How to Put a Custom Map in PowerPoint or Google Slides
Updated 6 October 2026
To put a custom map in a presentation, build it in the Map Studio, choose a slide-shaped layout, download it as a PNG and insert the picture on your slide. For a map that blends into your design, select a country first: that PNG has a transparent background.
Why a custom map beats a screenshot
A screenshot carries browser buttons, odd crop edges and blurry text. A map made for slides has exactly the pins, colours and names you chose, a clean frame and a sharp resolution. It also keeps its credits, which matters when a deck is shared.
Build the map
- Open the Map Studio and add your places with the Find box or an import.
- In the Export tab, open Print layout and grid and choose a slide-shaped proportion, so the map fills the slide without stretching.
- Pick a view. Light is calm and lets your pins stand out on any slide design. Dark suits a dark deck.
- Use bold marker colours and larger names than you think you need. Slides are viewed from a distance.
- Turn off anything you do not need, such as the north arrow, to keep the slide uncluttered.
Choose the right download
- PNG, High quality (2x) is the best default. It is sharp on a projector and a modest file size.
- PNG, Print quality (3x) is for handouts or large printed posters of the slide.
- JPG gives the smallest file and has a white background, which is fine for plain white slides.
The transparent country trick
Choose a country in the Studio and the rest of the world is masked out. The PNG is then trimmed to the country with a transparent background, so it sits directly on any slide colour, photo or gradient. Add pins for your offices, customers or stops and place the image beside your text.
Insert it into your slide
PowerPoint: choose Insert, Pictures, This Device and select the file, or drag it onto the slide. Google Slides: choose Insert, Image, Upload from computer. Resize from a corner handle so the proportions stay the same. Use Alt text to describe the map for accessibility, for example "Map of Italy with offices in Rome, Milan and Naples".
Design tips
- Leave empty space around the map so it can breathe.
- Match the pin colour to your brand colour, and keep a single accent colour for what matters.
- Prefer one idea per map. If you have two stories, make two slides.
- Check legibility from the back of the room, or shrink your screen to a quarter of its size.
Slide-by-slide ideas
- Where we work. A single country with pins for each office. The transparent PNG sits neatly beside a list of locations.
- Our customers. Pins coloured by customer type with a short legend.
- The plan. A route with numbered stops for a roadshow, a site visit or a project timeline.
- Before and after. Two maps side by side, with the same view and different colours, to show growth.
Accessibility and file size
Describe every map in the slide notes or alt text, for example "Map of Pakistan with offices in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad", so people using screen readers get the same information. High quality (2x) PNG files are usually a few hundred kilobytes, which is light enough to email. If a deck becomes heavy, download the maps as JPG instead, or reduce the number of pins and names. Always check the finished slides on the screen or projector you will really use, because colours and thin lines can look quite different from your laptop.
A final check on the slide
Before presenting, step back from the screen and check that pins, names and the legend are still readable from a distance. Confirm the map is not stretched, because a stretched image makes circles look like ovals. Keep the credits visible in the corner, and if you share the deck publicly, keep the project file so you can regenerate the map when a number changes.
Common questions
Will the map stay sharp when I enlarge it?
It stays sharp at the size you exported, and a little beyond. Download at 3x if you may enlarge it a lot.
Can I edit the map later?
Save the project file, and reopen it to change colours, names or places, then download again.
Do I need to credit the map?
Credits are added to the image automatically. Please leave them in place. See the credits page for details.