Do you need to adjust your slideshow to fit a mobile screen or older monitor? Luckily, you can choose the Google Slides size and dimensions for your presentation in just a few steps.
We’ll explain the available sizes, how to make the change, and also how to use Plus AI to pick a different layout to better accommodate your slide elements.
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Available Google Slides sizes and dimensions
By default, when you create a new presentation in Google Slides, your slides are sized as Widescreen with a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, there are other sizes along with a custom option so that you can choose the exact fit you want for your slideshow.
Standard size 4:3: This was the original slide size implemented in earlier versions of Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint and designed for square monitors. It doesn’t fit widescreen devices well but can still be used for traditional sized screens.
Common 4:3 aspect ratio dimensions include 1024 by 768 and 1280 by 960 pixels.
Widescreen 16:9: This is the most common size for slideshows because it accommodates devices like present-day monitors and TVs and takes advantage of modern aesthetics. It’s also the default size for new Google Slides presentations.
The default size for a Google Slide is 960 by 540, which is a 16:9 aspect ratio. Other common 16:9 aspect ratio dimensions include 1280 by 720 and 1920 by 1080 pixels.
Widescreen 16:10: This is similar to the above widescreen size and can also accommodate 16:10 ratio tablet and computer displays which are often used by photographers, graphic designers, digital artists, and the like. It’s also closer to the Golden Ratio (1.618).
Common 16:10 aspect ratio dimensions include 1280 by 800 and 1920 by 1200 pixels.
Custom: For specific dimensions or to make your presentation vertical instead of horizontal, you can choose the Custom option. Pick from inches, centimeters, points, or pixels and then enter the height and width.
How to change slide size in Google Slides
Once you determine the size you want to use or if you’d like to experiment to see which works best, you can change the size easily in Google Slides. Keep in mind that you cannot change the sizes for individual slides. After you choose the size, it applies to all slides in the presentation.
- With your presentation open, select File > Page setup in the menu.
- Use the drop-down menu in the pop-up window to pick a Standard or Widescreen preset size or use Custom to enter the dimensions manually.
- Click OK to apply the new size and you’ll see your slideshow update immediately.
To revert this change before making other edits, you can click Undo in the toolbar. Alternatively, follow the same steps above to choose the previous size.
Tips for after changing your Google Slides size
One important thing to remember is that after you change the size and dimensions of your Google Slides, your slide elements may appear differently. For example, if you switch from a horizontal (landscape) to a vertical (portrait) view, you may need to rearrange images or objects.
After you set the new size, check each slide for possible changes to these items:
- Placement of images, videos, shapes, and objects
- Sizes of titles, headings, subheadings, and body text
- Formatting for diagrams, charts, and tables
- Variations in animations and transitions
- Distortion of background images
If you’re concerned about a big appearance change when adjusting many elements for a new slide size, you can always duplicate the presentation and make changes to the copy rather than the original. Additionally, this gives you the opportunity to have different versions of the slideshow for various screen sizes.
To do this, go to File > Make a copy > Entire presentation. Optionally edit the name, location, and options for the duplicate and pick Make a copy.
Remix slide layouts with Plus AI
Depending on the size you choose, you may notice an immense shift in your slide elements. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to manually adjust each one or to revert to the previous size. Instead, you can make an adjustment to the overall slide layout.
With Plus AI for Google Slides and Docs, you can use the Remix edit tool to choose the best arrangement for your slide elements. This feature allows you to select a different layout that better fits your new slide size so that you can continue using the Google Slides dimensions you want.
A nice feature of Remix with Plus AI is that not only can you choose a different layout, but you can apply a certain template to a particular slide at the same time. This is ideal if you want to make that slide more prominent or find that a layout with another template works better.
Remember, you can use Plus AI to change more than the slide layout. You can rewrite content, make a custom theme, and even create an entire slideshow with a prompt, text, or PDF file. If you need a tool that allows you to both build and edit presentations, check out the Plus AI Google Slides add-on.
Conclusion
Even though the default widescreen setting for Google Slides fits most presentation displays these days, you can certainly change it to accommodate other screen sizes, such as a mobile phone display, if needed. And as you can see, it takes only a minute to do so.
Also, keep Plus AI in mind for help adjusting your layout and content when you change the Google Slides size and dimensions.
FAQs
What is the default size of a Google Slides?
By default, Google Slides are set to a pixel dimension of 960 x 540. You can see this by opening up the Page Setup menu, clicking custom and then selecting Pixels as size. Alternatively, you can download a slide as a PNG file and look at the dimensions of the image file.
Are Google Slides 1920 x 1080?
No, the default Google Slides dimension is 960 x 540. However, the pixel dimensions 1920 x 1080 along with 960 x 540 use the 16:9 aspect ratio. This is the default Google Slides widescreen setting for slide sizes, which you can change if you like.
How to make Google Slides 8.5 by 11?
Because the dimensions 8.5 by 11 inches are portrait (vertical), you’ll use the Custom slide size setting in Google Slides. Select File > Page setup and choose Custom in the drop-down menu. Enter 8.5 in the first box, 11 in the second box, and pick Inches in the size box.
Is PowerPoint 16 x 9 or 4 x 3?
Like Google Slides, newer versions of Microsoft PowerPoint use the 16 x 9 (16:9) aspect ratio by default which is used for the widescreen slide size. You can change your PowerPoint slides to use the 4 x 3 (4:3) aspect ratio if it fits your presentation screen better.
