3 Instant Ways to Use Laser Pointer in Google Meet

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In this guide, I will show you three instant ways to use a laser pointer in a Google Meet call.

Let’s dive in!

Overview Table

Method	Step-by-step Instructions
Google Slides	Start presenting. Go to the Options menu. Enable Laser Pointer.
PowerPoint	Start your presentation. Go to the Pointer option. Enable the Laser Pointer tool.
Chrome Extension (AnyTab Laser Pointer)	Download and install the extension. Initiate the Laser Pointer tool. Customize (if you want to). Open Google Meet. Begin your meeting. Present the screen.

1. Using the Laser Pointer Feature in Google Slides

The laser pointer tool in Google Slides helps point out certain aspects (texts, images, etc.) in your slides or makes presenting dynamic and interactive.

Here are the steps to activate the feature:

Step 1: Begin Your Presentation

Open a Google Slides file inside Google Meet and click the “Slide Show” option to get rolling.

Or use the Ctrl + F5 shortcut instead.

Step 2: Go to the Access Options Menu

Navigate to the screen’s bottom left corner and hit the three-dot sign.

Step 3: Turn on the Laser Pointer

Select “Turn on the laser pointer.”

Tip: As a shortcut, use the “L” key to enable the feature quickly.

The laser pointer will show on the screen as a red moving dot, looking comet-like when in motion.

Now that you have activated the laser pointer impress your audience with your slide presentation and maneuvering skills.

If you’d like to see how it’s done, check out this video below:

2. Using the Laser Pointer Feature in PowerPoint

Now it’s time to learn how to use the laser pointer in Microsoft’s PowerPoint, one of the pioneers in the presentation software space.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Start Your Presentation

Open a PowerPoint file and hit F5 on your keyboard to begin the slideshow.

Or, click the “Slide Show” sign on your screen’s bottom right.

Step 2: Go to Pointer Options

While on the presentation screen, right-click using your mouse and select “Pointer Options.”  

Step 3: Enable the Laser Pointer

Choose “Laser Pointer.”

The mouse cursor will now behave like a laser pointer, helping you get your audience’s attention to something specific on the screen.

Alternatively, hit the Ctrl key and the left mouse button simultaneously. The red pointer should appear on the screen.

You can let go of the Ctrl key but continue left-clicking to retain the red pointer.

If you release the mouse click, the red dot will disappear, which you can reinvoke using the above key-click combination.

It’s worth reiterating that the above pointer functions can be enabled only when your slide is in presentation mode.

Watch the video below to see how it’s done:

3. Using the Laser Pointer Extension for Google Chrome

Add a laser pointer to a mouse cursor to elevate any Google Meet experience.

The tool helps add the pointer mechanism to any spreadsheet or web file, cutting through dense texts, busy designs, cluttered spreadsheets, etc.

For example, the following guide focuses on the Chrome AnyTab Laser Pointer extension. Below are the detailed steps for the same.

Step 1. Install the Browser Extension

Add AnyTab Laser Pointer to your Chrome browser.

Since the extension is designed for Chrome, it should be compatible with any Chromium-based web browser, such as Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi, to name a few.

Step 2: Activate the Extension

After installing AnyTab Laser Pointer, click the extension icon at your browser’s upper right.

Then, activate AnyTab by selecting it from the list of extensions.

For easy access, hit the pin icon next to the extension so that it stays visible on the toolbar.

Step 3: Customize (If Required)

If you don’t fancy the mouse click and trail colors, you can alter them in the extension’s settings.

Just click on the extension sign in your browser to reveal the Settings tool.

Under the Mouse Trail option, you can change the color, width, and length numbers. The Mouse Click customization section lets you modify the color, size, and fade elements.

Once customized to your preference, hit the Save button to bring the changes into effect.

Step 4: Open Google Meet

Access Google Meet in your Chrome browser.

Your mouse cursor should now have a red-tail-like trail following it. You can change the color in the extension’s settings anytime.

Note that the extension is not Google Meet-specific. The cursor trail is visible on almost every website you use except for search engines.

Step 5: Start Your Meeting

Click the “New meeting” button and select “Start an instant meeting” from the drop-down options provided.

Share the meeting link to invite participants to the discussion.

Step 6: Showcase Your Screen

Hit the “Present now” button at the bottom of your screen to make it visible to others.

A pop-up window will appear, letting you choose between presenting the given Chrome Tab, Application Window, or Your Entire Screen.

Click Share after choosing. 

While you present or point toward certain things on the shared screen, the mouse cursor will look like a laser pointer to the meeting attendees.

Can You Change the Color of the Pointer in Google Slides and PowerPoint?

Yes, you can change the pointer’s color in PowerPoint. In Google Slides, however, there is no such option. The AnyTab extension also gives that provision as explained above.

Follow the steps below to change the pointer color in PowerPoint.

Step 1: First, activate the standard view. Press the Esc key to revert to it if in presentation mode.

Step 2: Go to the Slide Show menu option.

Step 3: Under the Set Up category, look for and click on Set Up Slide Show.

Step 4: Look for the Laser pointer color option under Show options in the pop-up window.

Step 5: Click the drop-down and choose your color. Click the OK button to activate the change.

Conclusion

When the pandemic hit, and virtual meetings became the norm, the Zoom meeting tool became a household name.

Although Zoom has almost fallen off the cliff since then, online meetings are still a reality in today’s hybrid workspace environments.

And Google Teams is cashing in big time with its slew of features and capabilities. Its laser pointer tool is one such handy feature.

If you’ve not used laser pointers with your PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations in Google Meet before, try it.

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