The fastest way to copy a single slide

Open the presentation in Google Slides, click on the slide you want to copy in the left panel, then right-click it and select Duplicate slide. Google Slides will create an exact copy directly below the original. This takes five seconds and preserves all text, images, formatting, and speaker notes.

If you prefer using the menu instead of right-clicking, click the slide once to select it, then go to Edit at the top and choose Duplicate slide. The result is identical — a new slide appears when ready after the one you selected, with everything copied over.

The duplicate appears in the same presentation. If you want the copy to go into a different presentation, you will need to use a different method, which is covered in the sections below.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click a slide in the left panel and select Duplicate slide to copy it within the same presentation in seconds.
  • To copy a slide to a different presentation, open both presentations side by side and drag the slide from one to the other.
  • You can also copy a slide by selecting it, pressing Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac), opening the destination presentation, and pressing Ctrl+V to paste.
  • Duplicating a slide copies all content, formatting, and speaker notes, but does not copy the slide layout if you have customized it beyond the template.
  • If you want to copy only the content from a slide without the formatting, you will need to select and copy individual elements instead of the whole slide.

Copying a slide to a different presentation

Open both presentations in separate browser tabs or windows. In the source presentation (the one with the slide you want to copy), click the slide in the left panel to select it. Then drag it to the other presentation's window or tab. Google Slides will add the slide to the destination presentation.

If dragging between windows does not work smoothly on your device, use copy and paste instead. Select the slide in the left panel, press Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on Mac, switch to the destination presentation, click where you want the slide to appear in the left panel, and press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V. The slide will paste with all its formatting intact.

When you copy a slide to a different presentation, it uses the destination presentation's theme and fonts if they differ from the source. Text and images stay the same, but the colors and typefaces may shift to match the new presentation's design.

Copying only the content from a slide

If you want to reuse the text, images, or shapes from a slide but not the entire slide itself, click on each element individually while holding Shift to select multiple items at once. Then press Ctrl+C or Cmd+C to copy them. You can now paste these elements into a new slide or a different presentation.

This approach is useful when you want to keep the content but explore a different slide layout or design. For example, you might copy the bullet points and images from one slide but paste them into a blank slide with a different background or template.

To select all elements on a slide at once, press Ctrl+A or Cmd+A while the slide is in focus. This selects every object on that slide, which you can then copy and paste as a group.

What happens to speaker notes when you copy

Speaker notes are copied along with the slide when you use the Duplicate slide option or copy and paste the entire slide. The notes appear in the same position in the copied slide as they did in the original.

If you copy only individual elements from a slide (text boxes, images, shapes), the speaker notes do not come with them. You will need to manually add notes to the new slide if you want them. To add speaker notes, click View at the top, select Speaker notes, and type in the box below the slide.

Copying slides from a template or example presentation

If you find a slide design you like in a template or another presentation, open that presentation and follow the same steps: right-click the slide and select Duplicate slide, or use copy and paste to move it to your own presentation. You own any slides you create, so copying a design you like for your own use is straightforward.

Google Slides templates are built into the app — when you create a new presentation, you can choose from dozens of templates. If you want to use a specific slide from a template after you have already started your presentation, open a new presentation with that template, copy the slide you want, and paste it into your working presentation.

Troubleshooting when copy and paste is not working

If you try to paste a slide and nothing happens, make sure you are pasting in the left panel where the slide thumbnails appear, not in the main editing area. Click in the left panel first, then paste. Also check that you actually copied the slide — select it and press Ctrl+C or Cmd+C again to be sure.

If you are copying between two presentations and the paste is not working, refresh the destination presentation by pressing F5 or closing and reopening it. Sometimes Google Slides needs a moment to sync between tabs. If the problem continues, try using the Duplicate slide option within the same presentation first to confirm that feature works on your device.

On mobile devices (phones and tablets), the right-click menu may not appear. Instead, long-press the slide in the left panel to see the context menu, then select Duplicate slide. Copy and paste also work on mobile, but dragging slides between presentations is not supported.

Copying multiple slides at once

To copy more than one slide, click the first slide in the left panel, then hold Shift and click the last slide in the range you want to copy. All slides between them will be selected. Right-click and choose Duplicate slide, and Google Slides will copy all of them at once in the same order.

You can also select individual slides that are not next to each other by holding Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and clicking each one. Then right-click and duplicate. This is useful when you want to copy slides 2, 5, and 8 without copying slides 3, 4, 6, and 7.

When you duplicate multiple slides, they all appear right after the last slide you selected, in the same order they were in the original presentation. If you want them in a different order, you can drag them in the left panel after they are created.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I copy a slide from someone else's presentation?

Yes, if the presentation is shared with you and you have editing permission. Open it, select the slide you want, and copy it using any of the methods above. If you only have viewing permission, you can still see the slide, but you will not be able to copy it directly — you would need to ask the owner to give you editing access first.

Does copying a slide also copy the animations?

Yes. Any animations or transitions applied to the slide or its elements will copy along with the slide. If you want to remove them in the copy, select the slide, click Slide at the top, then Slide transitions or Animation, and delete them from there.

What if the copied slide looks different in the new presentation?

This usually happens because the two presentations use different themes or fonts. The content stays the same, but colors and typefaces adjust to match the destination presentation's design. To keep the original formatting, right-click the pasted slide and select Paste special, then choose Paste unformatted text if you only want the text, or manually adjust the colors and fonts after pasting.

Can I undo a duplicate if I copied a slide by mistake?

Yes. Press Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) when ready after duplicating to undo it. You can also click the duplicate slide, right-click it, and select Delete slide. There is no time limit on undo — you can go back as far as your edit history allows.