Google Slides has evolved into a powerful alternative to Microsoft Powerpoint, and many people who need to deliver slideshow presentations find it a great way to create them. But if you are going to give a presentation and need to be able to view the speaker notes as you do, then you may be looking for a way to display them on the screen.
When you create and present your Google Slides slideshow, they usually include notes about things you want to mention during the presentation. In Google Slides, they are called speaker notes.
While your presentation process may involve printing or memorizing these notes, there is also the option to display them on screen during your presentation. Our guide below will show you how to get started with displaying these notes, as well as how to display them during your presentation, if needed.
How to view presenter notes while presenting in Google Slides
- Open your Google Slides file.
- Click the arrow to the right of Present.
- Select Presenter Mode.
Our article continues below with more information on displaying speaker notes in Google Slides, including images of these steps.
How to show notes during a presentation in Google Slides (Guide with pictures)
The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of Google Chrome, but also work in other browsers such as Firefox or Edge.
Step 1. Sign in to your Google Drive from https://drive.google.com and open the presentation for which you want to display your notes.
Step 2: Click the arrow to the right of Attend in the upper right corner of the screen, then select the Presenter View option if you want to display your notes at the beginning. Otherwise, select the Show from Beginning option, or just click the Show button.
After you select Presenter View, the presentation will open in full screen mode and a new window will open where you will find some additional presentation controls and options in addition to the Presenter Notes for the slideshow.
But don’t worry if you’ve already started your presentation. You can display presenter notes during an active presentation.
How to see speaker notes in the middle of your Google Slides presentation
If you started your presentation without notes and decide you need them, you can move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner of the screen to display the menu, then click the Notes button.
Are you creating a handout for your audience but want to minimize the amount of paper you use? Learn how to print multiple slides per page and create a leaner handout for your audience.
Learn more about how to display speaker notes in Google Slides
You can add presenter notes to a slide by typing them in the box that says “Click to add presenter notes.” This field appears at the bottom of every slide when you are in edit mode. If you do not see this field, it may be hidden. You can turn the Presenter Notes field on or off by clicking View at the top of the window and selecting the View Presenter Notes option.
In the Presenter Presentation section, you will notice that it reads: “Introduce Q&A to the audience and view presenter notes.” This presentation method is for slideshows that are more interactive when you, as a presenter, want to be able to manage any questions your audience might have while still having access to your notes.
In Presenter View, a second pop-up window titled Presenter View will open. Here you will see a column on the right side of the window with the Audience Tools and Presenter Notes tabs. The Audience Tools option is actually really interesting because it creates a way for your audience to easily ask questions that you can answer according to the flow of the presentation.
Regardless of which presentation mode you choose, you can always exit the full-screen presentation by pressing the Esc key on your keyboard.
Google Slides also gives you the option to print speaker notes for each slide you include them on. Click File in the upper-left corner of the window, then select Print Settings & Previews at the bottom of the menu. Then you can click the 1 Slide No Notes button and then select the 1 Slide With Notes button. The on-screen preview changes to show the speaker notes at the bottom of each page on the slide.