Google Slides is a free and powerful tool you can use to create visual aids while presenting. Unfortunately, it may suffer from one specific issue: overlapping text. This makes it hard for users to continue editing their presentations. Worse, their slides may suddenly look messy in the middle of a presentation.
If this happens to you, solve it by accessing your Google Slides account in Incognito mode. Simply press “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “N” (or “Command” + “Shift” + “N” for Mac) on your keyboard.
If that doesn’t work, keep reading as we discuss several fixes to the Google Slides words overlapping issue.
Table of Contents
Method 1: Use Google Slides in Incognito Mode
According to the experts on the Google Docs Editors Community, using the Incognito mode to access Google Slides is one of the best fixes you can try to resolve superimposed texts.
Incognito is a feature in Google Chrome that allows you to explore the web without saving your browsing history. To use Google Slides in Incognito mode, simply follow the steps below:
- Launch the Google Chrome app on your computer.
- Bring your mouse to the upper-right corner of the app, then click on the three vertical dot icon (known as the “Customize and control Google Chrome” button).
- Select “New Incognito window” from the appearing drop-down menu.
- Alternatively, you can press the keys “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “N” on your keyboard (or “Command” + “Shift” + “N” for Mac users) to launch Incognito mode.
- Go to https://slides.google.com/ in the new window, then sign in to your Google account as instructed.
- Open your slides with overlapping text.
Note: The steps above can be used for multiple browsers. The only difference would be the name “Incognito.” For example, Microsoft Edge calls it “InPrivate” browsing, while Opera terms it “Private” mode.
Method 2: Restart Google Slides
This is perhaps the most classic way to troubleshoot errors you encounter in Google Slides (or any other web-based software).
- Can’t move your cursor? Restart.
- Images not loading? Restart.
- Text overlapping in Google Slides? Close the tab, wait for approximately five minutes, then open it again. Or, in simple words, restart the tab.
Method 3: Adjust Your Text Formatting
While a bug may cause the Google Slides text overlapping issue, it can also be as simple as a formatting error. Here are some easy text formatting tips on how to fix overlapping text in Google Slides.
Edit Text Boxes
Importing presentations into Google Slides from another software program can cause compatibility issues. In this case, the text boxes in the presentation may move out of their original positions, which can cause the words inside them to overlap.
Click around your slide to see if there are indeed multiple text boxes present. If there are, you can simply drag them away from one another. It also helps to resize them to prevent their contents from stacking.
Separate Lengthy Texts into Multiple Slides
A closely related fix to editing your text boxes is to reduce your textual content. This helps avoid overlaps and also makes your slides tidier. If you have many words to display, separate them into multiple slides.
Other Fixes to Try
If none of the troubleshooting methods mentioned above work for you, consider the following fixes:
Adjust Your Screen Resolution
Try to zoom in or out of your screen to see if it causes the text to overlap. Here’s how to do it:
- On Google Chrome, click on the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner.
- Then, adjust the “Zoom” option using the “-” and “+” buttons.
You can also configure your screen resolution using the native settings app on your computer:
On Windows
- Go to “Settings” > “System” > “Display.”
- Under the “Scale & layout” section, pick an option in the “Display resolution” drop-down menu.
On Mac
- Go to the Apple menu > “System Settings” > “Displays.”
- Pick the thumbnail of your preferred screen resolution from the options offered.
Clear Your Browser’s Cache
Browsers like Google Chrome save data from the various websites you visit. These are stored in what we call a “cache.” Clearing this may potentially fix some bugs and problems related to the loading and appearance of those sites (Google Slides in this regard).
To clear your browser’s cache, simply follow these steps:
- On Google Chrome, click on the three-dot icon > “Settings.”
- Choose “Privacy and security” from the sidebar.
- Select “Clear browsing data.”
- Select “All time” from the drop-down for “Time range.”
- Tick the check box for “Cached images and files.”
- Hit the “Clear data” button.
- Restart your browser once done.
Use Another Browser
If Google Slides still displays your texts overlapped when using Google Chrome, try using another browser, such as Microsoft Edge, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera. See which works best for you.
Final Thoughts
The Google Slides text overlapping problem can happen at any time. If it happens on the day you have a presentation at work or in class, solve it immediately by using the platform in Incognito mode.
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