions on this submenu become clickable depending on whether you’ve selected an image or text on a slide, or selected the slide itself.
• Slide is where you can add, delete, or duplicate a slide that you’ve selected. You can also add a preset layout to a slide, change its background or theme color, or add and edit a transition effect that takes place between slides when your presentation is played as a slideshow.
• Arrange lists tools that let you group or reorder objects on a slide in relation to another. For example, you can place an image behind another image or group an image and a block of text together to make them easier to move at once.
• Tools leads to several miscellaneous functions. These include letting you record a voice clip to go with a slide, running a spell checker, and showing you a list of objects in your presentation that are linked to other files.

The toolbar directly above your presentation puts commonly used commands in easy reach. From this toolbar, you can click buttons to add to a slide or change its background, comments, layout, objects (images, lines, shapes, text), text style, theme colors for the whole presentation, transition effects during a slideshow, and more. The buttons on the toolbar change depending on whether you’ve selected image or text on a slide or the slide itself.

Notice that there’s no Save button in the toolbar — or anywhere in Google Slides. That’s because Slides automatically saves any changes you make to your presentation.

Speaker notes: Along the bottom of each slide you’ll see an area marked Click to add speaker notes . Here you can type in brief notes to remind yourself what to do or say when the slide is being shown. Only you will see these notes when you show your presentation to an audience.

Themes sidebar: When you start a new blank presentation, the Themes sidebar opens on the right side of the screen. (You can also open this sidebar at any time by clicking Theme on the toolbar above your presentation.) Themes apply the same fonts, colors, and other design elements to all the slides in a presentation, giving it a consistent look and feel. Click a thumbnail in this sidebar to change your presentation to that theme.

Create and manage slides

Here are the basic things to know about working with slides in a presentation.

Add a new, blank slide to your presentation: Click the + button at the left end of the toolbar above your presentation. Alternatively, if you click the down arrow next to the +, you can choose a layout to use as the basis for a new slide.

Click the down arrow next to the + button in the toolbar to choose a layout for a new slide.

Apply or change a slide’s background: Select the slide’s thumbnail in the left sidebar and click Background on the toolbar above your presentation. On the panel that opens, you can change the slide’s background color or use an image file from your Google Drive, Google Photos account, or PC as the background.

Apply or change a slide’s layout: Select the slide’s thumbnail in the left pane, then click Layout on the toolbar above your presentation. On the panel that opens, select the layout you want to apply to this slide.

Apply or change a slide’s transition: Select the slide’s thumbnail in the left sidebar and click Transition on the toolbar above your presentation. In the Motion sidebar that opens along the right side of the screen, you can apply or change the animated transition effect that is played before this slide.

Choosing a transition style in the Motion pane.

Move a slide to a different spot in the slideshow sequence: Click and hold its thumbnail in the left sidebar, drag it up or down to another place in the sequence, and release it.

Delete a slide: Right-click its thumbnail in the left sidebar and select Delete from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, select its thumbnail and select Edit > Delete from the menu bar or just press the Delete key.

Share and collaborate on a presentation

Presentations are often a group effort, with several team members contributing to and polishing a presentation. In Slides, it’s easy for multiple collaborators to work on a presentation together.

First, you need to share the presentation. When you’re viewing your presentation in Google Slides, click the Share button at the upper-right. Or, from your Google Drive homepage, click to highlight the presentation that you want to share. Then, in the toolbar toward the upper right, click the Share icon (a head-and-shoulders silhouette with a +).

Either way, the “Share” panel will open.

Setting permissions for a file being shared privately.

Share a presentation privately

In the entry box, enter the email addresses (or names of your Google Contacts) of the people with whom you want to share. By default, the people you invite to your presentation can edit it and reshare it with others.

To change access permissions for invitees: Click Editor to the right of the entry box and choose another option from the drop-down menu. Commenter means they can view your spreadsheet and add comments but can’t change it. Viewer means they can view your presentation but can’t edit it or add comments.

To prevent your presentation from being reshared, downloaded, or printed: Click the gear icon at the upper-right of this panel. On the smaller panel that opens, uncheck the boxes by Editors can change permissions and share and Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy .

When you’re done setting permissions (and, optionally, typing in a message to your invitees), click Send , and everyone you’ve added will receive an email with a link they can click to access the document.

The shared presentation icon.

A presentation you’ve shared (or that others have shared with you) will have an icon of two silhouetted heads next to it in the presentations list on your Google Sheets and Google Drive home pages.

To limit or change a person’s access to your presentation: With the presentation open in Google Slides, click the Share button at the upper-right. Or, from Google Drive, highlight the presentation and click the Share icon.

The Share panel reopens showing a list of all the people you’ve invited, along with their permission status. Click the down arrow to the right of a person’s name, change their permission level or remove their access entirely, and click Save .

You can change permissions for people you’ve shared a presentation with on an individual basis.

If you have a Google Workspace subscription, another option is to select Give temporary access and, next to Access expires , select a date within one year of the current date. If you set an expiration date for a person that you’ve assigned as Editor, their access will be downgraded to Commenter on the expiration date.

Share a presentation publicly

Most business users will want to share presentations privately with select colleagues or clients, but you do have the option to share a presentation publicly. At the bottom of the Share panel is a “General access” area where you can copy a link to the document. By default, this link is restricted to those you invite to the document. To change it to a public link, click Restricted and select Anyone with the link from the menu that appears.

Click Copy link and the link to your presentation will be copied to your PC’s clipboard. You can share this link by pasting it into a chat message, document, email, forum post, or most other means of online written communication. Anyone who clicks this link will be able to view your presentation online. (Be aware that anyone can copy and reshare this link.)

To allow anyone in the public to comment on or edit your presentation: At the bottom right of the Share panel, click Viewer and select Commenter or Editor from the drop-down menu. Then click the Done button. Now the web link to your presentation will let anyone who clicks it add a comment or edit it.

Sharing a spreadsheet publicly.

To turn off public sharing for your presentation: Bring up the Share panel again. Near the bottom, click Anyone with the link and select Restricted from the menu, then click the Done button.

Note: You can apply both public and private sharing methods to your presentation. For example, you could allow the public to only view your presentation, but allow specific people that you’ve invited to comment on or edit it.

Collaborate on a presentation

The people you’ve shared a spreadsheet with can view or work on it at the same time as you or at other times. Remember that people who have Editor privileges to your presentation can change all aspects of it. Having multiple people making changes to a presentation can get confusing. In most cases, setting everyone to Commenter is the best way to collaborate in Slides: People can attach comments to a slide or to objects in a slide, but their comments won’t alter your presentation’s information or design.

To add a comment to a slide: Right-click its thumbnail in the left sidebar and select Comment from the menu that opens. Alternatively, you can select its thumbnail and select Insert > Comment from the menu bar or click the Add comment button (a speech balloon with a + sign).

A blank comment card with your name on it opens to the right of the slide in the main window. On this card’s entry line, type a brief comment, and when you’re finished, click the Comment button.

Typing in a new comment.

To add a comment to an object on a slide: Right-click the object (a block of text, chart, image, picture, etc.) and select Comment from the menu that opens. Alternatively, you can select the object and select Insert > Comment from the menu bar.

To draw someone’s attention to a comment: As you’re composing the comment, type the @ symbol and begin typing their name, then select the person from the list of suggested Google contacts that appears. They’ll receive an email notifying them of the comment and linking to it.

To read, reply to, or remove a comment: A slide that contains a comment is denoted in the left sidebar with a speech balloon by its thumbnail. Click the slide’s thumbnail to make the slide appear in the main window, and you’ll see all its comment cards on the right.

To reply to a comment, click its card. The card will expand to reveal an entry line where you can add a comment in response.

Replying to a comment.

Clicking the checkmark at the upper right marks the comment card as “resolved” and removes the card from the presentation. Clicking the card’s three-dot icon opens a menu that lets you edit or delete your comment.

To see a list of all comments: Click the Open comment history icon (the speech balloon) to the left of the Slideshow button. A sidebar will open along the right side of the screen; it lists all the comment cards in your presentation. When you click a comment on this list, the view of your presentation in the main window will jump to the cell where the comment is located and open its comment card.

