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Use Your Mouse as a Laser Pointer in Google Slides (Plus 2 More Useful Tips)

3 minute read

Slides Blue

If you’ve ever given a presentation in Google Slides and wished you had a laser pointer to highlight key points, you’re in luck: You can use your mouse as one. Here’s how to do it, along with two more useful tips that’ll make Slides even better and easier to use.

Use your mouse as a laser pointer

  • In Google Slides, click on the present-google-slides-button button in the top right corner and launch your presentation.
  • Click on the laser pointer icon at the bottom of your screen.

laser-pointer-icon-google-slides_with-callout

  • You’ll see immediately that your mouse’s cursor is transformed into a laser pointer!

laser-pointer-icon-google-slides-2

 

Give your slides a makeover with free, beautiful templates

Google Slides has its own templates, but there are only so many options, and many of them have similar feel.

If you’re looking for a bit more creativity, check out http://www.slidescarnival.com. Here you can get free, beautiful templates for Google Slides.

  • You can start browsing through the list, use the search tool, or narrow it down using the categories at the top, like “Formal,” “Inspirational,” “Creative,” “Elegant,” and more.
  • Choose a template you like, and just click on “Use this presentation template.” A copy of it will immediately open in Google Slides.

slidescarnival1_with-callout

  • You’ll notice that it’s view-only, so to turn this into an editable template, head to the File menu > Make a copy. Give it a name. Then when your copy opens, you’ll have full edit permissions to make your new presentation.

slidescarnival-2

 

Speed up your edits using the master slide

This trick is very useful if you have a change you want to make across your entire presentation.

For example, let’s say you want to change the font of the title that goes across the top of your presentation. Sure, you could change your slides one by one, but if you have 100 slides, this would take you hours.

  • Instead, click on Slide > Edit master. This allows you to make changes that will populate throughout the presentation.

edit-master-slide-google-slides

  • Make your change. When you go back to your presentation, you’ll see that your changes have been made throughout the entire presentation.

Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

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