Although Google Slides is an incredibly simple and intuitive tool for building presentations, its animation limitations mean that slides can lack oomph. An easy way to bring movement and dynamism to your slides is by adding audio or video. In this blog post, we’re going to show you how to insert audio and video into Google Slides and give you some examples where using video can enrich your presentations and increase audience engagement.

How to add audio to Google slides

If you have a local copy of the audio file you want to insert on your computer, upload it to your Drive and then use the Google Drive tab to search and locate it. Google Slides supports MP3 and WAV audio formats.

To add the audio to Google Slides, open your presentation, click Insert on the menu bar, scroll down and select Audio. A window will pop up where you can search for an audio file on your Drive. Find your file then click Select. Your audio is now embedded in your slide!

If you click on the audio icon on the slide, and then go to Format options, a panel will appear on the right side of your screen, giving you a few options. If you go to Audio playback and set your audio to Start playing and select Automatically, then you won’t have to click on the icon every time. Further down, you can select Stop on slide change, to ensure the audio doesn’t repeat on loop. Hide icon when presenting is useful if your audio is playing automatically, so the audio icon doesn’t take up space on your slide.

When should you add audio content?

Music can be a great way to help bring your recorded presentation to life and more fully immerse your audience in your message. According to researchers from the University of Groningen, the music we listen to affects our mood and may alter our visual perception. The study suggests that the right music accompaniment can help audiences engage with and so better understand a presentation’s message.

If you’re making a video presentation for people to view independently in their own time or to host on your website, recording a narration could be the ideal solution. A presenter is essential to successfully delivering a presentation’s message, and in the absence of one, viewers shouldn’t be made to rely on just text on screen. Having a voiceover throughout your presentation can bring benefits, such as engaging the audience’s focus, breaking boredom, and increasing retention. We’ve got some great resources on writing engaging video scripts you should check out before recording your narration!

How to embed a YouTube video in Google Slides:

Click Insert on the menu bar, scroll down and select Video. A window will pop up where you can search for a YouTube video. Find the video then click Select. As with any media you use in your presentation – make sure you have the rights to use the video you choose. Your video is now embedded in your slide. You can move it around or resize it like any other Slides object.

If you want your video to play automatically, here are the steps you need to follow. Click on the video and go to Format options. A panel will appear on the right side of your screen, go to Video playback and set to Autoplay when presenting. You can also select a start and end time for your video, if you only want to play a section of the video.

To watch the video, click the play button in the centre. This works in both normal and present mode.

How to insert a video by URL into Google Slides:

The By URL tab is handy if you already have a link to the video you wish to use. Paste your link into the box labelled Paste YouTube URL here. Then hit Select and the video will appear on your slide.

How to insert a video file from your Drive into Google Slides:

If you have a video saved on your drive, click Insert on the menu bar, scroll down, select Video, then select the Google Drive tab. Find your file then click Select. Your video should now be embedded in your slide. If you are sending your presentation to someone else to use, make sure that you share the video as well as the presentation, or they won’t be able to view it.

When should you add video to Google Slides?

The persuasive power of video should not be overlooked when building your presentation. Whether you’re showing a demo or an ad, a video could bring enormous value to your message.

Now that you know how to add videos and audio to Google Slides, you just need to get started! And if you want to upgrade your Google Slides skills, don’t miss out on our Google Slides productivity masterclass.

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Written by

Cecilia Croasdell

Managing consultant

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  1. Image of Ken Molay Ken Molay says:

    All great tips, and I don’t want to take anything away from them. But as an additional consideration, think carefully before applying these techniques to slides used in an online web conference/webinar. Many web collaboration platforms are unable to process embedded audio and video in slides. Technologies such as Webex and GoToWebinar prefer you to save video clips as external media files that are uploaded and presented distinct from the slide display.

  2. Image of Linda Ann Haynes Linda Ann Haynes says:

    Thank you for this great information! I’m also looking for a way to remove audio files from a Google Slides presentation … but can’t seem to find it. Would you be able to point me in the right direction? Thanks!! — Linda

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Linda. There should be a speaker icon somewhere on the slide. All you need to do is click on it and press delete. I hope this is helpful! Many thanks!

      • Image of Mia Vega Mia Vega says:

        How can I put a video on a slide, because if I go to google slide then click insert then click video then go to google drive then it doesn’t show the video that I need.

    • Image of fatima sankoh fatima sankoh says:

      i need this to post the for my class

  3. Image of faragnaaz ernest faragnaaz ernest says:

    hi there…. i have a small issue. i’ve st up a virtual classroom… but every time i try to insert a video or audio it gives
    ‘ ERROR 5 UNABLE TO PLAY’
    So i assume its the whole wav or mp3 format. please can someone explain how to get all my videos and audios in this format?

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hello. The error could possibly be because of the file size being too big, or as you mentioned, being in the wrong format. As we mentioned on the blog post, Google Slides only supports .MP3 and .WAV audio formats and .MOV and .MP4 for video.

