How to Change Slide Size in Google Slides (2026)

Your slides look fine on your laptop, then you plug into the projector and there are black bars down the sides. Or you're designing for a screen on a stand, a poster-shaped display or a social post, and the default shape is simply wrong. Slide size is a two-click fix, but it's tucked away where you wouldn't look.

Here's the route, the sizes Google offers, how custom sizes and units work, and what I'd check afterwards so nothing looks squashed.

Opening Page setup to resize your Google Slides deck

1. Open your presentation in Google Slides on a computer.
2. Click File in the top menu.
3. Choose Page setup.
4. Open the size dropdown.
5. Pick a size, then confirm your choice.

Google's help for the phone and tablet apps says slide size has to be changed on a computer, so if you're on the app and can't find it, that's why.

The slide sizes Google Slides offers

The dropdown gives you a handful of shapes. Google's help lists them like this:

Option	Shape
Standard	4:3, the squarer shape of older screens
Widescreen	16:9, the shape of most modern screens and TVs
Widescreen	16:10, slightly taller than 16:9, common on many laptop screens
Custom	Your own width and height

The ratio is simply width compared with height. If you know where the deck will be shown, match it: older projectors and some classroom set-ups suit the squarer shape, while most modern displays suit 16:9.

Making a custom slide size in Google Slides

Choose Custom in the dropdown, then enter a width and a height. Google says you can choose a unit of inches, centimetres, points or pixels. This is the route for odd shapes: a tall banner, a square image, a display on a stand or a document you plan to print.

• Decide the final shape first, then work out the width and height before you start designing.
• Choose the unit you think in. Printing usually suits inches or centimetres, while screens suit pixels.
• Confirm the setting and check every slide.

Checking your slides after you resize them

Google's help I could read doesn't describe what happens to your existing content when the size changes, so don't assume. Click through every slide and look for pictures that have stretched, text that now runs off the edge and logos that have drifted.

1. Scroll through the filmstrip on the left to spot obvious problems.
2. Open each slide with a lot of text and check the margins.
3. Look at pictures and logos for stretching.
4. Run the slideshow once from the beginning.

If you've got a lot of slides, it can be quicker to set the size before adding any content. Changing it at the start saves a clean-up job at the end.

Why slide size matters for client and business decks

A deck is often the first thing a prospect sees of your business, so black bars, squashed logos or text cut off at the edge say more than you'd like. If you send slides as attachments, the shape also decides how they look on the other person's screen. Getting the size right before you start designing is one of the easiest bits of polish you can add.

It's worth agreeing the shape with a client or colleague at the start of a shared project, because everyone then builds to the same frame and nobody has to rework a section later.

Changing the units of measurement in Google Slides

Page setup is about slide size, but a different setting controls the units shown when you size objects. Google's help describes two routes:

• For all objects: go to Tools, then Preferences, enable the measurement unit option, then choose inches, centimetres or pixels.
• For rulers only: click the ruler, hover over Change units and select a unit. To return to the default for your presentation's locale, choose Reset to presentation default.

Choosing a Google Slides size for the way you'll present

Where it will be shown	What I'd do
A modern TV or projector	Use Widescreen 16:9
An older projector or school screen	Try Standard 4:3 and check the picture
A laptop-first deck	Widescreen 16:10 matches many laptop screens
Print or an unusual display	Use Custom and enter the exact width and height

When in doubt, ask whoever runs the screen what shape to use, or test the deck on it beforehand. Ten minutes in the room beats a surprise on the day. If you're building a talk from scratch, my guide to creating the ultimate presentation covers the content side of the job.

Sharing Google Slides decks that need a particular size

If you design for a particular shape, put it in the first slide's speaker notes, or tell your team in the file name. It stops a colleague changing the size back and ruining your layout. And if you're weighing up whether Slides is the right tool for odd shapes, my list of Google Slides alternatives compares other options.

Nervous about the day itself? My piece on beating stage fright before a presentation is the other thing I'd read.

If you can't change the slide size in Google Slides

1. Check you're on a computer. Google says slide size has to be changed there.
2. Check you have edit access to the file.
3. Look under File, then Page setup, not under Format or Slide.
4. Try a different browser window if the dropdown won't open.
5. If the result looks wrong, undo with Ctrl + Z, or Command + Z on a Mac, and choose another size.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change the slide size in Google Slides?

Open your presentation on a computer, click File, then Page setup, open the size dropdown, pick a size and confirm.

What slide sizes does Google Slides have?

Google's help lists Standard (4:3), Widescreen (16:9), Widescreen (16:10) and Custom, where you enter a width and height in inches, centimetres, points or pixels.

Can I change slide size on my phone?

Google's help for the mobile apps says to adjust slide size on a computer.

Will changing the slide size change my content?

Google's help text I could read doesn't say, so check every slide afterwards for stretched pictures and text running off the edge.

How do I change the units in Google Slides?

Go to Tools, then Preferences for all objects, or click the ruler and use Change units for the ruler only.