Google Slides Q&A feature

The Google Slides Q&A tool allows audiences to submit questions directly from their own devices and vote on submitted questions during a presentation. Presenters manage this tool from the Presenter View window, projecting chosen questions directly onto the main presentation screen.

This guide explains how to start a session, configure audience restrictions on corporate accounts, present questions on stage, and inspect recent session history based on technical documentation.

The Core Purpose of the Google Slides Q&A Feature

A live Q&A session in Google Slides eliminates the need to pass around microphones in traditional meetings. Audience members join the session from computers, Android phones, tablets, iPhones, or iPads using the link displayed at the top of the presentation screen. Participants can not only ask questions, but also upvote or downvote questions submitted by other attendees to highlight topics of community interest.

To structure slide flow and visual layout while preparing your presentation designs, you can benefit from the guidelines on the Google Workspace Learning Center Presentation Tips page.

Pre-Session Requirements and Permission Configuration

To launch the Q&A feature, you must have the presentation opened in a desktop computer browser. A dual-monitor setup or an external projector is not an absolute prerequisite to manage the presentation; the session can also be conducted on a single screen by switching between windows.

Audience members do not need edit or view access to the presentation file itself; having access to the web address shared on the presentation screen is sufficient. However, if you are using a Google Workspace work, school, or organizational account, you can determine who questions are accepted from. By changing the "Accepting questions from..." setting in the Audience tools tab of the Presenter View window, the session can be restricted solely to internal domain users or opened to external attendees. Audience members can also submit their questions by checking the "Ask anonymously" box if they wish, within the access scope established by the presenter.

For steps on viewing and editing presentations outside the desktop environment, you can explore the information in the editing Google Slides on mobile guide.

Launching a Q&A Session with Presenter View

To start a live session, follow the official steps provided by the Google Docs Editors Help Documentation:

1. Open a Google Slides presentation on your computer.
2. At the top, click the down arrow next to the Slideshow button.
3. From the menu that appears, click Presenter View.
4. In the new window that opens, select the Audience tools tab.
5. Click Start new to open a new session. If you want to resume an earlier session, use Continue recent.
6. Once the session begins, a live link that audience members can enter into their browsers is displayed at the very top of the slide.

Presenting, Changing, and Hiding Questions on Screen

While the session is active, incoming questions from attendees are listed in the "Audience tools" area of the Presenter View window:

• Projecting a Question onto the Screen: Click the Present button located beneath the question you wish to show the audience. The selected question appears on the presentation screen for the audience to see.
• Changing the Question: To bring a different question to the screen, locate another question in the list and click the Present button below it.
• Hiding the Question: To remove the displayed question from the screen, click the Hide button to return directly to the slide content.

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Steps for the Audience to Submit and Vote on Questions

The process on the audience side is handled directly through a web browser:

1. Participants navigate to the web address displayed at the top of the slide on a computer or mobile device.
2. They click the Ask a question… field and type the text they wish to submit.
3. If desired, the participant can check the Ask anonymously box.
4. They submit the question by clicking the Submit button.
5. To vote on questions submitted by other attendees, they click the Up vote or Down vote icons below the relevant question.

Reviewing Recent Session History and Closing the Session

To end a live session, click the on/off toggle located in the Q&A section of the Presenter View window. Even if this toggle is not switched off, the Q&A display closes automatically shortly after the Google Slides presentation concludes.

It is possible to review questions after the presentation has finished. However, this section does not guarantee indefinite archiving; it lists data belonging to recent sessions. To view the questions:

1. Open the Google Slides document.
2. Click the Tools menu at the top.
3. Select Q&A history.
4. Recent sessions and submitted questions are listed in the panel that appears on the right side of the screen.

Practical Example: Quarterly Budget Briefing

In a hypothetical quarterly briefing presenting internal company goals and financial statements, the following steps are used to implement this tool:

• Setting Permissions: Because the presentation contains confidential organizational data, the "Accepting questions from..." option in the Presenter View panel is restricted to the company domain.
• Anonymous Participation: The anonymous questioning option provided in the audience interface is kept active so employees can comfortably ask about budget constraints.
• Guidance: The presenter verbally announces the web link displayed in the top banner of the presentation screen to the participants.
• Question Selection and Display: When reaching the Q&A segment, the presenter reviews the submitted questions in the Audience tools tab of the Presenter View window. Clicking the Present button beneath a popular question projects it onto the main screen. Once the explanation is complete, clicking the Hide button resumes the slide presentation.

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Common Issues and Troubleshooting Steps

• Link Banner Covering the Slide Title: When a live session starts, an informational banner is automatically added across the top of the slides. If your titles sit very close to the top edge of the slide, this banner can obscure text. Fix: Align the title positioning in your templates to leave an adequate margin from the top edge of the page.
• External Attendees Unable to Submit Questions: If the event is open to external guests but the organizational account restriction remains active, external users cannot submit questions. Fix: Adjust the source setting in the Audience tools tab inside Presenter View to allow general public participation.
• Loss of Internet Connection: The Q&A feature relies on live cloud synchronization. While working offline, audience questions cannot be received and sessions cannot be launched. For local presentation management prep, you can consult the guide on using Google Slides offline.

Live Presentation Verification Checklist

1. Verify that the Presenter View window opens smoothly from the arrow next to Slideshow.
2. Optionally establish your external display/projector connection or position your windows on a single monitor.
3. Choose Start new or Continue recent from the Audience tools tab.
4. Check the "Accepting questions from..." setting if using an organizational account.
5. Confirm that the link address appearing across the slide is clearly visible to the audience.
6. Test that incoming questions can be projected onto the screen with the Present button and removed using the Hide button.
7. Turn off the on/off toggle in the panel or conclude the presentation to end the session.
8. If post-presentation review is needed, audit recent sessions via the Tools > Q&A history panel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a dual-monitor setup strictly required to use a Q&A session?

No. Using dual monitors or an external display is not a mandatory requirement. Presenter View opens as a separate window, and question flow can also be managed on a single screen by toggling between windows.

Is there a filter button that automatically sorts audience questions by votes?

There is no automatic popularity filter or sorting button for the presenter panel in the official documentation. Audience members cast votes using upvotes and downvotes beneath questions, while the presenter reviews questions in the Audience tools panel and clicks "Present" beneath whichever question they choose.

Is question history stored permanently?

The "Tools > Q&A history" area in the Google Slides menu lists questions from recent sessions. Because the system does not guarantee an indefinite, permanent database, taking notes on important questions following the session is recommended.