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Tell impactful stories, with Google Slides

Create, present, and collaborate on online presentations in real-time and from any device.

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E s t i m a t e d   b u d g e t

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.

Present slideshows with confidence

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.

Seamlessly connect to your other Google apps

Slides is thoughtfully connected to other Google apps you love, saving you time. Embed charts from Google Sheets or reply to comments directly from Gmail. You can even search the web and Google Drive for relevant content and images directly from Slides.

Extend collaboration and intelligence to PowerPoint files

Easily edit Microsoft PowerPoint presentations online without converting them, and layer on Slides’ enhanced collaborative and assistive features like comments, action items, and Smart Compose.

Work on fresh content

With Slides, everyone’s working on the latest version of a presentation. And with edits automatically saved in version history, it’s easy to track or undo changes.

Make slides faster, with built-in intelligence

Assistive features like Smart Compose and autocorrect help you build slides faster with fewer errors.

Stay productive, even offline

You can access, create, and edit Slides even without an internet connection, helping you stay productive from anywhere.

Security, compliance, and privacy

Secure by default

We use industry-leading security measures to keep your data safe, including advanced malware protections. Slides is also cloud-native, eliminating the need for local files and minimizing risk to your devices.

Encryption in transit and at rest

All files uploaded to Google Drive or created in Slides are encrypted in transit and at rest.

Compliance to support regulatory requirements

Our products, including Slides, regularly undergo independent verification of their security, privacy, and compliance controls .

Private by design

Slides adheres to the same robust privacy commitments and data protections as the rest of Google Cloud’s enterprise services .

You control your data.

We never use your slides content for ad purposes., we never sell your personal information to third parties., find the plan that’s right for you, google slides is a part of google workspace.

Every plan includes

Collaborate from anywhere, on any device

Access, create, and edit your presentations wherever you are — from any mobile device, tablet, or computer — even when offline.

Get a head start with templates

Choose from a variety of presentations, reports, and other professionally-designed templates to kick things off quickly..

Photo Album

Book Report

Visit the Slides Template Gallery for more.

Ready to get started?

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Free Templates

Free powerpoint templates and google slides themes for presentations and more..

Original designs, completely customizable and easy to edit. Take your presentations and lessons to the next level with these amazing free templates!

Pastel Notebook for group projects, free for PowerPoint and Google Slides. Upgrade your group project presentation from basic to breezy! This free digital notebook template gives your slides a fresh, approachable look. Forget stuffy templates – the pastel colors add a pop of personality without being too formal. This versatile […]

Pastel Notebook free presentation ppt template and Google Slides theme.

Unleash the wild fun in your classroom with this FREE PowerPoint Template and Google Slides Theme. Liven up your classroom with a touch of the jungle!  This free downloadable theme features adorable monkeys swinging through lush green backgrounds and bright banana trees.   It’s more than just cute though – this theme is […]

Cute Monkeys, mini theme and subtraction drag and drop activity.

Formal B&W free PowerPoint Template and Google Slides Theme Ever feel like you just need a clean slate to get your ideas down?  This simple black and white presentation template is perfect for those times.  With its classic look, it won’t distract from your content,  allowing you to focus on structuring your thoughts […]

Simple and Formal Black & White free presentation template.

Vintage Vision Board with Monthly Calendars, free for PowerPoint and Google Slides. This free vision board template can be used as a planner for a monthly overview of your envisioned ideas, or, since I included a Title Slide and a Title and Body slide, you can also use it for […]

Vintage Vision Board with Monthly Calendars free template.

Looking to create a modern and engaging marketing presentation? Check out this free flat design marketing template for PowerPoint and Google Slides! This template utilizes a flat and clean aesthetic with geometric shapes and an orange and purple color scheme. It’s perfect for grabbing your audience’s attention and presenting your […]

Flat design Marketing Analysis template, free for PPT and Google Slides.

Spice up your art project presentations with this free template for Google Slides and PowerPoint. This free downloadable template is bursting with colorful illustrations of paint, brushes, yarn, and all the crafting supplies you could ask for. Perfect to present your next art project.  And since this template is 100% […]

Art & Crafts free illustrated template for Google Slides and PPT.

Unleash the power of your marketing vision with this free presentation template for both, Google Slides and Powerpoint. Eye-catching colors and a dynamic blend of photos and illustrations will grab your audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.  This template is perfect for anyone who wants to create a bold […]

Marketing Campaign free Powerpoint template and Google Slides theme.

Spruce up your next presentation with Minimal Social, a free downloadable template for Google Slides and PowerPoint. Craving a presentation that’s both stylish and versatile? Look no further than the Minimal Social template! This free downloadable theme boasts a clean, minimalist design with muted tones and a touch of social media […]

Minimal Social free multipurpose presentation template.

Free PowerPoint template and Google Slides theme for presentations about money management. Ever feel like presenting personal finance topics could be a snooze? Well this free slide theme available for both PowerPoint and Google Slides uses friendly illustrations to make financial concepts engaging. This theme is perfect for anyone who […]

Let’s talk about personal finance free slides theme for ppt and Google Slides.

Captivate your audience and transform your presentation on early childhood development with this free template!  Playful illustrations like children’s handprints, whimsical doodles, paper airplanes and windmills bring a touch of childlike wonder to your slides. This engaging template is the perfect backdrop to share your valuable insights on this crucial […]

Early Childhood free presentation template for Google Slides and PPT.

Launching a new business is exciting! But crafting the perfect introduction to potential customers can take time. This pre-designed template can help you quickly showcase your new venture.  This template is easy to customize with your information, logos and images, allowing you to create a professional brochure in no time. […]

Business Brochure / School Newsletter free template for Google Slides and PPT.

Geometric shapes and vibrant colors. The perfect backdrop for your ideas. Packed with geometric shapes and a vibrant color palette, this theme is guaranteed to grab attention and leave a lasting impression. Compatible with both PowerPoint and Google Slides, it allows you to tailor the design to your specific needs. […]

Geometric colorful shapes free marketing presentation template.

Flowers and Ladybugs free Spring Season template for google slides and PowerPoint. This free template for Google Slides and PowerPoint is the perfect way to add a touch of springtime cheer to your lessons. It features adorable graphics of flowers, bees, and ladybugs – a charming combination that’s sure to […]

Spring has sprung and it’s time to bring some floral fun to your classroom!

Get ready for some St. Patrick’s Day cheer with a free memory game template for Google Slides and PowerPoint! This festive template features charming clovers and lucky golden coins. It also includes a handy agenda slide and three different layouts specifically designed for creating memory games. Personalizing the game is […]

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Fun Memory Game!

Free syllabus template for Google Slides and PowerPoint to inject personality into your class introduction. Forget about boring old paper syllabus, this free template is the perfect way to communicate the overview of your class, define expectations and responsibilities in an appealing way. It features a notebook with linked tabs […]

Interactive Notebook free syllabus template.

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How to Create a Presentation Using Google Slides

Last Updated: November 30, 2023

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 17 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 241,848 times. Learn more...

This tutorial will show you how to make a PowerPoint-like presentation using Google Slides. Presentations can be used for school, business, and so much more.

• You can also just type in https://slides.google.com , log in if you haven't already, and will be taken to the Slides page.
• If you don't have a Google account, learn to create one now!

• For more options, hover over the arrow on the right edge of the Google Slides option, where a smaller drop-down menu will appear. From here you can select to create a presentation from a template or a blank slide.

• Be sure to add a title and subtitle by clicking where you are prompted to add text.

• You can also change a pre-existing slide's layout by clicking the layout option on the upper editing bar.

• As you add animations to each element by clicking the blue "+ Select an object to animate", they will begin to pile up. Click on each one to edit it.
• Change the transition from slide to slide by clicking the default "Slide: No transition" at the top of the sidebar. You can choose whether to apply to all slides or just one.
• Preview your animations by clicking Play at the bottom of the sidebar.
• Remove an animation by clicking the small x on its rectangle, and drag each animation up or down to change the order.

Community Q&A

wikiHow Video: How to Create a Presentation Using Google Slides

• If you have a pop-up blocker, make sure to disable it so Slides can work properly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Hover over each tool to see its keyboard shortcut and function. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Remember, these are the basic functions- Google Slides contains many more tools that you can work with as you explore the creator. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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About This Article

To create a new Google Slides presentation, open a web browser and go to Slides.Google.com. If you want to start from a template, you can choose one from the template gallery. Otherwise, click "Blank" to create a new blank presentation. Your blank presentation starts with a single simple slide with space to enter a title and subtitle. You can personalize this slide, as well as other slides you add, by editing the placeholder text, as well as choosing a slide theme from the panel to the right. To insert another slide, click the "Insert" menu and select "New Slide," or press "Control M" for a quick keyboard shortcut. You'll also find other things you can add to your slide on the Insert menu, including the option to add an image, a text box for typing, videos, shapes, charts, and other features. After adding a new slide, click the "Layout" menu to choose a slide layout—you can give each slide its own layout or reuse the same layout as much as necessary. Edit the placeholder text, and then insert objects from the Insert menu. To move an object, click the arrow in the toolbar, hover the mouse cursor around the object's border line until it turns to a 4-point arrow, and then click and drag it. Each slide you add will have a thumbnail in the left panel—click a slide's thumbnail to open that slide for editing. To see your presentation as a viewer would, click your first slide in the left panel, and then click "Present" at the top corner. Click the Escape key to go back to editing. Google Slides also has some built-in effects you can access from the "Transition" menu—here you can animate a slide's transition into the next slide, as well as animate individual objects. To apply an effect, background, theme, layout, or any other setting to more than one slide at once, select the slides in the left panel by holding down the Control key as you click each thumbnail. Your presentation will automatically save to your Google Drive as you work—type a name for the presentation in the top-left corner so you can easily find the file when you need it. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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60+ Best Google Slides Themes & Templates 2024

Google Slides is one of the best free tools available for creating a quick slideshow presentation. And we’ve collected some of the best Google Slides themes and templates to help you create a visually stunning slide deck.

In this post, we’re featuring some of the best Google Slides templates you can use to create a professional presentation without designing everything from scratch. This collection includes various types of Google Slides themes, including templates for marketing purposes, startup pitch decks, product presentations, and much more.