The Comments pane lets you quickly review all comments and jump to specific ones.

For more details about collaborating on your presentation, including what it’s like to collaborate in real time, see “ How to collaborate on a document ” in our Google Drive guide. You can also collaborate on a presentation in Google Chat; that’s covered later in this story.

Recover older versions of a presentation

It’s easy to go too far when making tweaks to a presentation. Fortunately, it’s also easy to roll back to an earlier version of the presentation. Click File > Version history > See version history . This opens a panel on the right that shows a list of older versions of your presentation.

Using Version history to view an earlier version of a presentation. (Click image to enlarge it.)

To view an earlier version of your presentation: Click the date for it in the list. That version of the presentation will then appear in the main window.

To restore an earlier version so it replaces your current presentation: With the version you want to restore showing in the main window, click the yellow Restore this version button at the top of the screen. The restored version will then appear at the top of the version history list.

To give an older version a unique name: Click on its date. You’ll be prompted to type in words to replace the date. (The date and time will then appear in smaller size underneath the new name.)

Give a presentation

When it’s time to play your presentation to an audience, Google Slides has two modes: Slideshow and Presenter view. Slideshow mode essentially shows what your audience will see. Presenter view mode provides additional tools for your eyes only that run alongside Slideshow mode.

Slideshow mode: Click the Slideshow button at the upper-right corner of the screen. Google Slides will expand to full-screen view and show the slide that’s currently in the main window. (If you want to start the slideshow from the first slide in your presentation, click the down arrow to the right of the Slideshow button and select Start from beginning .)

The control bar in Slideshow mode lets you click through the slides, turn on auto-play, use a laser pointer effect, and more. (Click image to enlarge it.)

When you move the on-screen pointer to the lower-left corner of your presentation, a control bar appears. You use this to click forward and back through the slides. Clicking the three-dot icon on the control bar opens a menu with other controls, such as starting auto-play and adjusting how quickly it moves from slide to slide.

On this menu, Turn on the laser pointer turns the mouse pointer into a simulated red laser dot. Captions preferences — available only if you’re using a Chrome browser or Chromebook — lets you turn on real-time, automatic transcribing of your words as you say them (English only) and shows them to your audience as on-screen captions. Open speaker notes takes your presentation out of full screen and opens a separate “Presenter view” window, as described below.

Presenter view mode: Click the down arrow to the right of the Slideshow button and select Presenter view . This shows the presentation in your browser window and launches a separate window that assists you while you’re giving your presentation.

Presenter view lets you (but not your audience) see your speaker notes while presenting. (Click image to enlarge it.)

From the Presenter view window, you can jump to any slide in your presentation, read the speaker notes you wrote for a slide, and control the Q&A feature. There’s also a timer that you can set to remind yourself how much time you’re spending showing a slide — or the entire presentation — to your audience.

Click the AUDIENCE TOOLS tab to use the Q&A feature, which lets you take questions from your audience. To open questions for a slideshow, click the Start new button. A web link appears at the top of your presentation. An audience member watching your presentation on their computer, phone, or tablet can click/tap that link, which will take them to a page where they can type a question for you. You’ll see the question  in your Presenter view window, and you can choose whether to show their question to the rest of your audience during the presentation. To close questions for a presentation, turn the switch from ON to OFF .

Audience members can submit questions from their devices, and the presenter can decide whether to display them as part of the slideshow. (Click image to enlarge it.)

Present in Google Meet

Need to give a presentation during a Google Meet video meeting? As long as you’re using a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, etc.), it’s easy: Toward the upper right of the Google Slides page, click the Google Meet icon. From the panel that opens, select a meeting that’s scheduled on your Google calendar today, start a new meeting, or type/paste in the web link or code that you have for another meeting.

Click the Meet icon to get started presenting to a video meeting.

If you start a new meeting, a sidebar for the meeting will open on the right. At the bottom of the sidebar, click the Present now icon (a box with an up arrow). On the panel that appears, select your presentation and click the Share button, and you’ll be presenting to the meeting.

Choose which tab or window you want to share and click the Share button. (Click image to enlarge it.)

If you join a scheduled meeting, you have two choices: “Join the call” and “Just present this tab.” If you click Join the call , a sidebar for the meeting will open on the right. Follow the same steps as above to present to the meeting. If you click Just present this tab , you’ll go directly to the panel where you select your presentation and click Share , but you won’t have a sidebar where you can follow the main meeting.

To stop sharing your presentation to the meeting, click the Stop sharing button at the top left of your browser window.

For more details about using Google Meet, see our Google Meet cheat sheet .

Download and export a presentation

Google Slides lets you download presentations for use offline. On the top menu, select File > Download and choose a file format. You can save your presentation to your PC as a PowerPoint (.pptx) file or in other formats such as PDF, or as JPG or PNG for an individual slide.

5 tips for working with Google Slides

Now that you’re comfortable working in Google Slides, try these intermediate tips.

Use the Google Slides mobile app

With the exception of the “Version history” tool, the Google Slides app for Android , iPhone , and iPad has many of the same features described in this guide.

When you have a slideshow open, the toolbar at the top of the screen lets you take a variety of actions:

• To present your slides on your phone or tablet, on a Chromecast device, or in a Google Meet meeting, tap the triangle icon.
• To share your presentation with other people, the headshot silhouette. (See “How to share from the Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides mobile apps” in our Google Drive cheat sheet .)
• To view all the comments in the presentation, tap the Comments icon (a chat balloon) if you see it in the toolbar, or tap the three-dot icon and select View comments from the menu that appears.
• The three-dot menu also lets you see the presentation’s Q&A history, export it, make it available offline, and more.

The Google Slides Android app.

To edit or comment on a slide: Tap the slide, and a menu will appear that lets you add or view comments for that slide or edit it. Tap an element on a slide, such as text or an image, and tools to edit that element will appear.

Any changes you make to your presentation in the mobile app are automatically saved and will appear the next time you open it in the Google Slides web app.

Get suggested slide layouts and content

Click the Explore icon at the lower-right corner of the screen. The Explore sidebar will open along the right side. In most cases, you’ll be presented with thumbnails of suggested layouts that Google Slides has automatically customized for the slide that’s open in the main window. Click the one you want, and it will be applied to the slide.

Use the Explore tool to get suggested layouts (left) and search for images (right).

At the top of the Explore sidebar is a search box. You can type in a word or phrase to find related content on the web or in your Google Drive. Search results appear on separate Web, Images, and Drive tabs in the sidebar. Click a web or Drive result to open it in a new browser tab. On the Images tab, click the + icon on the upper-right corner of an image to insert it onto your slide.

Create custom slide layouts to use as templates

You can design your own slide layouts to use as templates in any future presentation. First, open a new, blank presentation as described above. Then:

• On the menu bar over the blank presentation, select View > Theme builder .
• The main window switches to a layout editor. Toward the left you’ll see a column with the heading THEME on top and LAYOUTS just below that. Click the thumbnail of any layout in the LAYOUTS list. It will appear in the main window.
• You can remove objects that are already in any layout. For example, click on a block of text. A frame appears around the text. Without selecting the text itself, move the pointer to ward an edge of the frame, right-click, and select Delete from the menu that opens.

Creating a custom slide layout. (Click image to enlarge it.)

• Using the formatting toolbar above the slide, you can add new objects to the slide, including images, image placeholders, shapes, lines, and blocks for text. (Tip: enter placeholder words inside the text blocks.) When you click on any object, a frame appears around it. Drag and drop the frame to relocate it on the slide, or drag its edges to change its shape or size. You can also add or change the border and background colors for any object on the slide and/or change the background color for the whole slide.
• When you’re finished designing your layout, click the Rename button above the slide and give the layout a unique name.
• If you want to create another custom layout, click on the thumbnail of another layout under the column LAYOUTS and repeat the above steps starting from #3.
• When you are finished custom-designing all your layouts, click the X toward the upper-right of the slide layout in the main window.
• Along the top of the screen, click anywhere inside Untitled presentation and start typing. Tip: Use a name that indicates this is a template (e.g., “Annual Budget Presentation – Template”).

