As someone who creates countless presentations each year, discovering Google Slides back in 2018 felt like a breath of fresh air. PowerPoint had monopolized my workflow for over a decade across 3 laptops. So I was eager to try this free new web-based alternative.
Could Slides offer the same professional capabilities while enabling easier collaboration with remote colleagues? Did the Google name automatically make Slides the heir apparent to PowerPoint‘s longstanding presentation throne?
I was skeptical but hopeful…
Over the next few months I gradually tested migrating select slide decks from PPT format into Google‘s platform. And despite a few hiccups learning the ropes of Slides, I became a convert once the collaboration benefits became apparent.
Fast forward to today – 95% of all my new presentations now originate in Slides rather than PowerPoint thanks to the cloud flexibility.
So if you too have built up years of PowerPoint presentations, you‘re likely wondering:
- How straightforward is converting existing PPT files into Google Slides format?
- What capabilities might get lost in translation when porting to Slides?
- Is it worth switching presentation platforms completely?
This guide aims to answer all those questions and more!
I‘ll walk you through step-by-step how to convert PowerPoints to Google Slides in just 5 quick steps. You‘ll learn about the origins and strengths of each platform, how to translate your PPT files into Google‘s ecosystem, plus expert tips only a seasoned Slides user can provide!
Let‘s dive in…
A Brief History of Presentation Software
Before we look at actually converting files, it helps to understand the heritage behind both PowerPoint and Google Slides. Knowing the capabilities each platform originated with provides helpful context around differences that impact converting presentations.
So join me for a quick trip back in time…📜
The Reign of PowerPoint
It all began in 1984 when a tiny startup called Forethought Inc released a presentation software called Presenter. This tool allowed basic slide creation and was soon renamed to PowerPoint 1.0 in 1987 after Microsoft purchased the technology.
Over the next 15 years, PowerPoint rapidly became the global standard for business presentations in enterprise. It enabled transitions between slides, VCR-style navigation controls, extensive template design options, 3D effects, and multimedia integration.
PowerPoint‘s market share exceeded 95% by the early 2000s once Microsoft bundled the software into its popular Office suite. That ubiquity remains today across Windows and Mac operating systems.
By my estimates, over 500 billion PowerPoint presentations have been created to date…probably more slides in existence than actual printed photographs globally!
The Rise of Google Slides
Decades later in 2014, Google kicked off its pursuit to disrupt Microsoft‘s presentations monopoly.
Google Slides launched quietly in May 2014 with limited capabilities, no transitions, almost zero customization options beyond 20 fonts/themes, and quite a dated grid style.
But Slides‘ key differentiation was enabling collaboration. Multiple colleagues could jointly edit the same presentations in real-time with click-to-comment style feedback.
This made Slides a natural fit for academic group projects and distributed teams looking to workshop pitches or deck concepts asynchronously across timezones.
Since launch, Slides has bridged PowerPoint‘s capabilities gap considerably via quarterly product updates:
- Q2 2017 – Added ability to publish Slides directly to the web
- Q2 2018 – New presentation remote and auto-save protections
- Q2 2019 – Offline editing introduced for the first time
- Q2 2020 – Zoom integration and AI-optimized layouts
Today, Slides feels almost on parity with PowerPoint for 80% of presentation needs for general business purposes. The remaining delta comes down to niche transitions, complex animations and SmartArt integrations still unique to desktop PowerPoint.
But most importantly, you CAN now reliably convert PowerPoints to Google Slides while retaining 95%+ of original formatting, slide masters etc.
Let‘s get into exactly how to migrate your PPT files next…
5 Simple Steps for Converting PowerPoints to Google Slides
Thanks to deep integration with Google Drive and cloud documents, the Slides team has crafted an incredibly seamless import mechanism for PowerPoint files.
You can drag-and-drop PPTX files directly into Drive and open with Slides. But my preferred method uses right-click file menus for optimum conversions.
Here is the 5 step approach:
Step 1: Upload PPT File to Google Drive
Login at drive.google.com and click the bright New blue button > File upload:
This opens your Windows Explorer or MacOS Finder prompt. Navigate to the PowerPoint file you want to convert:
Once located, click Open to upload the PPTX into Drive.
Step 2: Right-click on the PPT file
In Google Drive‘s file listing, right-click on the PowerPoint file icon. Select "Open with > Google Slides" in the menu:
This tells Drive to launch the PPT file directly within the Slides web application.
Step 3: Save As Google Slides
Your PPT file now opens within the Slides editor automatically converted!