The collection includes both free and premium Google Slides templates. Feel free to browse and pick one that matches your project and presentation!

2 Million+ Google Slides Themes, Presentation Templates + More With Unlimited Downloads

Download thousands of Google Slides themes, and many other design elements, with a monthly Envato Elements membership. It starts at $16 per month, and gives you unlimited access to a growing library of over 2,000,000 presentation templates, fonts, photos, graphics, and more.

Creative Template

Company Profile Template

Google slides.

Alloyz Business Template

Ciri Slides Template

Clean & minimal.

Delica Google Slides

133+ unique slides.

Kloe Minimal Template

Clean & simple design.

Explore Google Slides Themes

What is Google Slides?

Google Slides is a presentation creation tool built by Google. It’s completely free to use and you can use it online without the need of installing any software on your computer. Think of it as a free and cloud-based version of Microsoft PowerPoint.

Just like PowerPoint, Google Slides provides you with all the tools and features you need to create beautiful slideshows and presentations. It’s quite easy to use and you can access it anywhere on your laptop or phone for free, as long as you have a Google account.

Google Slides also supports the use of templates. With pre-designed templates, you can easily import beautiful slide designs that have been already crafted by professional designers to easily create your own presentations.

To use a template, all you have to do is create a new Google Slides file and then go to the File menu and select Import Slides. From there you’ll be able to upload a template and import slide designs into the app.

If you’d like a few more helpful pointers, be sure to read through our Google Slides FAQs , and our tips for making a Google Slides presentation .

Moral – Multipurpose Google Slides Template

Moral is a modern and beautiful Google Slides templates that comes with a set of multipurpose slide designs. This template is most suitable for designing all kinds of creative, professional, and business presentations.

Moral Google Slides template comes with 30 unique slide designs that are available in 5 different color schemes. It also includes image placeholders and editable vector images as well.

Why This Is A Top Pick

The multipurpose design is what makes this Google Slides template special. In addition, it also features a clean and minimal design that can be adapted to create any type of presentation slideshow.

Be. Google Slides Themes

Be is a professionally crafted Google Slides theme that comes in Full HD 1920 x 1080px resolution. It includes over 125 unique slides with drag-and-drop editing. You can easily upload this template to Google Slides and edit them online.

Sora – Multipurpose Presentation for Google Slides

Sora is a modern Google Slides template that comes with a beautiful design mixed with an aesthetic feel. This template features a multipurpose slide design with 20 different layouts to showcase your presentation. It’s available in PowerPoint format as well.

EARTHY – Company Profile Google Slides Template

This is a business-themed Google Slides template you can use to craft a unique company profile presentation for a modern brand. The template features a customizable slide design filled with creative shapes and image placeholders. There are 30 slides included in this template.

Astor – Business Presentation Google Slides Template

If you want to design a colorful presentation that instantly attracts attention, this Google Slides template is worth downloading. It has 39 different slides full of vibrant colors, shapes, and decorations. It’s perfect for creative business, agency, and branding presentations.

Business Model Presentation Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template is made with more technical business presentations in mind. It’s especially suitable for a business model, project scope, and competition analysis presentations. There are 35 slide layouts in the template with easily editable designs.

Free Marketing Plan Google Slides Template

This is a free Google Slides template you can use to craft modern and clean slideshows to showcase your business marketing plan. The template includes 28 unique slides with creative layouts.

Modern Pitch Deck Google Slides Template

This template will help you craft a killer slideshow for your pitch deck presentation. It’s ideal for modern startups, agencies, and various creative brands. The template has 30 unique slides. You can customize the colors, fonts, and images to your preference as well.

Hardwin – Business Google Slide Template

Hardwin is a business-themed Google Slides template that comes with a stylish and dark design. It includes 39 different slide layouts full of editable shapes, vector graphics, icon packs, free fonts, and much more.

Modern Real Estate Google Slides Template

A simple, clean, and minimal Google Slides template for all your real estate presentation needs. This template will help showcase your properties in a luxurious way to attract clients more easily. It comes with 30 unique slides.

Education Infographics Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template comes with a bunch of useful infographic slides. They are designed with education presentations in mind. It includes more than 30 different infographic designs with easily editable layouts.

Free Black & Gold Pitch Deck Google Slides Template

You can download this Google Slides template for free to craft a high-end pitch deck presentation for a luxury brand. It features a beautiful black and gold design across 36 unique slides.

Chetah – Business Google Slides Template

If you’re looking for a Google Slides template to design a presentation for your business, this template will provide a fresh start. It features a modern and professional design in all of its 39 slide layouts. The template includes lots of editable vector graphics and master slide layouts.

Bulma – Corporate Google Slides Template

Bulma is another professional Google Slides template made for corporate brands and companies. It’s ideal for making presentations for corporate meetings and events. The template comes with 39 slides with fully editable designs and image placeholders.

Bardox – Agency Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template features a very creative and stylish design that makes it a great choice for agencies and creative brands. The template has master slide layouts that you can use to create your own unique slides. It has a simple drag and drop design as well.

Classroom – Educational Google Slides Template

You can use this Google Slides template to create presentations related to educational institutes. The template includes a total of 150 slides featuring 5 pre-made color schemes to choose from. It’s great for promoting your learning programs, classes, and other school activities.

Free Company Profile Google Slides Theme

This free Google Slides template comes with a premium-quality design that can be used to create beautiful company profile presentations. There are 28 unique slides in this template with fully editable designs. You can download it in PowerPoint format as well.

Puche – Creative Google Slides Template

Whether you’re making a portfolio presentation or promoting your creative agency services, this Google Slides template has the perfect design for all your presentation needs. It includes 34 unique slide layouts with fully customizable designs.

Cevera – Colorful Google Slide Template

Cevera is a colorful and creative Google Slides theme for making more casual, fun, and attractive presentations. It’s especially more suitable for showcasing lifestyle brands, fashion products, and small businesses. The template comes with 30 unique slides with editable graphics and colors.

Project Proposal – Google Slides Template

This is a very professional-looking Google Slides template made specifically for project proposal presentations. It has many business-themed slides, including slides for SWOT analysis. There are 40 different slide designs included in this template.

Stradic – Brand & Business Google Slides Theme

If you’re looking for a minimalist presentation template, this Google Slides theme is perfect for you. It includes a collection of modern slide layouts with a classic urban-style design. This template is ideal for high-end fashion products and luxury brands.

Agency Company Profile Free Google Slides Template

This is a free Google Slides template you can download and use however you like. It comes with 27 unique slides full of colorful shapes, backgrounds, and editable vector graphics. It’s most suitable for making company profile presentations for agencies.

Propitch – Pitch Deck Google Slides Template

You can use this Google Slides template to create an attractive pitch deck for your startups and marketing presentation needs. It includes colorful and dark-themed slide layouts with attractive designs. There are 27 unique slide designs included in the template as well.

Ukque – Vintage Brand Google Slides Template

Ukque is a creative Google Slides theme that comes with a set of colorful slide designs. It uses a vintage design mixed with modern elements to make each slide stand out. There are 45 slides in the template and they come in both light and dark color themes.

Boumz – Minimal Google Slides Template

Looking for a clean and minimalist presentation template? Then be sure to download this Google Slides theme. It features slides with minimal designs and lots of space for showing off your content. The template includes more than 50 unique slide layouts.

Bodybuild – Gym & Fitness Google Slides Template

While this Google Slides template is made with gym and fitness brands in mind, you can easily customize it to make presentations for many other topics as well. There are 30 unique slides in the template with editable colors, fonts, and images.

Graceful Vines – Free Google Slides Theme for Marketing

You can download this Google Slides template for free to create an elegant and professional-looking presentation for various marketing topics. It has 35 unique slides with editable charts, maps, and graphs.

Marble – Creative Google Slides Template

Marble is an elegant Google Slides template that features a modern slide design filled with colors and shapes. It comes with multiple slide layouts, including master slides, for easily designing unique presentations of your own.

Struggle – Business Google Slides Template

This professional Google Slides template is perfect for making different kinds of business and corporate presentations. The template includes 30 unique slide designs. You can also choose from 5 different color schemes to customize the slides.

Carolina – Agency Google Slide Template

Carolina is a creative Google Slides template that comes with a total of 150 slides. It’s most suitable for making presentations for agencies and creative professionals for showcasing their portfolio. The template includes editable graphics and image placeholders as well.

LUNAR – Dark Google Slides Template

Lunar is a modern Google Slides template you can use to design stylish and minimal presentations with a dark color theme. The template features 40 unique slide layouts with easily editable designs. It’s also available in a light color theme as well.

Memphis Marketing Plan – Free Google Slides Theme

This is a free Google Slides theme featuring a set of modern slide designs. It includes 23 unique slide layouts with editable vector graphics, shapes, and icons. The template is also available in PowerPoint version as well.

Bebek – Business Google Slides Template

This is a very professional Google Slides template you can use to craft all kinds of corporate and business presentations. The clean design will allow you to easily highlight your content above all else. The template features 39 different slides with fully editable layouts.

Brodi – Creative Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template is designed with a more focus on image-based content. Each slide features space for showcasing large images as well as written content. It’s ideal for fashion, lifestyle, and design-related presentations. The template comes with 39 unique slide layouts.

STREET – Urban Style Google Slides Template

The dark color theme and the minimal design give this Google Slides template a modern urban look and feel. It’s perfect for all your lifestyle and urban business presentations. You can choose from 30 unique slide designs to create an attractive presentation for your brand.

MARTHER – Modern Google Slides Template

A modern Google Slides theme with a creative content layout. This template comes with 20 unique slides featuring image placeholders, editable shapes, changeable colors, and much more.

Free Market Research Presentation Template

This is a free Google Slides template you can use to craft presentations to showcase your market research projects. The template includes 27 different slides with easily editable layouts. It’s available in PowerPoint version as well.

Excors – Business Presentation Google Slides Template

Excors is a very professional Google Slides template that comes with a clean and modern design. It’s most suitable for making presentations for corporate agencies, brands, and startups. It includes 30 unique slides with editable vector graphics, icons, and shapes.

BOUNTY – Minimalist Google Slides Template

A beautifully minimalist presentation template for making slideshows for modern lifestyles, fashion, and clothing brands. This template includes 30 different slide layouts you can easily edit to your preference.

