How-To

How to Outline Text in Google Slides

By Ben Stockton

Published January 16, 2023

Want the text in your Google Slides presentation to stand out? A good option for this is to outline your text. This guide explains how.

Presenting to an audience using Google Slides? Your text should stand out. Otherwise, the impact it has might be less than you hoped.

One way to ensure your text stands out is by outlining it. Outlining the text adds emphasis and makes it easier for viewers to read, increasing their engagement with the presentation.

If you want to outline text in Google Slides, here’s what you need to do.

How to Outline Text Using Word Art

A good way to make your text stand out and outline it is to use Word Art. Word Art text in Google Slides has a border around each letter. You can also apply other effects to the text, such as border effects, drop shadows, and reflections.

To use Word Art in Google Slides:

1. Open your Google Slides presentation.
2. Select the slide you wish to add text to on the left.
3. Click Insert at the top of the screen, then select Word Art from the drop-down menu.
   
4. You’ll be prompted to insert text—write this into the box provided.
5. A Word Art text box will appear on your slide. You can double-click it to make changes to your text or type in additional text.
6. With the Word Art object selected, use the formatting options on the toolbar at the top of the screen to change the font color, border color, and border weight of the text.
   
7. To add a drop shadow or reflection to the text, select the Word Art object and click Format options on the toolbar. Alternatively, right-click the text and select Format options from the pop-up menu.
   
8. In the Format options menu on the right side of the screen, select the Drop shadow or Reflection checkboxes to add these effects to your word part. You can customize the effect and style of these settings underneath.
   

Once you’ve formatted your text, make any other adjustments using the other options provided in the menu. For example, you can use the Format options menu to set the specific position for your Word Art text on your slide. You could also rotate and resize your text using this menu.

How to Outline Text Using a Text Box

If you’d prefer to use a normal text box, you can still add outline effects to your text as a whole. For instance, you could add a border, drop shadow, or reflection to the text box.

To insert a text box in Google Slides:

1. Open your Google Slides presentation.
2. Click the Insert menu at the top of the screen and then select Text box.
   
3. Use your mouse to draw a text box on the slide.
4. Next, type or paste your text into the box.
   Use the formatting options on the toolbar (such as font color, border color, and border weight) to customize the appearance of the border and text.
   
5. To add other formatting to your text box, select the text box, then click Format options on the top menu. Alternatively, right-click the text box and select Format options.
   
6. In the Format options menu on the right, you can set options such as a drop shadow or reflection for the text box.
   

Make any additional changes or adjustments in the Format Options menu as desired.

Editing in Google Slides

As we’ve explained above, there are a number of reasons why you might want to outline text in Google Slides, but most users will find that it helps to give emphasis to points you’re making in your presentation.

Google Slides has a number of useful features you can try next. For instance, you could consider adding GIFs to your slides to make them more engaging and help bring the content alive.

You can also try creating a Google Slides template, allowing you to share your favorite slide styles and use them in other presentations.