When you add audio to Google Slides, you can create a professional presentation that engages viewers more.
Google Slides is a multipurpose tool that can be used for presentations, lectures, and more.
Whether you want to add background music to set the mood or record a narration of your slides, there are a few simple steps you can take that we'll discuss below.
Google Slides doesn't have audio recording built-in, but the good news is that it's pretty easy to add audio to Google Slides. You don't even have to be technically skilled.
To have narration with your presentation, you need to create the audio file(s) separately and then upload the file(s) to add audio to your Google Slides. You can also use a screen recording plugin like Loom, which will allow you to capture your presentation on your desktop screen as you speak over it and record it to share with others.
Don't worry, it's easier than you think. We'll show you exactly how to add voice and audio to Google Slides presentations.
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Adding Audio To Google Slides Step By Step
How To Use Google Slides
Google Slides is a powerful presentation program that is part of the Google suite of productivity tools. It helps users create, edit and share presentations online.
Google Slides is basically similar to other presentation programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. However, it has unique features that make it a powerful tool for creating and delivering presentations, such as its collaboration features and templates.
If you need a Google account and don't want a Gmail account, simply go to Google.com and click on the "Sign In" icon in the upper right corner of the browser window, then click "Create Account" to set up a new account. You can associate your existing email account with your Google Account. It is not necessary for it to be a Gmail account.
You can also get a free Gmail account and never use it except to access Google Drive and Google tools, including Google Slides if that's all you want to do.
After you create your Google (or Gmail) account, you'll see a small icon consisting of nine small squares arranged in a grid, located in the upper right-hand corner of an open browser window on Google.com. Click on this icon to see the available Google tool choices. Scroll down to select Google Slides.
I prefer to create the slides first, then the audio; however, you can do it the other way around and create the audio first, then the slides or you can create each slide and add the audio to it, one at a time.
Let's say you've already created a Google Slides presentation and just need to add audio to it.
Match The Audio Narration To The Slide Presentation
If you want to use narration for a full slide show with continuous playback, write the script you'll use for all the slides, then watch the presentation as a slide show so that the timing of your narration matches the slide progression as the slide show plays.
Speak in a natural voice, at a calm, understandable pace.
You can edit your script and/or change the speed of the slide playback to match your audio recording of the narration.
Practice reading your script with the slides in slideshow mode until you can read the script perfectly.
It's easier to work with the audio file of a slideshow that runs continuously if you can record the audio narration in one take.
If your video presentation is long or if the viewer is using autoplay to manually click through the slides, you may want to split the audio playback into sections or have a separate audio file for each slide. In this case, you need to make sure that the audio recordings match, in terms of sound quality.
You should listen carefully to the audio playback to make sure that the narration plays smoothly and comfortably for the listener. You should avoid any abrupt changes in volume or pitch between slides that may distract or startle the listener.
Problems can arise if audio recording sessions are held in different locations and under different sound conditions. To avoid problems, try to record in the same manner and location if you plan to use separately recorded audio files together in the same presentation.
Recording Your Voice
To record your voice, you can use a free recording app such as Audacity or a free recorder such as Movavi, or another free online recorder. In addition, most smartphones come with an app to record your voice, which is easy to use.
Another option is to use Loom to record a live presentation.
Loom is an app with screen recording capabilities, which allows you to record a live voiceover of your Google Slides presentation, then record and share the video with others. You can perform screen recording on Windows or Mac with this plugin.
Be sure to record your voice in a quiet location with little to no background noise when trying to add audio to Google Slides presentations.
Speak clearly and directly into your voiceover microphone, in a clear and natural voice. A headset microphone is ideal for this type of narration. Don't overload the recording by speaking too loudly, but don't speak too softly either. Too soft a sound requires adding too much gain afterward (to increase the volume), which can introduce unwanted noise, making it difficult for your audience to follow along and even more difficult to create captions or a transcript with transcription software.
Test the sound of your voice in different places and at different volume levels, near the microphone and further away, until you find a comfortable way to narrate that sounds good when read. Be sure to save your voice in an audio file in .mp3 or .wav format, which Google Slides can use.
If you want to add background music or sound effects, use a program like Audacity or other audio editing software to package these elements into an audio file as a balanced audio mix.
How To Add Audio To Google Slides
Once you've created your audio file(s), you upload them to your Google Drive so they're stored in the Google Cloud and Google Slides can access them. Most virtual conferencing platforms and webinar software will allow you to upload pre-recorded presentations with voiceover.
Upload audio file(s)
To upload audio files to Google Drive, select the triangular Drive icon in the Google Tools menu (to see the Tools menu, use the grid button in the upper right corner of your browser), then click the "New" button and select "File Upload", then choose the audio file from your device. Wait for the download to complete before attempting to use the audio file.
Share the audio file(s)
Share the audio file by right-clicking on its filename in Google Drive, then clicking "Share". Allow access to anyone using the link to remove restrictions on the use of this file. This gives your Google Slides viewers access to the audio files. Be careful. This important step is often overlooked. When you share a Google Slides presentation without also sharing the audio files, your viewers cannot hear them.
Insert one or more audio files into Google Slides
Open the Google Slides file you want to use or create a new one. Choose the slide you want to insert audio into. Then, in the menu choices, select "Insert" and scroll down to select "Audio". Click on the audio file you saved to your Google Drive to select it, then click the "Select" button.
After inserting audio into your Slides presentation, you will see a small speaker icon appear on your slide. You can play the audio by simply clicking on the speaker icon. You can change the location of the speaker icon by dragging it to another position on the page.
Audio format adjustments
In Google Slides, it is possible to make some basic audio adjustments. With the audio object selected, you can click on "Format Options" in the toolbar. You will then see the default settings and adjustments that can be made.
The adjustments include the playback volume of the audio file. You can choose whether the audio file will start automatically or whether you need to click to start it. If you choose to "start playback automatically", you can also choose to hide the speaker icon as it is no longer needed.
You can loop the audio if you want it to be repeated continuously. You can stop the audio when changing slides if you want the audio to be available for only one slide. If you uncheck this box to not stop the audio on slide change, the audio will continue to play when the slide changes.
Audio preview
When you are in slide editing mode, you can preview the inserted audio by clicking on the speaker icon and then on the play button.
Adding Audio To Google Slides Summary
Don't be intimidated, even if you've never done voiceover recordings before. After a little practice, you'll quickly gain confidence.
It's fun to add audio to Google Slides, and it's an easy way to create instructional videos. As you gain confidence, you can also learn to incorporate background music. You can even include GIFs in Google Slides presentations.
FAQs About Adding Audio To Google Slide Presentation
Why can't I insert audio into Google Slides?
In google slides, you cannot insert video and audio files like in power point, you can only "link" them. Use Google Drive to upload and store your video and audio files and link to them from your presentation.
How do you play audio through a slide on Google Slides?
How to automatically play an audio file in Google Slides
- Insert the audio file into the slide you want.
- Right-click on the video and search for format options in the menu.
- The option to play the video becomes visible on the left side.
- Select Play (Automatic) from the option and the audio will play over the entire slide.
