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Google Slides adding real-time live mouse pointers

To aid collaboration, Google Slides on the web is getting a live pointer that allows “you and your colleagues to see each other’s mouse pointers in real-time.”

Today, Google just notes what slide another person is viewing in the left side panel, as well as when they’re actively editing text. With live pointers, Google Slides will show where other people’s mouse cursors are. When activated, the arrow icon gets larger, with each user assigned a different color that’s accompanied by a floating name.

With this update, co-creators can easily point out specific text or visual elements within a Slide in order to highlight important information and content. 

This will be especially useful for walkthroughs when a document is still being worked on. At the right end of the toolbar, you’ll see a new live pointer icon to activate. Off by default, it can also be enabled in the app’s menus via View > Live pointers > Show my pointer.

Meanwhile, you can hide other live pointers from View > Live pointers > Show collaborator pointers – or by entering present mode.

This is rolling out over the coming weeks for both Workspace customers and personal Google Accounts.

More on Google Slides:

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

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