When creating an engaging presentation, the last thing you need is a disruption that breaks your momentum, or a loss of data caused due to connectivity issues. Editing Google Slides without an active internet connection can cause hiccups unless you are using Google Slides offline editing mode. There are different methods by which you can enable offline editing for your Google Slides presentations, including Google Slides templates or PowerPoint templates imported to Google Slides.
Benefits of Using Google Slides Offline
Using Google Slides offline can have several benefits, including increased productivity, circumventing connectivity issues, and automatic syncing with the local device backup.
Access Without an Internet Connection
Using Google Slides offline helps you access your files offline without the internet, allowing you to edit files on the go or when there is scarce or no internet connectivity.
Enhanced Productivity
The offline mode in Google Slides can be great for productivity because you can continue working without an internet connection.
Convenience during Travel
Frequent travelers often encounter internet dead zones or experience internet connectivity issues. These issues can be avoided by using the offline mode to work on presentation files in Google Slides.
Automatic Syncing with Local Backup
When an internet connection becomes available, your files are automatically synced online from your local backup. This provides a reliable offline backup and automatic syncing for presentation files.
Cross-Device Compatibility
The offline mode in Google Slides works across desktop and mobile devices, including PC or Mac computers, Android or iOS devices, and other internet-supported devices using a Chromium browser.
How to Edit Google Slides Presentation Offline on Desktop
To enable Google Slides for an individual presentation go to File -> Make available offline.
A pop-up menu will ask you if you want to turn on offline editing for the file or cancel the request. Click Turn on to enable offline editing for the selected file.
This will enable offline mode for the selected Google Slides file. You might see a prompt to reload the screen to allow offline editing.
How to Edit Google Slides Presentation Offline on Mobile
To enable Google Slides offline editing mode for a file on a mobile device, open a presentation file, select the three dots icon to reveal the menu sidebar, and select Available offline.
Alternatively, go to your Google Slides files, click the three-dot icon next to the file you want to make available offline, and select “Make available offline” from the menu that appears.
Enable Google Slides Offline Mode for Recent Files on the Desktop
To enable offline editing for all recent files in Google Slides, select the hamburger menu (three lines menu).
Select Settings to reveal additional menu options for Google Slides.
Enable the Offline menu option to make all recent Google Slides files available for offline editing.
Once the offline mode is enabled, click OK to close the menu. By default, all the recent Google Slides files will be available for editing offline.
Enable Google Slides Offline Mode for Recent Files on Mobile
Like the desktop menu, offline mode for recent Google Slides files on a mobile app can be enabled via the hamburger icon, followed by Settings, which will reveal the offline mode you can enable (Make recent files available offline option).
How to Edit Google Slides Offline on Google Drive
If you usually open your Google Slides files via Google Drive, you can also enable the offline mode for recent files from Google Drive. Select the cog icon, followed by Settings, to reveal the menu.
Scroll down and enable Offline to enable all recent Google Drive files, including presentations, spreadsheets, and documents with offline mode.
Once selected, a prompt will inform you that offline mode is being enabled.
How to Find Offline Google Slides Files on Mobile
The mobile version of Google Slides provides an additional option to find and sort files available offline on your device. You can go to Offline via the hamburger menu icon to view and sort files available offline.
Enabling the Google Docs Offline Extension for Web Browsers
Google Slides works best with Chrome or Chromium browsers, using the Google Docs Offline extension, which usually comes by default with such browsers. If you don’t have this extension installed or enabled, you will get a prompt to install or enable it to use Google Slides offline.
You can install the extension from the web store to begin using Google Slides, docs, and spreadsheets offline.
After installing the extension, you can also enable sync to install the extension across all computers automatically.
You can also enable this extension in Chrome or Chromium-based browsers by clicking the three dots (ellipsis) icon and going to Extensions -> Manage Extensions. You can find and enable the extension from here if it’s already installed on your browser.
Move the slider to enable the extension from the Extensions page to enable offline support for Google Slides, Google Docs, and Google Sheets.
FAQs
Yes, you can enable Google Slides for offline use to edit your presentation files without internet connectivity.
The changes you make are saved on your device and uploaded once you reconnect with an internet connection.
You can use Google Slides offline on a desktop or mobile device, including a web browser or app.
You can enable Google Slides offline for a presentation file by opening the file, going to File -> make available offline, or clicking the ellipsis icon to enable offline mode on a mobile device.
No, once enabled, you can access all recent files offline. Additionally, you can also enable offline mode for selected files.
To enable Google Slides offline for recent files, go to the hamburger icon on a desktop or mobile device, select Settings, and select Offline.
Yes, you can enable offline mode for recent or individual files on the Google Slides mobile app.
You can use the Google Slides mobile app offline by enabling the Make Available Offline option for recent files via the three-dot (ellipsis) menu.
To find offline Google Slides files on a Google Slides mobile app, click the hamburger icon (represented by three lines) and select Offline. This will reveal all available offline files for Google Slides on your mobile device.
While some features, such as editing text and formatting options, are available in offline mode, certain features, such as embedding videos from an online source, require an internet connection.
While PowerPoint provides desktop and mobile apps that provide comprehensive options for creating and editing presentations offline, Google Slides’ offline mode allows viewing and editing presentations offline with a few limitations. It can best be used to view and perform basic editing tasks for offline files.
To use Google Slides offline, you will need to use the Google Docs offline extension on a supported browser such as Chrome.
Google Slides offline mode works best with Chrome-based (Chromium) browsers like Microsoft Edge.
Final Words
Enabling offline editing mode can save time, help avoid errors and data loss due to connectivity issues, and improve productivity regardless of whether you’re using Google Slides on a desktop or a mobile device. It can also allow smooth file editing in the wake of loss of internet connectivity or hiccups in connection when traveling or in an area with bad reception. Furthermore, offline mode allows a secure offline backup to automatically sync once you reconnect to the internet.
While the offline mode in Google Slides is quite handy, it does have some limitations. For example, certain tasks, such as the ability to embed online videos or insert pictures from an online source, are naturally not available without an internet connection. If you require frequently inserting online content in presentation slides, the offline mode might appear a bit inadequate. Since Google Slides was originally designed to be a web app, the offline mode seems to be an afterthought. Unlike PowerPoint, Google Slides has yet to make it possible to create a complete presentation offline using a mobile or desktop app offline. This makes the platform internet-dependent, with the offline mode limited to working on presentations offline.
Now that you know how Google Slides edit offline mode works, you might find our tutorials useful, including our tips on how to make a presentation, how to start a presentation, and end a presentation.
