You have a great image and some text to go with it, but Google Slides keeps stacking them the wrong way. The image lands on top and hides your words, or the text refuses to sit cleanly over your photo.
Putting an image behind text in Google Slides is simple once you know where the controls are. There are two reliable ways to do it, depending on whether you want the image behind a single block of text or behind everything on the slide. This guide walks through both, step by step, and covers how to move an image behind text when the layering goes wrong.
At the end, we will also look at a related and trendier effect: placing text behind the subject of a photo, which is a different look you cannot easily achieve inside Slides alone.
Two Ways to Put an Image Behind Text in Google Slides
There are two methods, and which one you want depends on your goal.
Method 1: Send the image to the back. Use this when you want an image behind a specific text box, while keeping other elements on the slide arranged how you like. This gives you the most control over positioning.
Method 2: Set the image as the slide background. Use this when you want the image to fill the entire slide and sit behind everything, with your text and other content layered on top.
Let us go through both.
Method 1: Send the Image to the Back
This is the most common approach and the one most people are looking for. You layer a text box on top of an image by sending the image to the back.
Step 1: Insert your image Open your presentation and go to the slide you want. Click Insert, then Image, and choose to upload from your computer or pick from another source. Resize and position the image where you want it on the slide.
Step 2: Add a text box Click Insert, then Text box. Draw the text box over the area of the image where you want your words to appear, and type your text.
Step 3: Select the image Click once on the image to select it. You will see the selection handles appear around its edges.
Step 4: Send it to the back Right-click the image and choose Order, then Send to back. You can also do this from the Arrange menu at the top: Arrange, then Order, then Send to back. The image now drops behind the text box, so your text sits clearly in front of it.
Step 5: Adjust your text for readability Make sure your text is readable against the image. If the image is busy or the text is hard to see, change the text color, make it bold, or add a semi-transparent shape behind the text to help it stand out.
That is it. Your image is now behind your text.
Method 2: Set the Image as the Slide Background
If you want the image to fill the whole slide and sit behind all of your content, setting it as the background is the cleaner option.
Step 1: Open the background settings With your slide open, click the Slide menu at the top and choose Change background. You can also right-click anywhere on the slide and select Change background.
Step 2: Choose your image In the background panel, click Choose image next to the Image option, then upload or select the image you want to use. It will fill the entire slide background.
Step 3: Apply it Click Done to apply the background to the current slide. If you want every slide to use the same background image, click Add to theme instead, and it will apply across your presentation.
Step 4: Add your text on top Now any text box you add will automatically sit on top of the background image, since the background always stays behind your content. Type and position your text wherever you need it.
This method is ideal for title slides, section dividers, and any slide where you want a full-bleed image with text over it.
How to Move an Image Behind Text in Google Slides
Sometimes the image is already on the slide but it is sitting in front of your text and covering it. Moving it behind the text is quick.
Click the image to select it, then right-click and choose Order. You will see a few options:
- Send to back moves the image behind everything else on the slide.
- Send backward moves the image back by just one layer at a time, which is useful when you have several overlapping elements and only want to nudge the order.
For most cases, Send to back is what you want. The image drops behind your text, and your words become visible again. If you have multiple layered objects and the image needs to sit behind the text but in front of something else, use Send backward and click it until the image lands in the right spot.
Tips for Image and Text Layering That Looks Good
Getting the layering right is only half the job. Making it look professional is the other half.
Prioritize text readability. A beautiful image is useless if it makes your text impossible to read. If your text is competing with a busy image, add a semi-transparent rectangle between the image and the text to mute the background behind your words.
Use contrast. Light text on a dark image, or dark text on a light image. If your image has both light and dark areas, position your text over the part that gives you the best contrast.
Keep it simple. One clear image behind one clear block of text reads better than a cluttered slide with several overlapping elements fighting for attention.
Adjust image transparency. While Slides does not have a one-click transparency slider for inserted images in every version, you can use the image format options to adjust transparency, or place a semi-transparent shape over the image to soften it behind your text.
The Trendy Alternative: Text Behind Image
Everything above puts an image behind text in a flat, layered way. The image is one layer, the text is another, and the text sits fully in front.
There is a different and very popular effect that works the other way around, and it is worth knowing about because it looks far more striking. It is called the text behind image effect. Instead of text sitting flatly in front of a photo, the text appears to go behind the main subject of the photo, like a person standing in front of large words, where the text is behind the person but in front of the background. The result is a sense of depth, as if the text is part of the scene.
You see this effect everywhere on social media, posters, YouTube thumbnails, and marketing graphics. The catch is that Google Slides cannot do it, because creating it requires automatically detecting the subject of a photo and separating it from the background, which presentation software is not built for.
This is exactly what Content Anchor's Text Behind Image tool does. You upload your image, type your text, and the tool automatically places that text behind the main subject, creating the layered depth effect in seconds. You can then download the finished image and drop it straight into your Google Slides presentation as a single, polished graphic.
So if you want to truly put text behind an image in the eye-catching, modern sense, that is the tool for it. Create the effect there, then bring the image into Slides.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I put an image behind text in Google Slides? Insert your image and a text box, then click the image, right-click, choose Order, and select Send to back. The text box will then sit in front of the image. Alternatively, set the image as the slide background through the Slide menu so it sits behind all your content automatically.
How do I move an image behind text in Google Slides? Click the image to select it, right-click, choose Order, then Send to back to move it behind everything, or Send backward to move it back one layer at a time.
Why does my image keep covering my text? Because the image is on a layer in front of the text. Select the image and send it to the back using the Order menu, and your text will become visible again.
Can I make the image transparent so my text is easier to read? You can adjust image transparency in the format options, or place a semi-transparent shape between the image and your text to mute the background and improve text readability.
How do I set an image as the slide background in Google Slides? Click the Slide menu, choose Change background, click Choose image, and select your image. Click Done for that slide or Add to theme to apply it across the presentation.
Can Google Slides put text behind the subject of a photo? No. That depth effect, known as text behind image, requires automatically separating the subject from the background, which Slides cannot do. You can create it with Content Anchor's Text Behind Image tool and then import the finished image into Slides.
Wrapping Up
Putting an image behind text in Google Slides comes down to two methods: send the image to the back to layer it behind a text box, or set it as the slide background to place it behind everything. Both take less than a minute once you know where the controls live.
And if you want something more eye-catching than flat layering, the text behind image effect places your text behind the subject of a photo for real depth. Create it free with Content Anchor's Text Behind Image tool, then drop the result into your slides.
