It is very possible to add a timer to Google Slides but the procedure is a bit technical. Since you are on this page, you will find the right procedure to follow.
Google Slides is a great tool for creating engaging and interactive presentations. If you have been following earlier, you will realize I have written quite a number of articles about Google Slides. Some of the previous articles include how to set Google Slides shape transparency as well as some of the best Safari Google Slides templates.
Whether you are giving a business presentation or teaching a class, adding a timer to your Google Slides can help you keep track of time and ensure that you stay on schedule.
In this article, Let us explore how to add a timer to Google Slides.
How to Add a Timer to Google Slides
There are two different ways you can add a timer to your Slides and I will be teaching you all these two different methods.
You can add a timer to your slides using a simple timer video. You can also do that by using a timer plugin which is readily available. No matter your method, you will still achieve the same result. Let us look at some of the methods below.
To be able to add a timer, you must have already opened Google Slides and created a presentation. If you don’t know how to open Google Slides, visit docs.google.com/presentation. Make sure you have also created a presentation before you start with the process below.
Use a Video Timer
There are many free online timers that you can use, such as YouTube videos or websites like Online Stopwatch. Simply find a timer video that matches the length of time you need, copy the URL, and paste it into your slide. Follow the procedure below to do this.
Open the slides you created.
Go back to your slides, click on “Insert” and Choose “Video” from the dropdown menu.
On the YouTube tab, search for the video you would like to use in your slide. For instance, I want to use a 1-minute timer so I will simply type “1-minute timer” into the search bar and I should get some videos.
Select the video you want and click on the “Insert” button.
You can use the right panel of your slides to configure the video. One of the things you can do is set a Start and End time. This will help you to shorten the video to your preferred time even if it is too long.
You should also make sure you set the video to automatically play. With that, as soon as you scroll to the slide, the video will start playing which also means, the timer will start counting down.
That is it. You have successfully added a timer to your slides.
Use a Timer Plugin
Another way to add a timer to your Google Slides presentation is to use a timer plugin. There are many timer plugins available for Google Slides, such as the “Timer for Google Slides” plugin. Simply install the plugin and add the timer to your slide. Follow the procedure below to do that.
Create completely new slides from scratch.
Click on the “Extensions” tab and select “Add-ons”. Click on “Get add-ons”.
In the “Add-ons” window, search for “Showmaster” and install the add-on. Note that you might need to confirm your Gmail account when installing this plugin.
Navigate to the extensions tab again and select “Showmaster” then “Show Sidebar”. This will show the Showmaster settings in the right panel of your slides.
After the Showmaster sidebar has been created, click on the “Create New Show” button and you should see the Showmaster configuration dashboard. Take a look at the screenshot of the dashboard below.
Showmaster actually helps you give an awesome intro with a countdown. You also get to add your company logo and music when needed.
There are so many things you can do with this add-on that you cannot do with other similar extensions. However, this extension is only used for intros and outros so therefore can not be used on a slide.