Organizer – Marketing Presentation Google Slides Template

If you’re working on a presentation for a marketing agency or brand, this Google Slides template will come in handy. It features 25 slides with professional layouts you can use to design marketing and business-themed slideshows.

Torento – Unique Google Slides Template

Everything from the color schemes to the content layouts in this Google Slides template is quite unique. It’s ideal for making attractive presentations for presenting your original ideas. The template includes 36 different slides.

Free Marketing Agency Google Slides Template

You can use this template to craft stylish marketing-related presentations for your brand or agency. It comes with 27 different slides full of free icons, graphics, and image placeholders.

Glammie – Google Slides Presentation Template

Design a stylish lifestyle or fashion presentation using this Google Slides template. It comes with a total of 150 slides featuring slides 5 different color schemes. It also includes editable vector graphics, illustrations, icons, and much more.

Retshion – Google Slides Presentation Template

If you prefer minimalist designs, this Google Slides template is perfect for crafting fashion lookbooks and portfolio presentations with a minimal approach. The template comes with 30 unique slides and they are available in 5 color schemes.

Blend – Creative Google Slides Template

Blend is a very creative Google Slides template you can use to design presentations for digital and marketing agencies. The template comes with 24 beautiful slides. It’s compatible with PowerPoint as well.

BARINCE – Modern Google Slides Template

This modern and multipurpose Google Slides template will allow you to design many different types of presentations for business and professional projects. The template comes with a total of 150 slides. Featuring 5 different color schemes with 30 unique slides in each template.

Niklea – Clean Google Slides Template

Niklea is a creative Google Slides template designed for creating clean and minimal presentations. The template lets you choose from 30 unique slides to make different types of professional slideshows. It also includes editable graphics and image placeholders.

Business – Google Slide Template

Another modern Google Slides template that’s most suitable for making business and corporate presentations. This template also includes 150 slides featuring various styles of slides in 5 different color schemes. It comes with master slides as well.

Belan – Minimal Google Slides Template

Belan is a minimal and elegant Google Slides template that features a creative slide design. It features lots of image placeholders that allow you to design visual and attractive slideshows for various presentations. The template includes 30 unique slide designs.

Annual Report – Free Google Slide Template

This free Google Slides template is ideal for making different kinds of business report slideshows. It includes 20 unique slide designs filled with image placeholders, master slide layouts, and much more.

INVESTYLE – Elegant Google Slides Template

Investyle is a modern Google Slides templates featuring a set of slides with highly visual designs. It includes placeholders for showcasing large images and titles. The template comes with 75 unique slide designs in both light and dark color themes.

THRAY – Modern Google Slides Template

Thray is a beautifully creative Google Slides template featuring a minimal content design. It’s perfect for designing presentations for travel and adventure businesses. The template comes with 30 unique slides with fully customizable designs.

Hectic Business – Google Slide Template

This modern Google Slides template lets you choose from 30 unique slides to design different business presentations and slideshows. The template is also available in 5 different color schemes featuring infographics and editable vector graphics.

Gloria – Colorful Google Slide Template

Gloria is a colorful Google Slides template most suitable for making creative and entertaining presentations. The template includes a total of 150 slides featuring 5 color schemes. It also includes image placeholders and lots of illustrations.

Communication Consulting – Free Google Slides Theme

Another free Google Slides theme for making simple presentations for consulting firms and agencies. This template comes with 16 unique slides with image placeholders and editable graphics.

Insine – Google Slides Template

Insine is a creative and colorful Google Slides theme you can use to create a professional slideshow for business and marketing presentations. The template comes with 50 unique slides featuring vector graphics, icons, and editable colors.

Nova – Modern Google Slides Template

Nova is a modern Google Slides template that comes with a set of professionally designed slide layouts. You can use it to create presentations for creatives, agencies, and startups. The template includes a total of 150 slides featuring editable vector graphics and custom-made infographics.

Vastra – Creative Google Slides Template

Vastra features a minimal yet creative slide design that makes it the perfect choice for making marketing and creative presentations. This Google Slides template comes with 30 unique slides. You’ll also be able to choose from 5 color schemes to design your presentations as well.

Sanma – Stylish Google Slides Template

Sanma is a creative and highly visual Google Slides template that features lots of large images. It includes image placeholders for you to easily replace the images with your own and the colors can be customized too. The template comes with a total of 150 slides.

Free Corporate Google Slides Template

Among many ordinary free Google Slides templates, this one stands out thanks to its high-quality slide design. This template has been designed for making presentations for corporate agencies and small businesses.

The template includes 8 unique slide designs and it comes in Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Keynote versions as well.

This template is one of the few free Google Slides templates that allows you to use it with both personal and commercial projects, as long as you include attribution. The professional design and the easily editable slide layouts make the template one of the best free ones on our list.

Business – Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template is made specifically for creating all kinds of business-related presentations. It includes modern slides for creating slideshows for everything from sales meetings to company profiles and startup pitch decks.

Creative Portfolio Free Google Slides Template

This free Google Slides template is designed for making portfolio presentations for creative professionals and agencies. The template includes 20 unique slides featuring transition animations, image placeholders, and more.

Case Study Minimal Google Slide Template

If you’re planning on making a stylish slideshow to showcase and present your case study, this free Google Slides template will come in handy. It features 20 unique slides made with case studies and reports presentations in mind.

Xanthopsia – Google Slides Template

Xanthopsia comes with a modern and elegant design filled with lots of images. It’s ideal for creating slideshows for businesses related to fashion and photography. The template includes 50 unique slides.

Guiza – Google Slides Template

Guiza is another professionally designed Google Slides template that comes in 5 different color schemes. The template includes a total of 150 slides with 30 unique slides in each template.

Gradation – Google Slides Presentation

Gradation is a beautiful Google Slides template that features a colorful design. The template comes with 50 unique slides in Full HD layout with lots of vectors, infographics, charts, graphs, and more.

Minotur – Google Slides Template

Minotur is a modern and minimal Google Slides template that features an elegant design. It’s ideal for creating slideshows for modern and luxury businesses and brands. The template includes 50 unique slides.

Rafaela – Google Slides Template

Rafaela Google Slides theme comes with more than 50 unique slides that are designed to highlight your presentations with lots of images. The slides can be easily customized and include image placeholders as well.

Strength White – Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template features 50 unique slides that are easily customizable to change colors, images, and shapes. It also includes lots of vector graphics, infographics, icons, and more.

Business Plan Free Google Slides Template

Business plan Google Slides template features a minimalist and black and white design. This template is ideal for creating simple and minimal presentations for creative agencies and businesses.

Minimal Portfolio Free Google Slide Template

Another creative free Google Slides template you can use to create presentations for creative and agency portfolios. The template features 20 unique slides filled with vector graphics, image placeholders, and editable colors.

Zane Free Modern Google Slides Template

Zane is a free Google Slides template that features a content-focused design that allows you to create presentations with lots of images. The template includes 11 unique slides.

Nabati – Google Slides Template

Nabati is a minimalist Google Slides template you can use to create a slideshow for businesses and brands as well as creative presentations. It comes with 30 unique slides and the template is available in 5 premade color schemes.

Gemio – Google Slides Template

Gemio is a Google Slide theme features modern slides design made for creating slideshows for tech and startup related presentations. It includes a total of 150 and it’s available in 5 color schemes.

BizPro. Google Slides Presentation Template

Easily craft a business proposal presentation with this Google Slides template. This template comes with more than 105 unique slide designs featuring Font Awesome icons and lots of vector graphics such as maps, charts, and graphs.

Pitch Deck Google Slides Template

Whether you’re pitching a product, a startup idea, or a business plan, this Google Slides template will help you cover them all. It includes 100 unique slides featuring a creative design and in retina-ready resolutions.

Photography Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template is designed with photographers in mind. It features 70 unique slide designs that help you highlight photos and designs. You’ll also be able to use this template for other presentations, such as fashion and clothing designs as well.

NORS – Google Slides Template

Nors is a highly minimalist Google Slides template that features a clean design. It has a modern look that will help you capture the audience’s attention. The template includes 130 unique slides as well. The colors and graphics are easily customizable.

Fashion Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template is made specifically for designing presentations for fashion-related brands and businesses. It comes with 80 unique and animated slides in Full HD resolution.

VIGO – Google Slides Themes

Vigo is a professionally designed Google Slides template that includes 110 unique slides in 1920 x 1080px resolution. The slides in this template are designed with a clean background to highlight its content. It also includes a pack of 500 line icons as well.

Free Outline Illustrated Google Slides Themes

This Google slides template comes with 25 unique slides and it features a modern and a colorful design. It also includes 80 icons and lots of vector charts and graphs as well. All of it comes to you free of charge.

Felipe Google Slides Template

A simple and free Google Slides template that’s ideal for designing slideshows for photography or fashion related presentations. The slides are easily customizable as well.

Creative Google Slides Template

Featuring an attractive dark color theme, this Google Slides template is best for creating presentations related to web design, photography, and more. The template comes with 50 unique slides in Full HD resolution.

Mastah Google Slides Template

Mustah is a Google Slides presentation that features a minimal design. The template includes 50 slides with modern layouts and with resizable vector graphics. It also includes gallery and portfolio slides as well.

Google Slides Brand Guidelines Template

This is a Google Slides template crafted for creating branding and marketing related presentations. The colors and the design of the slides have been carefully selected to highlight its content and message. The template includes 13 unique slides that are customizable with Google Slides and PowerPoint.

Startup Pitch Deck Google Slides Template

A Google Slides template featuring slides especially designed for creating startup pitch decks. This template includes a total of 100 slides, featuring business model slides, competition slides, timelines, maps, projections, and more.

HiBiz Google Slides Template

HiBiz is a Google Slides template that comes with a creative and a colorful design. This template is ideal for creating slideshows for creative agencies, professionals, design agencies, and startups. It includes master slide layouts, a library of vector icons, and comes in both light and dark color themes as well.

Kamana Google Slides Template

Kamana is a slideshow template that’s ideal for creating app presentations or for businesses related to technology. The template includes 25 unique slides in light and dark backgrounds. The template is available in 3 different color themes.

