How to Embed Video in Google Slides

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Adding videos to your Google Slides presentations can make them more engaging, informative and memorable for your audience. Videos help reinforce key points, demonstrate concepts clearly, and make presentations more visually appealing.

The good news is that embedding videos in Google Slides is quick and easy. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn multiple methods to embed both YouTube and personal videos seamlessly into your slides.

Why You Should Use Videos in Presentations

Before we dive into the step-by-step process, let’s look at some of the key benefits of using videos in Google Slides:

  • Boost engagement – Videos grab attention and keep viewers interested much more effectively than text or images alone. Viewers pay more attention and retain more information from video-enhanced presentations.
  • Enhance understanding – Complex ideas and processes are easier to grasp when shown visually through a short video clip rather than explained verbally or with static visuals.
  • Add personality – Videos give presentations a personal touch and help you connect with the audience. Videos of yourself, clients or team members work well.
  • Demonstrate products or services – Show how your offering works or solves a problem through a video demonstration. This builds trust and credibility.
  • Break up information – Strategically placed videos provide variety and pacing, allowing your audience’s attention to refresh.

Now let’s look at how to actually embed videos in Google Slides.

Method 1: Embed YouTube Videos

Thanks to its massive video library, YouTube is the easiest way to add videos to Google Slides. Follow these simple steps:

  1. Open your Google Slides presentation and select the slide where you want to embed the video.
  2. Click Insert > Video from the top menu.
  3. In the Insert Video pop-up, select the By URL tab.
  4. Paste the YouTube video URL in the given field and press Enter.
  5. Click the blue Select button once the correct video thumbnail appears.
  6. Resize or reposition the embedded video by dragging it to suit your slide.

And you’re done! The video will now play directly within your presentation.

Method 2: Upload Videos from Google Drive

You can also embed videos stored in Google Drive into your slides:

  1. Upload the video you want to use to your Google Drive if it isn’t already there.
  2. Open your presentation in Google Slides and choose the slide.
  3. Click Insert > Video from the top menu.
  4. In the pop-up, select the Google Drive tab .
  5. Locate and select your video in Google Drive to embed it.
  6. Click Select and adjust the video placement if required.

This method allows you to embed videos in their original quality without YouTube compression.

Method 3: Embed Videos from Your Computer

Don’t have the video on YouTube or Google Drive? You can embed videos directly from your computer too:

  1. Open your presentation and select the slide.
  2. Click Insert > Video from the top menu.
  3. In the Insert Video pop-up, choose the Upload tab.
  4. Select the video from your computer files to upload it.
  5. Once uploaded, click the blue Select button.
  6. Reposition or resize the video as needed.

Uploading and embedding videos directly gives you the flexibility to use any video file stored locally on your computer.

Video Format Considerations

Google Slides supports the following video formats:

  • MP4
  • AVI
  • MPEG-2
  • WMV
  • FLV
  • WebM

For the best results, convert your video to one of these formats before embedding.

The maximum file size for videos is 100MB. If your video exceeds this, use video compression software like Handbrake to reduce the size without sacrificing quality.

Video Playback Options

Once your video is embedded, you can customize playback options to control how it appears in your presentation:

  • Autoplay – Have the video play automatically as soon as the slide appears.
  • Loop – Set the video to play on repeat.
  • Mute – Mute the video’s audio during playback.
  • Play in Presenter View – Choose to play or hide the video while presenting.
  • Start/Stop time – Set exact start and end times for the video.

Tweak these options to achieve the desired video playback effect for your viewers.

Best Practices for Video Integration

Follow these tips to seamlessly blend videos into your Google Slides presentations:

  • Keep videos short – 30 to 90 seconds is ideal. Long videos cause attention drift.
  • Add captions for accessibility and search engine visibility.
  • Use videos strategically to emphasize key points. Don’t overuse them.
  • Blend with slide design – Match positions, colors and styles between videos and slides.
  • Check playback before finalizing decks to confirm smooth video performance.
  • Compress files to prevent heavy presentations that load slowly.

Enhance Your Google Slides with Video

Adding custom videos makes presentations memorable, compelling and impactful. With Google Slides making video integration quick and seamless, you have no excuse not to use this powerful visual medium.

Use the techniques covered in this guide to confidently embed YouTube clips, Google Drive videos or local files. Then customize playback to achieve maximum effectiveness for your viewers.

With the right strategy, preparation and positioning, video-enhanced presentations can capture attention, improve recall and leave lasting positive impressions.

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