In the future, you can make new presentations starting from this template, and your custom slide layouts will be available.

• Open the template presentation you created in the steps above. On the menu bar, click File > Make a copy > Entire presentation . On the panel that opens, type in a name for the new presentation you want to create and click the Make a copy button. Google Slides will open this new presentation in a new browser tab.
• On the toolbar above the first slide of your new presentation, click Layout . From the panel of thumbnails that opens, select one of the layouts that you created. It will then be applied to the slide in the main window.

Collaborate on a presentation in Google Chat

An alternative way to collaborate on a presentation is to share it in Google Chat. Other people in your chat can add comments and help make changes to your presentation.

Start in Google Chat . To the left of the box where you type in your chat messages, click the + icon and select Drive file from the menu that opens. A panel will open over the screen listing the files in your Google Drive. Find and click your presentation to highlight it, then click INSERT on the lower-right corner.

You’ll be taken back to the chat message box. Click the blue right-pointing arrow to the right of the box, and a panel will open over the screen designating permissions for the shared presentation. By default, permissions are set to Comment. To change this, click Comment and select View or Edit . You can also allow the people in the chat to share a web link to your presentation with others outside of the chat by selecting Turn link sharing on .

You can share a presentation to individual or group chats in Google Chats. (Click image to enlarge it.)

After you’ve set the permissions, click SEND , and your message will appear in the chat stream with a large thumbnail of your presentation. To open a presentation in the chat, click the thumbnail. The presentation will open inside a large window that’s laid out alongside the right of the chat stream.

This is actually Google Slides running inside the chat window with your presentation loaded in it. Thus, most of the Slides commenting and editing tools are available for you and others in the chat to use on your presentation (if you granted them permission to comment or edit). The user interface is the same, except there’s no menu bar.

Collaborating on a presentation from within a Google Chat. (Click image to enlarge it.)

Use keyboard shortcuts

Save time in Slides by using keyboard shortcuts for common tasks. Below are some of the most useful to know. For more, select Help > Keyboard shortcuts from the top menu when you have a spreadsheet open or press Ctrl + / (Windows, Chrome OS) or ⌘ + / (macOS).

Handy Google Slides keyboard shortcuts

This story was originally published in September 2019 and updated in August 2022.

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Howard Wen ( www.howardwen.com ) is a longtime contributor to Computerworld . He specializes in explainer guides, how-tos, and reviews of office applications and productivity tools.

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How to use Google Slides

If you want to create a presentation for your company or a slideshow for your classroom, Google Slides is a solid option. The application is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint but is completely free and web-based for easy access.

Get started in Google Slides

Use views in google slides, add and format slides in a presentation, include speaker notes, insert and format text on a slide, insert and format images on a slide, insert other objects on a slide, view and present a slideshow.

Here, we’ll walk you through the basics of using Google Slides as a beginner. From adding slides to inserting text and images to presenting your slideshow, here’s how to use Google Slides.

What You Need

Web browser

Google account

To create a presentation, visit Google Slides and sign in with your Google account. You can then use a template for a quick start or create a blank slideshow.

Step 1: On the main Google Slides page, you’ll see a few templates across the top. To see them all, select Template gallery . If you see a template you want to use, select it.

Otherwise, pick the Blank option to create a slideshow from scratch.

Step 2: When the slideshow opens, head to the top-left corner and give it a name.

The default for a template is the template name, and for a blank slideshow, it’s “Untitled Presentation.” Simply replace that text with your own and press Enter or Return to save it.

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Step 3: As you create your presentation, Google Slides saves it automatically. At the top of the slideshow screen, you’ll see that it is saved to your Google Drive and when you made the last edit.

Step 4: You can return to the main Google Slides screen anytime by selecting the Google Slides logo on the top left, beside the name.

As you create your presentation, you can use different views depending on how you want to work.

Step 1: The main view, as shown below, puts your slide front and center without distractions.

Step 2: To open thumbnails of your slides on the left, select View > Show filmstrip . You can then use the Filmstrip to move to different slides in your presentation and take action on a slide with a right-click.

To close the Filmstrip, return to View > Show filmstrip to deselect the option.

Step 3: To see a full screen of slide thumbnails, go to View > Grid view to select the option. This gives you a larger picture of how your slides are set up and actions you can take using a right-click.

To close this view, go to View > Grid view to deselect the option.

To build a presentation, you’ll add slides. Each slide can contain text, images, videos, shapes, and other elements. To make structuring your slides a bit easier, you can use a pre-made layout. But you also have the option to use a blank slide to place items where you like.

Step 1: To add a slide, do one of the following:

• Go to the Insert tab and choose New slide near the bottom.
• Go to the Slide tab and choose New slide at the top.
• In the Filmstrip or Grid view, right-click a slide and pick New slide .

Step 2: By default, the new slide is placed after your selected slide and uses the same layout. You can change the layout for the new slide if you prefer.

Step 3: To change the layout, select the slide and do one of the following:

• Go to the Slide tab, move to Apply layout , and choose a layout in the pop-out menu.
• In the Filmstrip or Grid view, right-click a slide, move to Apply layout , and choose a layout in the pop-out menu.

When you present a slideshow that you plan to talk through, you can add notes to your slides that only you can see. This is similar to using physical index cards during a speech.

Step 1: To display the notes section on a slide, either drag up using the Three dots at the very bottom of the slide or select View > Show speaker notes .

Step 2: This expands the section below the slide. Place your cursor inside the Notes section and enter your text.

Step 3: To change the font style, size, color, or formatting, select the text in your note and use the Font buttons in the toolbar.

Step 4: To close the speaker notes area, either drag down until the notes section is out of sight or go to View > Show speaker notes to deselect the option.

You can add text to your slides using the pre-made text boxes that are included with the layout you select. Alternatively, you can add text boxes and move them where you want.

Step 1: To add text to an included text box, simply click inside the box and type. The text is automatically formatted per the text box type. For instance, if you enter text in a title box, it’s formatted in a larger font.

Step 2: To insert a text box of your own, either select Insert > Text box in the menu or choose the Text box button in the toolbar.

Step 3: Click a spot on your slide to add the text box, and then enter your text inside.

Step 4: You can move a text box by dragging it and resize one by dragging in or out from a corner or edge.

Step 5: To change the font style, size, color, or format for the text inside the box, select the text and then use the font options in the toolbar.

Slideshows are visual presentations, so along with text, you’ll likely want to include pictures or photos.

Step 1: Go to Insert and move to Image or select the arrow next to the Image button in the toolbar.

Step 2: Choose the location for your image. You can pick a picture from your computer, a web search, Google Drive, Google Photos, a URL, or your device camera.

Step 3: Once you locate and insert the image, drag to move it where you like. You can also drag a corner or edge to resize it.

Step 4: For additional formatting options such as rotation, position, shadow, reflection, and other adjustments, open the Format options sidebar.

You can do this by selecting the image and choosing Format options in the toolbar or by right-clicking the image and choosing Format options .

Along with text and images, you can include other types of visuals in your presentation. You can add videos, audio files, tables, charts, diagrams, word art, and lines.

Step 1: To see all of your options and add an element, go to the Insert tab and choose what you would like to add.

Step 2: Some items like shapes, charts, and lines display a pop-out menu for you to pick the type or style. Other elements like video and audio display a pop-up window for you to pick the location or enter a URL.

Step 3: Once you insert an object on your slide, drag to move it to the spot you want. You can also right-click the item to view additional actions like formatting, alignment, or arrangement with other slide elements.

You can view your presentation at any point in the creation process and can present it the same way to your audience.

Plus, you can take advantage of the Presenter view, which gives you controls and displays your notes. Or, simply watch the slideshow as your audience will.

Step 1: On the top right, select the arrow next to Slideshow and pick Presenter view or Start from beginning .

Step 2: In Presenter view, you’ll see your slideshow on one side of your display or second monitor, with a smaller control window floating on top.

Use the control window to move through the slides, pause the slideshow, and see your speaker notes.

Step 3: In regular slideshow view, you’ll see the presentation in full-screen mode, as mentioned.

Use the Floating toolbar on the bottom left to advance through the slides or pause the slideshow.

