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How To Insert Google Slides Icons
Adding icons to your Google Slides presentations can make them more visually appealing and help convey key information. Icons are a great way to reinforce concepts, draw attention to important points, and break up text-heavy slides.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn several methods for inserting icons into Google Slides, along with tips for customizing them to match your presentation’s style.
Why Use Icons in Google Slides
Before jumping into the how-to steps, let’s review some of the key benefits of using icons in presentations:
- Enhance visual interest – Icons add visual flair that text alone cannot provide. They give viewers something eye-catching to look at.
- Improve comprehension – Relevant icons can help reinforce key ideas and make it easier for audiences to grasp key takeaways.
- Add personality – Thoughtfully chosen icons can inject personality and style into otherwise boring slides.
- Direct attention – Strategically placed icons can draw viewers’ eyes to important elements you want to highlight.
- Break up text – Icons effectively break up dense blocks of text, making slides less intimidating to read.
- Represent concepts – A single icon can represent broader concepts that would otherwise require lengthy descriptions.
Methods for Inserting Icons
There are several straightforward methods you can use to insert icons into Google Slides:
Use the Built-In Icons Library
Google Slides has a built-in library of icons you can choose from. To access it:
- Select the slide where you want to add an icon.
- Click Insert > Icons.
- Browse the available icons grouped into categories.
- Click on an icon to add it to your slide.
The built-in library includes over 900 icons, covering categories like media, arrows, shapes, editing, messaging, transportation, and more.
Install the Icons for Slides & Docs Add-On
For access to over 13.5 million free icons, install the Icons for Slides & Docs add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace:
- Click Add-ons > Get add-ons.
- Search for and select Icons for Slides & Docs.
- Click Install and authorize the add-on.
- When prompted, click Continue and select the Google account to use.
- In your presentation, click Add-ons > Icons for Slides & Docs > Start.
- Search or browse icons and click to insert your selections.
This add-on makes virtually any icon imaginable available right within Slides.
Download Icon Files
You can find free icon sets online to download, then insert those icon files directly into your slides:
- Search Google for “free icon sets” and browse options.
- Select icon sets to download based on visual style and icons needed.
- Save the icon set files to your computer.
- In Google Slides, click Insert > Image.
- Select the downloaded icon files to insert icons of your choice.
Searching sites like IconFinder and Flaticon offers thousands of icon sets to choose from.
Customizing Icons in Slides
Once inserted, icons can be customized right within Slides using various tools:
- Resize – Click an icon, then drag the resize handles on its edges and corners. Hold the Shift key to retain proportional sizing.
- Recolor – Select an icon, then click the paint bucket icon to change the fill color. Or click the paintbrush icon to change the outline color.
- Add effects – Right-click an icon and select Format options to access options like shadows, reflections, glows, and more.
- Group/ungroup – Select multiple icons, right-click, and choose Group to combine them or treat them as one object. Ungroup does the reverse.
- Arrange order – With multiple icons, use Arrange > Order to control which icons appear in front of others.
Take advantage of these tools to tweak inserted icons to match your presentation style.
Tips for Using Icons Effectively
Follow these tips to incorporate icons into your Google Slides presentations effectively:
- Choose icons relevant to your content so they reinforce your key messages.
- Use icons consistently in the same visual style to maintain a cohesive look.
- Size icons appropriately based on the amount of space available.
- Strategically place icons near related content you want to highlight.
- Limit your use of icons so slides don’t become too cluttered.
- Provide enough spacing around icons so they stand out.
- Use icon colors that offer enough contrast from slide backgrounds.
Common Questions about Google Slides Icons
Here are answers to some common questions about working with icons in Google Slides:
How do I make all icons the same color scheme?
Select all icons, click the paint bucket icon to change the fill color, and choose your desired color scheme. Recoloring icons this way allows batch updating their appearance.
Can I use emojis as icons in Slides?
Yes, you can insert emojis the same way you would normal text by clicking Insert > Emoji while editing Slides. Emojis make great simple icons.
Is there a limit to how many icons I can add?
There is no hard limit, but adding too many icons risks overcrowding and distracting from your main content. Stick to 5-10 icons per slide as a general guideline.
What file type should custom icons use?
For best print and display quality, custom icons you upload should use SVG, PNG, or GIF formats. JPG images can become pixelated if resized too much.
Can icons be animated in Slides?
Present Like a Pro with Icons
Adding relevant icons to your next Google Slides presentation is an impactful way to visually engage audiences and communicate key messages. With the handy tips in this guide, you’ll be able to insert icons from a variety of sources and customize them to perfection.
So put these icon techniques to work for you on your next deck. Dazzle meeting attendees, showcase concepts creatively, direct attention to important ideas, and boost comprehension by working icons into the mix. Your presentations will not only look better designed, but they’ll leave more memorable impressions as well.