add presentation title in slide master mode

Slide Master in PowerPoint – A Complete Beginner’s Guide!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

When I first started using PowerPoint, I had no idea about the “Slide Master”. In fact, when I first learned about it, I was quite confused. I didn’t quite understand its purpose and how it worked. Furthermore, some of the changes I made to the slide master were scary at first simply because I didn’t understand how it worked!

Slide Master in PowerPoint allows you to have master control over all slides. It allows you to make changes to all slides at once. You can also use the slide master to create footers, add watermarks and slide numbers, generate custom presentation templates, edit placeholders, among other things.

Retrospectively thinking, having a “Slide Master” in PowerPoint is such an important feature! Knowing how to use the slide master properly can help you save a lot of time while creating a presentation!

So, in this article, I’ll share with you all the details you need to know about a Slide Master in PowerPoint. Without further adieu, let’s get started!

1. What is the Slide Master In PowerPoint and Why is it Used?

Slide Master is a Microsoft PowerPoint feature that allows you to easily edit all the slides at once or the individual slide layouts of a presentation.

1a. What is a Slide Master?

The slide master in Microsoft PowerPoint contains all the information on the slide layout as well as the theme of a presentation. This includes the fonts, color, effects, background, and the size and position of the placeholders.

To access the slide master, first, click on the “View” tab in PowerPoint . Then, click on the “Slide Master” option. This will open the slide master view in PowerPoint.

The master slide is the top slide in a hierarchy of slides in a presentation (as shown in the image above). Changes that you make to the master slide impact all the slides in the slide master.

It is important to note that the actual design and content of the presentation must be added to the slides in the “Normal View”. Any images or content you add to the slide master will become uneditable in the normal view of the PowerPoint presentation.

The best way to use the slide master is by using “Placeholders”. I’ve written a detailed article on “Placeholders” in PowerPoint . Make sure to check out that article to learn more about them!

1b. Uses of Slide Master View in PowerPoint –

Since the slide master stores information about the theme and the layout of the slides in a PowerPoint presentation, you can use the “Slide Master” view to edit several elements in the presentation.

a. Change Slide Background

Using the “Slide Master” view, you can change the background of all the slides at once. The background editing features are available in the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” menu.

You can click on the “Colors” option to change the colors for the slides, the “Fonts” option to set a specific font for the presentation, and the “Effects” option for the background effects. Besides, you can click on the “Hide Background Graphics” option to remove all background graphics from the entire presentation.

Clicking on the “Format Background” option under the “Background Styles” button, you can access various customizable background colors and designs for the presentation.

b. Rearrange Placeholders in Slide Layout

In Microsoft PowerPoint “Slide Master” view, you can edit both the master slide and the slide layouts. By rearranging the placeholders in a slide layout, you will only create changes for the slides using that specific layout instead of the entire presentation.

To rearrange the placeholders, all you have to do is click on a placeholder and drag it to your preferred position on the slide.

c. Customize Overall Text Formatting

In the “Slide Master” view, you can easily change or customize the overall text formatting. You have to first click on the content placeholder in the master slide which is the top slide in the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen.

Then click on the “Home” tab from the menu ribbon. In the “Font” section of the “Home” menu, you can customize the fonts like the style, size, color, highlights, etc. This will customize the text of all the slides.

d. Customize Theme Fonts

By customizing the theme fonts in the “Slide Master” , you can choose a set of fonts for various list levels of text in all the slides. To do so, click on the “Fonts” option in the “Background” section under the “Slide Master” tab. Then click on your preferred set of fonts from the dropdown menu.

e. Customize Theme Colors

The theme color in a “Slide Master” contains a set of colors for various elements of the slides in a presentation like the background, heading, body text, etc. By customizing the theme color in “Slide Master” , you can customize the colors for the entire presentation.

All you have to do is click on the “Colors” option in the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” menu and select your preferred theme colors from the dropdown menu.

f. Create Unique Slide Layouts and Templates

Using the features in the “Slide Master” menu, you can edit any element and object in the presentation. You can change the color, font, arrangement, theme, etc. of the entire presentation.

You can also create and edit individual slide layouts. You can easily use the “Slide Master” view to create fully unique slide layouts and templates.

2. Difference Between Slide Master and a PowerPoint Template?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, a Slide Master contains information about the layout and the theme of the presentation.

