Getting a video onto your Google Slides presentation starts with where the clip is stored. On a computer, you can embed videos from YouTube or Google Drive. Here’s how to add your clip, choose how it starts, and give your audience access to watch it.
Find a YouTube video right inside Slides
Open your presentation in Google Slides on a computer with editing access.
Select the slide where you want the video.
Choose Insert > Video > Search YouTube.
Search for the video you want to include.
Choose the matching video from the results.
Click Select to add it to your slide.
If searching doesn’t find the right clip, try inserting its YouTube URL instead.
Already have the YouTube link?
Use the URL to pick the exact YouTube clip; for other video websites, use the clickable-link method below.
Select the destination slide.
Open Insert > Video > By URL.
Enter the YouTube video’s URL.
Choose the video shown in the dialog.
Click Select.
Add your own video through Google Drive
Get your video into Drive using one of the upload or export options below, then insert it in Slides.
For a file on your computer, go to drive.google.com and choose New > File upload.
Select your video.
Wait for the upload to finish. Your Drive account needs enough storage for the file.
As an alternative, drag the video into an open folder on the Drive website.
With Drive for desktop installed and signed in on Windows or Mac, you can also drag it into your computer’s Google Drive folder.
Wait for the upload to finish.
For a video made in Google Vids, choose File > Export to Drive in Vids instead. If your video is already in Drive, start with the next step.
In Google Slides on your computer, select the destination slide.
Choose Insert > Video > Google Drive.
Choose the video.
Click Select.
Choose how the video starts
Newly inserted videos default to on-click playback. That lets you start the video during your presentation with a keypress, mouse click, or remote clicker.
Select the embedded video.
Open Format options > Video playback.
Choose Play (on click), Play (automatically), or Play (manual) to match how you want to present.
Drive video playback also depends on processing and compatible formats and codecs. An MP4 file extension alone doesn’t guarantee playback.
If the video still won’t play after you change its playback setting, check access to the source video next.
When your audience cannot watch the video
Missing permission to open the source file blocks viewers from watching an embedded Drive video.
Click Share in Google Slides.
Add the intended recipients.
Choose Viewer, Commenter, or Editor according to the access you want them to have.
Share the presentation with those recipients.
Confirm any media-permission changes suggested by Access checker.
To manage the video’s access directly, select the source video in Drive.
Open Share.
Configure access for your intended audience. For link-based viewing, choose General access > Anyone with the link > Viewer > Done, where your account permits that option.
For a YouTube video you own, check its embedding setting in YouTube Studio. Viewers cannot change another uploader’s setting.
Open Content > the video’s Details > SHOW MORE.
Check Allow embedding.
Click SAVE.
Work or school account policies can restrict Drive sharing and YouTube access. Ask your administrator about access when those restrictions prevent viewing.
Bring a video over from your phone
If the clip is on your phone, upload it through the Google Drive app first. Finish embedding it in Google Slides on a computer.
On Android, open Drive.
Tap New > Upload.
Select the video to upload.
On an iPhone or iPad, open Drive.
Tap Add > File upload.
Select your video.
Tap Upload.
Once the upload finishes, open your presentation on a computer.
Select the destination slide.
Choose Insert > Video > Google Drive.
Choose the uploaded video.
Click Select.
If an Android upload is waiting for Wi-Fi, go to Menu > Settings, then under Data usage turn Transfer files only over Wi-Fi on or off. That option appears on a device with mobile-network capability.
If you can’t finish the computer insertion step and need to stay on your phone, add an existing video address as a clickable link using the method below.
Use a clickable link for other video websites
For Vimeo and other video websites, a hyperlink opens the hosting page instead of embedding a player.
- 1.Select the text or destination for the link in your presentation.
- 2.On a computer, choose Insert > Link. In the Android Slides app, tap Create (the insert icon) > Link. In the iPhone or iPad Slides app, tap Insert > Link.
- 3.Enter the display text in Text and paste the video’s address into Link.
- 4.Click Apply on a computer, or tap Done on your phone or tablet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I upload my own video to YouTube and add it to Slides?
Yes, if your YouTube account permits uploads. In YouTube Studio, choose CREATE > Upload videos and select your file. Complete Details, including Audience, and the remaining upload checks. Under Visibility, choose the intended access, such as Unlisted or Public, and finish saving. Insert the resulting YouTube URL in Slides on a computer.
Is there a keyboard shortcut for inserting a video?
Press Alt+/ on Windows or ChromeOS, or Option+/ on Mac, to open menu search. Search for the video insertion command and follow the dialog. These shortcuts open command search; they do not insert a video directly. You can also open command search through Search in the toolbar or Help > Search the menus.
Can a school administrator enable access to every YouTube video?
No. Education users designated under 18 remain unable to access 18+ content even when an administrator enables Unrestricted YouTube access. Managing that setting requires an administrator with Service Settings privileges.
