How to Use Google Slides Templates: A Beginner’s Guide

By /

Okay, here’s a comprehensive article on how to use Google Slides templates, aimed at beginners and covering a wide range of aspects:

How to Use Google Slides Templates: A Beginner’s Guide

Google Slides, a free, web-based presentation program offered by Google, is a powerful tool for creating visually appealing and engaging presentations. While you can certainly start from a blank canvas, Google Slides truly shines with its vast library of templates. These templates provide pre-designed layouts, color schemes, fonts, and even suggested content structures, allowing you to quickly craft professional-looking presentations without needing extensive design experience. This guide will walk you through every step of using Google Slides templates, from finding the perfect one to customizing it to make it your own.

I. Understanding Google Slides Templates

Before diving into the “how,” let’s clarify the “what” and “why” of Google Slides templates.

  • What are Google Slides Templates? Templates are pre-built presentations that serve as a starting point for your own. They include:

    • Slide Layouts: Predefined arrangements of text boxes, image placeholders, and other elements. This saves you the time of manually placing these items on each slide.
    • Color Palettes: Coordinated color schemes that ensure visual consistency throughout your presentation.
    • Font Choices: Pre-selected font pairings that are both readable and aesthetically pleasing.
    • Background Designs: Images, patterns, or solid colors that provide a visual backdrop for your content.
    • Placeholder Content: Example text and images that guide you on what type of information to include on each slide. (You’ll replace this with your own content, of course!)
    • Theme: The overall style; the master slides that determine fonts, colors and backgrounds.

  • Why Use Google Slides Templates? Templates offer numerous benefits:

    • Saves Time: The most significant advantage. You don’t have to spend hours designing the layout and aesthetics of your presentation.
    • Professional Look: Templates are designed by professionals, ensuring a polished and cohesive appearance.
    • Consistency: Templates maintain a consistent look and feel across all your slides, which is crucial for a professional presentation.
    • Inspiration: Templates can spark ideas for content and layout, especially if you’re feeling stuck.
    • Accessibility: Templates can be used to create accessible presentations.
    • Learn Design Principles: By studying the structure and design of templates, you can gradually learn good presentation design principles.
    • Easy to Customize Templates provide structure, but can be changed to suit individual needs.

II. Accessing Google Slides Templates

There are several ways to find and use templates in Google Slides:

  • 1. The Google Slides Template Gallery: This is the primary source for official Google-designed templates.

    • Steps:
      1. Open Google Slides (slides.google.com). Make sure you’re signed in to your Google account.
      2. On the homepage, you’ll see a section labeled “Start a new presentation.” Below that, you’ll see a row of template thumbnails.
      3. Click “Template gallery” (usually located in the top right corner of the template thumbnails) to expand the gallery.
      4. Browse the templates. They are categorized (e.g., “Work,” “Education,” “Personal”). You can also use the search bar at the top to find templates by keyword (e.g., “business plan,” “lesson plan,” “photo album”).
      5. Click on a template thumbnail to preview it. You’ll see a larger view of several slides within the template.
      6. If you like the template, click the “Use template” button. This will create a new Google Slides presentation based on that template.

  • 2. Creating a New Presentation from a Template:

    • Steps:
      1. Open Google Slides (slides.google.com).
      2. Click the “+” button (usually a large, colorful plus sign) to create a new presentation.
      3. Instead of a blank presentation opening, you might see a small dropdown or panel offering template options. If not, go back to the homepage (step 1 above) and follow the Template Gallery instructions.

  • 3. Importing Templates from External Sources: Many websites offer free or paid Google Slides templates. These templates often provide more specialized designs or cater to specific niches.

