Presenters working with Canva often struggle to showcase their presentation slides in a format that is easy to share or edit on the go. Rather than converting Canva to PDF, in today’s article, we’ll show you how to convert your Canva presentations to Google Slides, allowing you to enjoy all the benefits of an editable presentation and collaboration features.
Step 1 – Accessing your presentation file in Canva
In order to properly convert Canva to Google Slides, we first need to log into Canva and retrieve the presentation file.
Click on the Projects folder or browse for your presentation in Recent Designs. Once you click on the right file, it will open inside Canva’s interface.
Step 2 – Sharing on Canvas
Next, click on Share at the top menu, and go to the bottom section of that contextual menu to find the option More. This will allow us to export Canva to Google Slides.
Scroll through the new sharing options available until you find the section labeled Save. In there, click on Google Drive.
Step 3 – Linking Canva and Google Drive
Depending on the method you used to sign up for Canva, you may be prompted to link your account to Google Drive.
Grant the required permissions so Canva can create and edit files retrieved from Google Slides, and then a new dialogue box will open.
You can export the presentation to multiple formats and select which slides from your deck you want to export. To ensure maximum compatibility, we’ll select PPTX as the export format.
Click on Save and the process will start.
Once the process is completed, the dialog box shown in the image below will be displayed on your computer, with a direct link to Google Drive.
Step 4 – From Google Drive to Google Slides
Click on the View in Google Drive link to open your presentation in Google Slides.
Although Canva originally flags the file as PPTX, Google Slides may open it as a PPT file, which will be later updated to PPTX once you edit the presentation.
From this point onwards, you can apply any change you want to your newly generated Google Slides presentation. We highly recommend moving the file to an easy-to-retrieve location, which can be done via File > Move.
FAQs
No, animations and transitions from Canva won’t transfer over to Google Slides. You will need to reapply them in Google Slides.
Most fonts and styles will be preserved, but if the font isn’t available in Google Slides, it may be substituted with a similar one.
Ensure to download your Canva design in high resolution, preferably as a PPT or PDF, to maintain image quality.
Add the links in Canva using the “Link” option (CTRL+K) before exporting. These links should still function in Google Slides after conversion.
Yes, export your Canva design as PNG or JPG images, then insert each image as a slide background in Google Slides.
Canva videos won’t be embedded directly. You’ll need to re-add the video links or upload videos manually to Google Slides.
While colors should transfer, it’s a good idea to note your color hex codes in Canva so you can manually apply them in Google Slides if needed.
Other visual mediums, like social media posts, cards, banners, etc., can be converted to Google Slides format. Download the design as images or PDFs, then insert them as backgrounds or images in Google Slides.
Canva’s static charts and graphs will transfer, but they won’t be editable in Google Slides. You’ll need to recreate dynamic charts in Google Slides.
For more information, check our complete article about Canva alternatives and how to use Canva and PowerPoint for presentations.
