The fastest way: paste the YouTube link directly

Open your Google Slides presentation and click on the slide where you want the video. Go to the menu at the top and click Insert, then select Video. A search box will appear. Paste the full YouTube URL (the web address from your browser's address bar) into that box and press Enter. Google Slides will find the video and show you a thumbnail. Click Insert to add it to your slide.

The video will appear as a clickable thumbnail on your slide. When you present the slideshow, clicking the thumbnail will play the video inside your presentation — you do not have to leave Google Slides or open YouTube in a separate window. The video stays embedded in that slide.

Key Takeaways

  • Pasting a YouTube URL into Insert > Video is the simplest method and works with any public YouTube video.
  • The video plays inside your slideshow, so you do not need to switch windows or have a separate YouTube tab open during a presentation.
  • You can resize the video thumbnail by dragging its corners, and you can move it anywhere on the slide.
  • Videos only play during a slideshow presentation — they appear as thumbnails when you are editing.
  • If the video is private or restricted, Google Slides cannot embed it, and you will need to change the YouTube privacy settings first.

Resizing and positioning the video on your slide

Once the video thumbnail appears on your slide, you can move it and resize it like any other object. Click and drag the thumbnail to move it to a different spot on the slide. To make it larger or smaller, click the thumbnail once to select it, then drag one of the small squares at the corners or edges. Dragging a corner square keeps the video's shape correct as you resize.

If you want the video to take up most of the slide, drag a corner square outward. If you want it smaller so text or images fit beside it, drag inward. The thumbnail will stay selected until you click somewhere else on the slide.

Playing the video during a presentation

When you start your slideshow (by pressing the play button or pressing the spacebar), the video appears as a clickable thumbnail. Click the thumbnail to start playing the video. The video will play at full size within your slideshow. When the video ends, you can click the slide to move to the next one, or you can click the video again to pause and resume it.

If you want to skip the video and move to the next slide without playing it, just click outside the video thumbnail or press the right arrow key. The video will not play unless you click directly on it.

What to do if the video will not embed

If you paste a YouTube URL and nothing happens, or if you see an error message, the video is likely set to private or restricted. Check the YouTube video's privacy settings by going to YouTube, finding the video, and clicking the Share button. Make sure the privacy setting is set to Public or Unlisted — private videos cannot be embedded in Google Slides.

Some videos are also blocked by the creator from being embedded anywhere except YouTube itself. If changing the privacy setting does not work, you may not be able to embed that particular video. In that case, you can instead add a link to the video on your slide, or you can open YouTube in a separate window during your presentation and play the video there.

Adding text or images alongside your video

You can add titles, captions, or other images to the same slide as your video. Click anywhere on the slide outside the video thumbnail to deselect it, then use Insert to add a text box, image, or shape. Position these elements around the video thumbnail. Text boxes work well above or below the video, and smaller images can sit beside it.

Make sure your text is large enough to read from a distance if you are presenting to a group. A good rule is to test your slide on the actual screen or projector you will use before your presentation.

Searching for videos directly in Google Slides

Instead of copying a URL from YouTube, you can search for videos without leaving Google Slides. Click Insert, then Video, and type a search term into the box — for example, "how to tie a tie" or "solar system animation". Google Slides will show you a list of public YouTube videos that match your search. Click the one you want and then click Insert.

This method is faster if you know what you are looking for but do not have a specific video in mind. The search results show the video title and a small preview, so you can pick the right one before adding it to your slide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a video from somewhere other than YouTube?

Google Slides only embeds videos from YouTube. If your video is on Vimeo, Facebook, or another platform, you will need to either upload it to YouTube first or add a link to the video on your slide instead of embedding it.

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

No. If you read your Google Slides presentation as a .pptx file (PowerPoint format), the embedded YouTube video will not play. The video will appear as a thumbnail, but clicking it will not work. Keep your presentation in Google Slides format if you need the video to play, or read it as a PDF if you only need to share a static version.

What happens if the YouTube video gets deleted after I embed it?

If the creator deletes the video from YouTube, the thumbnail will remain on your slide, but clicking it will show an error message instead of playing the video. There is no way to prevent this — you can only re-embed a different video or remove the broken thumbnail.

Can I trim or edit the video before adding it to my slide?

No. Google Slides embeds the full YouTube video as it appears on YouTube. If you want to show only part of a video, you can create a shorter clip on YouTube first, or you can pause and resume the video manually during your presentation to skip sections.

Do I need to be online to play the video during my presentation?

Yes. Because the video is embedded from YouTube, you need an active internet connection to play it. If your internet cuts out during a presentation, the video will not play. Test your connection before presenting, and have a backup plan (like a downloaded copy of the video) if you are presenting somewhere with unreliable internet.