Random Slideshow
✓ Free · no sign-up

Your Google Drive or Photos album as a random slideshow

Paste a shared Google Drive folder or Google Photos album link and the photos play full screen, shuffled, with a new order every time. Send the link to family and friends to watch on a phone, laptop or TV.

Step 1 of 2

Drive folders must be shared as “Anyone with the link”; Google Photos albums need a share link.

  • New random order each time
  • Updates when you add photos
  • No app, no account to watch
  • Photos stay where they are

Live demo

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How it works

Three steps, about five minutes the first time. After that, adding photos to the folder is all it takes.

01Drive

Add photos to a Drive folder

Create a folder in Google Drive and upload the photos you want to show.

02Share

Share it and copy the link

Set the folder's access to Anyone with the link and copy its link.

03Watch

Paste it here and share

Press Continue, then play it yourself or send the short link to others, even as a QR code.

For computers

One click from Google Drive or Google Photos

Add the bookmarklet to your bookmarks bar once. Then, whenever you're looking at a Drive folder or a shared Google Photos album, click it to open that folder or album as a random slideshow, with no copying or pasting.

  1. Show your bookmarks bar: Ctrl+Shift+B (on a Mac ⌘+Shift+B).
  2. Drag the button below onto the bookmarks bar.
  3. Open a Google Drive folder or a shared Google Photos album and click 🔀 Slideshow in the bar.

🔀 Slideshow ← drag this to your bookmarks bar

Works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on a computer. The folder still has to be shared as “Anyone with the link”, and the album needs a share link. On phones, paste the link in the box at the top instead.

Made for watching together

Built for the family TV, a screen at a party, or a link in the group chat.

Truly shuffled

A fresh random order every time the link is opened, and again after each full round, so the same photos don't always come first.

Always up to date

Add photos to the Drive folder and they join the slideshow within about five minutes. The link never changes.

Nothing to install

Runs in any modern browser. Viewers don't need a Google account, an app or a password.

Full screen, your pace

3 to 60 seconds per photo with a soft fade and a barely-there slow zoom you can switch off. Controls hide on their own and the screen stays awake where the browser allows it.

Easy controls

← → to skip, Space to pause, ↑ ↓ to change the speed, F for full screen, or swipe on a phone or tablet. Need the original order for once? The shuffle button switches it off.

Play it on the TV

In Chrome, press the Cast button in the slideshow to send it to a Chromecast or Google TV. The TV plays on its own, so you can close the laptop. Photos are sized for each screen, crisp on a TV and light on a phone.

Ideas and guides

The same free tool, for different occasions.

Google Photos

Shuffle a Google Photos slideshow

Google Photos has no shuffle button. Play any shared album in random order instead.

Read the guide → Google Drive

Google Drive folder slideshow

Turn a Drive folder into a full-screen slideshow anyone can open.

Read the guide → Photo frame

Free digital photo frame

Use an old tablet, laptop or smart TV as a photo frame that keeps itself up to date.

Read the guide → Events

Live slideshow for weddings and parties

Guests add photos to a shared album, and the screen shows them within minutes.

Read the guide →

Step-by-step guide

Takes about five minutes the first time. You'll need a Google account to set up the folder; the people watching won't.

1Add your photos to a Google Drive folder

On a computer

  1. Go to drive.google.com and sign in.
  2. Click + New → New folder, give it a name (for example “Family photos”) and click Create.
  3. Open the folder by double-clicking it.
  4. Drag the photos from your computer into the browser window, or click + New → File upload and pick them.
  5. Wait until the upload panel in the bottom right says the uploads are complete.

On a phone

  1. Open the Google Drive app.
  2. Tap + → Folder, type a name and tap Create.
  3. Open the new folder.
  4. Tap + → Upload and choose the photos.

Tips: put the photos directly in this folder; files inside subfolders are not shown. Videos in Drive folders are skipped. To include videos, use a Google Photos album instead (see below): album videos play in the slideshow.

2Share the folder and copy its link

On a computer

  1. Go back to the folder list in Drive and right-click your folder.
  2. Choose Share → Share.
  3. Under General access, change Restricted to Anyone with the link. Leave the role as Viewer.
  4. Click Copy link, then Done.

On a phone

  1. In the folder list, tap ⋮ next to your folder.
  2. Tap Share, then the General access setting (it says “Restricted”).
  3. Change it to Anyone with the link, keeping the role as Viewer.
  4. Go back, tap ⋮ next to the folder again and tap Copy link.

