Adding audio to your slides

Google Slides lets you insert audio files directly into individual slides. The audio plays when you reach that slide during a presentation, and you control whether it starts automatically or only when you click it. You can add music from your computer, Google Drive, or YouTube.

The process takes about two minutes per slide. You'll use the Insert menu, choose Audio, and pick your source. Google Slides accepts MP3, WAV, OGG, and M4A files. If your music is on YouTube, you can link to it without uploading a file first.

Key Takeaways

  • Audio files live on individual slides, not across your whole presentation, so you add music to each slide that needs it separately.
  • You can upload files from your computer, pull audio from Google Drive, or link directly to a YouTube video.
  • Audio plays automatically when you reach the slide, or only when you click the play button — you choose which when you insert it.
  • The audio controls appear as a small speaker icon on the slide during editing and as a play button during a presentation.

Uploading audio from your computer

Open your presentation in Google Slides and click on the slide where you want the music. Go to the menu bar and select Insert, then scroll down and click Audio. A dialog box opens with three options: Upload, Google Drive, and YouTube.

Click Upload and select the audio file from your computer. Google Slides accepts MP3, WAV, OGG, and M4A formats. The file uploads to your Google Drive automatically and appears as a small speaker icon on your slide. The upload takes longer for large files — a 10 MB song typically takes 30 seconds to a minute depending on your internet speed.

Once the file is on your slide, right-click the speaker icon and select Audio options. Here you choose whether the audio starts playing automatically when you reach the slide, or only when you click the play button during your presentation. You can also adjust the volume and set whether the audio loops (repeats) when it finishes.

Using audio already in Google Drive

If you've already uploaded music to Google Drive, you don't need to upload it again. Click Insert, then Audio, then Google Drive. A window shows your Drive files. Search for the audio file by name or scroll to find it, then click it and select Insert.

This method is faster than uploading because the file already exists in your Drive. It also means you can use the same audio file across multiple presentations without storing it twice. The speaker icon appears on your slide when ready, and you can adjust playback settings the same way as uploaded files.

Linking to YouTube audio

Google Slides can play audio directly from YouTube without you uploading anything. Click Insert, then Audio, then YouTube. Paste the YouTube URL into the search box or search by title. Select the video and click Insert.

This works well for songs, background music, or audio clips that already exist on YouTube. The audio plays from YouTube's servers during your presentation, so you don't use your Drive storage. However, you need an internet connection during the presentation for the audio to play. If you're presenting offline or in a location with unreliable internet, uploading the file to your computer first is safer.

Controlling when audio plays during your presentation

Right-click the speaker icon on your slide and select Audio options. The panel that opens has two main settings: Autoplay and Loop.

If you turn on Autoplay, the audio starts playing automatically the moment you reach that slide. This works well for background music or opening music. If you leave Autoplay off, the audio only plays when you click the speaker icon during your presentation. This gives you control over when the music starts and is useful if you want to talk first, then play music, or if you want to skip the audio on some runs of the presentation.

The Loop setting makes the audio repeat from the beginning when it finishes. This is useful for background music that should play continuously while you're on that slide. If Loop is off, the audio plays once and stops.

Positioning and sizing the audio icon

The speaker icon appears wherever you click to insert the audio. You can move it by clicking and dragging it to a new spot on the slide. You can resize it by clicking the icon and dragging one of the corner handles — drag outward to make it larger, inward to make it smaller.

Most presenters move the audio icon to a corner of the slide or hide it behind a shape or image so it doesn't distract from the slide content. You can also make the icon very small if you only want it visible to you during editing. During a presentation, the icon turns into a play button that viewers can see, so the size and position matter for how obvious the audio control is to your audience.

Troubleshooting audio problems

If the audio doesn't play during your presentation, check that autoplay is turned on in the audio options, or make sure you're clicking the play button. If you're using YouTube audio, verify that you have an internet connection — YouTube audio requires live streaming during the presentation.

If the audio file won't upload, the file may be too large or in an unsupported format. Google Slides accepts MP3, WAV, OGG, and M4A. If your file is in a different format like FLAC or AAC, convert it to MP3 first using a free tool like Audacity or an online converter. If the file is larger than 100 MB, compress it or trim it to a shorter length before uploading.

Audio sometimes doesn't sync properly if you're using an older browser or if your internet connection is slow. Try refreshing the page, clearing your browser cache, or switching to a different browser like Chrome or Firefox. If you're presenting and the audio cuts out, having a backup copy of the file on your computer or phone lets you play it separately if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add music to the background of all my slides at once?

No — audio in Google Slides is attached to individual slides, not to the whole presentation. You have to add music to each slide separately. If you want the same song playing across multiple slides, add it to the first slide, turn on Autoplay and Loop, and it will keep playing as you advance through slides until you reach a slide with different audio or no audio.

What happens to the audio if I share my presentation with someone else?

If you uploaded the file to Google Drive, it stays with the presentation and plays for anyone who views it. If you linked to YouTube, the audio plays as long as the YouTube video is still public. Anyone you share the presentation with needs permission to view your Drive files if the audio is stored there, or they need internet access if the audio is from YouTube.

Can I record my own voice and add it to a slide?

Yes, but you have to record it first using a voice recorder app or your computer's built-in recording tool, save it as an MP3 or WAV file, then upload it to Google Slides the same way you would any other audio file. Google Slides doesn't have a built-in recording feature, so you need to create the audio file separately before inserting it.

Will the audio play if I read my presentation as a PowerPoint file?

Audio usually transfers to PowerPoint, but the playback settings may not carry over exactly. Test the file in PowerPoint before presenting to make sure the audio plays the way you expect. If you're presenting to someone else, send them the Google Slides link instead of a downloaded file to may support the audio works correctly.

Can I trim or edit the audio file after I add it to a slide?

Google Slides doesn't have built-in audio editing tools. If you need to trim a song or remove a section, edit the audio file before uploading it using a tool like Audacity (free) or your phone's voice recorder app. Once you upload it to Google Slides, you can only control when it plays and whether it loops — you can't cut or edit the audio itself.