March 31, 2025
New sidebar with design elements in Google Slides makes building presentations easier
What’s changing
To help you find the features you need when creating, building and presenting Google Slides faster, users will now be able to access templates, image generation, new design components and more in a new sidebar on the right side of your canvas.
From the new sidebar, you’ll also be able to access the following new features:
- Building blocks: A new library of pre-formatted pieces of content, such as agendas, quotes or key statistics, that help you create professional, visual presentations much quicker. These blocks, which function similarly to building blocks in Docs, are composed of native Slides elements and can be de-grouped and customized once inserted into your slide.
- Stock Images: Easily access millions of high-quality stock images in our expanded library, web images, stickers, and GIFs to bring additional visual elements into your presentation.
- Templates: Modern, professionally-designed templates that make getting started on a new presentation much easier.
- Image generation: Generate compelling AI-powered visuals for presentations with a prompt.
- Speaker spotlight: Presenters can insert their video feed directly into their Slides content.
- Slides recordings: Users can easily record themselves presenting, and then share the presentation with others to view when it works for them.
Who’s impacted
End users
Why it matters
This update provides you with a consistent location for insertion-related actions and saves you time by giving you design tools and inspiration to build beautiful presentations, without ever leaving Google Slides.
Additional details
To learn more about additional features that make creating visually stunning presentations in Google Slides much easier, check out the Workspace Blog.
Getting started
- Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
- End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about using a Template or change the theme, background, or layout in Google Slides.
Rollout pace
- Rapid Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 31, 2025
- Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 21, 2025
Availability
Templates and building blocks:
- Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts (using the "English (United States)" language setting)
Speaker spotlight and Slides recordings:
- Business Standard and Plus
- Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus
- Enterprise Standard and Plus
- Education Plus
- Business Standard and Plus
- Enterprise Standard and Plus
- Customers with the Gemini Education or Gemini Education Premium add-on
- Customers with the Gemini Business or Gemini Enterprise add-on*
*As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details.