How to add audio to Google Slides

Enhancing Your Google Slides Presentation: How to Add Audio

Google Slides has become a popular choice for creating and delivering presentations, whether for work, school, or personal use. One way to elevate your templates or slideshows and engage your audience is by adding audio elements. Whether it’s background music, voiceovers, sound effects, or recorded content, audio can enhance the impact of your presentation. In this step-by-step tutorial, we’ll explore how to add sound to Google Slides presentation.

Step 1: Open Your Google Slides Presentation

To begin, access your Google Slides presentation. If you’re starting a new one, simply go to your Google Drive account, click on the “+ New” button, and select “Google Slides.” If you already have an existing presentation, open it for editing.

Step 2: Select the Slide Where You Want to Add Audio

Navigate to the slide where you want to insert audio. Click on the slide’s thumbnail on the left sidebar to select it. Your selected slide will appear in the main editing area.

Step 3: Access the Insert Menu

At the top menu bar of your Google Slides interface, click on “Insert.” A drop-down menu will appear with various options for enhancing your slides.

Step 4: Insert Audio

From the Insert menu, hover your cursor over “Audio.” A sub-menu will pop up with two choices: “Audio from Google Drive” and “Audio.”

• Audio from Google Drive: If you have your audio file stored on Google Drive, this option allows you to select and insert it directly from your Drive account. This is particularly useful for audio files you’ve uploaded previously.
• Audio: This option allows you to upload an audio file directly from your device. Click on “Audio” to proceed.

Step 5: Upload Your Audio File

A window will appear that allows you to upload your audio file. Click on “Choose from your device” or the equivalent option on your platform (such as “File Upload” on Android or iOS).

Step 6: Select Your Audio File

Locate and select the audio file you want to add to your slide. Supported formats typically include MP3 and WAV files.

Step 7: Insert the Audio

After selecting your audio file, click the “Open” or equivalent button to insert the audio into your slide.

Step 8: Position and Resize the Audio Icon

Once added, an audio icon will appear on your slide. You can click and drag the icon to position it wherever you’d like on the slide. To resize it, click on the icon’s corner and drag it to your desired size.

Step 9: Format Options

To access additional format options for your audio, click on the inserted audio icon. A toolbar with various playback and formatting options will appear.

• Playback Options: From the toolbar, you can choose when the audio should start playing, whether it’s on the click of a mouse or automatically when the slide changes.
• Volume Control: Adjust the audio’s volume by dragging the volume slider left or right.
• Hide Icon During Presentation: If you want to hide the audio icon during the presentation, check the “Hide icon during presentation” option.

Step 10: Testing Your Audio

To ensure that your audio plays as expected, click the “Play” button on the audio toolbar. You can also adjust the volume during playback if needed.

Step 11: Adding Audio to Multiple Slides

If you want the audio to continue playing on subsequent slides, you can copy and paste the audio icon onto those slides. The audio will seamlessly transition between slides if set to play automatically.

Step 12: Fine-Tuning Audio Playback

For precise control over audio playback across your presentation, right-click on the audio icon and select “Format options.” Here, you can configure advanced settings, such as when the audio should stop playing and how it behaves in presentation mode.

Additional Tips:

• Audio Looping: If you want your audio to loop continuously, you can achieve this by setting the playback options to “Loop.”
• Background Music: Background music can enhance your presentation’s atmosphere. Consider using instrumental tracks or ambient music to complement your content.
• Sound Effects: Incorporating sound effects can make your slides more engaging and dynamic. Be mindful of their timing and relevance to your presentation.
• Voiceovers: Adding voiceovers to your slides can provide additional context or narration to your content, especially for instructional or tutorial presentations.
• Transcriptions: For accessibility and reference, consider providing transcriptions of spoken content if you’re using voiceovers.

Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: Adding Audio

While adding audio to Google Slides is a powerful feature, it’s important to note that it may have some limitations when compared to Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint offers more advanced audio editing features, such as trimming and fading, which can be useful for complex presentations. However, Google Slides provides a user-friendly and collaborative platform for adding audio, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Utilize Speechify Voiceover for Audio Creation

When it comes to generating audio to enhance your Google Slides presentations, Speechify Voice Over stands out as the top choice. Its versatility extends beyond traditional audio recording, making it an invaluable voice recorder tool for various applications, from creating engaging voiceovers for Google Docs to recording podcasts with ease. With Speechify, you can seamlessly record audio, save it as an MP3 file, and integrate it into your Google Slides presentations. The user-friendly interface ensures a straightforward recording process, while the option to fine-tune audio playback, including stopping on a specific slide, guarantees a polished and professional presentation. Whether you’re narrating YouTube videos, adding background music from Spotify, or simply providing context to your slides, Speechify Voice Over simplifies the process and elevates your Google Slides experience, all from your iPhone, Mac, or other devices. With Speechify, creating dynamic and engaging presentations has never been easier.

In conclusion, incorporating audio into your Google Slides presentation can greatly enhance its impact and engagement. Whether you’re using background music, voiceovers, or sound effects, audio elements can make your content more dynamic and memorable. By following this step-by-step tutorial, you can seamlessly integrate audio into your Google Slides presentation and create an immersive experience for your audience.