A PowerPoint template, on the other hand, is a design or pattern of a slide or even a whole presentation. In short, a template is a copy of a presentation blueprint that can be edited to fit your needs, while the master slide stores the layout and theme of that template.

3. How to Access the Slide Master in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can access the slide master in the “View” menu. You have to first click on the “View” tab in the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen. Then click on the “Slide Master” option in the “Master Views” section of the “View” menu. This will open the “Slide Master” view where you can edit the master slide and the slide layouts.

4. How to Edit a Slide Master in PowerPoint?

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to edit the slide master using the “Slide Master” view. You can edit the master slide itself, and also the slide layouts separately. You can even add or remove master slides and slide layouts.

4a. Using the Master Slide to Apply Changes to All Slide Layouts in PowerPoint

Since the master slide contains all the information on the theme and layouts of the entire presentation, any change in the master slide will be automatically applied to all the slide layouts under the master slide.

To apply changes in the master slide, all you have to do is click on the master slide from the slide layout panel and use the features available in all the tabs in the menu ribbon.

4b. How to Change Slide Background in the Slide Master?

In the “Slide Master” view, click on “Background Styles” and select the “Format Background” option from the dropdown menu. This will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen.

In the “Format Background” sidebar, you can change the color, gradient, or pattern of the background. You can also add an image as the background.

4c. How to Customize Fonts and Text Formatting in the Slide Master in PowerPoint?

To customize fonts and text formatting in the “Slide Master” view, you have to follow the 2 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Customize Fonts” option

You have to first click on the master slide from the slide layout panel. Then click on the “Fonts” option from the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” menu. From the dropdown menu, click on the “Customize Fonts” option at the bottom.

Step-2: Click on the “Save” button

In the “Create New Theme Fonts” dialog box, click on the “Heading font” box to customize the heading and on the “Body font” box for the body text. Then click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

4d. How to Customize Theme Colors in Slide Master?

In the “Slide Master” view of Microsoft PowerPoint, you can customize the theme color by following the 2 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on “Customize Colors”

In the “Background” section of the “Slide Master” view, click on the “Colors” option. Then click on the “Customize Colors” option at the bottom of the dropdown menu.

Step-2: Click on “Save”

In the “Create New Theme Colors” dialog box, click on the box next to each option to select your preferred colors. Then all you have to do is click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the dialog box.

4e. How to Apply Effects in PowerPoint Slide Master?

To apply effects in the “Slide Master” view of PowerPoint, click on the “Effects” option in the “Background” section. This will open a dropdown menu containing fifteen effect options to choose from. All you have to do is click on your preferred effect from the dropdown menu.

4f. How to Edit Footer in PowerPoint?

The footer in a PowerPoint presentation is a text that appears at the bottom of all slides. To edit the footer in the “Slide Master” view, all you have to do is click on the “Footer” box at the bottom of the master slide. Then type in the text you want in the footer.

Check out my other article on “How to Add a Footer in PowerPoint?” to learn more about editing, adding, and removing footers in PowerPoint.

4g. How to Add Logo to All Slides Using Slide Master in PowerPoint

Adding a logo to your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation can be a smart way of branding. It is quite easy if you know the correct steps.

In fact, I’ve written a detailed article on how to add a logo in PowerPoint . Do make sure to check out that article as well to get all the advanced tips and tricks and to know the correct way to do it!

Meanwhile, here are the key steps to add a logo to all slides using the “Slide Master” in PowerPoint –

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” tab

The first step is to click on the master slide from the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen in the “Slide Master” view. Then click on the “Insert” tab from the menu ribbon.

Step-2: Click on the “Pictures” button

The next step is to click on the “Pictures” button in the “Images” section of the “Insert” menu. Then click on the “This Device” option from the dropdown menu. This will open a dialog box.

Step-3: Click on the “Insert” option

In the “Insert Picture” dialog box, click on the logo you want to add to the presentation. Then click on the “Insert” button at the bottom of the dialog box to add the logo to the master slide. This will automatically add the logo to all the slides of the presentation.

4h. Use Slide Master to Add a Watermark in PowerPoint 

A watermark is an identifying text or image that usually appears across a document and is semi-transparent. You can learn about how to add or remove watermarks in PowerPoint in my other article.