Creative Agency Google Slides Presentation

This is a Google Slides template made for creative agencies and professionals. The template includes 70 unique slide designs, featuring a masonry portfolio, animated slides, resizable vector elements, and much more.

Moksa – Creative Agency Google Slides Presentation

A yet another creative Google Slides presentation template for agency and business presentations. This template also includes 100 unique slides in Retina-ready Full HD resolution, vector elements, device mockups, and icons. The templates are easily editable as well.

edge Google Slides Template

Edge is a template that features a selection of over 220 unique slides. This Google Slides template includes lots of charts, graphs, maps, and infographics for showing off statistics and data in your presentations.

Approach – Multipurpose Google Slides Themes

Approach is a Google Slides template designed for both small businesses and corporate brands. The template comes with 100 unique slides with a total of 1010 slides for designing slideshows for many different types of presentations.

Kotak Interior Design Google Slides Template

Even though this template is designed for creating Slides presentations for interior design agencies, it can also be used to create other types of presentations as well. The template includes 100 unique animated slides.

MOGA. Small Business Presentation Google Slides

Moga is another Google Slides presentation template designed for crafting business and branding related slideshows. It includes 24 unique slides with a total of 2500 slides. It’s also available in dark and light color schemes as well.

Cocoon – Creative Google Slides Template

Cocoon is a Slides template that’s best for creating presentations for individuals and agencies. It includes 150 creatively designed unique slides with lots of vector graphics, a masonry-style portfolio, and much more.

Free Minimal Google Slides Template

You wouldn’t believe that this beautiful Google Slides template is free. Featuring a minimalist and a modern design, this template is perfect for creating a simple slideshow for a creative presentation.

This free Google Slides template will allow you to create a great slideshow for a business or a corporate presentation. It features a colorful design with lots of vector elements.

Free Modern Google Slides Theme

If you’re a fan of creative illustrations, you’ll love this Google Slides template. It features a set of beautiful slides that includes lots of line-based illustrations. You can download and use it for free as well.

Aumerle Google Slides Template

Aumerle is a colorful and a quirky Google Slides template that’s filled with joy. It’s best for creating presentations for kids and children. It can be downloaded as either Google Slides or PowerPoint.

Kelsie Google Slides Template

This Google Slides template features lots of watercolor effects and styles. It includes 25 unique slides for creating presentations for creative and design related works.

Free Timeline Google Slides Template

This template is filled with timelines. You can use it for creating business projection slides and showcasing product growth. It includes 5 different slides with different timeline designs.

Science Google Slides Theme

This Google Slides theme comes with 25 unique slides filled with science-related graphics and vectors. It’s ideal for creating presentations for school projects.

5 Common Google Slides FAQs

If you’re new to Google Slides and still learning your way around the app, these frequently asked questions and answers will help you learn a few new tricks.

1. How to Install a Google Slides Theme?

Installing a Google Slides theme is quite easy. Simply open the Themes panel (you can open it by clicking on the Themes link right below the main menu). Then you’ll see a button at the very bottom of the Themes panel that says Import Theme . Click this button and switch to the Upload tab. From here you can upload your downloaded theme file.

2. How to Convert a PowerPoint File into Google Slides?

One of the best features of Google Slides is that the app is compatible with PowerPoint files. But, first, you need to convert it to Google Slides.

To get started, upload the PPTX file into your Google Drive. Then open the file with Google Slides. Now go to the File menu and choose Save as Google Slides . This converts your PPTX file into Google Slides format.

For more detailed step by step instructions, check out our guide .

3. How to Embed YouTube Videos in Google Slides?

Google Slides makes it so much easier to add videos to presentations with its ability to embed YouTube videos.

To embed videos, all you have to do is go to the Insert menu and choose Video . Then copy and paste the URL for the YouTube video you want to embed and click on the Select button. That’s it!

Use our detailed guide for visual instructions.

5. How to Print Google Slides Presentations?

The easiest way to print a Google Slides presentation is to first convert it to a PDF file and print using the PDF. This way, you can share it with anyone and easily print out using any computer.

To convert a Google Slides file to PDF, simply go to the File menu and in the Download sub-menu select PDF format.

6. How to Embed Google Slides Presentation?

If you want to show off a playable version of your presentation on your website or blog, you can use the Google Slides embed feature.

Go to File >> Publish to the Web. Switch to the Embed tab and customize the settings. Then copy the <iframe> embed code and paste it in your website. It’s as simple as that.

5 Tips for Making a Google Slides Presentation

Google Slides is one of the best apps for designing presentations. But, you must know how to use the app to make professional slideshow designs. These tips will help you get a head start.

1. Use a Template

Most Google Slides users only use the default themes that are included in the app itself. However, you can actually upload third-party Google Slides themes made by professional designers to create more unique slideshows and presentations.

Using a template is the easiest way to design an attractive slideshow that stands out from the crowd. Consider downloading a premium or a free Google Slides theme from a third-party marketplace. It will help make your presentations look different from the rest.

2. Use Master Slides

If you’ve used PowerPoint or Keynote you’d already know about the power of master slide layouts. But, most people don’t know that this feature is also available in Google Slides.

With Master Slide layouts, you can easily create new slides with pre-made layouts. Master Slide layouts are often included in Google Slides themes. Just go to the Slide menu and select Edit Master to access the master slide layouts.

3. You Can Insert Videos

Adding videos to a slideshow used to be a nightmare when you’re making presentations with PowerPoint and Keynote. Google Slides actually makes the process much easier.

You can easily add videos into a slide via the Insert menu. It lets you either upload your own videos or embed a YouTube video into the presentation. Just keep in mind that in order to play YouTube videos you’ll have to be connected to the internet.

4. Create Auto-updating Charts

Charts are one of the most effective ways of showcasing and visualizing data. However, when you’re creating charts using data from ongoing research or monthly campaigns, it becomes a tedious task to keep updating the charts over and over again.

Google Slides offers an easy fix for this problem with auto-updating charts. To do this, first, add all your data into a separate Google Sheets file. Then in Google Slides, go to Insert >> Charts >> From Sheets . Then select the Sheets file containing the data to create your chart. Now, whenever you update the data in your Sheets file it will automatically reflect in your chart.

5. Publish to the Web

Did you know that you can publish your Google Slides presentations to the web? By publishing your presentations to the web, you can make your slideshows publicly available for everyone to view, even if that person doesn’t have access to Google Sheets.

This is a great way to share your presentations and make them more accessible to everyone. Go to the File menu and select Publish to the Web .

Check out our PowerPoint presentation templates and Apple Keynote templates for more inspiration.

20 Google Slides Tips to spice up your Presentations

Google Slides tips, 20 great tips to push your presentation slide show to the top of the list, make people listen and get your message across clearly, professionally and with style.

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By Lyudmil Enchev

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If you need to make a presentation, you want to give yourself the best chance of success. To sell the product or yourself, to inform, to get your message across – the better the presentation the better the chances. Slide show presentations are a common way of doing this, but they are no less useful for that. They have many advantages, it’s why they are so popular, they can get the information across clearly, concisely, and memorably if done well. One of the most important decisions is which software to use. One option is Google Slides, but the software alone will not a great presentation make. In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to really spice up that Google Slides presentation to create something you are proud of and more importantly will get the job done.

What is Google Slides?

Google Slides is a specialized presentation program that is part of the Google Drive service and it is free or there is a paid-for business option – G suite.  It is available as a desktop application and also as a web app or mobile app, so it can be used in pretty much any situation by anybody with computer access.

Put simply Google Slides enables anyone to create a presentation and edit it , and significantly can allow you to collaborate with other users in real-time . It is designed for online use and is regularly updated with new, fresh features. Crucially, it is also incredibly easy to use .

You’ve got the resource, you’ve got the concept, so the only question that remains is how do you make it something special? Here are the top 20 design tips to consider when using Google Slides:

Tip 1: Use templates Tip 2: Use plenty of  images Tip 3: Experiment with typography Tip 4: Add diagrams and infographics Tip 5: Get creative with your images Tip 6: Be careful with color Tip 7: Add animated transitions Tip 8: Collaborate with your team Tip 9: Add videos Tip 10: Hold back on the text

Tip 11: Make it a story Tip 12: Make reference Tip 13: Add links Tip 14: Take questions Tip 15: Make notes Tip 16: Add bullet points Tip 17: Make it device friendly Tip 18: Use numbers Tip 19: Finish with C.T.A Tip 20: Don’t extend too much

Tip #1: Use templates

The theme of your presentation should be represented by the theme of your slideshow. It will hold everything together.

Unless you are a designer yourself, it can be tricky and time-consuming to design a presentation from scratch that looks the part. The professional designers know what they are doing and give you plenty of options. It isn’t lazy, it doesn’t reflect on your design skills (you aren’t a designer anyway), and nobody questions your creativity.

In actual fact, using the numerous professionally designed templates available on Google Slides does two really useful jobs, if, in fact, they notice at all. Firstly it shows the audience that you know your limits and more importantly, it gives you time to focus on the content of the presentation. It is after all the content that is your principal goal. Plus it gives you extra time to concentrate on your all-important presentation skills.

The templates are all exceptionally designed, and completely and easily editable including the addition of images, layout, color, and background color. Really what more could you need?

Tip #2: Use plenty of  images

Presentations need to be visual. We remember images, we understand images, we recognize and associate with images, and we are brief visual creatures. You need to use images, but we wish it was that simple. don’t just throw them in for the sake of it!

The images you use have a huge effect. The key is to use powerful and appropriate images such as photos and illustrations that help you get your message through. Images that emphasize and enhance your words, stoke up emotion and clarify a complex issue, all these images are useful and powerful. They help you deliver what you want, they help you get your message across and you need to get them into the presentation as thoughtfully as possible.

So you know, you want images so then you need to decide on the right ones. Either use your own images previously downloaded or created and saved and insert them or use Google image search. If you use Google’s image search which has a tremendous number of options, we’re talking in the millions here, it isn’t even necessary to download them first, just add them via your browser tab, insert, image, type in keywords and search away then click on your choice and it’s done.