    • Common Sources:
      • Slidesgo: A popular website with a vast collection of free and premium templates.
      • Slides Carnival: Offers a curated selection of free, high-quality templates.
      • PresentationGO: Another excellent source for free and premium templates.
      • Canva: While primarily a graphic design tool, Canva also allows you to create and export presentations compatible with Google Slides.
      • Envato Elements: A subscription-based service that provides access to a massive library of design assets, including Google Slides templates.
      • Creative Market: A marketplace where independent designers sell their templates.
      • Etsy: You can purchase templates from individuals.
    • Steps to Import:
      1. Download the Template: Find a template you like from one of these sources. The download format is usually a .pptx (PowerPoint) file or a link that opens directly in Google Slides.
      2. Open in Google Slides:
        • If it’s a .pptx file:
          1. Go to Google Drive (drive.google.com).
          2. Click “New” and then “File upload.”
          3. Select the downloaded .pptx file.
          4. Once uploaded, double-click the file in Google Drive. It will automatically open in Google Slides.
        • If it’s a direct link:
          1. Click the link provided by the template website.
          2. You’ll likely be prompted to “Use template” or “Make a copy.” Click that button. This will create a copy of the template in your Google Drive. This is important because it prevents you from accidentally editing the original template file.

III. Navigating the Google Slides Interface

Before customizing your template, it’s essential to understand the basic layout of Google Slides:

  • A. Menu Bar: Located at the very top, this contains drop-down menus for various commands (File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Slide, Arrange, Tools, Add-ons, Help).

  • B. Toolbar: Just below the menu bar, this provides quick access to frequently used tools (Undo, Redo, Print, Paint Format, Zoom, Text Box, Image, Shape, Line, etc.). The toolbar is contextual, meaning the available tools change depending on what you have selected on the slide.

  • C. Slide Navigator (Left Panel): This panel displays thumbnails of all the slides in your presentation. You can:

    • Click on a slide to select it and view it in the main editing area.
    • Drag and drop slides to reorder them.
    • Right-click on a slide for options like Duplicate Slide, Delete Slide, Skip Slide, Change Background, Apply Layout, etc.

  • D. Main Editing Area (Center): This is where you’ll see and edit the currently selected slide. You can add, delete, and modify text, images, shapes, and other elements.

  • E. Speaker Notes Panel (Bottom): This area (often hidden by default) is for adding notes that only you, the presenter, will see during the presentation. Click “View” > “Speaker notes” to show or hide this panel.

  • F. “Explore” Panel (Right, Optional): This panel (accessed by clicking the “Explore” button, usually a small diamond icon in the bottom right corner) offers AI-powered suggestions for layouts, designs, and related research. It can be helpful, but it’s not essential.

  • G. Comments Panel (Right, Optional): This panel is visable when a document is shared, and comments are made. It is accessed by clicking the comment icon, next to the share button.

IV. Customizing Your Google Slides Template

Now for the fun part: making the template your own! Customization involves changing the content, colors, fonts, images, and layouts to match your specific needs and brand.

  • 1. Replacing Placeholder Text:

    • Steps:
      1. Click on a text box containing placeholder text (e.g., “Click to add title,” “Your text here”).
      2. The placeholder text will usually be highlighted. Simply start typing to replace it with your own content.
      3. Use the formatting options in the toolbar (font, size, color, bold, italic, underline, alignment, lists, etc.) to style your text.

  • 2. Changing Images:

    • Steps:
      1. Click on an image placeholder.
      2. You’ll see options to replace the image:
        • Upload from computer: Choose an image file from your computer.
        • Search the web: Search for images directly within Google Slides (powered by Google Images). Be mindful of copyright and usage rights.
        • Drive: Select an image from your Google Drive.
        • Photos: Access images from your Google Photos.
        • By URL: Paste the web address of an image.
        • Camera: Take a picture using your computer’s webcam.
      3. After replacing the image, you can:
        • Resize: Drag the corner handles of the image to make it larger or smaller.
        • Crop: Click the “Crop image” button in the toolbar (looks like two overlapping right angles) and adjust the cropping area.
        • Reposition: Drag the image to move it around on the slide.
        • Format: Use the “Format options” (usually accessible by right-clicking the image and selecting “Format options” or by clicking the “Format options” button in the toolbar) to adjust brightness, contrast, transparency, add a shadow, reflection, or border.

