The fastest way to remove multiple slides

Open your presentation in Google Slides and click the slide sorter icon in the toolbar — it looks like four small squares. This view shows all your slides as thumbnails on one page, which makes it much easier to select and delete several at once than clicking through them one by one.

Once you're in slide sorter view, click the first slide you want to delete. Then hold Ctrl (on Windows) or Command (on Mac) and click each additional slide you want to remove. A blue border appears around each selected slide. When you've selected all the slides you want gone, press Delete or right-click and choose Delete slide from the menu.

If the slides you want to delete are next to each other, you can select them faster: click the first one, then hold Shift and click the last one. Google Slides will select that entire range in one action.

Key Takeaways

  • Use the slide sorter view (four-square icon in the toolbar) to see all slides at once and select multiple ones without switching between them.
  • Hold Ctrl or Command while clicking to select individual slides scattered throughout your presentation, or hold Shift to select a continuous block.
  • Once slides are selected, press Delete or right-click to remove them all at the same time.
  • You can undo a deletion by pressing Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) when ready after, even if you deleted many slides at once.

Selecting slides in the normal editing view

If you prefer not to switch to slide sorter view, you can still select multiple slides from the slide panel on the left side of your screen. Click the first slide you want to delete in that left panel, then hold Ctrl or Command and click the others. The same Shift+click method works here too for selecting a range.

The left panel method works, but it's slower because you can only see a few slides at a time. You have to scroll up and down to find and click slides that are far apart. Slide sorter view lets you see your whole presentation at once, which is why it's the better choice when you're deleting many slides.

What happens when you delete slides

When you delete a slide, Google Slides removes it from your presentation permanently — but only until you undo the action. If you delete slides by mistake, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) right away to bring them back. This works even if you deleted many slides at once.

Once you close the presentation and reopen it, you cannot undo deletions anymore. The slides are gone for good. So if you're deleting a large section of your presentation, take a moment to make sure you've selected the right ones before you press Delete.

Deleting slides without losing your content

If you want to keep the content from a slide but remove it from your presentation, copy the slide before you delete it. Right-click the slide and choose Duplicate slide, then move the duplicate to a separate presentation or to the end of your current one as a backup. Once you've saved the copy somewhere safe, you can delete the original.

Another option is to move slides to a different presentation instead of deleting them. Right-click a selected slide and choose Move slide, then pick the destination presentation from the menu. This works for single slides or multiple selected slides, and it's faster than copying and pasting if you're reorganizing content across several presentations.

Keyboard shortcuts for faster deletion

Once you've selected the slides you want to delete, you don't have to reach for the mouse. Press Delete or Backspace on your keyboard and the slides disappear when ready. This is faster than right-clicking and choosing from a menu, especially if you're deleting slides in batches.

If you're working on a Chromebook or a computer where the Delete key behaves differently, right-clicking and choosing Delete slide from the menu always works. The menu option is also your safest choice if you're not sure whether your keyboard's Delete key will do what you expect.

Organizing before you delete

Before you start deleting, take a moment to sort your slides in a way that makes sense. If you're removing slides from the middle of your presentation, group them together first so you can select them all at once. Drag slides in the slide sorter view to rearrange them — just click and hold a slide, then drag it to its new position.

Grouping the slides you want to delete together also gives you a chance to double-check that you're removing the right ones. It's easier to spot a mistake when all the slides you're about to delete are sitting next to each other than when they're scattered throughout your presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete all slides at once?

No. Google Slides requires at least one slide to remain in your presentation at all times. If you try to delete every slide, the last one will stay. If you want to start over completely, create a new presentation instead of trying to empty the current one.

What if I delete slides by mistake?

Press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) when ready to undo the deletion. This works even if you deleted many slides at once. Once you close and reopen the presentation, undo is no longer available, so act quickly if you make a mistake.

Does deleting a slide affect slides that come after it?

No. When you delete a slide, the slides after it move up to fill the gap, but their content and formatting stay exactly the same. Slide numbers update automatically, but nothing else changes.

Can I delete slides from a presentation that other people are editing?

Yes, but be careful. If someone else is viewing or editing the presentation at the same time, they'll see the slides disappear from their view. Google Slides shows you who's currently in the presentation at the top right, so check before you delete a large section.