How to Convert PowerPoint (PPT) to Google Slides Presentations on Import

When you work with presentations you don't always have a choice in the type of file you receive to work with. If you create and update presentations with Google Slides, receiving presentation files in a non-Google Slides format doesn't have to slow you down.

Google Slides can convert presentations in other formats to a Google Slides presentation format. If you're asked to change or update a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, you can do it using Google Slides. 

The conversion process isn't hard, but many Google Slides users may not realize it's available. Or you may know it's available, but not know exactly how to go from PowerPoint to Google Slides. That's where this tutorial comes in.

This tutorial explains how to convert a PowerPoint presentation to a Google Slides presentation. Review the quick video guide below or read through the step-by-step written instructions. We'll also look at best practices for importing PowerPoint files and provide tips on how to import other file types.

 Tip: For great-looking Google Slides or PowerPoint presentations, turn to the professionally-designed presentation templates on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver. 

How to Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides (Quick Video)

Here's a screencast to quickly show you the first method of converting a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides:

Best Presentation Templates on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)

Before we get into the main tutorial on how to convert PowerPoint slides to Google Slides, I'd like to share a fantastic deal with you. Let me tell you about Envato Elements.

You can find hundreds of the best presentation templates on Envato Elements, with a great offer: download as many as you want for one low price. 

You'll find a variety of templates for Google Slides, PowerPoint, and other presentation software packages. The premium Envato PowerPoint presentation templates can be customized quickly.

Just add your ideas and key data to these already visually impactful slides, quickly prep your Envato Elements template, and you’re ready to go.  

Here are just a few of the great presentation templates you'll find:

1. Karmel

Karmel is minimalist style presentation. This presentation template can be used for many different purposes.

2. Cleanical

This fully editable presentation template is great for any purpose. There are five premade color schemes making it easy to customize the presentation.

3. Splash

This PowerPoint template is a multi-purpose presentation template. With its simple design you can easily edit the template to fit your needs.

If you just want to download a single presentation template for a one-time use, don't worry. We've got you covered. You can find great presentation templates for one-time use on GraphicRiver.

Now that you've seen some premium presentation templates from Envato Elements let's learn how to import files to Google slides.

7 Best Practices for Importing Files to Google Slides

Conversions between file types has never been easier—especially when it comes to importing files from PowerPoint into Google Slides. The process to import files is quick and easy.

Here are some best practices:

1. 
   Control Quality. Start with a clean original presentation. If you start with a low-quality presentation before import, you'll wind up with a low-quality presentation after import. Make sure that slides are designed well and your images are clean. Also, be sure that your fonts are readable and the links work.


2. 
   Manage File Size. If there are slides you don't need in the presentation you're importing, delete them before you import the file. This reduces the file size and the amount of work you've got to do after the conversion.


3. 
   Pay Attention to File Type. If the presentation file type you're trying to import into Google Slides isn't supported, go back to the package that was used to create it and export it to a supported format (such as PowerPoint). Retry your import. (Depending on the original file type, you may lose some features or formatting after import).


4. 
   Be Aware of Font Changes. Google Slides may not match the fonts you originally used. Instead, it converts your fonts to the closest available font. The fonts may not be an exact match. (Google Slides uses web fonts by default and PowerPoint uses locally installed fonts.)


5. 
   Expect Format Changes. Likewise, your formatting after the import into Google Slides will be similar to your original formatting, but it may not be the same. You may need to tweak the presentation to improve the formatting.


6. 
   Reinsert Links. Currently, links embedded into a PowerPoint presentation don't work after the presentation is imported. Make sure you know where each link is supposed to go before you convert the file so you can add the hyperlinks after conversion.


7. 
   Don't Import PDFs. At this time, a PDF File cannot be imported as a Google Slides presentation or into one. However, you can take a screenshot of a PDF and insert the image into your Google Slides presentation.

The import process for importing PowerPoint files into Google Slides is like the import process for all Google Drive tools. To read a complete tutorial on Google drive file conversions, review:

• 
  Google Docs
  
  
  How to Import and Export Documents in Google Drive
  
  
  Melissa Murphy

How to Convert a PowerPoint Presentation to Google Slides Format

There are basically three methods to import a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides. All are relatively easy. In this tutorial, I'll go over each method.

Note: This tutorial is based on the Google Chrome browser on a PC using Microsoft Windows. The process is very similar for other browsers and systems, although some screens may vary slightly.

Method 1: Open Presentation in Google Drive

The first method to import a PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides is through your Google Drive. Here are step-by-step instructions:

Step 1. Drag Your PowerPoint File Into Google Drive

Start with your Google Drive open. Open the folder where you'll store your imported presentation:

Notice the area in the in the center with the words "Drop files here." With Google Drive still open, open File Explorer in Windows and find the PPTX file you would like to import into Google Slides:

Click on your PowerPoint presentation in File Explorer and drag it into Google Drive. You should see the file in your Google Drive:

Step 2. Open and Convert the PowerPoint File

You're now ready to convert the PowerPoint PPTX file to Google Slides. Double-click on the file in Google Drive to open it. You should see the following screen:

Notice the folder icon next to the words Open with Google Slides in the top center of the screen. (Outlined in red above.) Click the down arrow to the right of the words:

From the drop-down menu, click the Google Slides option. Your presentation file opens in Google Slides in editable format. The conversion is automatic.

If you look in your drive, you'll notice two files: your original PowerPoint file that you dragged into your drive and the converted file you just created.