Meanwhile, I’ll share the key steps in a brief manner below –

In the “Slide Master” view, click on the master slide which is the top slide in the slide layout panel. Then click on the “Insert” tab from the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Text Box” option

In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Text Box” option from the “Text” section. Then draw the text box on the master slide. You can now type in the text you want as a watermark on all the slides.

Step-3: Click on the “Format Text Effects” option

The next step is to select the text in the watermark text box. Then “Right Click” on the selected text and click on the “Format Text Effects” option. This will open the “Format Shape” sidebar on the right side of the screen.

Step-4: Increase the text transparency

In the “Format Shape” sidebar, click on the “Text Fill and Outline” option which is the first icon. In the “Text Fill” section, click on the “Solid Fill” option. Then drag the slider next to the “Transparency” option to the right until the text reaches your preferred transparency.

5. Understanding Slide Layouts in PowerPoint Slide Master

Slide Layouts in Microsoft PowerPoint are slide designs that have pre-arranged placeholders that you can use to add your content quickly and easily. To understand the functions of slide layouts in PowerPoint and how to use them, you can read my article on slide layouts in PowerPoint .

5a. How to Know Which Slides Use What Slide Layouts

Using the “Normal” view in PowerPoint, you can see which slides are using what slide layouts. All you have to do is follow the 2 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Normal View” option

In the menu ribbon located at the top of the screen, click on the “View” tab. In the “View” menu, click on the “Normal” option which is the first option in the “Presentation Views” section. This will return the screen to “Normal View” .

Step-2: Click on the “Layout” option

In the slide thumbnail panel at the left side of the screen, “Right Click” on a slide. Then click on the “Layout” option from the context menu. This will open a list of all the slide layouts available in the presentation. You will see the slide layout being used by the selected slide is highlighted in the list.

5b. How to Insert and Rename Slide Layouts

To insert or rename slide layouts, you have to first access the “Slide Master” menu from the “View” tab in the menu ribbon.

Inserting Slide Layouts

In the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen, you have to first click on the place where you want to insert a new slide layout. Then click on the “Insert Layout” button in the “Edit Master” section of the “Slide Master” menu.

Renaming Slide Layouts

To rename a slide layout, you have to first click on the layout from the slide layout panel. Then click on the “Rename” option next to the “Insert Layout” button in the “Slide Master” menu. This will open the “Rename Layout” dialog box where you have to type in the new name for the slide layout.

Finally, you have to click on the “Rename” button in the dialog box to rename the slide layout.

6. Understanding Placeholders in Slide Master in PowerPoint

In Microsoft PowerPoint, a placeholder is a pre-formatted box on the slide where you can easily add content with a single click. You can learn more about placeholders in PowerPoint in my other article.

Using the “Slide Master” view, you can add, remove and edit the type and position of the placeholders in each slide layout. There are seven types of placeholders: “Text” , “Pictures” , “Chart” , “Table” , “SmartArt” , “Media” , and “Online Image” .

Besides, you can also use a “Content” placeholder which allows you to add any type of mentioned content.

7. How to Insert a Slide Master in PowerPoint?

To insert a slide master in Microsoft PowerPoint, the first step is to open the “Slide Master” view from the “View” tab. In the “Slide Master” view, click on the “Insert Slide Master” button. It is the first button in the “Edit Master” section of the “Slide Master” menu.

Alternatively, you can press the “Ctrl+M” keys on your keyboard to insert a new slide master.

8. How to Delete a Slide Master in PowerPoint?

To delete an unused master slide in PowerPoint , you have to first “Right Click” on the master slide from the slide layout panel on the left side of the screen. Then click on the “Delete Master” option in the right-click menu. Alternatively, you can press the “delete” key on your keyboard.

9. How to Exit the Slide Master View in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can exit the “Slide Master” view with one click. All you have to do is click on the “Close Master View” button. It is the last button under the “Slide Master” tab and is located in the “Close” section.

How to Use Slide Master in Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Impressive Presentations

With Slide Master, you can customize every aspect of your presentation, including colors, fonts, backgrounds, and effects. Here's how to use it!

No one enjoys a presentation with mismatched colors, missing logos, or unstructured content. Consistency is the key to creating an impressive slide deck. How do you ensure that the presentation is well-formatted and looks professional? You can quickly achieve this by creating a master theme and defining layouts for different types of content.

Microsoft PowerPoint is commonly used to create presentations. You can make a deck from a blank canvas or use predefined themes. Before creating a presentation, let's understand how you can set a theme and style using the Slide Master feature.

