How To Insert a GIF Into Google Slides (With 3 Methods)

Updated July 31, 2023

Many students and professionals use GIFs in presentations. Using GIFs in Google Slides requires certain steps and knowledge of how this program works with short video content and other media. Understanding how to insert GIFs into slides can help you enhance your presentations.

In this article, we explain what a GIF is, discuss three ways to insert them into a slide and share the benefits of using them in your presentations.

What is a GIF?

A GIF, or graphics interchange format, is a short video that typically lasts a few seconds. The GIF dates back to the late 1980s when computer scientist Steve Wilhite developed the popular internet tool. Today, people use GIFs to share popular culture information, movie clips, emotions or humor. Using a GIF in a presentation can make the information more understandable or relatable to the audience, and some GIFs can even be educational.

Instructions for inserting a GIF into Google Slides

If you want to insert a GIF into your slide presentation, consider these three methods for adding one:

How to use the computer method

Inserting a GIF directly from your computer is one of the simplest ways to use GIFs. You can download and save GIFs to your local storage or cloud storage like other videos or images. Follow these steps to insert a GIF directly from your computer:

Find the slide you want to edit. Navigate to the presentation slide where you want to add a GIF. Ensure there's sufficient space for the GIF, which may involve reorganizing the content on the slide.
Click insert in the menu. Navigate to the top of your page and click the " Insert" tab. Click "Upload from computer" to find your stored GIF in your local or cloud storage, and click "Open" to insert the GIF.
Adjust or resize the GIF. If desirable, you can adjust the dimensions and placement of a GIF on a slide. To do this, click and drag your GIF or hover over the corners of the GIF to modify its dimensions.

How to use the URL method

URLs are internet links that show specific websites or media content online. Using URLs in slides can expand the amount of media you have access to for your presentation. Follow these steps to insert a GIF via a URL:

Open your slides. Open your slides presentation and find the slide you want to enhance with a GIF. Navigate to a popular GIF website or search engine and find the correct GIF for your presentation.
Right-click and copy the image address. Navigate to the GIF you want to link in your presentation and right-click it. This produces a drop-down menu, where you can click the option "Copy image address" to duplicate the GIF address for your slides.
Insert the image or copy and paste the GIF. You can use the insert function to add the GIF with the "From URLs" button or directly paste the image onto your slide. To paste the GIF, navigate to the slide, right-click on your mouse and choose "Paste" from the drop-down menu.
Move and resize your GIF. Using your cursor, move or resize your GIF as necessary for your presentation. You can also copy the GIF to multiple slides using the same functions for putting the GIF into a single slide.

How to use the customized GIFs method

You can also create GIFs for your presentation using video editing software. Customized GIFs allow for more customized and relevant content for your presentation. Follow these steps to insert a custom GIF into your presentation:

Save your GIF to a local folder. When you complete your GIF in your video editing software, save it in a local folder on your computer where you can easily find it. It may be helpful to name each GIF based on its content to make your folder more organized.
Upload your GIF to the slide. Using the insert and upload from the computer method, you can navigate to your local folder and choose the GIF that you want. Press "Open" and upload the desired GIF to your slide.
Move and resize the GIF. You can move and resize custom GIFs with the same method as downloaded or URL GIFs. Hover over the GIF and press down to move it, or hover over the sizes and click the small blue boxes to resize the GIF.

When to insert a GIF

Knowing when to insert a GIF can help you create more effective presentations and help ensure you're using GIFs appropriately. Here are some types of presentations a GIF can be suitable for:

School presentations
Personal presentations
Informal work presentations
Humorous presentations
Educational presentations

If you want to use GIFs in your work presentations, you might want to have your manager approve the idea to ensure that they know what to expect and that your GIFs are appropriate.

Benefits of using GIFs in your slides

Using GIFs in your slides offers many benefits, including:

Humor: GIFs can be humorous, so they may help an audience respond better to your content and keep them in a friendly mood. Inserting comedic GIFs might also help an audience bond through mutual humor and allow a presenter to connect more effectively with the audience.
Entertainment: GIFs are often entertaining and may help increase engagement from your audience. Audiences often engage better with visually stimulating content, and GIFs can help make information more understandable and enjoyable.
Enhanced information: GIFs can be educational and help enhance the information you're presenting by providing a visual aid. Some topics require short visual aids to help the audience understand what you're saying without the need to expand on the topic.
Relatable content: GIFs can also help an audience relate more to your content, which may increase their overall engagement. Relatable content typically keeps audiences more connected to the presenter and interested in what they're saying.

Frequently asked questions

Why won't my GIF work in Google Slides?

If a GIF doesn't work in Google Slides, verify that the link you copied and pasted is valid. You may also try deleting and downloading the file to your computer again to ensure it isn't corrupted.

How do you edit a GIF in Google Slides?

After inserting a GIF into Google Slides, you can edit it as you would with a picture. Click on the GIF so that it appears highlighted with a blue border and small blue squares. If you want to scale the GIF proportionally, click on one of the blue squares in the corner and drag it to the desired size. You can stretch the image vertically or horizontally by clicking and dragging on one of the blue squares in the middle of the border.

You may also rotate the GIF by clicking on the blue dot extending from the blue square near the top of the image. Hold down your mouse and drag the dot to rotate the image to the desired position.

How do you loop a GIF in Google Slides?

When you insert a GIF into Google Slides, it constantly loops on the slide during your presentation. If you have a finite animation that you want to loop, you can screen record it and convert it into a looping animation using an online GIF maker. Then, you can download this automatically looping GIF and insert it into your presentation.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.