Step 4: In either of the above views, select the Three dots on the right side of the floating toolbar to do things like enter or exit full-screen mode, view your speaker notes, automatically play the presentation, or exit the show.

There you have it! These are the basics for how to use Google Slides if you’re new to the application. For more, look at how to use Google Sheets .

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If that’s the case, you’re in the right place. We’ve rounded up five of the best alternatives to Google Calendar, and each app offers plenty of compelling reasons to take it for a spin. Whether you’re looking for more features or are just sick of Google, there should be something for you here. Fantastical

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In August 2023, it introduced Google Duet as an enterprise option featuring AI-inundated Workspace apps, including Gmail, Drive, Slides, Docs, and others.

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How to Use Google Slides to Make a Presentation

An overview of Google's presentation software

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What to Know

• Go to  File  >  Download  to save a presentation. To publish it, choose File  >  Publish to the web  >  Link  or  Embed  >  Publish .
• Choose  Share  to add collaborators. View edit history from File > Version history  >  See version history .
• Select  File  >  Make available offline  to work on a presentation offline.

Google Slides is an app that allows you to easily collaborate and share presentations with text, photos, audio, or video files. Similar to Microsoft's PowerPoint, it's hosted online and can be accessed in a web browser from any device with an internet connection. Here's everything you need to know to begin creating your own presentations.

How to Publish Google Slides

You can publish your Google Slides presentation online using a link or embedded code. You can also limit access to who can see the presentation through permissions. These are live documents, so whenever you make a change it also appears on the published version.

To publish a Google Slides presentation online:

Go to File > Publish to the web .

Select Link to get a shareable URL. You can also choose how much time passes before each slide advances and whether or not the presentation restarts after the final slide.

Select Embed to generate code you can add to your website. There's also an additional option here to choose the size of the slides.

Once you tweak all of the settings, select Publish .

What Is Google Slides?

Google Docs is a set of office and education applications, similar to the tools in  Microsoft 365 . Google Slides is the company's answer to Microsoft's presentation tool, PowerPoint. You can create dynamic presentations with images and audio . You can even add GIFs to put some fun into your presentation. One of the main advantages of using Google's tools is that they're free; all you need is a Google account and an internet connection.

But there are other great reasons to use Google Slides, like wide compatibility. Users can view and edit presentations on their PC or Mac. Google Slides also has Android and iOS apps so you can work on your presentation on a tablet or smartphone.

Google Slides Basic Features

Here's a quick look at some of the basic features of Google Slides.

Export PowerPoint Presentations to Google Slides

To convert one of your PowerPoint presentations to Google Slides , upload it to Google Drive.

Some PowerPoint features won't carry over to Google Slides.

You can also save your Google Slide presentation as a PowerPoint file, a PDF, or other file formats. Go to File > Download , and select one of the options.

Use Google Slides Offline

Google Slides is  cloud-based , but you can access and edit documents in Google Drive offline . Once you're connected to the internet again, all of your work syncs to the live version. If you want to take your work offline, go to File > Make available offline .

Live Collaboration on Google Slides

One of Google Slides' key advantages over Microsoft's PowerPoint is live-team collaboration, regardless of where your co-workers are located. You can share Google Slides from Google Drive and invite collaborators via their Google accounts. You control what level of access each person has, such as whether they can only view or edit the presentation.

Live collaboration allows everyone on the team to work on, and view, the same presentation simultaneously from satellite offices. Everyone can see live edits as they're created.

For this to work, everyone must be online.

The easiest way to invite others to view or edit your project is via the Share button in the upper right. From there, you can copy a link to the presentation or you can add collaborators via their email addresses.

Google Slides Version History

Because Google Slides is cloud-based, it continuously auto-saves while you're working online. The Version History feature keeps track of all changes, the time they were made, and who made them. To see the document's history of edits, go to File > Version history > See version history .

Google Slides Built-In Themes

Just like PowerPoint, Google Slides offers pre-designed themes , backgrounds, colors, and fonts. It also provides some nice design features, including zooming in and out of your slides and the ability to apply masks to images to modify their shapes.

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What Is Google Slides and How to Get Started?

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Google Slides is Google’s equivalent of PowerPoint for those who don’t know. While it has some differences, it shares many similarities with Microsoft’s product. However, over the last few years, it has gained a reputation as a reliable, shareable, and accessible (that’s the most crucial part) alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint.

Article overview: 1. What is Google Slides? 2. Who can use Google Slides? 3. Why use Google Slides? 4. How to use Google Slides?

1. What is Google Slides?

As we previously said, Google Slides is a direct competitor to PowerPoint. It is specialized in creating professional presentations for business, education, marketing, etc . However, it has some features that make it unique.

✅ Browser-based   – all you need to have is a browser (preferably Google Chrome, but you’re not limited to it) and a Google account.

✅ Interconnected – since it is an online app, you can connect other apps with it it.

✅ Shareable – with a click of a button, you can give a link to somebody or download and send it to them.

What makes Google’s presentation tool a genuine rival to PowerPoint is working in teams. The whole idea behind Google Suite is to offer a unique experience for every user and ultimate convenience for groups.

2. Who can use Google Slides?

The best thing about Google Slides is that everyone can use it – from starters to industry professionals. We have to mention that Google Slides is very beginner-friendly. All you need to have is a Google account which is totally free. There are storage limitations, so you can’t create unlimited amounts of presentations. But you don’t need to. What you have in Google Drive as a capacity (15GB)  is more than enough for an average user.

The best of all is that everyone can start using Google Slides, even though they have previously worked with PowerPoint. In one of our other guides, we have explained how to convert a PowerPoint presentation into a Google Slides one .

3. Why use Google Slides?

After all, a software’s actual value is what customers can actually access. Without its significant competitive advantages, Google Slides wouldn’t reach such heights. But it did. Let’s see why.

3.1 Easy to use

One of the most significant advantages of Google is that it is effortless to use. Google Slides is only a tiny piece of the puzzle. The company aims to offer a great experience to its users and no trouble in their user experience journey. That is why you won’t find something out of space in Slides. Google is consistently updating its product. They are also making decisions based on how often a tool is used in Slides, and if it’s not – they hide it.

3.2 Browser-based

We have already mentioned in the intro that Google Slides is browser-based. This gives it a massive edge over desktop apps since it becomes very easy to edit, share, and store. Instead of saving local copies of the files (and eating up space), you can save them on Google Drive. Which happens automatically.

3.3 It supports many file formats

Among the key advantages of Google Slides is its compatibility with file formats. It supports .odp, .ppt. .pptx. .pptm, .ppsx, .pps,  .pdf, etc. This means you can load Open Document and PowerPoint presentations in Google Slides and save files in those formats, or, vice versa, open presentations made in Google Slides in PowerPoint (and other pieces of software).

3.4 Simple sharing and collaboration

Another area where Google Slides shines is file sharing. You had to work on your file back in the day, then save it to other people assigned on the presentation (group project), and everyone had to enter their part. Nowadays, you can work on the same file simultaneously. This is especially useful for classmates and colleagues who work on similar projects, as they can view the progress of others and comment on it.

3.5 Different templates and embedding options

Google Slides lets you add different themes and change their design. By changing the theme builder, you can update anything with a click. But it doesn’t end here – you can also embed videos (from YouTube, for example), images, add audio, and GIFs. This makes presentations much more interactive.

4. How to use Google Slides?

Google Slides is not that hard to work with. Let’s see some of the most routine tasks that people have to go through and the steps to make them.

Google Slides User Interface

A – Menu Toolbar. This is your go-to place for most tasks. You can open and download files, add new slides,  format your slides, or add elements (such as audio, video, etc.). B – Slide Grid. You have two options – horizontal and vertical (by default). C – Comment History. It is especially helpful when you collaborate with peers on presentations. D – Google Meet integration button. With this tool, you can start a call from Google Slides. E – Slideshow. When you click it, the presentation will become fullscreen. F – Share button. It’s what makes Google Slides famous. G – Current Slide. When you’re on it, you can edit it. H – Speaker Notes. Speaker notes are present only for the person who sees the computer I – Explore. AI-generation slide variations which take into account the content you’ve added to the slide. J – Themes. A selection of themes to serve as background for your slides.