Applying a Predefined Theme to Your Presentation

There are many styles and options for creating a theme that aligns with your brand.

Having a uniform color combination, font style, or picture layout on each slide makes a presentation look professional. You can select the theme based on the company's style guide. If there is none available, you can try out different inbuilt themes by Microsoft PowerPoint.

To select a theme, follow these steps:

• Click Themes and choose the desired theme. It is immediately applied to the presentation.
• If you have downloaded a theme on your laptop from Microsoft Office, select the Browse for Themes option.

What Is the Slide Master Feature?

The Slide Master feature in Microsoft PowerPoint helps you create a template or layout for the presentation. You can select a theme, add backgrounds styles, add a company logo, or set the slide size.

Your choices on slide master define the look and feel of the presentation. One presentation can have many master slides, which means you can create one look for the first half of your presentation and another for the second half.

Each master slide can have multiple layouts, which can help you define templates for different slides. In a way, the slide master serves as a master template for the slide decks. Different teams within the company can reuse the slide master or slide layouts.

To access the slide master, open the presentation and select View > Slide Master . You can view the parent and child slides with different formatting options.

How to Use Slide Master in Microsoft PowerPoint

You can create the slide master with nested layout slides and apply a combination of texts, images, or videos on each slide. On the slide master, you can define the master layout for the presentation.

• After opening the presentation, click View > Slide Master .
• Select the master slide and click the Master Layout button on the top ribbon.
• You can select a placeholder for title, text, date, footer, or slide number. These options are automatically applied to all layouts and slides.

Related: Microsoft PowerPoint vs. Google Slides: Which One Should You Be Using?

Inserting Slide Master or Layout

The layout acts as a template for the slides. You can create different layouts for every slide type.

• To insert a new slide master or layout, click Insert Slide Master or Insert Layout on the top ribbon.
• Alternatively, you can right-click on the left panel and choose the appropriate option.
• To rename a layout, select a layout and click the Rename button on the top ribbon. Alternatively, you can right-click on a layout and select Rename . You can also delete a layout.
• Click Preserve so that the slide layout remains in the presentation even if it is not used.

Configuring the Size of the Slide

You can set up the presentation in the standard size (4:3) or widescreen (16:9), which works well for most modern projectors. If you are not happy with the default size of the slide, you can change it. The slides can also be viewed or printed in A4 size, banner, or letter paper format.

• Click Slide Size, and from the drop-down option, you can choose the Standard or Widescreen layouts.
• You can select the orientation of slides, the notes section, and the slides to which you want to apply the size.

RELATED: The Best Sites for Free Animated PowerPoint Presentation Templates

Setting the Background of the Slide

You can select the background colors, fonts and apply effects to the slides. To view the style and format options, click Slide Master in the top ribbon.

• Click the Colors option to view the color combinations. Select your preferred option, and it is applied to the deck.
• Click Fonts to apply the selected font to the text. The font is applied when you exit the Slide Master mode.
• Select the Effects option to apply a specific effect to objects such as charts or graphs.
• Select the Background Style to choose the background color for the slide.
• You can also right-click on a background style to apply the same background to all layouts in the master.
• You can get more options for background colors, including gradient fill, texture, pictures, by clicking the Background Styles > Format Background menu.
• Select the Hide Background Graphics option to remove background graphics on selected layouts.

Inserting a Placeholder on the Slide

Every slide can have text, a chart, or images. These can be added while designing the theme of the presentation. To add a placeholder, follow these steps:

• Select Insert Placeholder .

RELATED: How to Make Professional Slideshows With PowerPoint's Designer Feature

Enjoy Creating Interesting Themes for Your Presentation

Creating a presentation with different slide layouts is an excellent practice. Depending on the type of content they want to present, diverse teams can reuse these slide layouts.

At first, the layouts and slide styles can seem overwhelming. But you can access learning resources by Microsoft to gain in-depth knowledge about all the features. Don't forget to experiment and create your custom themes.

Even though Microsoft PowerPoint is commonly used to create slide decks, you can also teach skills by creating online learning modules.

• Add and delete slides Video
• Apply or change a slide layout Video
• Apply Themes to presentations Video
• Get design ideas for slides Video
• Change slide masters Video
• Change the page orientation Video
• Add a watermark to your slides Video
• Organize slides into sections Video
• Add a logo to your slides Video

Change slide masters

Use a slide master to add consistency to your colors, fonts, headings, logos, and other styles, and to help unify the form of your presentation.

