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    Tips for great presentations

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    Design your presentation

    Get a jump start with templates

    Whether you're creating a template that your team can reuse or keeping your external branding consistent, use templates to help your presentations look sharp and professional.

    Learn how

    Use a template from the Template Gallery

    1. On your computer, go to Google Docs , Sheets , Slides ,  Forms , or Sites .
    2. At the top right , click Template Gallery.
    3. Click the template you want to use.
    4. A copy of the template opens.

    Tip:If the template you choose has "Add-on" next to it, you may have to install an add-on to use it. Learn more about add-ons .

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Use a template with your organization's branding

    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. In the top left, click Templates.  
    3. At right, click the template you want to use.

    Note:The Templates option appears only if your administrator makes organization-branded slides available.

    Use Theme builder to create template slides

    Want to keep a consistent theme throughout your presentation? Use the Theme builder editor in Google Slidesto create templates slides. You can change the background, theme, layout, and more for all your slides.

    • Add your company logo or other branding to each slide.
    • Keep text size and color consistent.
    • Create unique layouts that you can reuse.
    Learn how
    1. Go to Slides .
    2. Choose an option:
      • Open an existing presentation.
      • To create a new presentation, click New.
    3. (Optional) To rename your presentation, click Untitled presentationand enter a new name.
    4. (Optional) To add more slides, click Slide New slide.
    5. Click View Theme builderclick the template slide to edit it.
    6. (Optional) To choose an existing theme, on the right, select a theme.
    7. From the toolbar, choose options to customize the template.
    8. When you're done, at the top of the slide, click Close.

    Import themes from other presentations

    See a presentation with a theme you like? Need consistent styles and branding across all your team's presentations? Instead of creating your slides or themes from scratch, import them using Google Slides.

    • Train new employees remotely.
    • Get clients up to speed with project ideas.
    • Hold virtual conferences and present your ideas.
    • Share your meeting notes, projects, roadmaps, and research with international stakeholders.
    • Brainstorm and edit proposals with remote team members.
    Learn how

    Import a theme from another presentation

    Important: Your imported theme must be from an existing Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation. You can also use your own image as the background for the entire presentation . 

    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides. 
    2. At the top, click  Slide C hange theme.
    3. In the bottom right, click  Import theme.
    4. Double-click the presentation you want to use. 
    5. Click the theme you want. 
    6. Click  Import theme.

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Import slides from another presentation

    1. Open a presentation.
    2. Click File Import slides.
    3. Choose a presentation from Drive or choose a presentation to upload from your computer.
    4. Click Select.
    5. Click the slides in the presentation you’d like to import. Use the Select Slides: Alloption to quickly select all slides.
    6. Check the Keep original themebox if you want to import the slides unmodified. Uncheck the box if you want the slides to fit into the look of your new presentation.
    7. Click Import slides.

    Do more with add-ons and scripts

    Use ready-made add-ons to do more with Gmailand Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. You can also create your own scripts in any of the Docs editors with Google Apps Script.

    • Add Google Analytics to your spreadsheet.
    • Add a thesaurus to your document.
    • Add form responses in Docs to create a poll.
    • Add interactive questions to your presentation.
    • Manage sales and customer relationships directly in Gmail.
    • Add custom menus and windows with Google Apps Script.
    Learn how

    Install an add-on

    1. On your computer, open a document , spreadsheet , or presentation .
    2. Click Extensions Add-ons Get add-ons.
    3. Point to an add-on to find a short description. To find a full description, click the add-on.
    4. To install the add-on, click Install Continue.
    5. For most add-ons, a message will appear requesting access to data that the add-on needs to work. Read the message, then click Allow.
    6. After the add-on installs, click Done.

    Create a script

    1. In Docs , Sheets , Slides , or Forms , open a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or form.
    2. If you’re using Docs, Sheets, or Slides, click Extensions Apps Script.
    3. If you’re using Forms, in the top-right corner, click More Script editor.
    4. Create your script.

    For help, see Overview of Google Apps Script .

