Garfield Campus | Student Success Center (ABSE)

The sources below provide detailed steps to creating a presentation using Google Slides.

How to Create a Presentation Using Google Slides
An image that shows step-by-step instructions on how to create a presentation in Google Slides. 

---

Insider Tech's video tutorial, "How to Use Google Slides," (5:21) demonstrates the basics of Google Slides.

You can use this quick summary as a reference guide when you are ready to get started.

Begin by logging into your student Gmail account. 

 

1. Click on the nine dots in the top right corner of your Gmail account to open your Google apps.

This is next to the the icon for your account. 
 

2. Select Google Drive (this may appear anywhere in Google apps). 
 

3. Next, click on the "New" button on the upper left side of the screen and select "Google Slides" from the menu. 
 

4. If you click on the arrow next to "Google Slides," you can either select "blank presentation" or "from a template," which gives you options for different backgrounds and presentation types. If you select "from a template," you can still edit the text on the slides and change themes (colors and styles). 

The following instructions apply to the default choice, "blank presentation":

 

5. Choose one of the Google Slides themes from the box on the left.

 

6. Type the name of your presentation and any other required information such as the class, instructor's name, date, and your name.

 

7. To add slides, select "insert" on the main menu and then select "+New Slide."

 

8. To change the slide's format, select "Slide" on the main menu, and then select "Apply Layout" to see the layout templates.

If you want to change the slide's background or color theme, select "Slide" on the main menu and then select "Change Background," "Edit Theme," or "Change Theme."

 

9. Make sure you save your Google Slides project. You can do this by typing in the file name in the field in the top left corner of the screen where it says "Untitled presentation." If you start typing on the first slide, it will automatically use whatever you type as the file name.

 

10. To change the order of your slides, "grab" the slide in the box on the left side of the screen and move it up or down.

 

11. To insert a text box, image, chart, or audio, or other object, select "Insert" on the main menu and then select the type of file you want to add to your presentation.

 

12. To change the text font, highlight the text you want to edit and then select another font from the main menu. 

 

13. To add a transition between slides, select "Slide" and then "transition." Then use the box on the right to select the type of transition you want and what slides to apply it to. You can also add an animation. 

 

14. To view your slideshow, select "Slideshow" in the top right corner, then "Presenter View" to show your slides, access notes, and allow an online audience to ask questions, or "Start from the Beginning" to view your Slides without notes or audience participation. 

 

Congratulations! You have created a Google Slides presentation.