Change the Slide Master

Select View > Slide Master .

Make the text, color, and alignment changes you want.

Select Close Master View .

What is a slide master?

Customize a slide master

Add color and design to my slides with themes

Use multiple themes in one presentation

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Computers and Electronics
• Presentation Software
• PowerPoint Presentations

How to Edit a PowerPoint Master Slide

Last Updated: May 5, 2021

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls . Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College. This article has been viewed 45,144 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to edit slide masters in PowerPoint. Slide masters are used to apply the same layout, fonts, styles, images, and placeholders to multiple slides in a PowerPoint presentation. A slide master can have multiple layouts. [1] X Research source

Accessing Slide Master View

• If you have PowerPoint presentations saved on your OneDrive, click OneDrive and then click a PowerPoint presentation you wish to open.

Adding and Deleting Slide Masters and Layouts

• There must be at least one slide master in the list on the left.
• You can also use the right-click menu to rename or duplicate slide masters and layouts.

Editing Backgrounds and Themes

• If you want to create layouts with different themes, color schemes, or fonts, you need to create a new slide master.

• Applying a background style to a slide master affects all the layouts below the slide master. Applying a background style to a layout only affects that layout.

• Solid fill: This applies a single color to the background. Use the "Color" drop-down menu to select a color.
• Gradient: . This applies a fade with two or more colors as a background. To change the gradient colors, click a stop below "Color stops" and then use the "Color" drop-down menu to select a color. Select the gradient type using the "Type" drop-down menu.
• Picture or texture fill: This option allows you to use an image as your background. Click File to select an image file from your computer or use the "Texture" drop-down menu to select one of the texture images.
• Pattern fill: This option allows you to use a pattern as your background. Select a pattern in the menu below "Pattern" and then use the "Foreground" and "Background" drop-down menus to select colors for the pattern.

• If you do not click Apply to all , it will only apply your background settings to a single layout.

Editing Placeholders

• Content: Content placeholders can be filled with any type of content, such as text, images, tables, charts, videos.
• Text: Text placeholders are used to indicate where text will go. You can use a text placeholder to format your text before you even know what the text will say.
• Image: Image placeholders will eventually be filled with an image files, such as a JPEG.
• Chart: Chart placeholders are used to indicate where a chart or graph will be placed.
• Table: Table placeholders are used to indicate where a table, such as those created in Excel will be placed.
• SmartArt: SmartArt is Microsoft's editable graphics. A smartArt placeholder indicates where smartArt will eventually be placed. [3] X Research source
• Media: Media placeholders indicate where media, such as a video file will eventually be placed.
• Online Image: An online image placeholder indicates where you can choose an image from online

• To edit the position of a placeholder, click and hold a blank spot inside the placeholder bounding box. Then drag the placeholder to where you want to go.
• To rotate a placeholder, click the circular arrow icon above the placeholder bounding box and drag left or right to rotate the bounding box.
• To adjust the size of the placeholder, click and drag the small circles in the corners and sides of the placeholder bounding box.
• To Delete a placeholder, click the place holder and press Delete .

• You can also use the options in the menu to add other text effects such as bullets or a numbered list, or text effects such as shadow, glow, or 3D.

Applying a Slide Master or Layout to PowerPoint Slides

• You can also insert a new slide by click Insert in the menu bar at the top and clicking New Slide

• Text: Click the placeholder text to edit it. Highlight the text and press Delete to remove the placeholder text. Then type your own text.
• Image: Click the image icon to open a file browser. Select an image on your computer and click Open .
• Chart: Click the chart icon in the placeholder. Then select a chart type in the menu to the left of the window and click a chart style at the top and click Ok . Use the table to edit the labels and numbers for the chart.
• Table: Click the table icon in the placeholder and then type the number of columns and rows for the table and click Ok . Then click each cell and add your own text to the cell.
• SmartArt: Click the SmartArt icon in the middle of the placeholder. Then select the type or art in the menu on the left. Then select a style in the center and click Ok . Use the pop-up window to add text to the graphic or click the text boxes in the graphic and type your own text.
• Media: Click the media icon in the center of the placeholder and then use the file browser to navigate to an audio or video file on your computer. Click the audio or video file and click Insert .
• Online Image: Click the online image icon in the center of the placeholder. Then use the search bar to search for an image. Click an image you like to select it.