  • 3. Modifying Slide Layouts:

    • Steps:
      1. Select the slide you want to modify in the Slide Navigator.
      2. Right-click on the slide thumbnail (or go to “Slide” in the menu bar).
      3. Choose “Apply layout.”
      4. A panel will appear showing different layout options available within the current template. These layouts provide different arrangements of text boxes, image placeholders, and other elements.
      5. Click on a layout to apply it to the selected slide. Your existing content will try to fit into the new layout, but you may need to make some adjustments.

  • 4. Changing Colors:

    • Theme Colors:
      1. Go to “Slide” > “Edit theme”.
      2. In the Slide Master view (which opens on the left), you’ll see the master slides that define the template’s colors.
      3. Click on the “Colors” button.
      4. You can choose a different pre-defined color palette or customize individual colors. Changes you make here will affect all slides that use those theme colors.
    • Individual Element Colors:
      1. Select the element you want to change (e.g., a text box, shape, line).
      2. Use the fill color, line color, and text color tools in the toolbar to change the colors.

  • 5. Changing Fonts:

    • Theme Fonts:
      1. Go to “Slide” > “Edit theme”.
      2. In the Slide Master view, select the text box on the master slide that you want to change (e.g., the title text box, the body text box).
      3. Use the font dropdown in the toolbar to choose a new font.
      4. Changes you make here will affect all slides that use that text style.
    • Individual Text Fonts:
      1. Select the text you want to change.
      2. Use the font dropdown, font size, and other text formatting options in the toolbar to change the font.

  • 6. Adding and Deleting Slides:

    • Adding Slides:
      1. In the Slide Navigator, click on the slide that you want the new slide to appear after.
      2. Click the “+” button in the toolbar (or go to “Insert” > “New slide”). A new slide will be added, usually using the same layout as the previous slide.
      3. You can change the layout of the new slide using the “Apply layout” method described earlier.
      4. Alternatively, right click in the Slide Navigator, and select “New Slide”
    • Deleting Slides:
      1. In the Slide Navigator, select the slide(s) you want to delete.
      2. Press the “Delete” key on your keyboard (or right-click and choose “Delete slide”).

  • 7. Adding Shapes, Lines, and Other Elements:

    • Steps:
      1. Use the “Shape,” “Line,” and “Text Box” tools in the toolbar to add these elements to your slides.
      2. After adding an element, you can customize it:
        • Resize: Drag the handles.
        • Reposition: Drag the element.
        • Rotate: Drag the rotation handle (usually a small circle above the element).
        • Format: Use the toolbar options to change fill color, line color, line style, add shadows, etc.

  • 8. Working with Tables:

    • Steps:
    • Go to “Insert” > “Table.”
    • Select the number of rows and columns you need.
    • A table will be inserted onto your slide.
    • Click inside a table cell to start typing.
    • Use the table formatting options (which appear in the toolbar when the table is selected) to adjust row height, column width, cell borders, cell background color, text alignment within cells, etc.

  • 9. Inserting Charts:

    • Steps:
      1. Go to “Insert” > “Chart.”
      2. Choose the type of chart you want (bar, column, line, pie, etc.).
      3. A chart will be inserted, linked to a Google Sheet containing sample data.
      4. Click the “Linked chart options” button (looks like a small chain link) in the top right corner of the chart and select “Open source.” This will open the linked Google Sheet.
      5. Replace the sample data in the Google Sheet with your own data. The chart in your Google Slides presentation will update automatically.
      6. You can customize the chart’s appearance (colors, labels, axes, etc.) using the chart editor (double-click the chart to open it).