  4. Image of Debra Debra says:

    Hi, is there any way of inserting an MP4 movie file on slides but it isn’t seen until you click on an icon to show it? Can do it with youtube/url hyperlinks but struggling with the MP4 file

  5. Image of Ali Ali says:

    My video wont show up there.

    • Image of Emma Parler Emma Parler says:

      Dear Ali,

      Yes sometimes it does take a while to show up.

      I uploaded a video in Google Slides a few days ago. 6 hours after I uploaded the video it still wouldn’t play.

      Try signing in and out or refreshing the page. If signing in and out or refreshing the page doesn’t work, try pressing the “Present” button near the top right, and then go to the slide with the video and try and play the video.

    • Image of ivory ivory says:

      sorry to hear that mine either. 🙁

  6. Image of Anonymous Guest Anonymous Guest says:

    Hello, I like the article but there are still some problems that I have. I cannot upload an MP3 file. It used to be an M4A file so I had to convert it to MP3 but it still isn’t working.

    When I click Insert > Audio it gives me a screen in front of the Google Slides presentation and I go to the tab “My Drive”. It doesn’t show any audio files that are in my Google Drive. Then I try searching for the file and it says “No items matched your search”. I tried clearing the cache, removing cookies and signing out of google but they all don’t work.

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hello. I am afraid I don’t know why this is happening. This sounds like a technical issue with Drive. Sorry we couldn’t be more helpful. Many thanks!

  7. Image of Chris Chris says:

    I can’t find audio while presenting option on the video.

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Chris. I just tested it on mine and viewed it in present mode and it’s working fine, so I’m afraid I don’t know what the problem is. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.

  8. Image of Bushra Bushra says:

    TYSM , This was so helfulll !!

  9. Image of Bushra Bushra says:

    I cant find the audio either

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Bushra. Could you please elaborate on the issue? It’s appearing for me, so I am not quite sure what the issue is.

  10. Image of Alice Alice says:

    Thanks so much!

  11. Image of Nicky J Nicky J says:

    yes, my chromebook does not have an add audio tab. Has all others though….

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Nicky. Could you elaborate on this? Because I just tried this out and there doesn’t seem to be an issue.

  12. Image of Emily Hill Emily Hill says:

    When I go to insert video, Google Drive does not pop up, when it used to. Is there a way to add that tab back?

    • Image of Stephanie Stephanie says:

      I have the same issue. It’s driving me crazy.

      • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

        Hi Emily and Stephanie,
        I am not sure why this is happening. I just tested it on mine and it’s working fine. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
        Maybe it’s a technical glitch?

  13. Image of cynthia vela cynthia vela says:

    Hello, I have been able to add audio files from my drive through the insert menu bar however “insert audio” is not displaying anymore, do you know why? or was this taken away?

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Cynthia. I’m not sure why it’s not appearing. It should be, if you click on “Insert” on the menu bar and then select Audio on the dropdown menu, you should be able to select what you want to insert. Hope this is helpful!

  14. Image of Breanna Breanna says:

    I don’t know if they’ve updated this or not – but as of MAR2021, there is no option to roll over a video from google drive into google slides –

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Breanna, I’m not entirely sure what’s happening. I’ve just tried uploading a video from Drive and it worked perfectly. Can you provide some more details on what you’re trying to do and hopefully I can help.

  15. Image of Stephanie Stephanie says:

    I have inserted all audio file to my slide presentation but it only plays with the first slide. How do I get it to play through the whole 1 min slide presentation?

  16. Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

    Hi Stephanie,
    Are you looking to have a voice over type of narrative to play through the slides? If that’s the case then I’d recommend you create a video instead of a slide deck as you wouldn’t be able to ensure that the slides are changed at the right time? The only other suggestion I have would be to cut the audio so you can paste the appropriate section on each slide. I hope this is helpful.
    Many thanks,
    Cecilia

  17. Image of Anna paradis Anna paradis says:

    i need this for a school project but how do you save audio

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Anna. What type of audio do you need to save? If you could please clarify, then we can help you set it up. Many thanks!

  18. Image of Shiloh Goodwin Shiloh Goodwin says:

    Thanks!! Sooooo helpful!! Also it kinda gave away how to watch a you-tube video on my school chrome book…. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    haha lol- ~*Shiloh Goodwin*~

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Shiloh! That’s great feedback – delighted to hear you found this helpful! Many thanks!

  19. Image of Jason Jason says:

    I would like to play a song during my first 12 slides. If they autoplay and the transition after 5 seconds, the song would need to play for 60 seconds. I then want a different song to play for the remainder of my presentation. Is this possible?

    • Image of Cecilia Croasdell Cecilia Croasdell says:

      Hi Jason, the example you shared does not look like a mask, I think that’s just an image. Hope that’s helpful! Many thanks!

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