Your Google Slides presentation is horizontal, but you need a tall canvas. Set a custom page size on a computer to make it vertical. The change applies to every slide, with a separate linked presentation as the workaround for mixing portrait and landscape material.
Choose a portrait slide size
The key is simple: make the height greater than the width. Google Slides accepts custom dimensions under File > Page setup > Custom.
Use 8.5 × 11 inches, 21 × 29.7 centimeters, or 1080 × 1920 pixels. These examples put width first and height second. You can also swap your existing landscape width and height.
If the slide stays horizontal, check that the height is greater than the width. If you cannot find Page setup, try the toolbar search method below.
Make the presentation vertical
Open a presentation you have permission to edit in Google Slides on a computer.
- 1.Select File > Page setup.
- 2.Open the size dropdown and select Custom.
- 3.Choose your measurement unit, such as inches, centimeters, or pixels.
- 4.Enter the width first and the height second, with height greater than width. For example, use 8.5 for width and 11 for height when using inches.
- 5.Click OK to confirm. If your dialog labels the confirmation button Apply, click that instead.
Find Page setup through search
Toolbar search gets you to the page-size setting when you cannot find it in the menus.
Click Search in the toolbar, or use Help > Search the menus. The keyboard alternative is Alt + / on Windows or ChromeOS, or Option + / on Mac; it opens search rather than switching orientation.
Type Page setup into the search field.
Select the matching Page setup command.
Choose Custom in the size dropdown.
Enter dimensions with the height greater than the width.
Click OK, or Apply if that is the confirmation label in your dialog.
Reuse an existing portrait template
Already have a vertical presentation? Copying the entire file reuses its portrait canvas without setting the dimensions again. You need permission to copy the source file.
Open the portrait presentation you want to reuse.
Select File > Make a copy > Entire presentation.
Name the copy.
Choose its destination.
Click OK to create the copied presentation.
Open File > Page setup to check its dimensions.
Replace the copied content with your own. This reuses an existing portrait canvas rather than converting a landscape presentation.
Keep portrait material alongside landscape slides
Create a separate presentation for your portrait material. Google Slides shares one page size across the entire presentation, so a single slide cannot be vertical inside a landscape file.
Open File > Page setup in the separate presentation.
Select Custom from the size dropdown.
Enter dimensions with the height greater than the width.
Click OK, or Apply if that is the confirmation label in your dialog.
Highlight the navigation text in your original presentation that viewers will use to open the portrait material.
Select Insert > Link.
Enter the portrait presentation’s URL under Link.
Click Apply to add the link.
For a way back, add a return link in the portrait presentation using Insert > Link.
Tip: Make sure viewers can access both files, since the linked presentations remain separate.
Change the canvas on a computer
On a phone or tablet, switch to a computer to change slide dimensions. Google directs Android, iPhone, and iPad users to the computer editor for this setting.
Printing has separate controls under File > Print settings and preview. Handout orientation changes the printed output, not the slide canvas. To make the presentation itself vertical, use File > Page setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch a vertical Google Slides presentation back to horizontal?
Yes. On a computer, open File > Page setup. Select Custom. Swap the portrait width and height so the width is greater than the height. Click OK, or Apply if that is your dialog’s confirmation label. The change applies throughout the presentation.
Does rotating a text box or image make the slide vertical?
No. Rotating an object changes that object’s orientation, not the slide dimensions. Rotating your device or display also leaves the presentation’s page size unchanged.
Can changing a theme or layout give one slide its own portrait size?
No. Themes and layouts do not give individual slides independent page dimensions. Importing slides also does not create mixed page sizes within one presentation.
Do I need to install or update anything to make Google Slides vertical?
No installation or update is needed. Custom page dimensions are available in the Google Slides computer web editor for both personal Google accounts and Google Workspace accounts with editing access.