  • 10. Adding Videos and Audio:

    • Steps:
      1. Go to “Insert” > “Video” or “Insert” > “Audio.”
      2. For video, you can:
        • Search YouTube.
        • Paste a YouTube URL.
        • Insert a video from Google Drive.
      3. For audio, you can insert an audio file from Google Drive.
      4. Once inserted, you can adjust playback options (start/end time, autoplay, mute, etc.).

  • 11. Using Transitions and Animations:

    • Transitions: These are visual effects that occur when you move from one slide to the next.
      1. Select the slide you want to add a transition to.
      2. Go to “Slide” > “Transition.”
      3. In the “Motion” panel that appears on the right, choose a transition effect (e.g., Fade, Slide from Right, Dissolve).
      4. Adjust the speed of the transition.
      5. You can apply the same transition to all slides or use different transitions for different slides.
    • Animations: These are visual effects that apply to individual elements within a slide (e.g., making text appear, fade in, or fly in).
      1. Select the element you want to animate (text box, image, shape, etc.).
      2. Go to “Insert” > “Animation” (or right-click the element and choose “Animate”).
      3. In the “Motion” panel, choose an animation effect.
      4. Adjust the animation settings (start trigger – on click, with previous, after previous; speed; direction).
      5. You can add multiple animations to the same element, creating a sequence of effects.
    • Important Note: Use transitions and animations sparingly. Too many effects can be distracting and detract from your message. Focus on using them to enhance clarity and emphasize key points.

  • 12. Adding Hyperlinks:

    • Steps:
      1. Select the text or object to turn into a hyperlink.
      2. Click “Insert” > “Link” (or press Ctrl+K / Cmd+K).
      3. Enter the URL you want to link to, or choose “Slides in this presentation”
      4. Click “Apply”.

V. Working with the Slide Master (Theme)

The Slide Master is the key to making global changes to your template’s design. It controls the overall look and feel of your presentation.

  • Accessing the Slide Master:

    • Go to “Slide” > “Edit theme.”

  • Understanding the Slide Master View:

    • The left panel shows the master slides. The top slide is the main theme master, and changes to it affect all slides in the presentation.
    • Below the theme master are individual layout masters. These control the layouts available when you choose “Apply layout.” Changes to a layout master affect only slides that use that specific layout.

  • Making Changes in the Slide Master:

    • Fonts: Change the font on the theme master to change the default font for the entire presentation. Change fonts on individual layout masters to change the fonts for specific layouts.
    • Colors: Modify the color palette on the theme master to change the default colors for the entire presentation.
    • Background: Change the background on the theme master to apply a new background to all slides. You can also change the background on individual layout masters.
    • Adding Logos/Watermarks: Add a logo or watermark to the theme master to make it appear on all slides. Place it in a corner or another unobtrusive location.
    • Adding Headers/Footers: The theme master can be used to set up default headers/footers. Go to “Insert” > “Header & footer”.

  • Important Note: When you make changes in the Slide Master, it’s a good idea to switch back to the normal view (“View” > “Master” to uncheck it) and check how your changes look on different slides.

VI. Collaborating on Google Slides

Google Slides excels at real-time collaboration.

  • Sharing Your Presentation:

    1. Click the “Share” button (usually a blue button in the top right corner).
    2. You can share with specific people by entering their email addresses.
    3. You can choose their level of access:
      • Viewer: Can only view the presentation.
      • Commenter: Can view and add comments.
      • Editor: Can view, comment, and make changes to the presentation.
    4. You can also get a shareable link. You can set the link permissions to:
      • Restricted: Only people you’ve explicitly added can access.
      • Anyone with the link: Anyone who has the link can access (choose Viewer, Commenter, or Editor).
      • Anyone at [your organization]: (If you’re using a Google Workspace account).

  • Real-Time Co-editing:

    • When multiple people are editing the same presentation, you’ll see their cursors and names in the document.
    • Changes are saved automatically and instantly.
    • You can use the chat feature (click the chat icon in the top right corner) to communicate with collaborators in real-time.