Expert Q&A

Wikihow video: how to edit a powerpoint master slide, you might also like.

• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/what-is-a-slide-master-b9abb2a0-7aef-4257-a14e-4329c904da54
• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/customize-a-slide-master-036d317b-3251-4237-8ddc-22f4668e2b56
• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/video-create-and-change-smartart-393bd987-c33a-4821-aaea-fd9ea71916cd

About This Article

If you want to change the layout or style of all slides in your PowerPoint presentation, you can edit your Slide Master. First, open your PowerPoint presentation and click the "View" tab. Next, click "Slide Master" on the toolbar to open the Slide Master tab. You'll see the Slide Master for your theme at the top of the left panel. The Slide Master contains formatting for elements like headers, footers, and title placeholders. The smaller slides under the Slide Master are Slide Layouts, which inherit the basics of the Slide Master but feature alternative layouts for different types of presentations. You can edit these separately in addition to making changes to your Slide Master. To resize an element, such as the body or title area on a Slide Master or Layout, click it once and then drag its sizing handle. To move an element, click its border and then drag it to the desired location. You can also customize fonts by selecting the text in an element, such as the title, and then making changes using the font options on the Home tab. To add a placeholder for a certain type of object, such as a picture or a chart, click the "Insert Placeholder" button in the toolbar and select your desired option. You can also use the "Background" panel on the toolbar to change the theme's colors and style elements. Just make sure the Slide Master is selected in the left panel and not just one of the Layouts first. Click "Colors" on the toolbar to choose a new color scheme, and then "Background Styles" to choose a new background color from the palette. Click "Fonts" to change the font throughout, and "Effects" to add effects to objects, such as drop-shadows. To add a new layout to a Slide Master, click "Insert Layout" in the toolbar. To delete any part of your Slide Master or Layout, click it once and press the "Delete" key on your keyboard. When you're finished editing your Slide Master, click "Close Master View" in the toolbar to return to regular editing mode—your changes will be applied to all slides in your presentation automatically. Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Is this article up to date?

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

PowerPoint Slide Masters: Save Time and Customize Your Presentations

Editing a PowerPoint presentation is not without risk: new images or text can ruin the layout, new slides from external sources aren’t visually cohesive. And when it comes to color design, it’s incredibly difficult to accurately reconstruct the original color scheme from sight.

To avoid these issues and a lot of headaches, consider using a slide master. With it, you can change or enhance presentations as often as you like without losing the plot. Here we’ll show you how to best use your PowerPoint slide master.

PowerPoint Slide Master: What is it?

The slide master (found in PowerPoint under > View > Slide Master ) is the basic framework and control center of any good presentation. Think of it as a kind of toolbox in the background of your presentation that encompasses all the rules of layout . It helps you maintain a uniform appearance and quickly create new slides at any time. And best of all? You won’t have to worry about annoying formatting.

In the slide master, you can preset the formatting and positioning of all principal elements in your presentation. This includes titles, subtitles, text and image placeholders, footers and logos. In short, the slide master in PowerPoint is nothing more than your individual design template .

Elements that are set in the master can’t be moved or deleted in the normal editing mode. This is a useful feature when you’re working in a team. Team members can create new individual slides or entire presentations in the company’s own design without running the risk of moving or removing essential elements.

When you open Microsoft PowerPoint in edit mode and create a new slide, you or your collaborators will no longer find blank, white surfaces, but will be able to choose the layout design you need right away.

You can make changes on the slide master at any time. These changes are directly applied to all slides . This saves you so much time! It also guarantees that all fonts and font sizes, color schemes and positions of logos or other elements remain identical on every slide.

The benefits of using a PowerPoint slide master

A master layout in PowerPoint allows you and your staff to focus more on content and not waste time formatting or modifying individual slide layouts . This means fewer formatting errors and more consistent presentations across your organization.

Your clients benefit from a PowerPoint slide master, too! Not only is it more enjoyable to watch a professionally designed presentation, but your presentation will also be more persuasive and inspiring.

Are you interested in an individually fitted slide master? Our agency is looking at a successful past in which we were able to help many satisfied customers . Don’t hesitate to contact us !

