How to Make a Carousel in Google Slides (Free, 7 Steps)
To make a carousel in Google Slides, set a custom page size of 1080 × 1350 pixels (File, Page setup, Custom), build one master layout with your fonts and colors, write one idea per slide, then export. For LinkedIn, download the deck as a PDF and upload it as a document post. For Instagram, download each slide as a PNG image (Slides exports the current slide only), and upload the images in order. It’s free; the slow part is the first master layout, which you reuse after that.
What do you need before you start?
- A Google account and a new, blank presentation.
- The slides written out: a hook, one idea per slide, and a last slide with one call to action. Carousel post ideas has formats to start from.
- Two fonts and one accent color. Google Slides has the Google Fonts library built in (More fonts in the font menu).
How do you make a carousel in Google Slides, step by step?
1. Set the page size to 1080 × 1350
Open File → Page setup → Custom, switch the unit to pixels and type 1080 by 1350 for a 4:5 Instagram or LinkedIn carousel. Use 1080 × 1080 for square, or 1080 × 1920 for a TikTok or story slide. Instagram carousel dimensions explains which ratio fits where.
Setting the size in pixels matters: it lets you judge text against the real 1080-pixel width, which is how the slide will be shown.
2. Build a master layout
Open Slide → Edit theme. On the layouts there, set the background color, the title and body fonts, the text colors and the margins. Make three layouts: a hook slide, a content slide and a last slide. Every slide you add later starts from one of them, so the carousel looks the same from start to finish.
3. Set text sizes in pixels, not by eye
In a 1080-pixel-wide slide, body text below about 32 pixels reads as fine print on a phone. Aim for 32 to 44 for body text and 46 to 76 for titles. Carousel font size has the full table and how to test it.
4. Write one idea per slide
Duplicate the content layout for each idea. Keep each slide to a title and a short paragraph or a short list; if a slide needs two ideas, make it two slides. How many slides in an Instagram carousel helps you pick the length.
5. Make the first and last slides different
The first slide is the hook: big type, few words, a reason to swipe. The last slide asks for one thing: save, follow, or visit a link. The last slide of a carousel covers what to put there.
6. Check it on your phone
Download one slide as a PNG and open it on your phone at arm’s length. If you lean in to read it, cut words or raise the size before exporting the rest.
7. Export for the platform
- LinkedIn: File → Download → PDF document. Every slide becomes one page; upload the PDF as a document post. How to post a carousel on LinkedIn walks through it.
- Instagram or TikTok: File → Download → PNG image downloads the current slide only, so repeat it for each slide and number the files in order. Check the downloaded image’s pixel size; if it isn’t 1080 wide, resize it before you upload.
What will you have at the end?
A set of numbered PNGs ready for an Instagram or TikTok carousel, a PDF for LinkedIn, and a master layout you can reuse every week by duplicating the presentation.
What are the limits of Google Slides for carousels?
Google Slides is a presentation tool, so a few things take workarounds:
| Task | In Google Slides | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Export every slide as an image | One slide per download | Download each slide, or export the PDF and convert it |
| Keep text sizes consistent | Manual, per text box | Set sizes once in the theme layouts |
| Templates for carousels | None built in | Make your own master once |
| Reuse the design next week | Duplicate the file | Make a copy and replace the text |
If exporting slide by slide every week wears thin, a Canva carousel template exports every page in one download.
Is there a faster way if you write your slides with AI?
If you already draft carousels in Claude or ChatGPT, you can skip the editor. Karou is a connector for those chats: you write the slides in the conversation, pick one of the three templates (or your own on Pro), and Karou renders them as a PNG per slide, a ZIP and a PDF, already at 1080 wide in 4:5, 1:1 or 9:16. The text size is picked for you by each line’s length.
Free gives you 3 carousels a day with a small watermark, enough to compare it with your Google Slides version before paying. Pro is $12 a month for no watermark and your own templates. How to make a carousel with Claude shows the flow.
FAQ
Can you make an Instagram carousel in Google Slides?
Yes. Set the page to 1080 × 1350 pixels, design one slide per idea, and download each slide as a PNG. Upload the images to Instagram in order as one post.
What size should a Google Slides carousel be?
1080 × 1350 pixels for a 4:5 carousel on Instagram or LinkedIn, 1080 × 1080 for square, and 1080 × 1920 for TikTok or stories. Set it under File, Page setup, Custom.
How do you export all Google Slides as images at once?
Google Slides doesn’t have a one-click option for that: PNG and JPEG downloads export the current slide. Download each slide in turn, or download the PDF and convert its pages to images with another tool.
Is a PDF from Google Slides good for a LinkedIn carousel?
Yes. LinkedIn carousels are PDF document posts, and File, Download, PDF document gives you one page per slide.
Are there free carousel templates for Google Slides?
There’s no built-in carousel template, so build your own master once in Edit theme and copy the presentation for each new carousel. Instagram carousel template has layouts and fill-in copy to start from.
Start free and render your next carousel straight from the chat.