To link to another slide in Google Slides, select the text, shape, or image and use the Ctrl+K shortcut (Cmd+K on Mac), or navigate through the top menu via Insert > Link. In the link window that opens, expand the "Slides in this presentation" option, choose the target slide number or title, and click Apply.
This method allows you to turn a linear presentation flow into an interactive navigation menu, a table of contents, or a question-and-answer structure.
Prerequisites and Setup Before In-Slide Linking
Before you begin defining links, it is beneficial to clarify the overall outline of your presentation and your slide titles. When hyperlinking to slides with unclear titles or content, selecting the correct target in the link menu can become difficult.
Your first step is to determine the type of object to which the link will be assigned:
Text boxes: Used to add hyperlinks to a specific word, bullet point, or table of contents text.
Shapes and buttons: Create visually distinct navigation buttons that make clicking easy during a presentation.
Images or icons: Suitable for directional elements such as a return-to-main-menu icon or a navigation arrow.
When you add clear text titles to your target slides, Google Slides directly lists the slide name in the link menu, making it easier to verify the target.
Step-by-Step: Adding Slide Links to Text, Shapes, and Images
To define an in-presentation link for an object in the Google Slides interface, follow these steps:
- Select the text you want to link on the slide, or click directly on the border of a shape or image to select the object.
- Click Insert > Link from the top menu or press the link icon on the toolbar (Shortcut: Ctrl+K for Windows/ChromeOS, Cmd+K for macOS).
- In the box that opens, instead of typing an external web address, click the "Slides in this presentation" option.
- From the list that expands, select one of the relative positional options such as "Next slide", "Previous slide", "First slide", "Last slide", or directly choose the title of the target slide.
- Confirm the target in the popup window and click the Apply button to complete your selection.
A similar hyperlinking logic exists in other presentation tools; you can explore our guide on linking to another slide in PowerPoint for steps on alternative platforms.
Difference Between Relative and Specific Slide Links
When you open the link menu, you encounter two different link types:
Relative links ("Next slide", "Previous slide", "First slide", "Last slide"): These links do not look at the identity of the slide, but at its momentary order in the presentation. When a new slide is inserted in between, a "Next slide" link redirects to the new slide immediately following the current slide. They are suitable for forward and back template buttons.
Specific slide links (for example, "Slide 5: Roadmap"): These are defined directly to that slide. Even if you reorder the slides by dragging them in the slide panel, the system tracks the target slide. Specific slide links should be preferred for table of contents lists and topic heading redirections.
Fictional Scenario: Product Launch Table of Contents Menu
Hypothetically, suppose we are preparing a fictional "2027 Project Launch" presentation consisting of 12 slides:
Slide 1: Title Slide
Slide 2: Table of Contents (Navigation Panel)
Slide 3: Market Research
Slide 6: Budget and Resource Plan
Slide 10: Questions and Answers
Implementation step: We create a text box on Slide 2 and select the text "2. Budget and Resource Plan". We press Ctrl+K, select the title "Slide 6: Budget and Resource Plan" directly from the "Slides in this presentation" list, and apply it.
Then, we add a small home icon or shape to the bottom right corner of Slide 6 and assign the link "Slide 2: Table of Contents" to this shape. This way, the presenter can return to the main menu with a single click after sharing budget details.
If you want to share a direct web address for only a specific slide with your colleagues instead of the entire presentation, you can check out the method for sharing a link to a specific slide in Google Slides.
Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting
Issues that may be encountered when creating slide links and practical solutions:
Deletion of the target slide: When the specific slide linked to is completely deleted, the hyperlink may become invalid. Editing the content of an existing slide rather than deleting and recreating it preserves link continuity.
Small clickable areas: When a link is applied to only a single letter or a tiny word of text, clicking it during a presentation can become difficult. Assigning the link to the entire line of text or to a shape behind the text expands the clickable area.
Difference between edit mode and presentation mode: When clicking a link on the editing canvas, the slide does not change immediately; a preview pop-up of the link target appears instead. To test direct one-click transitions, you must put the presentation into "Slideshow" mode in the top right.
Skipped (hidden) slides: When a link is set to a slide that is hidden during the presentation, the hyperlink can jump to that slide, but that slide may not appear in normal slide progression; this should be considered when structuring what the presentation needs to accomplish.
Verification and Pre-Presentation Checklist
Perform these checks before sharing the presentation with your audience:
- Start the presentation in full-screen mode by clicking the "Slideshow" button in the upper right corner.
- Test every hyperlink on the table of contents page one by one to ensure it navigates to the correct slide.
- Verify that links returning to the main menu from target slides work properly.
- If you copied and linked slides from another presentation, check the guidelines in the Google Docs and Slides link management documentation for object updates and linked slide statuses.
- Review the resources in the Google Support Getting Started Guide and the Google Workspace Learning Center for official instructions on basic slide creation and editing steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I change the blue underline that appears when I add a link to text?
Select the text after adding the link. You can remove the underline by clicking the "Underline" (U) icon on the top toolbar and choose any color you want from the text color icon. This customizes the visual styling while preserving the hyperlink function.
Will my link break if I reorder the slides in the presentation?
If you linked directly to a specific slide title rather than a relative option such as "Next slide", Google Slides tracks the target slide and preserves the link even if you change the slide order by dragging it in the left panel.
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