4.1. How to create a Google Presentation?

Let’s start with the first thing – how to create a Google Presentation. Before we start, let’s clarify the difference between a theme and a template. While both are similar in a way that they allow you to change the background, font, font size, font color, etc., templates allow for further customization by enabling you to add external elements into your presentation – for example, images.

Step 1. Open Google Slides

Step 2. select a template or create a brand new presentation.

Now, you can click on the “+” button to create a new blank presentation or use a template you wish to edit from the default ones.

Step 3. Add a theme (Optional)

There are some excellent default options that you could use. For this reason, you should simply scroll down to pick a theme you would like to use and then right-click on it.

4.2. How to open a presentation in Google Slides?

If you have created a presentation or a colleague/classmate has also worked on a project, you may need to open a presentation and continue working on it. So, how to open a file?

Step 2. Create a presentation

When you open Google Slides, you can follow step 2 from 4.1.  and click on the “ + ” button or select a presentation under the category “ Recent presentations .” You can find your recent projects. If you haven’t worked with Google Slides previously, you might not have files available here, so you should click on the white slide with a  “+” sign.

Step 3. Open a presentation

Once you are on the main screen, you can add your presentation (or any file in supported formats). You can either go to File->Open  or use the quick command Ctrl+O ( Cmd+O for Mac users). Then, the application will load the selected file from your hard drive and will convert it into a Google Slides presentation. You can open different OpenDocument presentations (ODP), PowerPoint presentations (PPTX), image formats (like PNG and JPG), vector formats (SVG and PDF), etc.

Another way to open presentations in Google Slides is to open Google Drive and upload your presentations in there. Then you can easily open them with a double click.

4.3 How to create a new slide in Google Slides?

Creating new slides is an essential part of making great presentations. As you may know, stacking too much information on the same slide is not considered a good move, and that is why you should add just enough on each slide – to keep your audience engaged and add your speaker notes and fit them in.

Step 1. Open your presentation in Google Slides

Step 2. choose where you wish to add your slide.

It’s vital to know where you would like to add a slide. By default, slides are added one after another, which means you will start with a single-page presentation, and all the slides you add are added afterward. Keep in mind you can insert a slide wherever you wish – just select the place where you would like to add your next slide.

Step 3. Add new slide

Adding a new slide is easy. Once you have marked the previous slide, you can add a new one by clicking on Slide->New Slide or with the command Ctrl+M ( Cmd+M for Mac users).

Now you are ready to replace the titles and paragraphs with your own text and maybe add some bullets, charts, or visuals to create your first presentation even better.

5. Continue learning

If you want to  master Google Slides , take a look at our tutorials for the popular presentation software:

• 20 Google Slides Tutorials To Master Presentations – 20 really useful tutorials to learn all the features in Google Slides and become Google Slides Master.
• How to Add Fonts to Google Slides? – A quick guide to learning how to work with fonts in GS. You will learn how to add custom fonts and impress your audience.
• How to Make Google Slides Vertical? – Changing the dimension may be important if your presentation will be used on screens with other resolution mobile devices.
• How to Create a Radial Chart in Google Slides? – Presenting data with visuals is crucial for your audience engagement.
• How to use Google Slides offline? – Opening your slides without an internet connection can save you from a bad situation, so don’t miss this useful tutorial.
• How to Make Google Slides Look Good? – Some useful ideas to help you design your presentation.
• How to Add and Show Speaker Notes on Google Slides? – Having speaker notes in front can let you present with more confidence and forget no details from your presentation.
• How to Add a GIF to Google Slides? – GIFs can make your presentation more interactive, thus driving more attention to key areas.
• How to Add Audio to Google Slides?  – Adding audio to your Google Slides presentations can add more value to the images inside, or prove a statement you’ve made.
• How to do a Hanging Indent in Google Slides? – Hanging indents are used for citations and they can make your Google Slides presentations much more credible in front of an authoritative audience.
• How to Draw on Google Slides? – Drawing can help you create powerful graphics for your presentations that aren’t available as templates.
• How to Convert PowerPoint Presentation into Google Slides? – Knowing how to convert PowerPoint to Google Slides will help you present on other computers, and allow easy editing.

And if you want to improve your presentation skills , you can browse some of these useful tips and insights :

• How to Calm Down Before a Presentation: 10 Practical Tips and Techniques – A pocket guide that can help you tackle the notorious stage fright before speaking in front of an audience.
• How to Start and End a Presentation: 10 Practical Tips – Useful advice to make an impression during the two most crucial stages of each presentation – the beginning and the end.
• 4 Invaluable Presentation Design Tips You Wish You Knew Earlier – Utilizing an unorthodox approach in your designs might make you more interesting to your audience.
• 7 Weird Myths About Using Cartoons in Presentations – Debunking myths about using cartoons in presentations and useful tips on how to perfectly fit illustrations.
• 8 Key Presentation Ideas to Steal The Audience – Some superb presentation advice garnered with video content.
• How to record a Zoom presentation and present it in a virtual meeting? – An amazing way to sound like a TEDx speaker and impress your colleagues.

Working with Google Slides is easy. Since the platform is online-based, it is created with collaboration in mind – you can share it with colleagues, classmates, and friends and work together. Of course, the presentation isn’t perfect – it isn’t as feature-rich as Keynote and Microsoft PowerPoint, but it has everything needed for a successful presentation.

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Nikolay Kaloyanov

Nikolay is a copywriter with vast experience in Technology, Marketing, and Design. When he isn't playing with words and crafting texts, he watches sports and asks questions. He is a funny person...until you put him on a diet.

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Meet directly in your documents

Collaborate in context by meeting in Google Slides, Docs or Sheets.

Simple sharing controls

Easy-to-manage sharing permissions allow you granular control over who gets to edit, comment or view your slides.

Live pointers

Follow along with your co-creators and pinpoint important information while collaborating.

Connect with audiences

Land your message with confidence, with the flexibility to present live or record your presentation inside Slides.

These features are available on some Google Workspace Business and Google Workspace Enterprise plans.

Present like a pro, directly from Google Meet

Access all of your Slides and Meet controls in one place, and enjoy smoother high-resolution presentations.

Showcase presenters, front and centre

Keep the focus on you with speaker spotlight, which places your video directly into your presentation.

Easily record your presentation

Record and share your presentations so that your audience can watch when it works best for them.

Your data is encrypted by default, and an array of safety measures – like advanced client-side encryption , anti-abuse measures and privacy controls – keep your data private .

Works well with others

Import Microsoft PowerPoint or Canva presentations online, and enhance your collaboration with Slides features like comments, action items and granular sharing controls.

Do more with Google Slides

Work, wherever you are

View, present or collaborate in Slides on your mobile phone or tablet, available in the App Store and Play Store, or connect from your computer.

Stay productive, even offline

Access, create and edit Slides even without an Internet connection, helping you to stay productive from anywhere.

Integrate your workflows

Extend the power of Slides to fit your workflows with Slides add-ons or build your own with a range of developer tools.

Curious about Google Slides?

Take a look at our FAQ to learn more.

However, some features such as Slides recording and speaker spotlight are only available on Google Workspace plans, and Gemini for Workspace features like 'Help me visualise' are available as an add-on; see plans and pricing for organisations or Google Workspace Individual .

Yes. You can convert Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into Google Slides format, or you can directly edit PowerPoint presentations, without having to make a copy. The original file will remain intact.

Co-editing means that multiple people can work on the same slide at the same time, without having to send versions back and forth. Sharing settings allows you to control who can view and edit a slide, and revision history enables you to revert to earlier versions. Also available in Google Docs and Sheets .

Create, collaborate and present with Google Slides

How to Create a Presentation in Google Slides

Still unfamiliar with Google Slides? Here's how you can create a basic presentation from start to finish.

About a year ago I was informed by an acquaintance that Google Slides---the free-to-use, online, collaborative presentation app---was the poor man's version of PowerPoint.