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Back to top

    Tips to build your presentation

    Analyze presentation data with charts

    If your Slidespresentation has a lot of data, help your audience easily visualize it by turning your information into charts. Just create a chart in Sheets and add it to your presentation. Your chart is linked to your Sheets data, so any changes you make to your data automatically update in your presentation.

    Learn how

    Add a chart from Google Sheets to a presentation

    1. On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google Docs or Google Slides .
    2. Click Insertand then Chartand then From Sheets.
    3. Click the spreadsheet with the chart you want to add, then click Select.
    4. Click the chart you want to add.
      • If you don't want the chart linked to the spreadsheet, uncheck "Link to spreadsheet."
    5. Click Import.

    Edit chart data from a slide

    1. On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google Docs or Google Slides .
    2. Click a chart or table to select it.
    3. In the top right corner of the chart or table, click Link optionsDown arrowand then Open source.
    4. You can now change the original file.

    Update your chart to the latest data

    If you make a change in your spreadsheet, you might want to make sure your chart gets updated in your presentation

    1. On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google Docs or Google Slides .
    2. In the top right corner of the chart, table, or slide click Update.
    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Enhance your presentation with images

    If you’re discussing complex processes in your presentation, use images to make your content easier to understand. If your organization has Gemini for Google Workspace, use Gemini in Slides to create images based on your content.

    Learn how

    Add an image to a presentation

    1. On your computer, open a document or presentation in Google  Docs  or  Slides .
    2. Click Insert Image.
    3. Choose where to get your image from.
      • Upload from computer: Insert an image saved on your device.
      • Search the web: Search the web for an image.
      • GIFs and stickers:Insert a GIF or a sticker to your slide.
      • Drive: Use an image saved to your Google Drive.
      • Photos: Use an image from your Google Photos library.
      • By URL: Insert a link to your image or insert a .gif.
    4. Click Insertor Open.

    Learn how to add images in Sheets.

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Generate an image with Gemini in Slides

    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. At the top right, click Ask Gemini.
    3. In the side panel, select a suggested prompt or write your own prompt. Select a suggestion
      1. Select from the list of suggestions.
        • Tip:To get more options, select More suggestions.
      2. At the bottom, in the prompt box, replace the example text with the information that you want.
      3. Press Enter.
      Enter a prompt in Gemini
      1. At the bottom, in the prompt box, enter a prompt.
      2. Press Enter.
    4. Optional: To remove your history, click More options Clear history.
      • Tip:To avoid losing your history, insert a suggestion into your presentation. You lose your conversation history when:
        • You refresh your browser.
        • You close and reopen the presentation.
        • Your computer goes offline.

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Add transitions and animations

    Transitions make moving from one slide to the next a little more interesting, by fading or sliding into the next slide. Animations make shapes, images, or text boxes dynamic—they can fade in or out, appear and disappear, or fly in and out with the click of a button.

    Learn how

    Animate text or images

    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. Click the text or image you want to animate.
    3. Click Insertand then Animation.

    Add slide transitions

    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. On the left, click the slide you want to transition to.
    3. Click Slideand then Change transition.

    Change animations and transitions

    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. Click Viewand then Animations.
    3. Click the animation you want to change.
    4. To change the speed of the animation, drag the slider.
    5. To animate lists one line at a time, check the box next to "By paragraph."

    Add flowcharts and diagrams

    Flowcharts and diagrams make difficult concepts easy to understand. Create them right in your browser with Google Drawings, no software needed.

    Learn how

    Create a flowchart, diagram, or other type of drawing

    1. On your computer, open a document.
    2. In the top left, click Insert and thenDrawing and then From Drive.
    3. Click the drawing you want to insert. 
    4. Click  Select.

    Add your drawing to a presentation

    1. On your computer, open a document.
    2. In the top left, click Insert and thenDrawing and then From Drive.
    3. Click the drawing you want to insert. 
    4. Click  Select.

    The inserted drawing is linked to the original drawing.