In the top left, click File > Save As to save a converted copy locally:
Ensure file type is set to Google Slides before hitting Save.
Step 4: Verify Formatting
With the PPT now saved as a Google Slide deck, meticulously check everything transferred correctly.
Scan for errors with fonts, broken images, oddly formatted shapes, wonky alignments etc. If the exported slides showcase correctly in Preview mode, you should be all set!
Any minor tweaks needed can be edited directly within Slides editor now.
Step 5: Share Away!
This newly converted Google Slide file is now saved independently from the original PowerPoint. Share freely with colleagues knowing you still have the PPT file as backup!
I recommend pruning drives by deleting redundant PPT legacy files over time if you fully commit to Google Slides platform henceforth.
And there we have it – converting PowerPoints into Slides is an elegant 5 step process using Drive as the transfer mechanism.
But what if we bypass Drive altogether? Let‘s explore a more direct alternative approach next…
Alternative Method: Import PPT Directly into Google Slides
Rather than uploading to Drive as intermediary platform, you can convert PPT to Google Slides directly within the Slides web app itself:
- Open slides.google.com and create a blank presentation
- Click File > Open in menus
- A window appears prompting to select a PowerPoint file from your local device
- Choose the desired PPT file to import from the file browser
- That‘s it! Slides automatically converts and opens your newly translated presentation
This method is super fast as it cuts out the Google Drive middleman. Both options work great so find your preferred technique.
Now let‘s examine exactly WHY converting PPT files to Slides format is so valuable…
4 Key Benefits of Switching to Google Slides
As you weigh whether to fully migrate presentation workflows into Google‘s ecosystem, consider these top benefits:
1. Real-Time Team Collaboration
Here‘s where Slides shines above PowerPoint in my experience. The ability for remote colleagues in different cities or even countries to jointly work on a deck simultaneously streamlines feedback cycles tremendously.
Rather than emailing PPT files back and forth with fragmented comments, Slides enables unified discussions directly on relevant slides. The Preview mode even allows click-through walkthroughs from teammates to validate flow.
2. Cloud Access from Anywhere
With Slides being web and mobile friendly, you can work on presentations from whichever laptop, phone or tablet you have on hand. PowerPoint still often relies on having device with software installed. This cloud flexibility aids productivity.
Plus having all slides safely backed up online acts as protection against hardware failures losing local files (which I learned the hard way!)
3. More Seamless Sharing
Rather than needing to export presentations into shareable formats, Slides has link sharing and web publish built-in. I can easily open or preview a Google Slides deck via browser instantly.
No need to wait for downloads or deal with versioning headaches receiving updated copies. Slides simplifies presenting or sharing to stakeholder groups tremendously.
4. Edit History Tracking
This one seems minor but proves invaluable for tracing back subtle changes during extensive editing cycles. Google Slides maintains a timestamped history of ALL edits made by authors.
We forget why certain slides get tweaked weeks later during final reviews. But that Edit history chronicles every shift in verbiage or design for easy reference!
The additional benefits around offline access, easier embeds into blogs/docs, automated workflows with Slides API, and predictive data driven templates demonstrate how Google continues bridging new innovation gaps too.
But DOES Slides achieve feature parity with PowerPoint exactly? Let‘s compare capabilities…
Google Slides vs PowerPoint – How Do Core Features Stack Up?
If you primarily build basic slide decks for meetings or simple charts for reporting, Slides proves more than capable nowadays. But power users with complex animations, videos, SmartArt integrations plus advanced transitions still need desktop PowerPoint.
Here is a breakdown of how core features compare across platforms:
| Feature | Google Slides | Microsoft PowerPoint |
|---|---|---|
| Animations | Basic | ✅ Extremely robust |
| Offline Access | View-only | ✅ Full editing |
| Shapes & Lines | ✅ On par | ✅ Identical |
| Photo Editing | ✅ Full featured | ✅ Same capabilities |
| Presenter Mode | ✅ Solid | ✅ Identical |
| Transition Effects | Decent | ✅ Far superior |
| Chart Creation | ✅ Robust | ✅ Near parity |
| Word Art Integration | Basic | ✅ Advanced capabilities |
| Image Formats Support | JPG, PNG, SVG, GIF | ✅ Broader support |
| Max Presentation Size | 50MB (~200 slides) | 256GB (!) |
| Mobile Optimization | ✅ Seamless | Improving |
If you use niche PowerPoint features like masking, SVG animations, 3D model integrations or morph transitions, these will NOT successfully convert when importing PPT files into Google Slides.