This observation took me back a bit because I couldn't understand where the animosity was coming from. I also found the critique unfair. Google Slides is a great program that allows you to create everything from workplace presentations to cookbooks. The only requirement is that you have a Google account.

However, this critique got me wondering about how many people are unfamiliar with Google Slides. To clear up some of these misconceptions, here's how you can create a basic presentation from start to finish.

Step 1: Set Up Your Document

The first thing you'll want to do is open up the Google Slides application. If you don't have an account or you're an infrequent user, here's our beginner's guide to Gmail , which will explain how Gmail is useful when controlling the associated app.

If you're in Google Drive, click  New > Google Slides > From a template .

You can use a blank presentation if you want, but for this tutorial, we're just going to tweak a pre-existing design. There are fewer steps involved and it will be quicker for you.

Once you click on  From a template , you'll be taken to the template gallery.

Like Canva, Google groups templates according to the purpose. One of the most common uses for a slideshow is a work presentation, so for this tutorial lets go with a General presentation .

When you open up your template, you'll see a screen that looks very similar to this one.

Along the top, you'll see your navigation bar. To the left side of your workspace you'll see your template pages in the order they are currently laid out.

In the center of your workspace, you will see a larger version of the page you currently have active. To the right side of your workspace, you should see another dropdown menu called Themes .

Step 2: Know Your Navigation Bar

Google Slides is expansive, but one of the most important things you'll need to know is the navigation bar at the top of your workspace, and what each dropdown menu contains.

Under  File , you'll see the basic options for controlling your Google Slides presentation. This includes sharing, importing slides, downloading slides, basic page setup, print settings, and language.

Under  Edit , you'll find the basic tools to control each individual page. This will include options to undo an action, redo an action, cut, copy, and paste.

Under  View , you'll see the different ways that you can view your presentation. You can also see the option to go to  Animations .

If you want to include animations in your presentation, check out our tutorial on how to add animated GIFs to Google Slides .

Continuing on: if you click on the  Insert menu, you'll see different options for content that you can include in your presentation.

Under  Format , you'll find all the tools that you will need to adjust your text, from font styles and alignment to bullets and numbering.

The  Slide menu allows you to make large changes to your overall presentation. The  Arrange menu allows you to organize the elements on each individual page.

The  Tools menu lets you fix your spelling, look up words in the dictionary, and add accessibility options to your presentation.

The  Add-ons menu is a shortcut to special features you can add to your Google Slides.

Lastly, there's the  Help menu. By clicking here you can receive additional training or search for updates.

Related: How to Add Audio to Google Slides

Step 3: Change Your Theme

Once you finish browsing through the menus and get a general idea of what each one does, you'll want to look at your  Themes . As mentioned earlier, Google Slides groups presentations according to a purpose. Inside each group, you will find visual themes you can apply to your slideshow.

Themes can include specific fonts, colors, and styles. When you click on one, it's a quick and easy way to make sure everything looks uniform.

To change your theme, simply scroll the options available on the right-hand side of your workspace. Click on the one that suits your needs.

Step 4: Change Your Font

After you pick your theme, you'll want to start inputting your own information into your slideshow.

To change the placeholder text, simply click on each box and start typing. You can also change the font and font color, too.

To change the color, make sure the font you want to change is selected. Then click on the font color option, seen here in red.

When you click on it, a dropdown menu with swatches will emerge. From here, you can choose the colors that are already available to you in your color palette, or you can create a brand new color by clicking on  Custom .

If you want to change the font style, once again make sure your text is selected. Then click on the font dropdown menu. Choose the style you want.

A word of warning: make sure the font you choose is easy to see. Most presentations are viewed from a distance.

Step 5: Change Your Background

When you're putting together this presentation, you might decide that the background is boring or that you don't like the way that it looks.

To change the background, right-click on a slide's page. When you do, make sure the text on that page is not selected. Then choose  Change Background .

Once the new dialogue box pops up, you can change your background color, put an image in the background, or reset the background a previous default state.

Under  Color , you can also choose a solid color or a gradient for your background. You can create custom colors and gradients too.

Once your background is finalized, you can either choose  Done or  Add to theme .

If you add this background to your theme, any pages in your presentation that have a matching background will mirror these new changes you've made.

Once it's applied, click  Done .

Step 6: Replace an Image

What if there's a placeholder image in your template, and you want to swap it out?

To do this, click on the image to want to replace so its blue bounding box appears. Next, click  Replace Image , seen here in red. You can then choose to upload an image from your computer, search the web for an image, or insert an image via URL.

A word of warning: make sure you have permission to use the photos you're inserting. If you're struggling to find images, here's a list of sites where you can find royalty-free stock photos .

Step 7: Delete a Slide

While you're working through these slides, you may notice that there's a page or two in the template that you don't need.

To get rid of these pages, go to the left-hand side of your workspace. Right-click on the page you want to remove.

Click Delete .

Step 8: Move a Slide

Sometimes you'll see a slide that you really like the layout for, but it's in the wrong place for your presentation.

To move a slide to the end---for example---right-click on the page you want to move, then choose  Move slide to end . It's that simple.

Step 9: Add Transitions

Once you're done setting up your presentation, you can start thinking about how you'll "present" this slideshow. How do you want it to progress? Do you want a little animation between each of the pages?

To add a "transition" between two of your slides, right-click on the page you want to adjust, then click  Change Transition .

When you do, your toolbar on the right-hand side of your workspace will show you new options that you can use. Choose the option you want from the dropdown menu. You can also choose to apply this transition to the whole presentation or just an individual slide.

And that's it. You're done your basic presentation.

Good Luck on Your Google Slides Presentation

Google Slides is an expansive application, and while we didn't cover all the bells and whistles we did run through the basics. With this application on your side, you'll never need to worry about your work looking unprofessional, whether you have access to other slideshow programs or not.

Want to learn more about Google Slides? Here are tips you should know before your next presentation .

How-To Geek

7 google slides features for eye-catching presentations.

Make a slideshow that stands out.

Quick Links

• Apply Image Effects
• Crop an Image to a Shape
• Place Text in Front of an Image
• Shorten Lengthy Videos
• Insert a Chart or Graph
• Position Slide Items With Guides
• Use Subtle Slide Transitions

Assembling a professional slideshow can be intimidating if you don't feel creative or artistic. But that doesn't mean you can't make an appealing and successful presentation. Google Slides provides features to help you design an attractive slideshow.

1. Apply Image Effects

You may have an image or two that could use a little pizzazz. Google Slides offers shadow and reflection features that may give your picture or photo just the right touch.

Related: How to Make an Image Transparent in Google Slides

Select your image and choose "Format Options" in the toolbar. When the sidebar opens, check the box for Drop Shadow or Reflection. Then, expand that section to adjust the transparency , distance, angle, or size.

This lets you take ordinary images up a notch.

2. Crop an Image to a Shape

Another way to make an image stand out is by cropping it to a shape . This is referred to as using a mask in Google Slides.

Select your image and click the Mask Image arrow attached to the Crop Image button in the toolbar. Move to Shapes, Arrows, Callouts, or Equation to see the available shapes in the pop-out menu.

Then simply click the shape you want to use. You'll see your image cropped to fit the shape.

To make additional adjustments to the image, select "Format Options" in the toolbar. You can change the size, rotation, position, brightness, or contrast.

3. Place Text in Front of an Image

For things like a title slide, section divider, or conclusion, you may want a unique look. You can place text in front of (or even behind) an image.

Related: How to Place Images Behind or in Front of Text in Google Slides

With your image and text on the slide, move the text box on top of the image. If the text displays behind the image, select the box and head to the Arrange tab.

Choose Order and pick either "Bring to Front" to place the text box on top of all slide elements or "Bring Forward" to place the text box one level up.

This lets you create a different look or save space, and it works well for welcome, transitional, or wrap-up slides.

4. Shorten Lengthy Videos

If you want to include a video in your slideshow but trim it to only show a certain part of the clip, you can do so right in Google Slides.

Select your video and click "Format Options" in the toolbar. When the sidebar opens, expand Video Playback.

If you have the exact times you want to use, enter those in the Start At and End At boxes. You'll then only see that part of the video when you play it in the presentation.

