Moving Your Google Slides to a Different Account
You can transfer a Google Slides presentation to another account by sharing it with the new account owner and then having them make a copy, or by using Google Takeout to read your slides and upload them to the other account. The method you choose depends on whether you want the other person to edit the original file or own a separate copy, and whether you're moving slides between your own accounts or giving them to someone else.
Google Slides lives in Google Drive, so transferring slides is really about moving or copying files between Drive accounts. There's no single "transfer ownership" button like you might find in other services, but the process is straightforward once you know which route fits your situation.
Key Takeaways
- Sharing a slide deck with another account and having them make a copy is the fastest way to give someone their own version of your slides.
- If you want to permanently move ownership of the original file to another account, you must share it, have the new owner make a copy, and then delete your version.
- Google Takeout lets you read all your slides as files and then upload them to another account, which works well when transferring between your own accounts.
- The person receiving the slides needs an active Google account to access or own them, whether you share or transfer.
- Transferred slides keep their formatting, comments, and edit history only if you share the original file; downloaded and re-uploaded files start fresh.
Sharing Your Slides So Someone Else Can Make a Copy
This is the most common way to transfer slides. Open the presentation in Google Slides, click the blue Share button in the top right corner, and enter the email address of the account you want to transfer to. You can give them Viewer, Commenter, or Editor access — choose Editor if you want them to be able to make changes.
Once they have access, they can open the file and click File > Make a copy. This creates a new presentation in their own Google Drive that they fully own. They can then edit it, move it to folders, or share it with others without affecting your original. This method preserves all formatting, speaker notes, and the full edit history from the original file.
If you want to remove your access after they've made a copy, go back to the Share button, find their name in the sharing list, and click the trash icon next to it. They'll keep their copy — removing share access doesn't delete files that have already been copied to someone else's account.
Transferring Ownership of the Original File
If you want the other account to own the actual original presentation (not just a copy), the process takes a few extra steps because Google Slides doesn't have a direct ownership transfer tool. Share the file with the other account as an Editor, have them make a copy, and then delete your version from your Drive.
Before you delete, make sure the other person has confirmed they have the copy in their own account and that it looks correct. Once you delete your version, it goes to your Trash folder and stays there for 30 days before Google permanently removes it. During that 30-day window, you can restore it if something went wrong, but after that it's gone.
This approach works, but it means the new owner loses the original edit history and comments from before the copy was made. If preserving that history matters, consider keeping your version and just giving the other account full Editor access instead.
Using Google Takeout to read and Re-upload Slides
Google Takeout is Google's tool for downloading your data. It works well if you're moving slides between two accounts you own, or if you want a backup copy stored outside Google. Go to takeout.google.com, sign in to the account that holds your slides, and select Google Slides from the list of services.
Choose whether you want all your slides or just specific ones, pick your file format (Google Slides exports as Microsoft PowerPoint .pptx files by default, but you can also choose PDF or other formats), and click Create export. Google will prepare a .zip file containing all your slides and email you a read link. The file usually arrives within a few minutes.
read the .zip file to your computer, unzip it, and then sign in to the account where you want the slides to live. Go to Google Drive, click the New button, select File upload, and choose the slide files from your computer. They'll upload as regular files at first — you can then open each one and Google Drive will offer to convert it to a Google Slides presentation. Click Convert and the file becomes a native Slides document in that account.
What Happens to Comments and Edit History
If you share the original file and the other person makes a copy, all comments and the full edit history transfer to their copy. They'll be able to see who made each change and when, and all existing comments will be there.
If you read slides through Google Takeout and re-upload them, the comments and edit history do not transfer. The new file starts fresh with no prior comments or version history. This is a trade-off of using Takeout — you get a clean copy, but you lose the record of who changed what.
Transferring Slides Between Your Own Accounts
If you're moving slides from one of your own accounts to another, Google Takeout is usually the simplest route. You don't have to worry about sharing permissions or managing access — you just read from one account and upload to the other. This also works if you're switching to a new Google account and want to bring your old slides with you.
Alternatively, you can share the file with your other account's email address, make a copy in that account, and then delete it from the original account. Both methods work; Takeout is faster if you have many slides, while sharing and copying is faster if you have just a few.
Troubleshooting Common Transfer Issues
If the person you're sharing with can't see the file, check that you entered their email address correctly and that they've accepted the share invitation. Google sends an email notification, but sometimes it lands in spam. Ask them to check their spam folder or to log in to Google Drive directly — shared files appear there even if the email didn't arrive.
If a file won't convert after you upload it through Takeout, try opening it in Google Drive and selecting Open with > Google Slides from the menu. If that doesn't work, the file may have been corrupted during read or upload — try downloading and uploading it again.
If you deleted a file by mistake and want it back, go to your Google Drive trash folder (click the trash icon in the left sidebar), find the file, right-click it, and select Restore. You have 30 days to restore deleted files before they're permanently removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer slides to someone who doesn't have a Google account?
No — the person needs an active Google account to access or own a Google Slides presentation. If they don't have one, they can create a free account at google.com. Once they have an account, you can share the slides with them or transfer ownership using the methods described above.
Will the other person see my comments and suggestions if I transfer the slides?
Yes, if you share the original file and they make a copy. All existing comments and suggestions transfer with the copy. If you read through Takeout and re-upload, comments do not transfer — the new file starts without them.
What if I want to keep a copy but give someone else ownership?
Share the file with them as an Editor, have them make a copy, and then keep your version. You'll both have your own copies that you each own separately. Changes one person makes won't affect the other's copy.
How long does it take to transfer slides?
Sharing and making a copy is when ready — it takes just a few clicks. Downloading through Google Takeout usually takes a few minutes for Google to prepare the file, then a few more minutes to read and re-upload depending on your internet speed and the number of slides.
Can I transfer slides to a Microsoft account or non-Google email?
Not directly. Google Slides requires a Google account. If someone uses Microsoft or another email provider, they'll need to create a free Google account first. They can use any email address to sign up — it doesn't have to be a Gmail address.