What is Google Slides, and How to Use It?

The art of the presentation has evolved. Gone are the days of fumbling with USB drives, worrying about software compatibility, and emailing massive files back and forth. In our connected world, the need for a dynamic, accessible, and collaborative presentation tool is paramount. This is where Google Slides steps into the spotlight, offering a powerful, cloud-based solution that has redefined how we create and share visual stories.

If you’ve ever needed to create a presentation for work, school, or a personal project, you’ve likely heard of Google Slides. But what is it, exactly? And how can you use it to create professional, engaging slideshows? This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from the basic features to advanced tips that will make your next presentation shine.

What is Google Slides?

Google Slides is a free, web-based presentation program developed by Google. It’s a core part of the Google Workspace suite, which also includes Google Docs (for documents) and Google Sheets (for spreadsheets). Think of it as Google’s answer to Microsoft PowerPoint, but with a crucial difference: it lives entirely in the cloud.

This cloud-native design means there is no software to install. You can access, create, and edit your presentations from any device with an internet connection and a web browser. All your work is automatically saved to your Google Drive, making it incredibly accessible and eliminating the risk of losing your progress. More importantly, it was built from the ground up for real-time collaboration, allowing multiple people to work on the same presentation at the same time.

Getting Started: How to Use Google Slides

One of the biggest advantages of Google Slides is its intuitive and user-friendly interface. If you’ve ever used another presentation software, you’ll feel right at home. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your first presentation.

1. Creating a New Presentation

Getting started is simple. To create a new presentation, you have a few options:

• From Google Drive: Navigate to your Google Drive, click the “+ New” button, and select “Google Slides.”
• Directly: Simply type slides.new into your browser’s address bar and hit Enter. This clever shortcut will instantly open a brand new, untitled presentation.

Once you have a new presentation, you’ll see a clean interface with your first title slide in the main window, a list of your slides on the left, and a toolbar with formatting options at the top.

2. Choosing a Theme

A consistent theme gives your presentation a professional look. When you create a new presentation, a “Themes” panel will appear on the right. You can choose from dozens of pre-designed themes that set the background, color palette, and font styles for your entire slideshow. Don’t worry if you don’t find the perfect one; you can customize every aspect later.

3. Adding and Organizing Slides

To add a new slide, you can either click the “+” button in the top-left corner or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + M (or Cmd + M on a Mac). By clicking the small arrow next to the “+” button, you can choose from various slide layouts, such as “Title and body,” “Section header,” or “Title only.” Using these layouts helps maintain a consistent structure throughout your presentation.

You can easily reorder your slides by simply dragging and dropping them in the left-hand navigation pane.

4. Adding Content: Text, Images, and More

With your slides in place, it’s time to add content.

• Text: Click inside any text box to start typing. You can use the toolbar at the top to change the font, size, color, and formatting (bold, italic, etc.).
• Images: Go to Insert > Image. You can upload an image from your computer, take a snapshot with your webcam, add an image by URL, or search Google Images directly from within Google Slides.
• Shapes and Lines: The “Shape” and “Line” tools in the toolbar allow you to create diagrams, flowcharts, and other visual elements to illustrate your points.
• Video and Audio: You can embed videos from YouTube or your Google Drive by going to Insert > Video. As of recent updates, you can also add audio files from your Drive via Insert > Audio, which is perfect for adding narration or background music.

The Magic of Collaboration in Google Slides

This is where Google Slides truly sets itself apart. Its real-time collaboration features make it an indispensable tool for teams.

Real-Time Co-Editing

Multiple people can work on the same presentation simultaneously. You can see your collaborators’ avatars at the top of the screen and watch their cursors move as they make edits. This eliminates the confusing process of emailing different versions back and forth. There is only one source of truth: the document itself.

