Easily Convert a PowerPoint Presentation to Google Slides

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated August 8, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows) and Google Slides

You can convert a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides in several ways. You will first need to import or upload the PowerPoint deck into Google Slides and then make any changes you need. Google Slides will try to convert the presentation into compatible objects, tools and fonts but these programs do have differences so some elements may not convert well.

Google Slides is a cloud-based program and is updated regularly so menus, buttons and features may change. Notably, Google rolled out a new feature in 2019 to edit PowerPoint files directly in Google Slides without conversion. Prior to the upgrade, depending on the way you imported a PowerPoint file, Google may have made a copy of the PowerPoint file and created a new Google Slides file automatically. This is no longer the default setting.

If you have not already done so, you will need to set up a Google Drive account at drive.google.com. Note that if you have a Gmail account, you already have a Google Drive account with the same login details.

In this article, we'll review converting a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides in 5 ways:

  1. Open a PowerPoint presentation in Google Slides
  2. Drag a PowerPoint file into Google Drive
  3. Upload a PowerPoint file into Google Drive
  4. Import all slides from a PowerPoint file into a Google Slides file
  5. Import specific slides from a PowerPoint file into a Google Slides file

Recommended article: PowerPoint vs Googles Slides (Full Feature Comparison + Benefits)

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For the following examples, we are using PowerPoint 2013 or later with Windows 10. The process is the same for other versions of PowerPoint and Windows. You can use Chrome or another browser.

Presentations will convert best if you have designed the PowerPoint deck as follows:

  • Titles are in title placeholders
  • Body text is in body placeholders (if possible)
  • Themes have been applied
  • Slide master(s) and layouts have been used
  • Images are good quality
  • Fonts are readable by Google Slides (standard or safe fonts should convert without a problem)
  • Links or hyperlinks work

The following are five ways to convert a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides. It's up to you which method you prefer.

1. Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides by opening a PowerPoint presentation in Google Slides

The easiest way to convert a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides is by opening the PowerPoint deck in Google Slides.

To convert a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides by opening the file in Google Slides:

  1. Navigate to drive.google.com in your browser and enter your login details if necessary.
  2. At the top of the screen, click New, select Google Slides from the drop-down menu and then select Blank presentation. A blank presentation appears.
  3. In the menu at the top of the screen, click File and then select Open. A dialog box appears.
  4. Click Upload at the top of the dialog box.
  5. Click Browse. A dialog box appears.
  6. Navigate to the location of the file on your computer, click the file and then click Open. You can also double-click the file. The file will be named the same name as the PowerPoint file but will be in Google Slides format.
  7. Edit the Google Slides presentation as required.
  8. Double-click in the title and enter a name for the presentation.
  9. On the top left, click the Slides icon (Slides Home) to return to the Google Slides area of Google Drive. Editing changes will be saved automatically.

When you select Open from the File menu, you will have the option of choosing from Google Drive as well as other locations including Upload:

Open dialog box in Google Drive with Upload selected.

2. Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides by dragging a PowerPoint file into Google Drive

To import a PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides by dragging the file into a Google Drive folder from your computer:

  1. Navigate to drive.google.com in your browser and enter your login details if necessary.
  2. Double-click the folder where you want to store your imported PowerPoint presentation. In the folder, an icon may appear with Drop files here.
  3. Drag the title bar of the Google Drive window down and resize the window so you can view both the Google Drive folder and your computer with the PowerPoint file.
  4. Drag the PowerPoint file into the Google Drive folder. The file is still a PowerPoint or PPTX file at this point.
  5. Double-click the file in the Google Drive folder to open it. A dialog box appears.
  6. At the top, select Open with Google Slides. The PowerPoint file opens in Google Slides.
  7. In the menu at the top of the screen, click File and then select Save As Google Slides to save the presentation in the Google Slides format. There will now be two copies of the presentation – the original PowerPoint presentation and the converted Google Slides file. These files are not linked.
  8. Edit the Google Slides presentation as required.
  9. Double-click in the title and enter a name for the presentation.
  10. On the top left, click the Slides icon (Slides Home) to return to the Google Slides area of Google Drive. Editing changes will be saved automatically.

In the following example, a PowerPoint presentation has been dragged into a Presentations folder in Google Drive:

Thumbnail of a PowerPoint presentation that has been dragged into a folder on Google Drive.

3. Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides by uploading a PowerPoint file into Google Drive

To import a PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides by uploading the file into a Google Drive folder:

  1. Navigate to drive.google.com in your browser and enter your login details if necessary.
  2. Double-click the folder where you want to store your imported PowerPoint presentation. In the folder, an icon may appear with Drop files here.
  3. Right-click in a blank area in the folder click Upload files from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears.
  4. Navigate to the location of the file on your computer, click it and then click Open. You can also double-click the file.
  5. Double-click the file in the Google Drive folder to open it. A dialog box appears.
  6. At the top, select Open with Google Slides. The PowerPoint file opens in Google Slides.
  7. In the menu, click File and then select Save As Google Slides to save the presentation in the Google Slides format. There will now be two copies of the presentation – the original PowerPoint presentation and the converted Google Slides file. These files are not linked.
  8. Edit the Google Slides presentation as required.
  9. Double-click in the title and enter a name for the presentation.
  10. On the top left, click the Slides icon (Slides Home) to return to the Google Slides area of Google Drive. Editing changes will be saved automatically.

Upload files appears in the context menu when you right-click in a folder in Google Drive as follows:

Context menu that appears when you right-click in a folder in Google Drive.

4. Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides by importing all slides from a PowerPoint file into a Google Slides file

To import a PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides from within a new Google Slides file:

  1. Navigate to drive.google.com in your browser and enter your login details if necessary.
  2. At the top of the screen, click New, select Google Slides from the drop-down menu and then select Blank presentation. A blank presentation appears.
  3. In the menu at the top, click File and then select Import Slides. A dialog box appears.
  4. Click Upload at the top of the dialog box.
  5. Click Browse. A dialog box appears.
  6. Navigate to the location of the file on your computer, click the file and then click Open. You can also double-click the file.
  7. On the top right, click All.
  8. Check or uncheck the option to Keep original theme as required.
  9. Click Import slides.
  10. Edit the Google Slides presentation as required.
  11. Double-click in the title and enter a name for the presentation.
  12. On the top left, click the Slides icon (Slides Home) to return to the Google Slides area of Google Drive. Editing changes will be saved automatically.

The Upload option appears when you select Import Slides from the File menu:

Import Slides dialog box in Google Slides.

5. Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides by importing specific slides from a PowerPoint file into a Google Slides file

To import specific PowerPoint slides into a new Google Slides presentation:

  1. Navigate to drive.google.com in your browser and enter your login details if necessary.
  2. At the top of the screen, click New, select Google Slides from the drop-down menu and then select Blank presentation. A blank presentation appears.
  3. In the menu at the top, click File and then select Import Slides. A dialog box appears.
  4. Click Upload at the top of the dialog box.
  5. Click Browse. A dialog box appears.
  6. Navigate to the location of the file on your computer, click the file and then click Open. You can also double-click the file.
  7. Click each slide you want to import.
  8. Check or uncheck the option to Keep original theme as required.
  9. Click Import slides.
  10. Edit the Google Slides presentation as required.
  11. Double-click in the title and enter a name for the presentation.
  12. On the top left, click the Slides icon (Slides Home) to return to the Google Slides area of Google Drive. Editing changes will be saved automatically.

In the following example, specific slides have been selected for import:

Import slides dialog box in Google Slides with specific PowerPoint slides selected.

Why does a converted PowerPoint file lose or change formatting in Google Slides?

Google Slides will often change the formatting of your PowerPoint presentation when you convert it.

If Google Slides does not recognize the font that has been used in the PowerPoint presentation, it will convert the font to the closest available Google font. Google Slides uses web fonts by default and PowerPoint uses standard installed fonts on your computer by default.

After you convert a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides, the formatting should be similar to the original formatting. However, you may need to fix formatting or objects in Google Slides.

Certain features are not supported during PowerPoint conversion to Google Slides:

  • Most PowerPoint animations and transitions
  • Links or hyperlinks (you will need to reinsert the links)
  • Embedded charts and videos (these will be converted to images but you can reinsert videos or recreate charts)
  • Linked Excel spreadsheets
  • SmartArt graphics (these will be converted to drawing objects)
  • Password protected files (they can be previewed in Google Drive but not converted to Google Slides)
  • VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) macros

If you have a lot of Excel charts and videos in your PowerPoint deck, you will have issues with conversion.

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More Resources

How to Add Audio in Google Slides

How to Remove the Background of an Image in PowerPoint

How to Group or Ungroup Objects in PowerPoint (with Shortcuts)

How to Insert a Check Mark or Tick Mark in Google Slides (3 Ways)

How to Make an Object Appear and Disappear in Google Slides Using Animations

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How to Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides (5 Ways)
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How to Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides (5 Ways)
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You can convert a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides in several ways. You will first need to import or upload the PowerPoint deck into Google Slides and then make any changes you need. Google Slides will try to convert the presentation into compatible objects, tools and fonts but these programs do have differences so some elements may not convert well.
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Avantix Learning

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