    • To update the drawing—Click the drawing. In the top right, click Update.
    • To unlink the drawing—Click the drawing. In the top right, click UnlinkUnlink .

    Add a diagram to your presentation

    Important: You can insert a diagram in any language that uses the Latin alphabet.

    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. Go to the slide where you want to add the diagram.
    3. At the top, click Insert and then Diagram.
    4. Choose your style, number of levels, and template.
    5. The diagram will get added to the slide. You can change it how you want.

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Space table rows & columns evenly in Slides

    In Google Slides, you can resize table rows and columns so that each one is evenly spaced.

    Learn how

    Evenly space table rows & columns in Slides

    1. On your computer, open a document or presentation.
    2. Right-click a table.
    3. Click Distribute rowsor Distribute columns.

    Add text with your voice

    Chrome Browser only, microphones required

    You can type and edit by speaking in Google Docsor in Google Slidesspeaker notes. Anything you say turns into text.

    • On the go? Speak your notes, edits, and feedback to add them to documents.
    • Use voice commands to change font styles, add tables, insert links, and more.
    Learn how

    Start voice typing in a document

    1. Check that your microphone works.
    2. Open a document in Google Docs in a supported browser.
    3. Click Toolsand then Voice typing. A microphone box appears.
    4. When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.
    5. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (check below for more information on using punctuation).
    6. When you're done, click the microphone again.

    Start voice typing in Slides speaker notes

    1. Check that your microphone works.
    2. In a Chrome browser, open a presentation in Google Slides.
    3. Click Toolsand then Dictate speaker notes.
      • The speaker notes open and a microphone box shows.
    4. When you're ready to speak, click the  Microphone.
    5. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace.
      • For more information on how to use punctuation, check below.
    6. When you're done, click the  Microphone.

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Change how text fits in placeholders and text boxes

    When you’re entering text in a presentation, you can customize how text fits in placeholders and text boxes. For example, you can resize a placeholder to fit the amount of text you need. Or, size your text based on the size of a text box.

    Learn how

    Customize how text fits in placeholders and text boxes

    1. Go to Slides .
    2. Open an existing presentation or click New.
    3. Select the placeholder or text box.
    4. Next to the box, click the icon and choose an option:
      • To allow text to exceed the placeholder or box, select Do not autofit.
      • To resize text based on the size of the placeholder or box, select Shrink text on overflow.
      • To resize the placeholder or box to fit the text, select Resize shape to fit text.

    Customize default setting for new text boxes

    You can change the setting for any new text boxes you create. Changing the setting will not affect any placeholders or boxes in templates.

    1. Open an existing presentation or click New.
    2. Go to Tools Preferences.
    3. Check the Use custom autofit preferencesbox.
    4. Under Theme text placeholdersand New text boxes, select Do not autofit, Shrink text on overflow, or Resize shape to fit text.
    5. Click OK.

    Update presentations on the go

    Edit presentations on your mobiledevice with the Slides app. Whether you’re on the way to the airport or visiting a customer, it’s easy to update training modules, pitch decks, and more. Any changes you make automatically sync to all your devices, so you’re always up to date.

    Learn how

    Use the Google Slides app

    1. Open the Play Store .
    2. In the top search bar, enter Google Slides.
    3. Tap Install. The Google Slides app will appear on your Home screen.
    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Back to top

    Tips when presenting

    Present to remote audiences

    You can use Google Meet to show a Slides presentation and share links to reference materials using the built-in chat. If you're presenting in an office meeting room, use Companion mode when presenting from your laptop to avoid echo.

    Present a Tab with Google Meet using Google Workspace for business
    Learn how

    Control Slides presentations in Google Meet

    If you’re using Google Meet on an eligible work or school account, you can control Google Slides presentations from within a Google Meet video meeting. You can also make other people in the video meeting co-presenters.

    Important: To control a Google Slides presentation from a Google Meet video meeting, you must use a computer with a Chrome browser.