The type of images you add is important and well worth thinking about. Illustrations can show creativity, originality, and imagination. They are great for illustrating more abstract or complex ideas. You can choose between artistic, hand-drawn, graphic, geometric, simple outlines, etc, all will generate a different tone and feel. Photographic images can present reality, credibility, and honesty. With either choice, you can get really creative, grab the attention, hold the attention, and be remembered.

Be aware that heavy files can result in lagging, which is the last thing you need. Run the presentation through, to check it’s smooth.

Tip #3: Experiment with typography

If you’ve got great content, and we’re sure you have, why go with a bog-standard font. Let’s get creative and choose the font that will suit your theme, your content, and your style, a font that will catch the eye and set you apart. In Google Slides when you click on a text box you get a font option, including size, color, etc. There is a great range but selecting “more fonts” at the top will direct you to the free Google Fonts service. Here you can get really funky. Don’t be afraid an unusual font can have a wow effect but remember it needs to be readable too. You can add your own custom fonts too.

And that’s not all, clicking on the More option on the menu bar (far right) gives you room to play with the text you have, from the usual rotation, size, text fitting, and positioning to the more interesting drop shadow and reflection options. (including opacity, and translucency slide bars.) These add interest and an extra dimension and look like you’ve really made an effort.

Tip #4: Add diagrams and infographics

As with the images above, infographics and diagrams are ideal for presentations. They convey masses amount of information in accessible chunks in a visual way. If you’ve got stats and data or even a complex idea to explain there is little as confusing and frankly dull as long lists of figures or long-winded explanations. This is where the latest craze for infographics really comes into its own.

You can create infographics independently of Google Slides and simply insert it, in the correct spot. Alternatively, you can create a chart or graph, a flowchart, or a diagram straight in Slides, using google sheets or one of the standard menu options. Again these are flexible and editable.

Tip #5: Get creative with your images

We’ve already established that you need images, right? If you’ve selected the appropriate powerful ones, now is the time to put in a tiny bit of effort to add a little extra style. Google Slides contains an option for masking images, meaning you can play with the edges, round off the corners, change image shape and add other stylistic elements. These little things make a huge difference so get creative and experiment, you can always undo, the many options by simply clicking on the image, then the Mask image icon (the little triangle).

Tip #6: Be careful with color

We all know colors can improve a presentation but it is equally true that they can ruin it too. A tendency to throw colors around willy-nilly can look childish and distract from your main aim, so think carefully.

Colors carry associations and are emotive(be aware that they are also culture-sensitive) and can be a great psychological tool when presenting. But you have to make some decisions about what, where, and how much.

• Brand Colors – if you’re presenting your brand, colors are a fantastic way of creating a strong flow of identity throughout. You can stick to the exact colors or use tonal variations and still keep the consistency.
• Bright Colors – catch the attention, but don’t overdo it. Combinations work well, especially regarding images and texts.
• One dominant color – A theme that eases from slide to slide, when used cleverly focuses the eye and highlights key points.
• Black and White – a classic for a reason, dramatic yet clear, elegant yet simple, and you can add grey or occasional pops of color that really stand out.
• Trends of 2022 – colors go in fashions too, check out the most trendy colors and combinations in 2022 .
• Gradients – Gradients and color transitions are very popular.
• Backgrounds – full or part, transparent or semi-transparent, plain, pattern or texture – background really help draw the eye to a particular section. You can also add your own.

Google Slides makes it easy to edit colors into your work, the difficult bit is making the decision in the first place.

Tip #7: Add animated transitions

The visual effect given when moving from one slide to the next, transitions is one of the simplest methods of adding a professional feel to the overall presentation. In Google Slides, just click on the “Transitions” button on the menu and choose from the many options available. The rule of thumb is to find one you like and stick to it during the whole presentation, there are lots of options but don’t be tempted to mix them up. A great transition will keep the interest and create a dynamic flow, a cacophony will distract.

It’s worth noting you should try to keep the number of slides and therefore transitions as low as possible, too many slides is too much movement and not enough focus.

Tip #8: Collaborate with your team

A great advantage of Google Slides is that as it’s online, anyone with permission can see where you are at with the design and even edit it. If you are working with a design team or content writers this is ideal, if you want another opinion it’s a great option too. Another set of eyes can offer insights, and advice, and often see mistakes that you haven’t even noticed. And always get your presentation proofread to avoid potential embarrassment, the last thing you need is to be talking over a glaring typo, hours spent putting together a great presentation can be lost in an instant.

All edits are tracked by the user and indicated by color coding and you can give various levels of permissions. With a revision history that tracks changes to the presentation.

Tip #9: Add videos

It may be appropriate to do something a little different and add a video, it will cause a stir. If you think this is an option that will add to your presentation and isn’t just there because you can do it, then it’s easy to do in Google Slides.

By clicking on “Insert” then “video”, you can add either form your own saved video to your Google Drive account or search YouTube videos. Be sure to watch the video before embedding it, you don’t want an embarrassing surprise. Then edit or format your video as you wish, you can change position or size and playback options, it’s easy but a great way of impressing the audience.

Tip #10: Hold back on the text

Your presentation is an aid to your speech, a guide, and in addition, it is not a document to be read. A text overload will do one of two things either people will focus on the writing and you’ll lose their attention, or worse you’ll lose them altogether and they’ll focus on neither.

The rule is to be brief, the shorter the better. Strong impacting, emotive, emphasizing, provocative – these are the words you are looking for, nobody wants long explanatory texts (that’s what your images are for).

Experts recommend up to six words per slide is enough to gain the attention and get the audience to listen to what you have to say.

Tip #11: Make it a story

We are surrounded by stories from the earliest fairy tales of childhood to the binge-watched Netflix dramas of present times. If you want your presentation to really strike a chord, storytelling is the way to go. Stories, anecdotes, and personal snippets all will allow your key communicative aim to be understood. They also give you a chance to show your personality, humor, humility, experience, and knowledge, and liven things ups.

The slide show is used as a guide through your story, a background that will hold the key concepts and arguments, keep them clear, and hold the focus. But essentially they supplement and add whilst you do the work.

Tip #12: Make reference

By referring to current events, and culture you kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, the audience can relate to your message and can link your ideas to what they are familiar with. Secondly, it keeps things topical, relevant, and up-to-date and that includes the images of you. It forms a vital link with the audience, you are part of them and not apart from them.

But beware you need to know your stuff, what you may think is topical could fall on deaf ears. Research and know your audience, think of age and cultural differences – you don’t want your witty observation to fall on stony ground. And everything should be focused back on your main point, link it to the presentation.

Tip #13: Add links

Links will enable people to lookup more detailed information, links will also show you’ve done your background, links look academic, and links can add a level of professionalism.

With Google Slides there is a research tool, which makes it simple to add links to websites but also to images or additional files in your Drive account. A very useful way of allowing you to be brief and focused but supplying all information that is needed. You can even type into the Google Slides to search for relevant images and sites.

Tip #14: Take questions (often)

Don’t wait until the end to invite questions, people often forget what they were going to ask or are just desperate to get to the free buffet! Questions should be invited throughout, interaction is good, and it makes the audience feel part of the process. In a physical presence in a meeting room or conference hall, this should be scheduled into your time, it is easy to forget and move on.

Google Slides has a Presenters notes section that only you can during the presentation, this is an excellent place to remind yourself to ask for questions.

If your presentation is virtual then Google Slides can create a link for you to send to your audience. Through this link, the viewers can post questions which then appear in the box. An excellent way of increasing active viewing.

Tip #15: Make notes

As we’ve established your slide show is not a complete presentation, your skills are absolutely vital. You need to be prepared for the pressure and the performance. Google Slides provides a “Presenter Notes” option where you can create a guide for each slide, or a script if you wish. There is a good chance you will forget something or get lost at some point unless you really know your stuff – and even then it’s more than possible.

When you start your slide show select “Present” and scroll to the bottom of the screen. Click on the gear icon and open your written notes. The notes open in a separate window, so you need to arrange your setup so you have different screens meaning the audience doesn’t see the notes. The notes follow the slide you are on, forwards or backward, and at whatever speed you are working.

Tip #16: Add bullet points

In an article, proposal, or report, bullet points are great, they break up texts, highlight key points, and make scanning easier but these are text for reading. A presentation is not for reading. You need to explain the slides, the bullets don’t. If it’s worth a bullet point it’s worth a slide of its own. Don’t patronize your audience with obvious point breakdowns when a few words will do the trick. If they need a breakdown, or explanation add a link.

Tip #17: Make it device friendly

You may well be using your presentation slide show in a very standard, typical way, perhaps projecting it onto a screen behind you from your laptop. Remember Google Slides is online so you can access it from a mobile device or tablet. This means that it is possible to cast from your device to a screen. You don’t necessarily have to carry around your laptop for your presentation.

It is also great for working on your presentation remotely, where ever you may be. You get a great idea on the train, take out your phone and access your presentation.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that others can access your presentation from their device too, so remember when doing the design that your presentation needs to look at the part on the small screen.

Tip #18: Use numbers

Numbers add clarity, help the listeners know where you are, act as a guide through the process, and make it feel like you are progressing. If you number each slide there is a sense of drawing to a goal, it’s a simple rule but one of the best. They take seconds to add on Google Slides and are proven to help.

Tip #19: Finish with C.T.A

A call to action is a great way to finish. It has the dual function of closing the presentation and opening the next dialogue. Devote a whole slide to it, make it provocative, you want this part to be remembered.

Thank your audience, of course, it pays to be polite… but please don’t waste a slide on this. Your ending needs to be dramatic and memorable. The questions you need to pose at the end of your presentation, and the questions the audience needs to be asking themselves is… what now? Tell them what you want them to do – directly.

Tip#20: Don’t extend too much

We’ve left it to the end, it’s so important but be brief. Nobody will thank you for needlessly extending, you sat in presentations yourself and you know exactly what everybody is thinking. Let’s get this over and done, yes? This is what the experts say and who are we to argue.

• Ten key slides  – Seems harsh and obviously, it’s only a guide but it’s a good guide. This is the optimal number of slides in a Slide Show presentation, as most people don’t cope well with more than ten key ideas in one session.
• Twenty minutes – If your presentation talk is planned for 20 solid informative minutes it’s plenty. You can have a brief intro (but keep it brief) and clearly, it’s flexible for additional questions and discussions but your actual presentation time should be around 20 minutes.

