// GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
How to draw on Google Slides while presenting
Google Slides has a laser pointer while presenting (press L), but no pen. To circle or write on your slides, use a screen annotation app on top of the browser, like Overlaid.
Google Slides keeps its presenting tools simple: a laser pointer, and that's it. No pen, no highlighter.
Because Slides runs in the browser, anything that draws over your Mac's screen works over it too.
METHOD 01
The built-in laser pointer
Free
A red dot that follows your mouse while you present.
- 1Click Slideshow.
- 2Press L to turn the laser pointer on or off.
GOOD
- +Free, one key
NOT SO GOOD
- −Points, doesn't draw
- −Nothing stays on screen
METHOD 02THAT'S US
Overlaid
$11.99 once, 7-day free trial
Draws over the browser, so you can circle, underline and write while Slides is presenting.
- 1Start the slideshow.
- 2Press ⌃⌥D for draw mode and draw.
- 3Press ⌃⌥D again to go back to clicking through slides.
GOOD
- +Real drawing, not just a pointer
- +Fading ink between slides
- +Works outside Slides too
NOT SO GOOD
- −Paid after the trial
// WORTH KNOWING
THREE TIPS.
Present in full screen
Drawings sit above whatever's on screen, so full screen keeps them on the slide and off the browser chrome.
Use spotlight instead of the laser
A dimmed spotlight is easier to follow on a video call than a small red dot.
Share the screen, not the tab
If you present Slides on Meet by sharing a tab, overlays won't show. Share the entire screen.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
Not with Google Slides itself. It only has a laser pointer. A screen annotation app lets you draw over it.
Press L while presenting.
// COMPARE
// GUIDES
// YOUR NEXT CALL
Draw on your screen in the next five minutes.
7 days free with every feature. Then a one-time purchase. No account, no subscription.