The master slide

The first slide of your slide master is the master slide , or mother slide. It contains all your fundamental formatting . Adjustments made to this slide will carry over to all your master’s subsequent layout slides, the children. That’s why it’s best to define the font and size of your titles, subtitles, footers and logos on the master slide.

Each layout slide can also be customized . Common layout slides include title slides, divider slides, comparison slides, slides with text-image combinations, image-only slides, slides with list formatting, chart slides and more.

Using a master template customized to your company’s requirements allows you to create a predefined standard for new presentations. This standard plays an important role in shaping your company’s corporate image.

How to use the PowerPoint slide master

The slide master allows you to create custom grids and align elements at specified distances. A well-defined slide master with slide layouts is by no means a set of slides with randomly selected placeholders. It is a well-thought-out construct of layouts and rules.

Defined margins provide the framework for your content. The spacing between the individual objects on the slide (e.g., images, headings), ensure a clean and professional design across all slides.

When our agency creates PowerPoint slide masters for clients, we also select a unique color scheme or adopt the client’s CI (corporate identity) color scheme. This means that you, as a client, can immediately access the predefined color palette to adjust font or object color.

Below you’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to use a PowerPoint slide master correctly.

Create and edit a PowerPoint slide master

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.

2. Click on the View tab.

3. Click on Slide Master . In the Slide Master view, you’ll see all your presentation’s slide layouts in the thumbnail pane on the left.

4. Click on Insert Slide Master located above the thumbnail pane.

5. The new slide master will appear in the thumbnail pane below the existing slide master. It will be given the number 2 if there is already one slide master, or 3 if there are already two slide masters, etc. Now you can edit the new slide master in the master view.

Any changes made to the PowerPoint slide master are automatically applied to all other slide layouts . Changes to a single slide layout (e.g., title slides, comparison slides, image-only slides) will only affect that specific layout. All new slides with that layout will incorporate the changes you have just made.

The master layout

There are basically two levels to a PowerPoint slide master: the master slide and the subsequent slide layouts/master layouts . These layouts can differ greatly from each other.

Certain slide layouts work better than others, depending on what content you intend to include. Some are better for presenting images or graphs, while other layouts are more suitable for text-heavy content.

All layouts consist of coordinated text and/or object placeholders that are scaled and designed to match the purpose of the slide. These “objects” are, for example, photos, statistics, or animations. You can quickly add content to the placeholders and customize the different layouts as needed.

A change to the master slide applies to all slides in your presentation. A change to a particular slide layout applies to all slides with that specific layout. Do you want tighter spacing between individual text or image boxes on all comparison slides?

All you need to do is make this change on the comparison slide master layout in the Slide Master view. All comparison slides in your presentation will have the new layout.

Tip: Slide Master view vs. Normal view : Changes made in Slide Master view can’t be changed or accidentally deleted in Normal view. This makes editing mistakes to the layout almost impossible.

Rename a PowerPoint slide master

2. Click the View tab.

3. Click on Slide Master .

4. In the thumbnail pane, right-click the layout slide you want to rename and select Rename Layout .

5. In the dialog box, enter the new name for the layout and click Rename .

6. Click on Close Master View and switch to the Home tab. Click on Layout in the Slides group. You will now see the renamed slide layout in drop-down menu.

Use different PowerPoint slide masters

Can’t decide which design suits your content or personal preferences best? You can insert several design themes and combine them with each other. To do this, you’ll need several PowerPoint slide masters.

How to add multiple PowerPoint slide masters:

1. Go to View > Slide Master to switch to the master slide view mode.

2. Click Insert Slide Master in the Edit Master group.

3. Your new slide master will appear below the previous one. You can now edit the new slide master as you wish or use a theme template to customize it.

Shortcut : In Slide Master view, click on Themes to select a new design. You can then create a new slide master in the selected theme.

Editing headers & footers in the PowerPoint slide master

1. Go to View > Slide Master .

2. Select the master slide from the thumbnail panel on the left.

3. You’ll see placeholders for footer content at the bottom of the slide. Fill, customize and arrange these as desired. To create a header, place one of the boxes at the top of the screen.

4. In the Home tab, you can change elements such as font, font size and color scheme.

5. Go back to Slide Master and click Close Master View . All changes will be saved and automatically applied.

Other PowerPoint masters

In addition to the slide master, PowerPoint provides two other helpful masters: the PowerPoint handout master and the PowerPoint notes master .

