{"id":4041730,"date":"2025-09-04T06:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/article\/4041730\/quick-tips-for-google-slides.html"},"modified":"2025-09-04T06:58:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:58:00","slug":"quick-tips-for-google-slides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/article\/4041730\/quick-tips-for-google-slides.html","title":{"rendered":"5 quick tips for Google Slides"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n
<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

If you’re new to Google Slides, our Google Slides cheat sheet<\/a> can quickly get you up and running with the popular web-based presentation app. Once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to dig in with a few intermediate tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story guides you through how to create customized, reusable slide layouts; collaborate on a presentation in Google Chat; use a live audience Q&A feature while giving a presentation; and more. Most of the features covered here are available to anyone with a Google account, but one requires a paid Google Workspace plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Create custom slide layouts to use as templates<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Collaborate on a Slides presentation in Google Chat<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Present in Google Meet<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Take live questions from your audience<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Record a presentation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1. Create custom slide layouts to use as templates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    You can design your own slide layouts to use as templates in any future presentation. First, open a new, blank presentation. Then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. On the menu bar over the blank presentation, select View > Theme builder<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. The main window switches to a layout editor. To the left you’ll see a column with the heading THEME and the subheading LAYOUTS just below that. Click the thumbnail of any layout in the LAYOUTS list. It will appear in the main window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. You can remove objects that are already in any layout. For example, click on a block of text. A frame appears around the text. Right-click anywhere inside this frame, then select Delete<\/em> from the menu that opens.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \"slide

    Creating a custom slide layout in Google Slides.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

    Howard Wen \/ Foundry<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    4. Using the formatting toolbar above the slide, you can add new objects to the slide, such as images, image placeholders, shapes, lines, and blocks for text. (Tip: enter placeholder words inside the text blocks.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you click on any object, a frame appears around it. Drag and drop the frame to relocate the object on the slide, or drag the frame’s edges to change the object’s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. When you’re finished designing your layout, click the Rename<\/em> button above the slide and give the layout a unique name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6. If you want to create another custom layout, click on the thumbnail of another layout in the LAYOUTS<\/em> list and repeat the above steps starting from #3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    7. When you are finished custom-designing all your layouts, click the X<\/em> toward the upper right of the slide layout in the main window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To apply a layout you created to a slide: <\/strong>On the toolbar above the slide, click Layout<\/em>. From the panel of thumbnails that opens, select a layout that you created. It will then be applied to the slide in the main window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/a>2. Collaborate on a Slides presentation in Google Chat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If your team uses Google Chat<\/a>, you can share a Slides presentation in a chat. Other people in your chat can add comments and help make changes to your presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This works in standard one-on-one or group chats, but it’s especially useful if you use the collaborative workspaces in Chat that Google calls “spaces.” Unlike informal chats, spaces are meant to gather conversations, documents, and other materials for specific projects, events, or groups. If you’re working on a presentation related to a project, the space is the perfect place to share and collaborate on the slideshow. (For more about working in spaces, see our “Google Spaces cheat sheet<\/a>.”)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To share a presentation in Chat:<\/strong> Start by opening an existing chat or space, or starting a new one in the main window. To the left of the box where you type in your chat messages, click the +<\/em> icon. If you’re in a space, select Google Drive <\/em>from the panel that opens, and then on the next panel click Attach Drive files<\/em>. If you’re in a regular chat, there’s one less step: just click the + icon and select Attach Drive files<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A page will open over the screen listing the files in your Google Drive. Find and click your presentation to highlight it, then click the Insert <\/em>button at the lower-right corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You’ll be taken back to your Google chat session. Click the blue right-pointing arrow to the right of the chat box; a panel will open over the screen designating permissions for the shared presentation. By default, permissions are set to Commenter<\/em>. To change this: Click Commenter<\/em> and select Viewer<\/em> or Editor<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \"google

    Setting permissions for a presentation shared in Google Chat.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

    Howard Wen \/ Foundry<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    After you’ve set the permissions, click Send message<\/em>. Your message will appear in the chat stream with a large thumbnail of your presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To open and collaborate on the presentation:<\/strong> Click the presentation’s thumbnail. The presentation will open in Google Slides in a new browser tab, so the standard Slides commenting and editing tools are available for the people in your chat to use on your presentation (if you granted them permission to comment or edit).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Those with view-only permissions can still chat about the presentation back in the Google Chat interface. And everyone will likely find the chat stream in Chat to be faster and more fluid for back-and-forth conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \"google

    A conversation about a presentation shared via Google Chat.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

    Howard Wen \/ Foundry<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    3. Present in Google Meet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With the presentation open, click the Google Meet<\/em> icon (a video camera) at the upper right of the Slides window. On the panel that opens, select a meeting that’s already been scheduled on your Google calendar today, start a new meeting, or paste in the web link or identification code for another meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \"join

    Click the Meet<\/em> icon to get started presenting to a video meeting.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

    Howard Wen \/ Foundry<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    If you start a new meeting:<\/strong> You might first need to grant to access your camera and microphone. Once you do, a pane for the meeting will open on the right. At the bottom of the pane, click the Share screen<\/em> icon (a box with an up arrow). On the panel that pops open over the screen, select your presentation and click the Allow<\/em> button. You’ll be presenting to the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \"sharing

    Sharing a presentation in Google Meet.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

    Howard Wen \/ Foundry<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    If you join a scheduled meeting:<\/strong> You can choose between “Join the call” and “Just present this tab.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n