Presentation construction and the presentations themselves are not necessarily dull. These key tips are both general and Google Slide specific. The idea is to create something that will wow your audience, look professional, create a buzz, and most importantly of all – achieve your main goal. Substance and style rather than one over the other.

You and your design are a team, working together to get the information and message across. The design should, of course, look the part and these tips will help you there – but it shouldn’t dominate.

You are a focal point too, and here are some things to remember:

• Have energy – if you are not enjoying it, no one will.
• Practice – eye contact, voice, and gestures, they all go a long way to selling the message and keeping people with you. Practice in front of a mirror, in front of friends and family, even a pet -it makes a difference when you do it in front of an audience – you’ll get the feel.
• Prepare – double-check the equipment, and proofread the presentation (better get it to proofread).
• Feel Comfortable – get there in good time, check the room and facilities, wear clothes you feel good in, it all helps your confidence.
• You can’t please all the people all the time – remember some people will always be bored, and won’t react, hit the majority and you’ll be fine.

These Google Slides tips are exactly that tips, you use what you want, what you think will work for you, and you will work for your audience. The Slides will help, they are the magic wand but you are the one waving it and speaking the magic words.

You may also be interested in these related articles:

• 35 Free Google Slides Infographic Templates to Grab Now
• 39 Free Google Slides Templates For Your Next Presentation
• 70 Inspiring Presentation Slides with Cartoon Designs

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Lyudmil Enchev

Lyudmil is an avid movie fan which influences his passion for video editing. You will often see him making animations and video tutorials for GraphicMama. Lyudmil is also passionate for photography, video making, and writing scripts.

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The Best Cool Google Slides Themes on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)

Find thousands of the best Google Slides presentation templates on Envato Elements. All with a great offer: download as many as you want for one low price. It's loaded with aesthetic Google Slides and Google Slides inspo.

Cool Google Slides themes from Envato Elements come with hundreds of creative options. They feature new, trending designs to create the best presentation you can.

Looking for cool Google Slides presentation ideas? 

Explore Cool Google Slides Themes

Check out these ready-to-customize, modern Google drive presentation themes. They all have unique Google Slides designs with great visuals for 2024. Work with pre-built slides to showcase ideas in your presentation such as:

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• modern images

While you can get themes for Google Slides free, premium themes have its advantages. They offer outstanding visually impactful modern slide designs. Most downloads in Envato Elements come with after-sales support from the designer. These creative Google Slides are optimized for customization.

With the Google themes listed below, you only have to add your unique presentation ideas. Include creative graphics and key data with great design. Learn how to customize your presentation slide designs . Or even create a professional Google presentation . You’re ready to move your audience. 

It's easy to work fast with the best Google Slides themes. Let's start with some amazing examples.

32 Cool Google Slides Theme Inspiration (New From Envato Elements - for 2024)

Ready to get cool Google Slides ideas? Here's a selection of the best themes for Google Slides. All come with awesome Google Slides designs. Let's get started: 

1. Alika Branding Cool Google Slides

Check out this cool Google Slides to get amazing Google Slides ideas. This creative theme is perfect for fashion but could work for other topics. With this download you'll get a very easy to customize template. Start working with one of the best themes for Google Slides. This download features:

• modern and unique design
• cool and minimalist
• aspect ratio 16:9
• auto-adjustment options (size, transparency, shape, and so on) 
• easy to edit (shape color, size, position, and so on)
• devices mockups

Present your fresh Google Slides ideas with a cool design! 

2. Malora Cool Google Slides Template

Looking for slide ideas for Google Slides? Malora is a creative Google Slides presentation with ideas to get you going. This multipurpose cool Google Slides come with a unique and flexible design.

Work with the Google Slides layout ideas featured and change colors to match your brand. Work faster with drag and drop picture placeholders. The best themes for Google Slides come with plenty of Google presentation ideas. Malora is no exception! 

3. The Hipster - Google Slides Template

Looking with cool Google Slide themes with a touch of minimalism? Check out The Hipster. This is a multipurpose template ready to give you plenty of Google Slide design ideas.

You can use these aesthetic Google Slide ideas for virtually any kind of cool Google Slides presentations. It works for business, creatives, startups, educational content and more. It's easy to grab with cool Google Slide themes like this one.

4. ARARA Google Slides

Deliver a vibrant look in your next presentation. ARARA is one of the best new Google presentation themes for 2024. It's packed with over 40 custom slides and thousands of icons. Apply a professional style to any message. Google Slides cool themes like this one makes heavy use of color and imagery. With easy placeholders, it can be customized in mere seconds.

5. Nors - Modern Google Slides Theme Design

Nors is a modern and minimal Google Slides presentation template. This clean and creative layout gives many possibilities to your creativity. It comes with 130+ unique and creative slides and beautiful graphics. You can edit everything very easily in Google Slides. Transform your ideas into a great presentation quickly. Get cool Google Slides presentation ideas with this template! 

6. Koba - Google Drive Slides Presentation Themes

Choose from over 100 unique Google Drive theme design slides. This clean presentation has the modern design for you to work with. Make your best Google Slides ideas stand out. It’s easy to add your unique concepts to this theme. It comes with ready-to-use object placeholders, resizable graphics and cool animations. Use it to make an inspirational and cool Google Slides presentation fast!

7. Creative - Google Slides Presentation Template Design

Searching for just the right free Google Slides presentation theme? You'll have a hard time finding a design as cool as this one. 

This set of modern slide designs is made for creative agencies. Use it to showcase your ideas in a modern design. It’s a cool Google Slides theme packed with creative slides. Also has pixel-perfect Google presentation design elements, stylish infographics, and more.

8. Brandit – Cool Google Slides Presentation

This cool Google Slides template is designed with creatives in mind. Cool Google Slides themes like this one are perfect for creative agencies. With bold color splashes and unique backgrounds, Brandit captures attention. Choose between 39 custom slides. This Google Slides theme is packed with image placeholders. You can also explore the custom graphics to introduce your portfolio. 

9. Buddens - Minimalism Tropical Google Slides

Cool Google Slides ideas come in different shapes and forms. Buddens is a good example of Google Slide inspo for minimal and tropical design. Cool Google Slide themes like this one are created with attention to detail. Get all slide ideas for Google Slides you need.

Use this Google Slide format ideas for business, portfolio, corporate or advertising presentations. You'll get:

• 50+ unique Google Slides styles
• PDF Documentation
• easy to use and customize
• clean, modern and multi-purpose design
• based on master slides
• unique mockup devices
• vector based icons 

10. Miley Fashion Cool Google Slides

Are you in fashion and looking for Google Slides design ideas? Miley is the place where you can get cool Google Slides inspo. This theme comes with a simple, minimalist and flexible Google Slides styles.

It's easy to change the color scheme and customize all graphic elements. Definitely one of the best themes for Google Slides if you're looking for cool design.

11. Frizzo - Business Google Slides Template

Get slide ideas for Google Slides with this simple, clean and professional template. Frizzo is a multipurpose presentation theme. It comes with business oriented Google Slides styles. It's perfect for any kind of business and corporate purpose.

With this download you'll get Google Slides inspo with 44 slides designs. Start getting all your Google Slides presentation ideas out of your head.

12. Pattern Soft Blue Modern Fashion Cool Google Slides

This is great if you're looking for Google Slides cool themes. Elevate your presentation experience with Google Slides cool themes like Pattern. This download comes with an infographic pack to show all your Google Slides design ideas.

Work with 40+ cool Google Slides ideas. Choose between light and dark backgrounds and add your own design elements. Get all the aesthetic Google Slide ideas you need with this download. 

13. Katrina - Google Slide Template

Looking for something bold? Check out one of the best themes for Google Slides. Katrina is a multipurpose template. Use it for business, creative portfolios or startup presentations.

The best Google presentation ideas come from professional and modern designs. This cool Google Slides presentation comes with 30+ slides. It's easy to color change and drag and drop your images. Get all the Google slide inspo you need with this download! 

14. Pitch Deck Google Slides Template

Are you working a cool Google Slides pitch deck? Find plenty of Google Slides layout ideas for your presentation. This download comes with 30+  fully editable slide designs. Unique Google Slides with cool themes like this one aren't so easy to find. Start working with one of the best themes for Google Slides!

15. Selen - Google Slide Template

Get the best G oogle slide design ideas with this amazing template. Selen is a cool Google Slides template for anyone looking for Google Slides inspo. Replace images using placeholders, change colors and add animated slides to your presentation. This download features:

• 150 total Google Slides layout ideas
• 5 pre-made colors
• vector based
•  master slides based
• free web fonts used
• drag and drop options

16. Acquisition Yellow Minimalist NFT Google Slides

Make a bold statement with bright and cool Google Slide themes. Acquisition is a great example. Get cool Google presentation ideas with this yellow minimalist layout. This amazing download comes with 45+ slides total and handmade infographics. You'll get the Google Slides layout ideas while working with this template. 

17. Eighty-Two Cool Google Slides Template

Google Slides with cool themes are great to get your creative ideas into the slides. Check out this multipurpose template to present your business ideas. The best Google Slide presentation ideas come from unique templates like this one.

This cool Google Slides template looks professional. It works for business, corporate and marketing presentations. You'll get with your download:

• unique slide designs
• easy to edit all elements and shapes
• design based on slide master
• drag and drop images
• clean design style
• 16:9 HD ratio display
• free fonts use

18. Prelo Google Slides Template

Looking for cool Google Slides inspo? Prelo is the perfect multipurpose presentation for any kind of project. Scan each slide to get creative slide ideas for Google Slides.

Work faster with flexible and cool Google Slide themes like this one. It's also very easy to change color and drag and drop your own images. You'll also get easy to edit data-driven charts (pie, bar, line). It's best themes for Google Slides!

19. Inside - Cool Google Slides Template

Looking for aesthetic Google Slide ideas? This is definitely one of the best themes for Google Slides. It's a multipurpose template for any kind of business, creative or educational purposes.

Grab your audience’s attention while presenting cool Google Slides ideas. With this download you'll get 30+ total slides to get all the Google Slides inspo you need. Change colors and images to make it your own. 

