How to Add an Arrow in Google Slides

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Adding arrows in Google Slides is an effective way to draw attention to specific elements and enhance your presentations. Arrows help guide your audience, emphasize key points, and improve clarity.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn multiple methods to insert arrows in Google Slides, along with tips for customizing and animating arrows for maximum impact.

Why Use Arrows in Presentations

Before diving into the how-to, let’s discuss the top reasons to use arrows in your Google Slides presentations:

  • Draw attention – Arrows prominently point out important text, images, charts, or other elements you want viewers to notice.
  • Provide direction – Arrows show flow, sequence, progression, and relationships between content.
  • Simplify complex ideas – Break down intricate concepts into more manageable pieces with well-placed arrows.
  • Highlight comparisons – Contrast two or more components by connecting them with arrows.
  • Emphasize key takeaways – Drive home your main message by using arrows to spotlight critical conclusions.

Method 1: Insert a Basic Arrow

Google Slides makes inserting a basic arrow shape quick and easy:

  1. Open your presentation and select the slide needing an arrow.
  2. Click Insert > Line > Arrow.
  3. Click and drag your mouse on the slide to draw the arrow.

Customize the arrow’s color, style, size, and more through the toolbar options. Feel free to experiment until your arrow perfectly fits your slide.

Method 2: Draw an Arrow with Google Drawings

For advanced arrow creation and editing, use Google Drawings:

  1. On your slide, click Insert > Drawing > New.
  2. Select the Line icon dropdown and choose Arrow.
  3. Draw your arrow right on the canvas.
  4. Customize arrow properties like line thickness, dash type, start/end style, and color.
  5. Click Save and Close when finished.

The drawing anchors to your slide, letting you move or modify it later.

Method 3: Add Premade Arrows from Google Slides Themes

Many Google Slides themes include premade arrow graphics you can quickly insert:

  1. Click the arrow shape from the theme’s options.
  2. Drag it into position on your slide.
  3. Optionally, right-click the arrow and select Format options to customize its appearance.

Leveraging existing arrows from professionally designed themes saves time!

Tips for Arrow Placement

Strategically position your arrows to maximize their impact:

  • Avoid cluttering slides with too many arrows. Use only what’s necessary.
  • Place arrows close to the referenced elements without covering important details.
  • Angle longer arrows to point clearly at intended targets.
  • Make arrows large enough to see but not distracting.
  • Use arrow colors that stand out from the background.

Animating Arrows in Google Slides

Animated arrows grab attention! Make them move across slides:

  1. Select your inserted arrow and click Insert > Animation.
  2. Choose an animation like Fly In and set the speed.
  3. Make the arrow animate On Click so it moves when presenting.

Animations work great when revealing arrows pointing at key text or images.

Custom Arrow Shapes

Tired of the same old arrow styles? Create custom arrows with Google Drawings:

  1. Insert any shape, like a triangle or star.
  2. Use the Line tool to manually draw an arrowhead at the end.
  3. Group the components so they move together.
  4. Right click and Save and close to add your new arrow to the slide.

Let your creativity run wild!

Conclusion

Arrows make excellent visual aids for presentations when used intentionally. Follow the techniques outlined to insert and customize arrows in Google Slides.

Strategically place arrows to draw attention, provide direction, simplify ideas, emphasize points, and make comparisons. Animations bring arrows to life!

So boost engagement and clarity at your next presentation with well-designed arrows. Your audience will appreciate arrows guiding them through key takeaways.

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