If you aren't certain of the times, press Play in the preview of the video in the sidebar. When you reach the spot where you want to start the video, pause the playback and click "Use Current Time" below the Start At box. Then, do the same for the end time to the right.

You can then play the video on your slide to make sure you've got the timing correct or adjust it further in the sidebar. Optionally, you can check the box for Mute Audio if needed.

Related: How to Add Videos and Customize Playback in Google Slides

5. Insert a Chart or Graph

Slideshows are all about visuals. So, if you have data you want to present, using a chart or graph is a good way to do it. If you have a chart in Google Sheets you want to use, you can simply insert it. Alternatively, you can create a graph from scratch.

Select the slide where you want the chart. Go to Insert > Chart and choose a chart type to create one or "From Sheets" to import one.

If you make your own graph, you'll see sample data when you insert the chart. Use the arrow on the top right to pick "Open Source."

Google Sheets will open with the sample data in a new tab. Then just add your own data.

Return to the Google Slides tab and update the chart using the Update button. You'll then see your updated visual.

From there, you can do things like resize the chart to add some text or a title or apply a border. For a full tutorial on creating a chart in Google Slides , check out our how-to.

Related: How to Create a Graph in Google Slides

6. Position Slide Items With Guides

To make sure that your images, videos, text, shapes, and other items are placed neatly on the slide, you can use the built-in guides.

Go to View, move to Guides, and pick "Show Guides." You'll see horizontal and vertical lines appear which help you to line up your items perfectly.

To make aligning items to the guides even better, you can add a snap. Head back to View, move to Snap To, and pick "Guides."

Once you enable the second feature, you'll see red horizontal and vertical lines appear as you drag your item on the slide. You can then release the item once it's lined up with those indicators.

For additional details on using guides in Google Slides , take a look at our tutorial.

Related: How to Use Guides to Position Items in Google Slides

7. Use Subtle Slide Transitions

Rather than a sudden jolt from slide to slide, consider using subtle slide transitions. You can apply a fade, dissolve, or other effect for a nicer transition from one slide to the next .

Select a slide to start with; you can easily apply the transition to all slides later. Click "Transition" in the toolbar. When the sidebar opens, expand the section below Slide Transition.

Use the drop-down box to choose an effect. You'll see dissolve, fade, slide, flip, and more.

After you pick an effect, press "Play" at the bottom of the sidebar to see a preview. You can also adjust the speed of the transition using the slider.

To use the transition throughout your presentation, click "Apply to All Slides." When you finish, simply close the sidebar. When you play your slideshow, you'll see that attractive transition between slides.

With tools for sprucing up images , removing unnecessary video content, and replacing data with visuals, consider these Google Slides features for your next presentation.

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How to Create Slides That Suit Your Superiors: 11 Tips

When you’re pitching ideas or budgets to execs in your organization, you need to deliver slides that fit those particular people just right. This checklist identifies the key considerations.

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I recently interviewed 20 of my customers, all in senior roles at Fortune 100 companies, and asked them their biggest pain point in presenting to higher-ups and even colleagues. What I heard consistently was that it can feel like Goldilocks bouncing from one option to the next, testing to figure out what’s “just right.” Does the audience want deep reports? Sparse slides? Something in between? Like … what?

Teams often come to presentation meetings with vast amounts of backup content just in case an exec wants to take a deep dive on any given point. There’s often a struggle to anticipate every direction attendees might want to go. It’s frustrating, and it’s not efficient.

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There are many ways to build slides. I’m not just talking about crafting them well versus poorly. I’m talking about all of the important decisions regarding how to organize them, how much text to use, when to lean into a chart, the best ways to use bullets and color, and whether to include an appendix with additional information. Before you make your next proposal or request of the executive team, use this list of 11 tips for your next set of slides as a guide.

Four Things You Must Have in Every Exec’s Slides

Before we drill down into the harder aspects, the ones where your executives’ tastes may vary widely, let’s quickly cover four aspects that you can consider the building blocks — the basics you should never proceed without.

Start with an executive summary. Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure. First, start with stating the current realities. Second, clearly state the problem or opportunity your idea addresses and its potential impact. Third, explain how your recommendation solves the problem or exploits the opportunity and the next steps you’re proposing.

Have a logical organization. The arc of the deck — the package from beginning to end — should make sense. If your audience reads only the headline of every slide, the order should be coherent and make most of the case for you. The content below each slide’s headline must support the statement made in the title. Remove everything that doesn’t support your point; as writers will tell you, you sometimes need to “kill your darlings” when you’re editing.

Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure.

Make it skimmable. Help your audience to quickly grasp the point without getting bogged down in details. Create a clear visual hierarchy. Guide the reader’s eye through the content: Use bold headings, bullet points, and numbered lists to break down information into digestible pieces. Highlight key takeaways or conclusions in a different color or font size to draw attention to these critical points.

Focus on concise insights. Succinct statements with clear insights are everyone’s jam. Every slide should serve a purpose and contribute directly to the decision-making process. Distill complex information. Don’t use 100 words when 20 words will nail it. If you’re having difficulty trimming, consider using company-approved AI tools to help you take out the fluff.

Five Preferences to Confirm With the Person You Want to Reach

Now we’ll delve into what your particular audience does and does not want. If you haven’t yet, start by asking the person you’re presenting to what they generally prefer. They probably know themselves well but have not been asked to articulate how they like to receive information.

Ask how dense is too dense. Some executives prefer detailed slides with comprehensive data. Others favor a more high-level approach. You’re weighing how to balance informative content with readability, ensuring that slides are not overloaded yet are sufficiently detailed to support decision-making.

Confirm the delivery format and timing. Some execs like information presented to them. Others prefer a pre-read of the material followed by a discussion. I always recommend our tool Slidedocs (I’ve written a free e-book on them), which are visual documents using both words and images. The templates help presenters organize their thoughts into a document for a pre-read or a read-along. They are designed to be skimmable and able to travel through your organization without the help of a presenter.

I’m a huge fan of pre-reads and prefer to use my time in meetings to ask questions and build alignment. If your audience didn’t review your material in advance, ask at the top of the meeting whether they would like you to present it or would prefer to read through it and then discuss it.

Find out how much data visualization they prefer. Charts, graphs, photos, and illustrations often communicate complex data more clearly than words alone. When execs can see what you’re saying, they often can better understand the impact of your idea. Does the exec want to understand exact numbers? Bar charts allow them to move their eyes across a series of specifics. Does the exec want to know the shape of a trend over time? Line charts can show the pattern. (See “Classic Charts Communicate Data Quickly.”) Some prefer charts with annotations that draw attention to what you think is the most important point. Others want to make their own conclusions from the data.

One of my clients, the CEO of a massive commercial real estate company, doesn’t want anything visualized. He prefers numbers, only in a table, and only in two colors — black and red. You might think this is archaic. But the fact that he’s clear to his teams about what he wants takes all the mystery out of how to communicate with him.

When the stakes are high, have a conceptual thinker help with diagrams and concepts. If you don’t have one on your team, and when it’s high stakes, find an internal designer to help you or hire one. You can’t afford to have the baby (your idea) thrown out with the bathwater (terrible slides).

Identify which details need spelling out. How well do the people you’re presenting to know the landscape and function of the company and products you’re talking about? For example, if your engineering team threw a slide into a deck about an issue that requires executive approval, do the execs all speak geek? Or do you need to explain the technology so that they will really understand the ask? Either eliminate internal jargon and acronyms or unpack those bits, especially if your proposal deeply involves expertise outside of the executives’ domain.

Ask whether appendices will be useful. When you’re organizing a presentation, you often troll data, read through complicated reports, and even hire external experts to figure out what’s best for the company. Do your execs want access to that supporting data? You can add a document to the end of the presentation as an appendix to show all of the data and source material. This allows the main content of the slides to remain focused and accessible while still providing comprehensive background information for those who want more.

Two Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Getting materials in place is the biggest step. They will be your best tools for selling your ideas. But there are two extra areas to pay attention to as a presenter: how you handle questions and how you use every experience to improve.