    1. In a Chrome tab or window, open the Slides file you want to present.
    2. In a different Chrome window, open Google Meet and join a video meeting.
    3. At the bottom of the meeting screen, click Present now A Tab.
    4. Select the tab with the Slides presentation, then click Share.
    5. In Google Meet, at the bottom right of the screen, click Start slideshow.
      • Important:You can only control a presentation in Google Meet when you're in slideshow mode.
    6. The control panel at the bottom right of the presented screen lets you:
      • Click to the next or previous slide with the arrow buttons.
      • Jump to a specific slide by clicking the slide number, and choosing from the list of slides.
      • Choose co-presenter(s).
        • Click Add a co-presenter . Then, next to the person you want to select, click More  Add as co-presenter  Add.
      • Open a panel for speaker notes in the Google Meet video meeting by clicking Show speaker notes Speaker notes. If you have speaker notes open, you can click Hide speaker notesSpeaker notes.
      • Open links or play media embedded in the presentation.
        • After you click Slides media and hyperlink controls, a list of the links and media for the current slide will appear.
      • End the slideshow by clicking Exit slideshow.
    Learn more at the Google Meet Help Center

    Remember key points with speaker notes

    Presentations can be long, detailed, and complex. Make your talking points easier to recall by using speaker notes in Slides. If you have a lot of ground to cover, use the timer feature to make sure you keep your presentation on track.

    Learn how

    View a presentation with speaker notes

    1. Open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. In the top right corner, next to Slideshow , click the Down arrow.
    3. Click Presenter view.
    4. Click Speaker notes.
    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Focus your audience's attention with a built-in laser pointer

    Have a lot of detailed information in your presentation? Focus your audience’s attention on specific parts of your slides by using your mouse as a laser pointer. Help your audience know where to look and when.

    Learn how

    Use other options when you're presenting

    When you present, you can choose more options from the toolbar at the bottom of the presentation window:

    • Select slides to present from a list
    • Open "Presenter" view
    • Turn on laser pointer
    • Print the presentation
    • Download the presentation in PDF or PPTX format
    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Skip slides you don't want to show

    You can skip slides you don't want to show to others when you're presenting. People you've shared the slide with will still be able to see the slide.

    Learn how
    1. On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .
    2. At the left, right-click the slide or slides you want to skip.
    3. Click Skip Slide.
    4. Optional: To show a skipped slide, click Skip Slide again.

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Turn on closed captions

    You can use automatic captions during your presentation to display your words in real time at the bottom of the screen.

    Your computer microphone needs to be on and working and you need to be using Chrome. This feature is only available in U.S. English.

    Learn how at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

    Engage your audience with interactive Q&A sessions

    Instead of giving a one-sided talk, get your audience involved by conducting a Q&A session right from Slides. Audience members can submit questions in real time and vote on them during the presentation. 

    Tips

    • If you can’t get through everyone’s questions, just answer the questions with the highest audience votes.
    • Want to know what people are interested in before your presentation? Send your audience the presentation link first so they can submit questions before you present.
    • Encourage shy people to interact by submitting questions in real time, anonymously.
    Learn how

    You can start a live Q&A session in your Google Slides presentation and present questions at any time. Viewers can ask questions from any device.

    Start your Q&A and get questions from viewers

    1. Open a Google Slides presentation.
    2. At the top, next to Slideshow, click the Down arrow.
    3. Click Presenter View.
    4. In the new window, click Audience tools.
      • To start a new session, click Start new.
      • To resume a recent session, click Continue recent.
      • To end Q&A, click the on/off switch in the Q&A window.
        • Tip: Even if you don't turn off Q&A, the Q&A view closes shortly after you end your Google Slide presentation.

    When you start the session, a short URL for the presentation shows up at the top of the slides as you're presenting. Viewers can enter the URL in their browser to submit a question. You'll see questions in the Presenter view window.

    Display a question to viewers

    Presenters can display audience questions in a presentation:

    1. Under "Audience Tools," find a question to display.
    2. Click Present.
      • To change the question, find a different question and click Present.
      • To hide the question, click Hide.

    Learn more at the Google Docs Editors Help Center

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    Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

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