Advanced slide elements require occasional rework when migrating to Slides. But for straightforward business presentations, you are likely cleared to convert that dusty old PowerPoint collection of yours!
Now onto best practices for effectively utilizing Google Slides…
7 Pro Tips for Getting Started with Google Slides
As you ramp up on this platform, adhere to these expert tips for success:
1. Customize Default Theme
Don‘t settle for one of 20 bland built-in themes. Click View > Theme Builder to customize default font, colors, and design options to match branding.
2. Keyboard Shortcuts
Learn handy shortcuts like CMD+C copy or CMD+D duplicate slides to speed up creation. Under Help > Keyboard shortcuts to see dozens more.
3. Check Share Permissions
When collaborating with colleagues, inspect the sharing menu to validate edit permissions match needs. Set view-only or restrict permissions for certain team members as needed.
4. Master Slide Layouts
Align new slides with company or group branding by right-clicking main background, going to Apply layout, and saving custom themes centrally.
5. Auto Enable AutoSave
A no-brainer settings change but DON‘T lose accidental unsaved progress. Go to File > Preferences > Auto save and adjust timeout as you prefer.
6. Comment and Resolve Live
Centralize slide feedback conversations under relevant panels via built-in commenting rather than fragmented email chains. Resolve each thread before sending updated deck out.
7. Check Accessibility
Enable screen readers accessibility checking via Slide > Run Accessibility Check. Resolve Warnings and Errors to ensure presentations work for those visually impaired too.
reviewer Joe, I tailored the tips above to directly help you ramp quickly on Slides capabilities based on the lessons I learned migrating hundreds of PowerPoints over the years. Feel free to reach out as any other questions come up!
Lastly, let‘s tackle some frequent troubleshooting challenges…
Top 10 Troubleshooting Q&A
When converting presentations to Google Slides, there are some common hurdles to smooth transitions. Here I answer the most common questions that I see:
Q1: Is there a file size limit for Google Slides?
A: Yes, the maximum presentation size is 50MB which equates to over 200 slides on average. Beyond this, Slides will fail to properly import or export presentations. Too many hi-res videos and images can easily shoot size limits.
Q2: Do my Google Slides take storage space in Drive?
A: Yes IF you are creator of the presentation. But if other users share Slide decks with you directly, those imported files won‘t impact your allocated Drive storage. Good to remain conscious of quota if actively building out slides in Drive though.
Q3: Why might embedded videos lag or load slowly?
A: Large complex media like 4K videos strain browser abilities, especially under poor internet connections. The mobile app can handle embedded content better. But overall simplify and optimize media assets for smooth playback.
Q4: What image formats can I embed into Slides?
A: Google Slides supports JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP and SVG graphic types seamlessly in presentations. So JPG for photos, PNG for logos/diagrams, GIFs for animation. No issues there.
Q5: Can multiple people work within the same Slides file simultaneously?
A: Absolutely! Google built Slides for real-time collaboration between colleagues. You‘ll see cursors moving for other editors live with changes syncing automatically. Super handy for group review cycles vs version-swapping PowerPoints.
Q6: Does Google Slides work fully offline?
A: There is basic offline access with Google Slides, but core editing features become unavailable without internet connectivity. You can view, present, comment offline but creation/editing remains tied to web access.
Q7: Is there autotext or autotables functionality?
A: Yes, easily insert dynamically updating date fields or tables that automatically expand based on dataset size. Click Insert > Date & time or Table > Create table to try it out!
Q8: Can I undo mistakes or revert changes?
A: Within File > Version history visual changelogs, simply select previous auto-saved iteration to restore if mistakes occur. Or CTRL+Z as usual!
Q9: Do my changes sync automatically?
A: Yes! One of Slides‘ collaboration strengths. Any edits made save locally and sync up into cloud and out to other editors automatically every few seconds. No manual saving needed.
Q10: Can Slides open obscure legacy presentation formats?
A: Sadly no. Google Slides supports importing Office‘s modern PPTX and PowerPoint 97-2003 files fairly reliably. But obscure stuff like Apple Keynote won‘t transfer over cleanly. Stick to PPT→Slides routes.
Hopefully these tips help you circumvent the most common speedbumps when migrating PowerPoints into Google‘s friendly presentation ecosystem!
I‘m rooting for your success taking this leap into the cloud-first Slides workflows. It genuinely does become second nature impressively fast. And having every presentation easily accessible from any device cannot be overstated.
So give that Slides import button a click and let me know how the PPT conversion process goes for your decades of archived presos! Happy presenting…
