Add music to Google Slides
On your computer, open your Google Slides presentation and select the slide where you want to add music. From the top menu, click Insert > Audio, select an audio file in Google Drive, and click Select. Google’s help instructions describe adding .mp3 and .wav files saved in Drive to a presentation. If your file isn’t in Drive, upload it there first, then follow these steps. For detailed instructions, see Insert audio files in Google Slides.
This is how to add audio to a Slides presentation on a computer. The steps here explain how to add an audio file to the slide you select; they don’t specify how music will play as you move to subsequent slides or which playback options are available in every presentation. So check the insertion step and the result you want during your presentation separately.
Plan where you want the music to play
First, decide where you want the music to be heard—for example, only during the opening, on a brief interlude slide, or at the end. This plan helps you choose the right slide and determine which transitions to listen to during rehearsal.
Whether to use music on slides with spoken narration is a presentation choice. If you do, listen to check whether the narration can be heard. This guide doesn’t confirm that Slides has a specific control for adjusting music volume or automatically making speech more prominent. If you’re looking for such an option, check whether it’s actually available in your interface; don’t assume that audio features in another product, such as Vids, are available in Slides.
If you want music on more than one slide, don’t assume how it will behave. Listen to the transitions after the slide where you added the audio in your presentation to check whether the music continues, stops, or starts again. If the result doesn’t fit your plan, use music only in the section you tested or prepare an alternative without music.
Example: A brief musical interlude in a product presentation
Hypothetical example: In a five-slide product presentation, the first slide is the title, the second and third slides explain features with narration, the fourth is a visual interlude, and the fifth is the closing slide. You want the music to be heard only on the fourth slide.
Select the fourth slide, add an appropriate MP3 or WAV file from Drive using Insert > Audio, and rehearse the presentation from beginning to end. In particular, check that no music is heard on the second and third slides, when it starts on the fourth slide, and what happens as you move to the fifth slide. If the music is also heard on the fifth slide, that result doesn’t confirm the boundary you intended. Before sharing your presentation, make sure the behavior you actually heard matches your plan; don’t rely on the outcome of a transition you haven’t rehearsed.
Test the presentation flow after adding audio
Adding audio alone doesn’t confirm what the presentation experience will be like. In presentation mode, listen to the slide immediately before the one where you expect the music to start, the slide where you added the audio, and the one immediately after it. This brief rehearsal can help you catch a simple mistake, such as adding the file to the wrong slide, and check the result at the transition.
Also listen for whether the music conflicts with narration, video, or other audio. If you hear an issue, note which slide the audio starts on and which transition changes it; then adjust your plan accordingly and rehearse again. The sources here don’t guarantee that Slides audio will play continuously throughout the presentation, start automatically with a particular setting, or produce the same result in every browser. So the most reliable practical check is to listen to your own presentation flow.
Verify that you have permission to use the audio file
Finding a track online doesn’t mean you have permission to use it in a presentation. Google recommends checking license terms and, if required, attribution requirements before reusing media found on the web. Confirm that the license covers its use in your presentation and the context in which you’ll share it; if the terms are unclear, don’t use the track.
Google’s terms for stock media aren’t the same as the license terms for media found on the web. Check these sources separately and consider where the track came from: Add stock media and web images in Google Slides and Vids. This help page explains permission and, if required, attribution requirements for web media, and separate terms of use for stock media.
If the menu or file isn’t visible
If you don’t see Insert > Audio, check whether the presentation is open in Google Slides and how the menu appears in the interface you’re using on your computer. If your audio file isn’t visible when you select a file, confirm that it’s in Drive and in the MP3 or WAV format specified in the instructions. If menu names or options differ, follow the interface you see; don’t adapt steps for another Google product to Slides.
Vids help pages explain how to add audio to Vids videos; those instructions don’t establish which menus are in Slides or how music behaves across slides. To distinguish between the products, refer to Add voiceovers, music, and other media to Google Vids and Add audio to a Google Vids video as Vids instructions only.
Frequently asked questions
Does music stop automatically when the slide changes?
Don’t assume this is a general rule. Listen to the slide where you added the audio and the transition that follows in presentation mode to confirm how it behaves in your presentation.
Which audio files can I add?
According to the specified help instructions, MP3 and WAV files saved in Google Drive can be added. If you’re not sure about the file format or whether it’s in Drive, check before adding it.
Can I use any music I find online?
No. Being able to access it doesn’t mean you have permission to use it. Review the license terms and, if required, attribution requirements; if you can’t confirm that you have permission, don’t add the track to your presentation.
Checklist before sharing
- Did you add the audio file to the slide you wanted?
- Did you check that the file is in Drive and in MP3 or WAV format?
- Did you play the presentation from the beginning and listen to the transitions to the preceding and following slides?
- Does the music overpower the narration in sections with spoken content?
- Is the license suitable for your presentation and sharing; have you included attribution if required?
- If the desired audio behavior hasn’t been confirmed, do you have an alternative, such as a plan without music?
For more extensive workflows, you can also see the guides on Adding a voiceover to a Google Slides presentation and Recording a Google Slides presentation.
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