Anticipate questions, and practice your answers. Before you have your meeting, gather a small team to challenge every point you make. Invite colleagues you trust to role-play as “a rapidly inquisitive exec” or “the doubting naysayer exec” so you are prepared to present your idea well. They’re gonna grill you, and practicing will help you remain unruffled when it happens.

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Ask for feedback after the presentation. Establish a feedback loop with those you presented to. Ask what worked well and how you can improve. If attendees don’t have the time, find people who have had their ideas funded and talk to them about what they did that worked. Advice and some perspective will help you nail your performance even better next time.

Empathetically understanding your audience members and how they process information, whether it’s executives or peers, sets up your ideas for success. Clarity creates efficiency. When a presentation fits just right, you’ve given your great thinking the best chance of moving through your organization and having maximum impact.

About the Author

Nancy Duarte is CEO of Duarte Inc. , a communication company in the Silicon Valley. She’s the author of six books, including DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story (Ideapress Publishing, 2019).

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How to add bullet points to a google slides presentation.

Present your slide in an organized manner with bullet points

Google Slides is a feature-packed PowerPoint alternative. The free tool comes with style and formatting add-ons to elevate your presentation in no time. One such option is the ability to insert bullet points to simplify content on your slide. Whether you use Google Slides on the web, an iPhone, an iPad, or an Android phone , here's how to add bullet points to your presentation.

How to add bullet points to Google Slides for the web

We'll start with Google Slides for the web and then move to mobile and tablet apps to add bullet points. Since it's the web version, you can access it from a desktop browser on your Windows PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

1. Visit Google Slides on the web and open a presentation you want to edit.

2. Go to a slide and select the content to convert to a bullet list.

3. Select the Bulleted list icon at the top. You can also use Command + Shift + 8 (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + 8 (Windows) to add a bullet list.

4. When you enter a bullet list on an empty slide, look for the first bullet point on the text field. Press Enter to add a second item to the list.

5. You can create a mini list beneath the main bullet point. This is an effective way to organize the listicle. To do so, press Enter on the main bullet point (or Return on Mac) and press Tab .

6. Add relevant points and press Enter to expand the secondary bullet list.

Change the bullet point color

By default, Google Slides uses black for bullet points. If it doesn't match your presentation theme, use the steps below to change it.

1. Launch a presentation in Google Slides.

2. Click any bullet point to select the entire list.

3. Click A at the top and change the bullet point color. You can use the same trick to change the bullet point color for the secondary list.

Change the bullet point style in Google Slides

Do the rounded-style bullet points feel repetitive? Use the tricks below to explore and add different bullet point styles for your presentation.

1. Open any slide and select the bullet points.

2. Click Format at the top. Expand Bullets and numbering .

3. Expand List options and select More bullets .

4. In the Insert special characters menu, pick a symbol from different categories, search by keyword, or draw one.

5. Select a relevant symbol and check the live changes.

What's the difference between Google Slides templates and themes?

Add bullet points in google slides for android.

Google also offers a robust Slides app on mobile platforms. It's helpful for making little tweaks on the go.

We use Google Slides for Android in the screenshots below. You can follow the same on Android tablets.

1. Launch Google Slides on your phone and select a presentation. Tap the slide you want to edit.

2. Select Edit slide

3. Tap any text area and select bullet list from the bottom menu.

4. Type your text and tap Enter to expand the list.

Use bullet points in Google Slides for iPhone and iPad

If you use Google Slides on an iPhone or iPad, use the steps below to add bullet points to it. Let's take the iPad as an example.

1. Open Google Slides and select a presentation.

2. Tap a slide and select Edit slide .

3. Select any text area and tap the Bulleted list icon at the top.

4. Tap Return to continue adding items to the list.

5. Tap Return and tap the indent icon next to the bullet point to add a bullet point within a bullet point list.

6. Tap the checkmark in the upper-left corner and you're set to deliver your presentation.

Does Google Slides bullet points work with PowerPoint?

Do you plan to open your Google Slides presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint? Your added bullet points show up exactly as they do on Microsoft's software. There won't be any formatting issues.

Make your presentation crisp and clear

Organizing relevant slide content in easy-to-understand bullet points leaves a positive impression on your audience. While you are at it, turn on autoplay to deliver your presentation effortlessly . If you want inspiration to get started with your upcoming presentation, check our dedicated Google Slides templates list for work, school, and home.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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How to Encourage Reading in High School: 3 Activities

Download the How to Encourage Reading in High School: 3 Activities presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. High school students are approaching adulthood, and therefore, this template’s design reflects the mature nature of their education. Customize the well-defined sections, integrate multimedia and interactive elements and allow space for research or...

Download the Labor Day presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. The world of business encompasses a lot of things! From reports to customer profiles, from brainstorming sessions to sales—there's always something to do or something to analyze. This customizable design, available for Google Slides and PowerPoint, is what you were...

My Creative Resume

A good CV is the key to unlock the doors to the best job interviews. For this reason, here at Slidesgo we go beyond the limits of the conventional design, offering you a modern colorful template whose main focus is no one else but you!

Pastel Portfolio

Having a very creative portfolio opens a lot of doors, more than you think. We've created this template for those who want to showcase their work and skills. As always, the Memphis graphic style will help you grab attention, and the pastel colors too! Mention your studies, add images of...

Problem-based Learning

Download the Problem-based Learning presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and prepare to receive useful information. Even though teachers are responsible for disseminating knowledge to their students, they also embarked on a learning journey since the day they decided to dedicate themselves to education. You might find this Google Slides...

History Major for College: Queen Nefertiti in Ancient Egypt

Download the History Major for College: Queen Nefertiti in Ancient Egypt presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. As university curricula increasingly incorporate digital tools and platforms, this template has been designed to integrate with presentation software, online learning management systems, or referencing software, enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of...

Meet Our Professors

The beginning of the school year is always synonymous with nerves for teachers and students. To break the ice, why not introduce your professors in a different way? We propose you this original template with a dark background and abstract and colorful shapes. It features doodle-style illustrations related to teaching,...

Elementary Activities to Celebrate Children's Book Day

Download the Elementary Activities to Celebrate Children's Book Day presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and easily edit it to fit your own lesson plan! Designed specifically for elementary school education, this eye-catching design features engaging graphics and age-appropriate fonts; elements that capture the students' attention and make the learning...

Creative Pattern for Social Media

Download the Creative Pattern for Social Media presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. How do you use social media platforms to achieve your business goals? If you need a thorough and professional tool to plan and keep track of your social media strategy, this fully customizable template is your ultimate...

Ideas for Incorporating Movement in the Classroom

Download the Ideas for Incorporating Movement in the Classroom presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and teach with confidence. Sometimes, teachers need a little bit of help, and there's nothing wrong with that. We're glad to lend you a hand! Since Slidesgo is committed to making education better for everyone,...

Creative Industries Marketing Plan

Download the Creative Industries Marketing Plan presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. This incredible template is designed to help you create your own marketing plan that is sure to impress your entire team. Using this amazing tool, you'll be able to analyze your target audience, assess your competitors, map out...

Notebook Lesson

These are the last days before the Summer break! We know that there are some pending lessons that you need to prepare for your students. As they may be thinking about their friends and their holidays, catch their attention with this cool template!

No More Interrupting

Download the No More Interrupting presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and teach with confidence. Sometimes, teachers need a little bit of help, and there's nothing wrong with that. We're glad to lend you a hand! Since Slidesgo is committed to making education better for everyone, we've joined hands with...

Team Building Class for Elementary

Your students spend most of their days at school, so building a good atmosphere in the class is vital for their happiness. Why don’t you dedicate a day to team building activities? This will help new students make friends and older students create deeper relationships with their classmates. It that...

Youthful Retro Chic Style Portfolio

Download the Youthful Retro Chic Style Portfolio presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. When a potential client or employer flips through the pages of your portfolio, they're not just looking at your work; they're trying to get a sense of who you are as a person. That's why it's crucial...

Lettering Grid MK Plan

Do you know what lettering is? It’s the art of turning writing into a masterpiece. Use this beautiful template to explain how to master this beautiful art or to present your marketing plan in an original way. We have included infographics, maps, charts, and lots of letterings to decorate the...

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