Full screen and presenter view
In Google Slides, the Slideshow button starts the presentation in full screen from the current slide. Presenter view is the option that lets you view speaker notes. These are different presentation options. Google’s guidance for presenting with other monitors states that Presenter view and Full screen cannot be used at the same time on a single monitor. So when presenting on one screen, decide which matters more to you: seeing your notes or showing the slides in full screen.
This guide covers Google Slides on a computer. Google recommends Chrome for the best results when presenting in full screen; for presenting on multiple monitors, it says you need Chrome and at least one additional monitor. Menu names may look different depending on your interface language.
Open notes or present in full screen on one screen
To see your speaker notes, click the down arrow next to Slideshow in the upper-right corner of the presentation. Select Presenter view, then Speaker notes.
To present the slides in full screen, click the Slideshow button in the upper-right corner of the editor. The presentation opens in full screen from the current slide. You can move to the next or previous slide using the arrow keys on your keyboard or the arrows at the bottom of the presentation window. Press Esc to exit full screen.
Google’s help page for presenting slides explains these steps and how to open speaker notes. Before starting presentation view, make sure you’re on the right slide; a full-screen presentation starts from the current slide.
Present on multiple monitors
With the presentation open on your computer, click the down arrow next to Slideshow and open Presentation display options. According to Google’s guidance, this workflow requires Chrome and at least one additional monitor connected to the computer. If Chrome asks for permission to support multiple displays, you’ll need to grant it to use this feature.
From the options that open, choose Presenter view, Present from beginning, or Full screen; then select the monitor where the presentation should appear and choose Start slideshow. Remember that you can’t select presenter view and full screen at the same time on one monitor. If you have multiple displays, check which view will open on which screen before you start.
Important: Google says that display options are cleared when the presentation reloads. If you refresh the tab or reopen the presentation, check the display options again. For details, see Google Slides’ guidance for presenting with other monitors. Google’s help page for presenting and sharing also explains the basic steps for presenting in full screen.
Example: Rehearsing a product introduction
Hypothetical example: Elif wants to see her speaker notes while presenting a five-slide product introduction. She connects a projector to her computer and opens the presentation in Chrome. Using the presentation display options, she selects the room’s display for the slideshow and her own screen for presenter view, then starts the presentation. Before moving to the first slide, she checks which window shows the notes and which screen displays the slides. Then she rehearses the slide transitions by moving forward and back once.
The purpose of this example is to test the right screen and view before the presentation; you shouldn’t assume that a particular layout will be selected automatically on every computer. If she were presenting with one monitor, Elif would choose whether to use presenter view or a full-screen slideshow. If she wanted to follow her notes on a separate device or on paper, she could arrange that as part of her own workflow; this does not mean Slides has an additional display option.
Troubleshooting and checks
- The presentation opened on the wrong screen: Reopen the presentation display options and check the selected monitor. If the display arrangement has changed, make your selection again.
- Speaker notes aren’t visible: Click the down arrow and confirm that you selected Presenter view, then Speaker notes.
- Multiple-display options aren’t working: Check that the additional monitor is connected and available to the computer. If Chrome asks for permission, review your choice to allow multiple-display support. If permission was denied, check Chrome’s site permissions; don’t turn off security settings.
- You need to exit full screen or change slides: Press Esc to exit; during the presentation, move between slides with the arrow keys or the arrows at the bottom of the presentation window.
If you can’t identify the cause of the problem, check the on-screen menu options and selected monitor before restarting the presentation. According to Google’s instructions, presentation display options may reset when the presentation reloads.
Pre-presentation checklist
- Will you start the presentation from the right slide?
- Have you decided whether to use one screen or multiple screens?
- Have you opened Presenter view and Speaker notes to see your notes?
- If you’re using multiple screens, have you checked which monitor is selected for the presentation?
- Have you rehearsed slide transitions and pressing Esc to exit full screen?
- If the presentation has reloaded, have you checked the display options again?
Frequently asked questions
Can I show slides in full screen while viewing notes on one monitor?
Google’s guidance for multiple displays states that Presenter view and Full screen cannot be used at the same time on one monitor. Use one of these options according to your needs; if you have a different setup, check what is displayed on the screen before presenting.
How do I exit full screen?
Press Esc during the presentation. To change slides, you can use the arrow keys or the navigation arrows at the bottom of the presentation window.
Why did my presentation display selection change?
Google says that display options are cleared when the presentation reloads. After reloading, open the options and check the monitor selection again.
If you also need to set up screen sharing for an online meeting, see the guide to sharing Google Slides presenter view on Zoom.
Related app guides
You can explore the related step in this workflow in the guide to sharing with PowerPoint presenter view on Zoom.
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