Step 3. Edit File in Google Slides

Now that you've converted your PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides format, you can edit it just as you would any other Google Slides presentation.

Method 2: Import From Within Google Slide

The second method of importing a PowerPoint presentation involves opening a blank Google Slides presentation. Here's the process:

Step 1. Open a Blank Google Slides Presentation

Click the New > Google Slides:

A blank Google Slides presentation opens:

Click File > Open:

The Open a File dialog box appears:

If the PowerPoint file you wish to convert is on your Google drive or if it's shared with you, select the My Drive or Shared with Me option from the top of the dialog box. When you've selected the file to be converted, click the Open button.

In this example, we're going to Upload a file to be converted from our computer. We click the Upload option on the right side of the dialog box. The dialog box that opens is very like what we saw on Google drive in the first method:

Step 2. Select Upload from Your Computer

We could open File Explorer and drag the file to be converted into Google Slides from here if we wished.

In this example, we click the Select a file from your computer link to see a list of the files on your computer:

Navigate to the folder where your PPTX file is stored. Select the file and click the Open button in the lower right corner. Your presentation is then converted to Google Slides.

Step 3. Edit Files in Google Slides

You can now edit your PowerPoint presentation in Google Slides.

Note: There's no need to open the presentation with Google Slides since Google Slides is already open. 

Method 3: Import Some Slides into Google Slides

The third method of importing a presentation is to import only parts of a presentation into an existing Google Slides presentation or into a new Google Slides Presentation you're creating.

Step 1. Open a Google Slides Presentation

If you're creating a new presentation, follow the first step of Method 2 above to open a blank Google Slides presentation.

If you're importing slides into an existing presentation, open the Google Slides presentation you want to import slides into.

Step 2. Import PowerPoint Slides

Once your Google Slides presentation is open, click File > Import Slides from within the presentation:

The Import Slides dialog box appears:

From this dialog box, you can select a presentation to import from on your Google Drive or you can use the Upload option to select a presentation on your computer. Once you find the file you want to import slides from, click on it and click the Select button in the lower left corner.

The Import Slides dialog box displays with thumbnails of the slides in the presentation:

To select individual slides to import, click on each slide to select it. Click the Import Slides button in the lower right corner of the dialog box when you've finished selecting slides.

To import all the slides, click the All link in the upper left of the dialog box and click the Import Slides button.

The slides you've chosen to import appear below the current slide in your Google Slides presentation.

Step 3. Edit the Imported Slides

Once you've imported the PowerPoint slides of your choice into your Google Slides presentation, you can edit them as you choose. They're now part of your new Google Slides presentation.

The conversion process is automatic, but you may notice font and formatting differences after importing.

Convert Other Types of Files to Google Slides Format

PowerPoint is one of the most popular presentation packages. For that reason, we've covered how to convert PowerPoint presentations to Google Slides format in detail in this tutorial.

However, there are other presentation types that convert fairly well to a Google Slides format. In my own experience, presentations created with Open Office Presentation software (.odp files) can be converted easily. Here's an example of an Open Office presentation before and after conversion to Google Slides.

Open Office presentation before Google Slides conversion:

Open Office presentation after Google Slides conversion:

As mentioned earlier, if you've got a presentation in a format that doesn't convert to Google Slides, return to the software the presentation was created in. Save the presentation in PowerPoint PPTX format and try to import it again. (Note though, that your fonts and formatting may change on import.)

Learn More About Presentations

You've just learned how to convert PowerPoint to Google Slides. If you need to convert Google Slides to PowerPoint, learn how in this tutorial:

• 
  Google Slides
  
  
  How to Convert Google Slides to PowerPoint Presentations on Export
  
  
  Laura Spencer

Do you need more information about presentation software in general? Here are some articles to help you out:

• 
  Presentations
  
  
  Should Google Slides Replace PowerPoint in Your Workflow?
  
  
  Laura Spencer


• 
  Presentations
  
  
  PowerPoint vs. Keynote vs. Google Slides: What Is the Best Presentation Software?
  
  
  Laura Spencer


• 
  Presentations
  
  
  20 Best Presentation Making Software Alternatives to PowerPoint (2019)
  
  
  Laura Spencer

Another Great Presentation Resources

Learn the best presentation strategies in our eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations (grab it now for FREE). Get your ideas formed into a powerful presentation that'll move your audience!

Find Great Presentation Templates

Are you looking for the perfect presentation template for your Google Slides presentation? Here are more great presentation templates:

• 
  Presentations
  
  
  18+ Best Google Slides Presentation Themes (Premium Templates to Download - 2019)
  
  
  
  Sean Hodge


• 
  Google Slides
  
  
  25 Best Business Presentation Templates for Google Slides (For 2019)
  
  
  Laura Spencer


• 
  Presentations
  
  
  The Best New Presentation Templates of 2019 (PowerPoint & More)
  
  
  
  Sean Hodge

You're Ready to Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides

You can work with presentations that were originally created in PowerPoint or other packages, even if those packages are unavailable to you. The key is to convert from PowerPoint (or another presentation format) to Google Slides format.

Converting a PowerPoint presentation to Google Slides isn't hard, once you know what to do. You've just learned how to convert PowerPoint to Google Slides. 

You've also seen some great presentation templates from Envato Elements and GraphicRiver to help you create a visually-appealing slideshow. If you're creating a new presentation, why not choose one of these templates?

Editorial Note: This post was originally published in 2017. It's been comprehensively revised to make current, accurate, and up to date by our staff—with special assistance from Sarah Joy.