Google Slides is often the first choice for education, startups, and small businesses. While this PowerPoint competitor is free, it comes with a number of built-in templates, sharing is seamless, and works across all platforms. The feature list is also rich. For example, you can add video, charts, and even audio to a Google Slides presentation.
Without an audio clip, presentations are boring. You want to make a great impression on your boss, investors or teachers in the classroom with relevant and informative audio clips in Slides. Wondering how to add audio to your Google Slides presentation? Read on to learn how to do this on Google Slides desktop.
Google Slides Desktop
First, we recommend starting your Google Slides presentation with one of the built-in templates. You can always start from scratch, but the corresponding template will get you done faster.
If you have a local copy of the audio file, you’ll want to add it to your computer, upload it to your Google Drive, and then use the Google Drive tab to search and find it. Google Slides supports MP3 and WAV audio formats. We tried our luck with MP4 but got an error in the process.
Note: Adding audio to Google Slides is only available on desktop. There is no way to do this on mobile.
Now, follow the steps below to add an audio clip to a Google Slides presentation.
Stage 1: Visit Google Slides on the web and open the presentation you want to edit.
Step 2: From the left sidebar, select the slide you want to add audio to.
Stage 3: Click Add in the menu bar.
Step 4: Select Audio from the drop-down menu.
Step 5: The following menu will open Google Drive Home. Select the relevant audio file you want to add.
Step 6: Hit the Select button at the bottom and you will see the audio clip directly in Slides.
Before completing the presentation, you should review the customization options available. Let’s take a look at them.
Google Slides Audio Customization
There are some basic sound settings available in Google Slides. Once the audio object is selected, you can click Format Options in the toolbar. You will see the default settings appear and make adjustments.
1. Autoplay Audio
From the first autoplay option, you can start playing audio with one click or automatically. We mostly prefer automatic as you don’t have to click the Play button to start the audio during the presentation. Google Slides also provides an option to hide icons while presenting.
2. Size and Rotation
This is self explanatory. You can change the width, height, width scale, and height scale of the Play button using the Size and rotation menu.
3. Recolor
You can easily change the colored background of the Play button using the recolor menu. You can choose from up to 23 available color themes. This is not required, but using a color profile that matches the overall Slides theme can show your attention to detail as a presenter.
4. Adjustments
This is Google having fun with a range of options. You can change the transparency, brightness, and contrast of the Play button in Slides from the Adjustments menu.
5. Drop Shadow
This is a favorite of the GT team. With one click you can give the audio play button a nice professional look. Activate the drop shadow option from the side menu bar and you will see the change instantly.
You can also play around with the shadow’s transparency, angle, distance, and blur radius.
Add YouTube Video to Google Slides
By integrating relevant YouTube videos into Google Slides, you can further increase the appeal of the overall presentation. YouTube’s integration with Google Slides is also seamless. Follow the steps below to add a YouTube video to Google Slides.
Stage 1: Open the Slide where you want to add a YouTube video.
Step 2: Click Insert in the menu bar and select Video.
Stage 3: The following menu will present a YouTube search bar to find related videos.
Step 4: Type the video or YouTube channel name and select it to add to Google Slides.
Like audio, you have many options for customizing the look and setting of the video in Slides, such as size, position, drop shadow, and rotation.
Create a Memorizing Presentation
Google Slides is the de facto tool for many when it comes to online presentations. Music can be a great way to bring your recorded presentation to life and immerse your audience even more in your message. Follow the steps above and start adding audio to your next Google Slides presentation.
Next: Integrating hyperlinks is another way to increase the appeal of Google Slides. Read the post below to learn how to add hyperlinks to Google Slides on mobile and PC.
