Need to edit your Powerpoint presentation in Google Slides but don’t know how? Nothing to worry about. We got you covered. Since Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint are two of the most popular presentation software, both companies have made their files compatible.
While Google Slides is missing some Powerpoint effects and features, the conversion process still works very well. Below, we’ll show you how to convert your Powerpoint presentation to Google Slides.
Open Google Drive
All you need to access Google Drive is a Google account. If you have a Gmail address, then you already have a Google account. If you don’t, create one now by reading the Create a Google Account section.
Start by going to your Google Drive. You can get there in two different ways. One way is to put http://drive.google.com in your web browser, which will take you directly to your Google Drive.
Another way is to access Drive from any Google page. For example, if you are signed in to Google (if not, you will be prompted to do so), click the grid icon next to your profile picture in the upper right corner of the screen and select Drive.
If someone has shared a presentation with you, it will appear in the Presentations section.
Hover your mouse over the search bar and see the file options open. Click “Presentations”.
If you haven’t shared it, you’ll need to download it from your computer.
Upload or drag your Powerpoint presentation to Google Drive
On your Google Drive, click “Create” right below the Drive icon.
Select a Powerpoint presentation from its location on your computer and upload it to your Drive.
A confirmation message will appear at the bottom right corner of your computer screen, informing you when the download is complete.
You can also drag the presentation file from your computer directly to your Google Drive. If you don’t see your file listed in Drive, refresh the page. If you downloaded it correctly, it will be the first on the list.
Right click on the presentation file, see Open With and click Google Slides. Google will automatically convert your Powerpoint slides to Google Slide format.
As mentioned above, not all Powerpoint features will work in Google Slides. You will receive a notification from Google telling you which features will not work.
In this case, some text, animation and image effects will not work correctly in Google Slides and will be removed.
Your presentation file is now ready to edit, upload or download.
Import your Powerpoint Presentation directly into Google Slides
Sign in to your Google Drive account. Click the button labeled New under the Drive logo you clicked on above.
Select Google Slides from the drop-down menu and select a blank presentation.
In a new blank presentation, click File, then Open, and click Upload. After that, you will see the screenshot below.
You can drag a Powerpoint presentation from your computer to the area that says “Drag and drop file here.”
Or you can click the blue button and find the file on your computer to download it.
Your Powerpoint presentation has been automatically converted to Google Slides. This method does not carry the .PPTX extension into the filename like another process.
How to convert a few slides, not a complete presentation
Start with the Google Slides dashboard. Click “File” and then “Import Slides.”
You will now see two options. You can choose a presentation already on your Google Drive, or download it from your computer.
Select the presentation you want to use. In both options, all included slides will be available for selection.
Select the slides you want to import and click Import Slides.
Your selected slides are now in your Google Slides and ready to be edited.
Share your Google Slides presentation with others
By default, your presentation is private and visible only to you.
To share with others, click the yellow Share button. You will see that you can share your presentation with specific people by entering their name or email address.
As shown in the screenshot above, you have three ways to share your file with specific people you choose. They are:
- Can edit.
- Can comment.
- May be viewed.
If you are working on a project with a colleague or client, you probably want to let them edit the presentation.
When you click on the Advanced option in the lower right corner of the pop-up window, you will see several additional options for sharing.
Other options, as shown above, include:
- Share to Facebook or Twitter
- Email Link
- Change Private Access
- Manage owner settings
What else can you do with Google Slides?
To see what else you can do with the new file, go back to your Google Drive and right-click the presentation.
Download your presentation
You can also download a Google Slides presentation by selecting File and holding your mouse over Download in the Google Slides toolbar.
If you only want to download your edited presentation back to Powerpoint (and not the other options in the above screenshot), you can do so from your Google Drive dashboard.
Right-click the file and select Download. When the download is complete, you will see a pop-up asking you to open the file in Powerpoint.
As you can see, it’s easy to convert your Powerpoint presentation to Google Slides. With just a few steps, your file will be automatically converted by Google.
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