20. Goliath - Business Presentation for Cool Google Slides

This template will give you all the dark and cool Google Slides ideas you need. Goliath works for a variety of purposes. It's great to present Google Slides design ideas or project proposals.

This download features 30 unique multipurpose slides. Add your own style and Google Slides layout ideas to this easy to edit template. All graphics are resizable. It's super easy to add your own photos with picture placeholders.

21. Portal - Google Slide Template

Start working with multipurpose and cool Google Slide themes like this one. Portal is a cool Google Slides theme that can be used for any kind of business or creative purposes.

Work with the best Google Slides styles distributed in 30+ slide designs. It also uses free web fonts, so you won't have to worry about that. Use picture placeholders to add your images, change de color to match your brand. And you're all set! 

22. Finlayouter Cool Google Slides Theme

The best themes for Google Slides come with bold design styles. Finlayouter is one of those cool Google Slides themes. You'll be working with a modern, elegant and on point design.

Get the best Google Slides design ideas with this colorful and simple template. It's perfect for promoting your product or showing your creative portfolio. This download features:

• 20 unique slide designs
• image placeholders
• unique custom
• drag & drop options
• easy to change colors
• full HD format
• free support

23. Blue Lime Company Profile Presentation

Check out this versatile presentation template. Find plenty of Google Slides design ideas for business and personal presentations.

This cool Google Slides theme works for different purposes. Use it to make cool Google Slides pitch decks, company profiles, or product portfolios. Say goodbye to ineffective designs and work with Google Slides cool themes like this one.

You'll get the following with your download:

• Google Slides and PPTX files
• 16:9 widescreen ratio
• unique Google Slides layout ideas
• 28 unique slide designs
• 400+ icons by Lage-Day Studio
• all resizable and editable graphics
• image gallery and data chart slides 

24. Multipurpose Corporate Cool Google Slides Template

Get all the cool Google Slides ideas with this full HD resolution template. Artho is one of those cool Google Slides themes with everything you need to succeed. You'll get 30+ slide designs to get the best slide ideas for Google Slides.

Edit and Customize this template using the drag and drop features. Turn this unique and cool Google Slides into your own creative presentation. 

25. Novita Business Presentation Google Slide Template

Looking for more Google Slides presentation ideas? This presentation template has plenty of cool Google Slides layout ideas. This is a great theme for creative agencies, creative companies and startups.

Present all your cool Google Slides ideas with a great design to make them stand out. You'll get 30 unique and multipurpose slides to work with. The best news is all graphics resizable. It's also super easy to change colors and add your own photos.

26. Creative Corporate Cool Google Slides Template

Atlesta is the answer for anyone looking for Google Slides presentation ideas. This cool Google Slides theme comes in full HD resolution to impress your audience.

Get all your cool google slides ideas displayed in the 30+ slides featured. It's also very easy to edit and customize. Just drag and drop your images and change the text. Make this presentation your own! 

27. Mozart - Music Course Presentation Google Slides

Looking for cool slide ideas for Google Slides? Be the coolest music teacher! Show your students all your Google Slides ideas in a cool way.

Mozart is a cool Google Slides template made specially for anyone in the music industry or education programs. This presentation was created to give you cool Google Slides presentation ideas! The download contains: 

• 30+ unique slides with amazing colors
• all slides based on placeholders
• widescreen format (16:9)
• fully editable content
• free fonts used

28. Pitch Deck Google Slides Template

Get all your aesthetic Google Slide ideas with this download. This cool Google Slides theme has 30+ slides for you to bring all your cool Google Slides design ideas. You'll also be working on a full HD resolution for visual impact.

Make your images and messages pop out by working with this template. Drag and drop your content into placeholders, and you're all set! 

29. Balok - Architecture Cool Google Slides Template

The best themes for Google Slides come with plenty of customization options. Balok is no exception. It's also a great choice to get aesthetic Google Slide ideas.

This download comes in full HD resolution (16:9 / 1920×1080). You'll get 30+ slides full of cool Google Slides design ideas. Play with vector icons and mockups included to make your messages pop. It's definitely best themes for Google Slides! 

30. Educatist - Education Google Slides Template

Looking for Google Slides design ideas to be a cool teacher? Educatist is a great choice for you. It's a cool Google Slides template with a professional and ultra-modern design. Impress your students with cool Google Slides ideas. This download features:

• 15 slide ideas for Google Slides
• recommended free web fonts used
• design based on Master Slides
• 16:9 widescreen ratio (1920×1080px)
• picture placeholders

31. Kloud - Google Slide Template

Kloud has all the aesthetic Google Slide ideas you need. It's a multipurpose template that can be used for any kind of business or creative purposes. Present your creative and cool Google Slides ideas with an aesthetic design. 

With this download you'll get 30+ slides full of cool Google Slides styles. It uses recommended and free web fonts. It's also easy to edit with picture placeholders and drag and drop options. It's time to get all your creative Google Slides presentation ideas out there! 

32. Gimodelo Brand Google Slides Presentation Template

Looking for colorful and aesthetic Google Slide ideas? Last but definitely not least, we want to introduce you to Gimodelo. It's a multipurpose template with plenty of Google Slides design ideas. Its design allows you to use it for photography, creative portfolio, or fashion presentations.

Cool Google Slides themes like this one offer a lot of flexibility. You'll get 30 easy-to-edit slides in 16:9 Ratio. Just drag and drop your content. Make this cool Google Slides theme your own!

5 Google Slide Ideas to Help You Design the Best Google Presentation Ever in 2024

Good presentation themes make the slide design decisions for you. You may find yourself having to modify some design elements. It's great to customize the themes for your own use. Keep these presentation design tips in mind:

1. Use Images With Purpose

Every element on your slide should have a purpose. The purpose of images is to convey an idea or to evoke an emotion. If an image doesn't reinforce your message, then replace it with one that does. Make sure the images you use are of high quality. Blurry images are distracting and make you look unprofessional.

Ideally, you'll use your own, original images. Be very careful to avoid using copyright-protected images. With an Envato Elements subscription you get unlimited downloads of stock photos .

2. Keep Text to a Minimum

Replace sentences with phrases and replace phrases with single words. People shouldn't be able to get the full message of a slide by themselves—that's what you're there for.

Also, beware of slide after slide of bullet lists. These lead to the over-use of text as well. However, you should be fine with the occasional bullet list slide.

3. Be Consistent

If you use any of the Google Slides themes listed above, you'll have a cohesive style built in. Avoid breaking this design theme when you customize your slides.

Using Master Slides and text styles will help ensure that the changes you make are applied globally in your entire presentation.

4. Use Special Effects

But if you over-use them, your audience will soon get tired of them. The over-use of special effects also detracts from your message.

Instead, stick with subtle and simple effects that look professional. Use only two to three types of transitions sprinkled throughout the entire presentation. Don't use a transition for each slide.

5. Add Variety

Jolt your audience awake every now and then by introducing something new. This can be as simple as using section title slides with a different background color.

The Google Slides templates we featured above include layouts for section breaks. Try alternating light and dark backgrounds. Switch from color and black-and-white photos.

5 Cool Presentation Design Trends for 2024

Do you want your presentation to feel creative and on target? Don’t rely on the default themes in Google Slides or work with a free Google Slides template online.

Instead, work with a vibrant presentation set. That’s got their finger on the cool trends of 2024. Here are just a few of those fashionable styles you can use:  

1. Use Minimal Slide Designs 

Ideas need room to breathe. A minimal set of slide designs helps your Google Slides ideas land with clarity. Use an on-trend template. Get lots of minimal style slide designs, like this Google Slides design theme:

2. Explore Modern Typography

Great typography makes your presentation come across as more professional. Use a simple sans serif font like Helvetica or Google’s free Roboto. It's often the best choice for presenting your ideas.

Look for the best Google Slides templates that make great use of bold headings. This way your ideas stand out strong. Also include detailed subheadings, bullet points, and stylized type options. You want a good mix of modern layouts to work with.

Learn how to quickly add new fonts in Google Slides here:

3. Try Cool and Aesthetic Colors

Placing stimulating colors that bounce off each other is the way to go. You can also use cool colors that make your presentation look professional and sleek. 

4. Discover Transparency and Photo Crops

Some features can make a presentation theme feel on-trend in 2024. Look for cool Google Slides themes with great shaped photo crops and dynamic layouts. You can add effects such as transparency to your photos. You could also work with subtle gradient backgrounds.

5. Use Big, Bold Imagery 

Generic stock imagery gets a deservedly bad rap. Nothing is worse than seeing the same recycled corporate images.

Using stock imagery properly sets the stage for each slide. Check out the Google Slides example below. See how a basic stock image can perfectly balance out a slide.

How to Quickly Customize Cool Google Slides Presentation Designs

When you use a custom Google Slides design, you gain two things. The first is professional design. The second is ease of customization. A custom template lets you make every slide your own in a matter of seconds. 

Professional and cool Google Slides themes come with content placeholders built in. All you've got to do is click to insert your very own content. 

For hands-on ideas to help you make cool Google Slides presentations, study this tutorial:

For this tutorial we’ll be working with one of the best Google Slides themes on Envato Elements: Koba.

The Koba Google Slides Presentation is a powerful pack featuring 30 unique and cool slides. Also find a ton of easy customization options. Let’s customize a trio of slides from the template.

1. The Intro Slide

That begins with your introductory slide. Simple Google Slides themes often include beautiful custom intro slides. They will help you get started.

Let’s customize slide 2 in the template. As you can see, cool slide themes like this one perfectly roll out the focus of your presentation. They really map out who you are, and what you’re about. Keep them focused throughout the slide deck.

Begin by changing the slide title up in the top left. To do that, select the text box and type over the text inside with your own. Repeat those steps with the subtitle and main paragraph. Don’t forget, you can also change up the font size and style as well.

It only takes a few seconds. Plus, you don’t have to do any tough design work. It’s as simple as filling in boxes with your original content.

2. Meet Your Team

A big part of this comes from establishing a human connection. That means introducing your team. On slide 17 below, this Google Slides design includes a slide to let you do just that.

If you’d rather the space be blank, simply delete the text box by clicking on it and pressing Delete.

