Change slides
Tap Next or Back, or swipe left and right. The slideshow on your computer moves as soon as you do.
Google Slides remote: control your slides from your phone.
Copresent turns your phone into a remote for Google Slides. Swipe or tap to change slides, read your speaker notes, and see what’s on screen. It runs in your phone’s browser, so there’s no app to install.
What your phone can do
Read your speaker notes
Your notes for the current slide stay in your hand. Make the text bigger or smaller so you can read it at a glance.
See what’s on screen
Turn on slide previews to check which slide the audience is looking at without turning around.
Keep to time
Set a countdown on your phone. Pause it for a question, add a minute, or reset it.
Hand over control
Invite co-presenters with a link. Each person changes the slides from their own phone or laptop.
Take audience questions
Show a QR code and people send questions from their phones. They arrive on your remote.
Set it up in four steps
You need your Google Slides deck, desktop Chrome, a Google account and a phone with a browser.
- Step 1
Install Copresent in desktop Chrome
Add Copresent from the Chrome Web Store on the computer that runs your presentation. Only the host needs it.
- Step 2
Open your deck and click Copresent
The Copresent button sits next to Slideshow in the Google Slides toolbar.
- Step 3
Scan the QR code and sign in
Scan the code with your phone’s camera and sign in with Google. Allow access to your deck to see speaker notes and slide previews.
- Step 4
Start the slideshow
Present on your computer as usual. Your phone now changes the slides.
Use your phone instead of a clicker
A presentation clicker only moves slides. Your phone can do that and show your notes too, and it’s already in your pocket.
| Phone with Copresent | Presentation clicker | |
|---|---|---|
| Something extra to buy, charge and carry | No, it’s your phone | Yes |
| Speaker notes in your hand | Yes | No |
| See which slide is on screen | Yes, with slide previews | No |
| Presentation timer | Yes | Some models |
| Several presenters on one deck | Yes, each on their own phone | Pass the clicker around |
| Presenter in another location | Yes, over the internet | No, needs to be in the room |
| Works without an internet connection | No | Yes |
| Laser pointer | No | Often |
A clicker is still the better choice when the venue has no reliable internet, or when you need a laser pointer. For most talks, classes and video calls, the phone you already carry does more.
Other ways to control Google Slides remotely
Remote for Slides
An established extension for presenting alone, with an optional Android app. It pairs one phone with one computer. Read our comparison.
A presentation clicker
A USB receiver and a handheld button. Reliable without internet, but no notes and nothing to share with a co-presenter.
Asking for “next slide”
When someone else shares the screen, you depend on them. With Copresent, each presenter changes the slides themselves.
Questions about the Google Slides remote
Do I need to install an app on my phone?
No. The remote opens in your phone’s browser, on iPhone or Android. Only the computer running Google Slides needs the Copresent Chrome extension.
Do my phone and computer need to be on the same Wi-Fi?
No. Both connect to Copresent over the internet, so your phone can use Wi-Fi or mobile data. Both devices do need a working connection.
Can I see my speaker notes on my phone?
Yes. Your notes for the current slide appear on the remote, and you can make the text bigger or smaller. The audience only sees your slides.
Does it work when I share my screen in Zoom, Meet or Teams?
Yes. Share your Google Slides window in the call as usual and change slides from your phone. Nothing about the screen share changes.
Can someone else control the slides too?
Yes. Copy the guest invitation link from your controller and send it to your co-presenters. They open it in their browser without an account or the extension.
Does it work with PowerPoint or Keynote?
No. Copresent works with Google Slides only.
Use your phone to
control Google Slides.
Change slides, read your notes, and take audience questions.