What are speaker notes for?
Speaker notes let you keep reminders and details you want to cover during your presentation for each slide. According to Google’s Slides getting-started guide, notes appear below the current slide in the editor and in a separate window during a presentation. You may therefore prefer to use a short heading on the slide and keep explanations and reminders in the notes area (Create your first presentation in Google Slides).
The steps below focus on drafting and editing notes in the editor. Checking how notes appear during a presentation or when printed is a separate step; verify this separately in the view you plan to use.
Add notes in the editor
- Open your presentation in Google Slides and go to the slide you want to work on.
- Find the speaker notes area below the current slide. Google’s guide says this area is below the slide in the editor. If you can’t see it in your interface, check which areas are open in your view and which slide is selected.
- In the notes area, write the points you want to remember for that slide. For example, you could use a brief prompt such as, “Explain a possible reason for the increase in the chart.”
- Go to another slide and add separate notes for it. When you move to the new slide, review the current slide’s notes to make sure you’re looking at the right content.
Google’s guide confirms what speaker notes are for and where they appear in the editor; this guide does not assume a specific button or menu path. If the labels on your screen differ, use the Slides interface shown on your screen as your reference. Don’t apply instructions written for another Google product or an API directly to the Slides editor.
Turn your notes into a clear flow
Your notes don’t have to be a full script. As a practical editing method, try writing three short items for each slide: the main message, an example or evidence to explain, and a transition to the next slide. This is a content suggestion; adapt it to your presentation topic and delivery style.
If a slide covers more than one topic, write the point the audience needs to know first, followed by supporting details. If you’re explaining a particular part of an image or chart, make clear in your note which part you mean. If you use abbreviations, check before the presentation that they make sense to you. The aim is to find the reminder you’re looking for easily in the notes area; you don’t have to use the same template for every slide.
Example: a three-slide project update
Fictional example: A team is presenting the status of a project during the period in three slides. The numbers below are for illustration only; they are not real project data.
- Slide 1 — Purpose: The screen shows the heading “Project status: September” and three priorities. Note: “State the purpose of the meeting in one sentence. Today’s focus: scope, schedule, and open decisions.”
- Slide 2 — Progress: The screen shows the example information “9 of 12 tasks completed.” Note: “Briefly mention the nine completed tasks. Explain which of the remaining three tasks could affect the schedule; clarify which period the numbers refer to.”
- Slide 3 — Next steps: The screen lists owners and target dates. Note: “For each open task, name the person responsible and the date of the next check-in. State what decision is expected from the meeting.”
In this example, the slides carry the main headings, while details to use during the presentation are in the notes area for the relevant slide. If you transfer numbers or dates to a real presentation, compare them with your own project records before using them. This is a general recommendation for checking content accuracy, not a technical claim about Google’s notes feature.
If notes are missing or under the wrong slide
First, check that the correct presentation is open and that the slide you want to work on is the current slide. Then look for the notes area below the slide. If you think you’ve written notes but see different content, check the selected slide again and review which notes belong to which slide, one by one.
Also check whether the text was entered in the notes area or in a text box on the slide. These are general troubleshooting suggestions; they do not claim that a particular menu path or setting will open an area that isn’t visible.
Printing notes is a separate task. Google’s printing guide says to open the presentation, go to File > Print settings and preview, and select the 1 slide with notes layout. Verify the menus and options on your own screen (Print a Google Slides file). Since this is a different topic from this editing guide, you can also see the guide to printing Google Slides speaker notes. If you’re looking for information about presenting with notes on a phone, check the device-specific steps in the guide to Google Slides speaker notes on iPhone.
Final checklist
- You checked that you’re working in the correct notes area for each slide.
- The notes include details to help with your delivery rather than simply repeating the slide heading.
- If example numbers, people’s names, and dates will be used in the real presentation, you checked them against their source.
- You separately checked how to view notes during a presentation or when printing, in the view you plan to use.
- Before the presentation, you moved between a few slides and checked that the notes match the correct slide.
Frequently asked questions
Where do speaker notes appear on a slide?
According to Google’s Slides guide, they appear below the current slide in the editor. During a presentation, they’re shown in a separate window. Check separately how notes appear in the presentation view you plan to use.
Are these steps enough to present with notes on a phone or print them?
No. This guide explains how to draft and edit notes in the editor. For printing, follow the steps in Google’s printing guide; for presenting with a phone, check the current instructions that match your device and the options shown on your screen.
← Back to blog
