A frequently asked question is how to convert PowerPoint presentations to Google Slides. The reason behind that is Microsoft moving to a subscription model for its Microsoft Office suite, making it harder to buy a lifetime offline version to use apps like PowerPoint. The annual subscription model has not been welcomed by all users, and many have moved away to free alternatives like Google Slides to avoid the hefty yearly price tag. For users looking to transition from PowerPoint to Google Slides, there are a few easy methods they can use to convert PowerPoint presentations to Google Slides.
How to Convert a PowerPoint to Google Slides
Convert and Save a File in a Google Drive Folder using Google Slides
Many users have various PowerPoint presentations in bulk that they wish to upload and organize in Google Drive. They can do this by creating folders and uploading PowerPoint presentations to them. Simply go to your Google Drive account, and create or select a folder. Select New > File Upload to start uploading your presentation files.
You can select a PowerPoint file directly from your device and even upload multiple files in batch.
Once your presentation file is uploaded, select Open with > Google Slides via right-click menu.
It might take a few minutes before the app can convert a PPTX or PPT to Google Slides to render and make the file ready for use.
While Google Slides provides many features native to PowerPoint, there are always some features that are different or not supported once the files are opened in Google Slides. If that is the case, you will get a prompt from Google Slides about unsupported features.
You can preview what changes need to be made to adjust effects and features not supported by Google Slides (if any) from the View details option.
To convert a PowerPoint file uploaded to Google Slides, go to File > Save as Google Slides.
The Save as Google Slides option opens the file with a version that completely converts it to Google Slides.
Import PowerPoint Slides to Google Slides
To directly open a file from the Google Slides app, open a blank presentation.
Go to File > Import Slides to select specific slides or to upload a complete deck. Select File > Open to upload PowerPoint to Google Slides.
To import specific slides, pick the ones you want in your presentation deck and click Import slides.
This will upload the PPT or PPTX to Google Slides.
Note: If the file contains features not supported by Google Slides, you will get a prompt to view the features that cannot be saved. Go to File > Save as Google Slides to convert PowerPoint to Google Slides. This will turn PowerPoint into Google Slides.
To save the file to a specific folder, select the file in Google Drive and click Move to.
This will allow you to select a folder to move your presentation deck. Click Move to move the file. You can also select multiple files and move them to a specific folder in bulk.
After conversion, the different versions of presentation files can be identified with noticeably unique icons in Google Drive. The following image shows the same file in the PowerPoint version (left) and Google Slides version (right).
When converting PowerPoint to Google Slides, it’s best to be mindful of where your files are located and organize them in Google Drive folders for easy access. There will inevitably be features that Google Slides will not support for some PowerPoint files. In that case, it should be ensured that there are no broken elements and necessary changes are made to slides to retain the cohesiveness of uploaded PowerPoint presentations.
FAQs
Converting PowerPoint to Google Slides can be useful if you want to work on your presentation without needing Microsoft Office, especially since Microsoft has moved to a subscription model. Google Slides offers a free, accessible platform for online presentation editing and collaboration.
Yes, to import specific slides, open a blank presentation in Google Slides, go to File > Import Slides, and select the desired PowerPoint file. You can then choose specific slides to import or upload the entire deck.
Not all PowerPoint features are fully supported in Google Slides. Google Slides may display a prompt about unsupported features, like certain animations, transitions, or embedded objects. You can review these under View details to understand the changes needed.
To save the converted file to a specific folder, select the file in Google Drive, click on Move to, and choose the desired folder. You can organize multiple files in bulk by selecting and moving them together.
In Google Drive, PowerPoint files have a distinct icon indicating they are .pptx files, while Google Slides files have a Google Slides icon. This helps differentiate between the original PowerPoint file and the converted Google Slides version.
Yes, after converting your PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides, you can edit the slides using Google Slides’ tools. However, keep in mind that some formatting may differ, and certain PowerPoint-specific features may not work.