Commenting and Action Items

To provide feedback, simply highlight any element on a slide—text, an image, or a shape—and click the “Add comment” icon. You can write your feedback and even tag a specific person by typing “@” followed by their email address. This will send them a notification and assign the comment to them as an action item, ensuring accountability.

Version History

Google Slides automatically saves a detailed history of all changes made to the presentation. You can access this by going to File > Version history > See version history. This feature allows you to see who made what changes and when, and you can easily restore the presentation to any previous state. It’s a powerful safety net that encourages fearless editing.

Presenting Your Slideshow

Once your presentation is ready, it’s time to share it with your audience.

The “Slideshow” Button

Clicking the “Slideshow” button in the top-right corner will launch your presentation in full-screen mode. You can navigate through your slides using the arrow keys.

Presenter View

For a more professional delivery, use Presenter View. When you click the arrow next to “Slideshow” and select “Presenter view,” you get a special window that only you can see. This view shows you:

• The current slide your audience sees.
• A preview of the next slide.
• Your speaker notes.
• A timer to help you stay on track.

Presenter View also includes an audience Q&A tool, allowing your audience to submit questions from their devices during your presentation, which you can then address at the end.

Sharing Your Presentation

Sharing your Google Slides presentation is simple and flexible. Click the blue “Share” button to see your options:

• Share with specific people: Enter email addresses to give individuals Viewer, Commenter, or Editor access.
• Share via a link: Create a shareable link that allows anyone with the link to view, comment on, or edit the presentation, depending on the permissions you set.
• Publish to the web: This creates a public webpage of your presentation that can be embedded on a website or shared widely.

You can also download your presentation in various formats, including as a Microsoft PowerPoint file (.pptx) or a PDF, by going to File > Download.

Google Slides vs. Microsoft PowerPoint

The classic showdown in the presentation world is Google Slides vs. Microsoft PowerPoint. Here’s a quick comparison:

• Collaboration: Google Slides is the undisputed champion. Its real-time, browser-based collaboration is far more seamless.
• Accessibility and Cost: Google Slides is free and accessible from any device with a web browser. PowerPoint’s full functionality requires a paid Microsoft 365 subscription.
• Animations and Advanced Features: PowerPoint still has a slight edge when it comes to complex animations, transitions, and advanced design capabilities. If you need to create highly cinematic or intricate visual effects, PowerPoint’s desktop app offers more power.
• Templates: While Google Slides offers a good selection of themes, PowerPoint has a more extensive library of professionally designed templates.
• Integration: Both tools integrate well within their respective ecosystems. Google Slides works seamlessly with Drive, Docs, and Sheets, while PowerPoint is deeply integrated with the Microsoft Office suite.

The verdict: For most users, especially teams that need to collaborate, Google Slides is the more practical and efficient choice. For power users who need the absolute highest level of design control, PowerPoint may still be preferable.

Pro-Tips to Master Google Slides

1. Use Add-ons: Explore the Google Workspace Marketplace (Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons) to find tools that add new functionality. Popular add-ons like Unsplash Photos and Pexels allow you to insert high-quality stock images directly into your slides.
2. Master the Master Slide: To make universal changes to fonts, colors, or logos across your entire presentation, edit the master slide. Go to View > Master. Any change you make here will apply to all slides using that layout.
3. Embed Your Slides: Use the “Publish to the web” feature to get an embed code. This allows you to place your interactive slideshow directly on a website or blog.
4. Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Speed up your workflow by learning shortcuts. Ctrl + D (or Cmd + D) duplicates the current slide, and Ctrl + G (or Cmd + G) groups selected objects together.

The Final Word

Google Slides is more than just a free alternative to PowerPoint; it’s a powerful, modern tool that has fundamentally changed the way we think about creating and sharing presentations. Its focus on collaboration, accessibility, and simplicity makes it an ideal choice for teams, educators, and individuals alike.

By breaking down the barriers of software installation and version control, Google Slides allows you to focus on what truly matters: crafting a compelling narrative and sharing your ideas with the world.