The link you copied should look like https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AbC…. If it contains /file/d/ instead, you copied the link of a single photo. Go back and copy the folder's link.

★Using a Google Photos album instead

Skip steps 1 and 2 if your photos are already in a Google Photos album.

On a computer

  1. Go to photos.google.com and open the album.
  2. Click the Share icon at the top.
  3. Click Create link (or Copy link if the album already has one).

On a phone

  1. Open the Google Photos app and the album.
  2. Tap Share.
  3. Tap Create link or Copy link.

The link should look like https://photos.app.goo.gl/…. Anyone with it can see the album, so share it only with people you want to see the photos.

3Paste the link and start the slideshow

  1. Scroll up to the box at the top of this page and paste the folder or album link (Ctrl+V, or ⌘+V on a Mac; on a phone, tap and hold → Paste).
  2. Press Continue. The site checks the link and shows the folder or album name and how many photos it found.
  3. Pick the seconds per photo if you want something other than 6, then press Play slideshow. The photos play in random order.
  4. Press F or the ⛶ button for full screen. Use the − and + buttons (or ↓ ↑) to change how long each photo stays. Move the mouse or tap to bring the controls back.

4Send the slideshow to others

  1. In the Send it to others box under the play button, use Copy link to copy the short slideshow link (it looks like random-slideshow.palts.com/s/1AbC…), or Share… on a phone to send it straight to WhatsApp, Messages, email and so on.
  2. While the slideshow is playing, the share button in the controls (or the S key) opens the same options. Whoever opens the link sees the same folder, at the same speed, in their own random order.
  3. Showing it on a TV? With a Chromecast or Google TV, press the Cast button in the slideshow (in Chrome on a computer or Android phone); otherwise open the link in the TV's browser. Then switch on the QR code button in the slideshow controls (or press Q) to keep a small QR code in the corner, on the TV too when casting. Guests can scan it with their phone camera to watch on their own phone.

Adding photos later: upload them to the same Drive folder. They appear in the slideshow within about five minutes, and the address stays the same. To stop sharing, set the folder's General access back to Restricted.

↑ Back to the link box

Questions

Do the people I send it to need a Google account?

No. Anyone with the slideshow link can watch it in a web browser without signing in or installing anything.

Are my photos uploaded or stored anywhere?

No. The photos stay in your Google Drive or Google Photos and load directly from Google. This site only reads the list of photos in the folder or album and doesn't copy or keep them.

Who can see my photos?

Anyone who has the folder link or the slideshow link, which is how “Anyone with the link” sharing works in Google Drive. Slideshow pages are hidden from search engines, but treat the link like the folder link: share it only with people you want to see the photos. To stop sharing, change the folder back to “Restricted” in Drive.

Can I use a Google Photos album?

Yes. Open the album in Google Photos, tap Share and choose Create link (or Copy link if it already has one), then paste that link here. Links look like photos.app.goo.gl/…. Videos in an album play too, muted to start with; use the speaker button (or the M key) for sound. Reading albums relies on Google Photos\' public album page, so it could stop working if Google changes that page; Drive folders are the most reliable option.

It says it can't find the folder. What's wrong?

Usually the folder is still private: set it to “Anyone with the link” in Drive's Share dialog. Also check that you copied the link of the folder, not of a single photo inside it. A folder link contains /drive/folders/.

Do videos play?

Videos in a Google Photos album play, muted to start with; use the speaker button or the M key for sound. Videos in a Google Drive folder are skipped, because Drive only lets them play on its own site. If your folder has videos, put the photos and videos in a Google Photos album and use the album's link.

Can I play the photos in their original order?

Yes, though shuffling is the point of this tool. While the slideshow plays, press the shuffle button in the controls (or the R key) to play the folder's or album's own order. The setting is kept in the slideshow's address, so a link you share plays the same way.

Can I play it on my TV?

Yes. With a Chromecast, Google TV or a TV with Chromecast built in, open the slideshow in Chrome on a computer or Android phone and press the Cast button in the controls. The TV loads the photos and plays by itself, so you can close the tab; the TV remote's arrows skip and OK pauses. Other smart TVs can open the link in their own browser. Casting from an iPhone or iPad browser isn't possible.

Can I change how long each photo is shown?

Yes. Pick 3 to 60 seconds under the link box before starting, or use the − and + buttons in the slideshow (or the ↓ and ↑ keys). The speed is saved in the slideshow's address, so a link you send plays at the same speed.

Is it free?

Yes. No sign-up, no subscription, no watermark.