Speaker Spotlight places a live camera feed inside a shape on a Google Slides slide. Google’s guidance limits availability to certain work or school accounts and says insertion requires Chrome. Check those conditions before planning a presentation around a feature that a personal or other account may not have.
Insert the spotlight shape
Open an eligible presentation in Chrome on a computer. Choose Insert > Speaker spotlight or the available toolbar control. Select a spotlight shape from the sidebar and place it where it will not cover text, captions, or important visual evidence.
Prepare the camera behavior
Start the slideshow and review the Use camera in slideshow prompt. Google’s guidance explains that the camera turns on when presenting a slide containing a spotlight shape. Check the actual camera device and visible background before showing the audience your feed.
Use the slideshow’s spotlight controls to turn the local camera feed on or off as needed. A static shape in the editor is not the same as a verified live camera view.
Rehearse the audience version
Run the slides containing the spotlight and inspect the frame, crop, and camera background. Test any meeting-sharing route separately. In Meet, Google’s spotlight instructions require sharing the Slides Chrome tab; sharing a window or entire screen turns the feature off. Keep an ordinary presentation layout usable if spotlight is unavailable. The feature supports delivery, but it does not guarantee account eligibility, camera permissions, or identical behavior across every browser and sharing mode.
References
Reviewed against the linked official product guidance on November 3, 2026. Features, limits, screen labels, and access can vary by account, platform, region, and organization policy.