Now it’s time to add photos of our team. Google Slides makes this really easy. Each of the four red squares you see is actually an image placeholder. To add a photo, right-click on a red box.

A drop-down menu will appear, and from that, go ahead and click on Replace image. You’ll see several images. That includes options to upload from your Google account, from the web, or from your computer. For our purposes, let’s choose Upload from computer.

That’ll open up a Browse window. Here you can navigate to wherever you've got photos locally stored. Click on one to insert it. Just like that, Google Slides will drop the chosen image onto your slide.

And to finish up, swap out the captions with words of your own.

3. Add a Device Mockup

Finally, let’s check out slide 92. It’s a great Google Slides example of the professional design. Is one of today’s best Google Slides themes.

This is called a device mockup. Use it to show off your app or website on a mobile device. It's far better than a simple screenshot. It’s a realistic look to give audiences a sense of your product.

The screenshot does play a role. Since this mockup shows a tablet, you’ll want to grab a screenshot of your app or site on that device. Mockups are scaled to match screen resolutions and dimensions on their real counterparts. By using one to get the image, you can be sure it'll be scaled perfectly. Once you’ve done that, send it to your computer.

Right-click in the red box, choose Replace image , and then Upload from computer. Browse to the screenshot and click to add it. In a flash, Slides will drop it onto the tablet mockup. As you can see, it’s sized perfectly.

And remember, just because text boxes are there, doesn’t mean you've got to use them. To free up some space, we can delete a couple of them.

Using cool themes for Google Slides gives your presentation game a jumpstart. You gain exceptional ease of use, along with professional style! Wow any audience and do it faster than ever.

Find more information on how to customize a template in this article:

5 Quick Tips for Making Great Google Slides Designs in 2024

Follow cool Google Slides themes designs for successful presentations in 2024. Also consider the latest design trends. Match modern styles with creative ideas in your next presentation design. Here are our latest tips for creating aesthetic Google Slides designs:

1. Embrace Minimalism for Readable Layouts

Creative Google Slides presentations today use this style to craft clear, readable layouts. Keep in mind, audiences might view your slide deck from a distance in a conference room or lecture hall. 

Minimalist cool themes for Google Slides are visually appealing. They use crisp fonts, large image placeholders, and ample amounts of white space.

2. Use Charts and Graphs

They help audiences follow along with your narration. In 2024, audiences will no longer indulge speakers showing information with no supporting data. 

It’s critical to create cool slide themes using charts and graphs. Combine premium templates and built-in features. It’s incredibly easy to do right inside Google Slides.

Learn how to build charts and graphs in just a few clicks with Google Slides here:

3. Add Plenty of Images

To keep your audience engaged, include illustrations. Many cool themes for Google Slides are built with this idea in mind. 

Think of photos as supporting objects. These must bring new clarity and interest to your words. Or imagine Google Slides templates as creative outlets to share your portfolio.

4. Keep Things Moving With Pre-Set Slide Timings

Try not to distract yourself by clicking between slides in the deck. You can leave your presentation on “autopilot” to automatically advance through slides. It's good to pre-arrange slide timings with any of your favorite cool themes for Google Slides. 

For a complete overview to get started, we built a full tutorial on the subject:

5. Customize Your Favorite Animations

Make Google Slides templates creative by adding your own animations. What’s more, many of the best templates come with animations built in. These add appealing style to any slide. 

Plus, they allow you to stagger the arrival of content onto the slide. Think of bullet points. Suppose you want them to appear one by one. That helps keeping your audience focused as you discuss each one in turn. 

Common Google Slides Questions Answered (FAQ)

Learning how to create cool Google Slides themes is a process. Even though Slides is a simple tool, you can face questions on the way to creating cool Google Slides.

You might ask while building slide designs for presentations. Here are five of the most common questions:

1. What Are The Advantages of Working With Google Slides?

If you're considering a switch from PowerPoint, you might be wondering why you should  switch. The best Google Slides themes help you ease the learning curve. But you might still need convincing to try it out.

We've got you covered with this introductory guide:

2. Does Google Slides Support PPT Format?

Luckily, Google Slides doesn't require reworking every presentation you've made in PowerPoint. You can easily drag-and-drop your PPTX files into Google Slides and use them right away.

If you've got a favorite PPT template, it also works as one of the best Google Slides themes. It's an easy conversion! Learn more here:

3. Does Google Slides Support Data in Charts and Graphs?

Creative Google Slides presentations explain ideas in novel ways. Charts and graphs are the best way to show data without boring the audience.

Cool Google Slides themes typically include blueprints for graphs. Learn to build and customize them with the help of this tutorial:

4. Does Google Slides Support Music & Sound?

Music and sound help you create interesting presentations. A video clip, for example, is a way to bring an expert's opinion to your content. Sound is also a real advantage if you want to set the mood.

Add even more content to the best Google Slides presentations. Get some help with this tutorial:

5. Does Google Slides Support Custom Fonts?

The answer is, yes! Work with custom fonts to create aesthetic Google Slides that are sure to please. The best Google Slides themes typically have custom font selections.

Spice up your cool Google Slides with new fonts. It's quick and easy to implement custom fonts in cool slides. Check out our tutorial below: 

Learn More About How to Use Google Slides (Tutorials)

Google Slides themes are a great way to launch your presentation. But you still need a bit of know-how to master the app. We've got a huge library of tutorials to learn how to use Google Slides .

Check out our helpful resource How to Use Google Slides (Ultimate Tutorial Guide.) It has everything a new Google Slides user needs to master the art of great presentations.

Find More Google Presentation Themes

There are thousands of Google Slides templates available at Envato Elements. If you don't see the design or style you want, then check out other Google Slides themes:

Grab This eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free Download)

Learn the best presentation strategies in our eBook. The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations ( grab it now for FREE ) . Get your ideas packaged into a powerful presentation that'll move your audience to action.

Design Your Next Presentation With a Cool Google Slides Theme for 2024

Looking for limitless design options in 2024? Then grab a cool presentation theme for Google Slides from Envato Elements. You'll get access to thousands of creative graphics and templates with unlimited use. Try out as many presentation slide design styles as you want!

Discover trending Google Slides themes on Envato Elements . Subscribe, browse through them and find just the right one for your next presentation. 

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Andrew Childress and Janila Castañeda . Andrew is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+. Janila is a staff writer with Envato Tuts+.

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How to create a google slides template.

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If you find yourself creating the same outline of a presentation over and over again, you can save yourself the effort by using a template. Here's how to create custom-made templates in Google Slides.

Although Google Slides does offer a wide range of templates to choose from for free accounts, they don't all cater to the needs of everyone. To create a custom template that you can reuse multiple times over, you'll have to use this little workaround to generate them.

Fire up your browser, head to Google Slides , and open a blank presentation, previously made presentation, or one of Google's pre-made templates .

Now that you have the bones to your presentation set for your template, rename the file to something that has the word "Template" in it. Click the filename, rename it to include "Template," and then press the "Enter" key when you finish.

Next, click on the folder icon next to the filename and then select the "New Folder" icon to create a new folder for your Google Slides templates.

Give the new folder a name and click the checkmark to create it.

After you create the folder, click "Move Here" to save the template into your Google Slides template folder.

This folder can now be the new home for any templates you create in the future. This is also a great way to keep everything in your Google Drive neatly organized and easy to find for all members of your team.

Related: How to Organize Your Google Drive

When you want to make a copy of your template, you can access them directly from Google Drive. Head on over to Drive , look for the folder you just made for templates, and double-click on it.

Because this is a template file that you'll be using multiple times, you should make a copy of the file before entering any information into the file. Right-click on the template and select "Make A Copy" to duplicate the template file.

The copy of the template saves into the current folder with the prefix "Copy Of." From here, you can double-click on the copy to open it, rename it, or move it to another folder altogether.

If you open the presentation or if someone sends you a template file, click File > Make A Copy to duplicate the template to your Drive.

Name the file, choose a location for it in your Drive, and then click "OK" to save the document template.

That's all there is to it. If you want to share your template with other team members, you can create a "Make A Copy" link and send it to them in an email or share the file directly with a shareable link .

Related: How to Share "Make a Copy" Links to Your Google Files

If you have a paid G Suite account , you're able to save custom templates in your account's  custom template gallery for all of your team members in your organization to use. With the method used above, free accounts can take advantage of sharing custom templates without any additional expenses.

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Get started with Slides in Google Workspace

Create your first presentation in slides.

On this page

Create or import a presentation, add slides to your presentation.

• Update your presentation

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Try Google Workspace today!

Create your presentation

• Open the Slides home screen at Google Slides .

You can also create new presentations from the URL https://slides.google.com/create .

Import and convert an existing presentation

Converting your file from another program creates a copy of your original file in a Docs, Sheets, or Slides format. You can then edit the file in your browser.

If you have existing files, you can import and convert them to Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

• Go to Drive .

• Choose the file you want to import from your computer to add it to Drive.

Have a Microsoft file?

If you've already stored Microsoft files in Drive, you can also update them without converting them .

Add a slide with the same layout as the current slide

• On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .

Add a slide with a different layout

• Choose a slide.

Add a slide with your organization's branding

• At right, click the template you want to use.

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

Update your presentation

Choose a theme and layout.

When you first create a presentation, you can choose a theme for your slides. A theme is a preset group of colors, fonts, background, and layouts. Your presentation's layout is the way your text and images are arranged on a slide.

Change your presentation's theme

• On the right, click the theme you want.

Change the layout of your presentation

• Select a slide.
• At the top, click Layout .
• Choose the layout you want to use.

Arrange slides

Move slide —Drag the slide to a different position in the presentation. To move several slides at once, Ctrl+click  multiple slides before dragging them.

Delete slide —Right-click the slide and select Delete .

Duplicate slide —Right-click the slide in the sidebar and select Duplicate slide .

Add pictures, text, speaker notes, and more

Rename your presentation —Click Untitled presentation and enter a new name.

Add videos, shapes, charts, and more —Click Insert to add videos, shapes, charts, slide numbers, and other features to your presentation. You can also move, delete, or re-size these inserted features.

Add speaker notes —Use speaker notes to keep track of your talking points for each slide. In the presentation editor, speaker notes appear beneath the current slide. When you present your slides, your speaker notes show in a separate window.

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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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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