- Inserting a video into Google Slides from your computer
- Choosing between YouTube, a link or Drive for your Slides video
- Setting a Google Slides video to play on click or automatically
- Controlling a video while you present your Google Slides deck
- What I'd check before sharing a deck with a video in it
- Making a Google Slides video accessible
- If you can't add a video to Google Slides
- Frequently asked questions
To add a video to Google Slides, open your presentation, click the slide, go to Insert, then Video, and choose YouTube, a URL or Google Drive. Then select Format options to pick whether it plays on click, which is the default, or automatically.
A short clip can do what three bullet points can't: show a product in use, let a client hear a testimonial in their own voice or give you a break from talking. If you pitch, train or teach from Google Slides, putting the video inside the deck means you're not fumbling between browser tabs while everyone watches.
The steps are quick, but there are a few settings that decide whether your video plays when you want it to. Everything below follows Google's own help pages, and where I couldn't confirm a menu option there, I've said so.
Inserting a video into Google Slides from your computer
- Open your presentation in Google Slides.
- Click the slide where you want the video to sit.
- Click Insert, then Video.
- Choose where the video comes from. Google lists a YouTube search, a URL, or Google Drive.
- Select the video you want, then click Select.
The video lands on the slide as a box you can drag and resize like any picture. Leave space for it when you plan the layout, because text boxes sitting on top of a video get in the way when it plays.
Choosing between YouTube, a link or Drive for your Slides video
- YouTube search is the quickest if the clip is already public and you know its name.
- URL works when you've copied a link to the video.
- Google Drive suits your own recordings, such as a client message or a how-to clip you filmed yourself.
If you want to use a video made in Google Vids, note what Google says: those videos aren't inserted directly. Export the video to Drive from Vids (File, then Export to Drive), then insert the exported file into your slides.
Setting a Google Slides video to play on click or automatically
This is the setting that decides whether your video behaves in front of an audience. Select the video, then click Format options in the toolbar, or right-click the video and choose Format options. In the sidebar, under Video playback, Google lists three choices:
| Setting | What Google's help says |
|---|---|
| Play (on click) | Plays when you advance the slide. This is the default. |
| Play (automatically) | Plays without any clicks. |
| Play (manual) | Plays only when you click the embedded video. This was the previous default. |
Google also notes that during a presentation, Slides now starts videos automatically, like other animations or transitions. To start a video and advance the slide, you can press any key, click the mouse or use a remote clicker. If you built a deck a while ago and its videos behave differently, Google's help includes a tip for updating older presentations so their videos play automatically.
Controlling a video while you present your Google Slides deck
Google's shortcut list includes video controls you can use while it plays. These come from the shortcuts page, so they apply on a computer:
- Enter plays a selected video.
- K toggles play and pause.
- M toggles mute.
- F toggles full screen.
- U rewinds 10 seconds and O fast forwards 10 seconds.
- C toggles captions on and off.
Practise these once before the day. Knowing you can pause on a key frame and talk over it makes you look far more in control than someone who restarts the clip.
What I'd check before sharing a deck with a video in it
The video has to be reachable by the people watching. Google's help says the access checker suggests permissions for new users of presentations containing video files, so when you share, read what it suggests rather than clicking through. If your video lives in Drive and your viewers can't open it, the slide will show a box they can't play.
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- Open the Share dialog and add the people or groups you're sending the deck to.
- Set their role to Editor, Commenter or Viewer.
- Read the access checker's message about the video file and accept the permissions it suggests if they match what you intend.
- Open the deck in a second window as if you were the viewer and press play.
Making a Google Slides video accessible
Google's shortcuts page lists a shortcut for alt text: Ctrl + Alt + Y on Windows and ChromeOS, or Command + Option + Y on a Mac. Adding a short description of what the clip shows helps anyone using a screen reader. Captions can be switched on during playback with the C key, as long as the video has them.
If you can't add a video to Google Slides
- Check you're on a computer. Google's insertion steps are for the desktop browser version, and menus vary in the phone apps.
- If the video is a Google Vids project, export it to Drive first, then insert the exported file.
- If you picked a Drive file, check it finished uploading and that you can open it yourself.
- If it won't play in front of an audience, check Video playback under Format options and try a different setting.
- Try the Insert, then Video route again from a fresh browser window.
Not sure Slides is the right tool for the job? My roundup of Google Slides alternatives compares other ways to build a deck, and my guide to building a presentation people remember covers the planning that comes before any clip is added.
If the thing stopping you from presenting is nerves rather than software, my tips for overcoming stage fright before a presentation are worth ten minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a video to Google Slides?
Open the presentation, click the slide, go to Insert, then Video. Choose YouTube search, a URL or Google Drive, select your video and click Select.
How do I make a video play automatically in Google Slides?
Select the video, click Format options, and under Video playback choose Play (automatically). Google's default is Play (on click), which plays when you advance the slide.
Can I add a Google Vids video to Slides?
Not directly. Google says to export the video to Drive from Vids (File, then Export to Drive) and then insert the exported file.
Why can't my audience see the video in my Google Slides deck?
Usually it's a sharing issue with the file. Check the access checker's suggestions when you share, and open the deck as a viewer to test it.
Can I pause a video while presenting in Google Slides?
Yes. Google's shortcut list says K toggles play and pause, and M toggles mute.