  • Comments:

    • To add a comment, select the text or object you want to comment on, then click the “Add comment” button (looks like a speech bubble with a plus sign) in the toolbar (or right-click and choose “Comment”).
    • Type your comment and click “Comment.”
    • Collaborators can reply to comments, creating a threaded discussion.
    • You can resolve comments when the issue has been addressed.

  • Version History

    • Go to “File” > “Version History” > “See Version History”.
    • View all previous edits, and who made them.
    • Restore to an older version, if needed.

VII. Presenting Your Slides

  • Starting the Presentation:

    • Click the “Present” button (usually a large arrow in the top right corner).
    • Choose a presentation mode:
      • Present from beginning: Starts from the first slide.
      • Present from current slide: Starts from the currently selected slide.
      • Presenter view: Opens a separate window with your speaker notes, a timer, and a preview of the next slide. This is very useful if you have a second monitor.
      • Present with Q&A: Allows audience members to submit questions during the presentation.

  • Navigating During the Presentation:

    • Use the arrow keys (left/right) to move between slides.
    • Use the spacebar to advance to the next slide or animation.
    • Press “Esc” to exit the presentation.

  • Presenter View:

    • If you choose Presenter view, you’ll see:
      • The current slide (large).
      • Your speaker notes (below the current slide).
      • A timer.
      • A preview of the next slide.
      • Controls to navigate between slides.

  • Using a Laser Pointer

    • Press “L” during the presentation to turn your mouse into a virtual laser pointer.

VIII. Tips and Best Practices

  • Keep it Simple: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much text or too many images. Focus on clear, concise messaging.

  • Use High-Quality Images: Avoid blurry or pixelated images. Use images that are relevant to your content.

  • Maintain Visual Consistency: Use the template’s color scheme and font choices consistently throughout your presentation.

  • Use Contrast: Ensure there’s enough contrast between your text and the background so that your text is easy to read.

  • Limit Bullet Points: Avoid long lists of bullet points. Use visuals, diagrams, or short phrases instead.

  • Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse your presentation several times to ensure a smooth delivery.

  • Use White Space Effectively: White space (empty space) around text and images makes your slides look less cluttered and more readable.

  • Tell a Story: Structure your presentation like a story, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

  • Engage Your Audience: Ask questions, use polls, or incorporate interactive elements to keep your audience engaged.

  • Proofread Carefully: Check for spelling and grammatical errors before presenting.

  • Consider Accessibility: Use alt text for images. Ensure sufficient contrast. Use clear and simple language.

IX. Troubleshooting

  • My template isn’t loading correctly:

    • Make sure you have a stable internet connection.
    • Try refreshing the page.
    • Try opening the template in a different browser.
    • If you downloaded the template from an external source, make sure it’s a compatible format (e.g., .pptx).

  • My changes aren’t saving:

    • Google Slides automatically saves your changes, but if you’re having trouble, check your internet connection.
    • Look for a message near the top of the screen that indicates whether your changes are being saved.
    • Try refreshing the page.

  • I accidentally deleted a slide:

    • Use the “Undo” button (Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z) to undo the deletion.
    • Check the Version History (File > Version history > See version history) to restore a previous version of your presentation.

  • I can’t edit the template:

    • Make sure you have “Editor” access if you’re collaborating.
    • If you downloaded a template, make sure you made a copy of it in your Google Drive. You might be trying to edit the original template file, which might be read-only.

  • Images are not displaying

    • Check the image source. If using a URL, ensure the link is still valid.
    • Check internet connectivity.

X. Conclusion

Google Slides templates are an invaluable resource for creating professional-looking presentations quickly and efficiently. By understanding how to access, customize, and present using these templates, even beginners can create impactful and engaging presentations. Remember to keep your presentations clear, concise, and visually appealing, and always practice beforehand. With a little effort and the help of Google Slides templates, you can create presentations that impress your audience and effectively convey your message.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top