Organizing My Notes With Backlinks Has Made Them So Much Easier to Navigate Quick LinksWhy Use Google Slides to Create Diagrams Shapes, Arrows, and Lines Built-In Diagram Templates Add-Ons for Extra Power Custom Colors and Extra Fonts Gemini AI Animations and Transitions Key Takeaways Google Slides is free, easily accessible on any device, and great for creating professional diagrams without additional software. In addition to its real-time collaboration features, you can seamlessly integrate your Google Sheets data into your diagrams in Google Slides. The key features for making diagrams are built-in templates, basic shapes and connectors, custom colors, and animation options, along with AI assistance through Gemini. ✕ Remove Ads
When you think of Google Slides, you probably only imagine something you can use to design slides for your many presentations. What you may not realize is that Google Slides is also -- surprisingly -- great for creating diagrams, whether it's flowcharts, Venn diagrams, or mind maps.
Why Use Google Slides to Create Diagrams
Of course, there are tons of other (more dedicated) tools you can use to create diagrams, like Lucidchart and other Google Docs add-ons. However, Google Slides is a great, viable option for several reasons.
One major advantage is its real-time collaboration feature. If you're already using Google's suite, you know how easy it is to access projects from any device with an internet connection. This accessibility makes team collaboration a breeze; just use the Share option to invite your colleagues, giving them edit or comment access so they can provide feedback or make changes to your diagrams on the fly.
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Google Slides also integrates seamlessly with Google Sheets, making it perfect if your diagrams need to incorporate data. By navigating to the Insert tab and selecting Chart > From Sheets, or by copying and pasting cells directly from Sheets, you can link your data so any updates in the spreadsheet are reflected in your slides.
Plus, Google Slides is completely free, providing robust features at no cost -- all you need is a Google account. Unlike tools that require a subscription or have limited free features, Google Slides offers built-in tools that are more than sufficient for polished, professional diagrams.
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With shapes, lines, charts, and even basic AI assistance, creating and exporting your diagrams as JPEG, PNG, or SVG images is quick and intuitive. From basic shapes to more advanced features, Google Slides has several tools that can help you create excellent diagrams. Here are some of the most useful features.
Shapes, Arrows, and Lines
Every good diagram is made up of some basic shapes and connectors, and Google Slides offers tons of these. With these tools, you can create flowcharts, Venn diagrams, and even some charts.
Since Google Slides allows you to Group and Ungroup elements on your page, it's easy for you to treat multiple elements as a single unit. This is especially handy when you need to move or resize parts of your diagram.
You can also click Order to change the layering of the elements on your slide, bringing some forward or sending them backward, ensuring that your diagram looks exactly how you want.
✕ Remove Ads Built-In Diagram Templates
Google Slides offers a few solid diagram templates that you can use to get started quickly. These templates include pre-designed layouts for flowcharts, timelines, and process maps.
Click Insert > Diagrams > View all. Choose what kind of diagram you'd like, select the levels, dates, steps, or areas, and pick a color. Then, look through the options and select any template that looks like what you have in mind.
You can then modify the diagram to suit your needs.
Add-Ons for Extra Power
While I think Google Slides' native features are pretty much sufficient, you can take advantage of add-ons like Lucidchart which extend its functionality.
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These add-ons integrate directly with Google Slides, allowing you to create more complex diagrams without leaving your slides. Click Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons and you'll find tons of relevant options.
A number of these add-ons have free plans, with paid tiers for even more features.
Custom Colors and Extra Fonts
You can apply solid or gradient colors to your shapes, and you have full control over the fonts and text styles in your diagrams. This means you can match the look and feel of your diagrams to your project or branding guidelines without needing any advanced design skills.
For instance, you can ungroup the elements in your diagram, select a line, and click Format > Borders & Lines > Border color. Then, click on the plus icon under the Custom section to input the hex code of the color you'd prefer.
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While you can't add your custom fonts, you can still add extra fonts to Google Slides, so you have more font options available than what's immediately accessible.
Gemini AI
If you're a part of Google Workspace Labs, you'd have access to Gemini in Google Slides. Generating illustrations is one way I use Gemini AI in Slides.
It's not the best at generating charts and mind maps, but it's a decent tool for creating diagrams, considering that all you have to do is provide a detailed description of what you want.
You can use Gemini AI by launching the Ask Gemini bar, but I've had more success with the Create an image bar. Just keep in mind that your diagrams would look more like images than charts and that the texts might be illegible, as AI struggles with writing texts in images.
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You could just stick with using Gemini AI to brainstorm ideas for your diagrams, like the best color combinations, shapes, and connectors, to create what you have in mind.
Animations and Transitions
If you're creating a step-by-step diagram or want to show the progression of a process, Google Slides' animations and transitions can be incredibly useful. You can animate individual shapes or elements in your diagram to appear one by one so that your audience can follow the process in a structured way.
On your computer, just select the element you want to animate and click Insert > Animation. You can choose to have them fly in, zoom out, or whatever else tickles your fancy.
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Google Slides might not be the first tool that comes to mind when you think about making diagrams, but it's actually more than capable. So, next time you're thinking about creating some diagrams, don't overlook Google Slides!