Handouts are printouts of your presentation that you can pass out to your audience before or after your presentation. The handout master helps with the content and visual design of these handouts. As with the slide master, changes made in the handout master apply to all pages of the handout.

Go to View > Handout Master . Here you can define formatting, color design and how much content should be used on each page of the handout.

PowerPoint’s notes master helps you organize additional information or personal notes. During a presentation, your screen will display each slide’s notes. Best of all, the audience won’t see any of this.

The PowerPoint notes master allows you to customize the structure of your note pages across all slides. Just like the other masters, all changes are automatically applied to all note pages. Go to View > Notes Master to customize your personal note pages.

The PowerPoint slide master: organizer, time saver and designer for your PowerPoint presentation

The PowerPoint slide master functions as the control center of a presentation. In it, you can define design rules that affect every slide. PowerPoint also offers the handout master and the notes master. All three masters have children slides or pages.

All changes to a master are automatically applied to every slide. PowerPoint’s masters are the perfect tools for creating a professional and consistent layout and design for your presentation.

Are you interested in an individually fitted slide master? Our agency is looking at a successful past in which we were able to help many satisfied customers . Don’t hesitate to contact us ! We’d be happy to design a layout that suits your individual preferences and needs.

If you have questions about the slide master or other topics regarding powerpoint – please write us an email to [email protected] . We would be happy to help!

Share this post

• share  
• save  

Design Thinking: Problem Solving with a Difference

Why Corporate Mission Statements Are So Important

7 Tips & Learnings from the Apple Keynote

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

How do I insert a title slide into a PowerPoint presentation?

I created a presentation without a title. Now I need a title slide. How do I insert a slide and then indicate to PowerPoint that its master slide should be the title master?

EDIT: Am running 2016 on a Mac.

• microsoft-powerpoint

• The master slide is the slide that contains the basic formatting/colors/styles that all other slides will base their design from. The master slide is never shown when presenting. The title slide is just the slide at the beginning of the slide show that has your title message on it. Please clarify your question. –  music2myear Oct 18, 2017 at 15:25

Insert a new slide, then change its layout to Title Slide. Since you haven't indicated which version of PowerPoint you use or on what platform, it's difficult to give specific step-by-step instructions.

• Running 2013 on a Mac. Edited my question. –  bob.sacamento Oct 17, 2017 at 21:54
• Care to edit again? There's no 2013 for Mac. 2011 or 2016, unless your version's quite old. –  Steve Rindsberg Oct 18, 2017 at 15:10
• Well, thought I had it figured out. I think it must be 2016. –  bob.sacamento Oct 18, 2017 at 15:17
• On the INSERT or HOME tabs, click the downward-pointing triangle next to NEW SLIDE and in the gallery that appears, choose TITLE SLIDE. If you've already inserted a slide and want to change it to a title layout, on the HOME tab, click the uppermost icon to the right of NEW SLIDE and choose the title slide layout from the gallery that appears. And by the way, you can learn the version specifics by clicking PowerPoint at the left of the main menu, then clicking About PowerPoint. Same is true of pretty much any Mac app. –  Steve Rindsberg Oct 19, 2017 at 15:00

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged microsoft-powerpoint ..

• The Overflow Blog
• An open-source development paradigm
• Developers get by with a little help from AI: Stack Overflow Knows code...
• Featured on Meta
• Testing a new version of Stack Overflow Jobs
• What deliverables would you like to see out of a working group?

Hot Network Questions

• How to manage being excluded from the lab group?
• linkedin job post "product tester' recieved a email check PDF to deposit so I can purchase the product which I am supposed to test..Scam?
• When did the Catholic Church first make an official statement on the Millenarianism?
• Which episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has a discussion about the shape of a glass?
• How exactly does the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) "see" light from so far away?
• I just ordered a 26 by 1.95 tube but my tire is marked 26 by 2.10. Will the 1.95 tube fit the 2.10 tire?
• Why is there such a high uncertainty about the death toll in the Sudanese civil war?
• Suing lease financing Company
• Problem with multiple alignments in equation
• How do I smoothly introduce alien units of measurement?
• Is it correct to say "a picture of teen uncle James"?
• A thread-safe performant URL Shortener in Java
• Waking up in the middle of a dream
• what orders to be triggered after a stock splits?
• Can't set time to wee hours of January 1, 1970
• Ffmpeg: concatenate videos and keep framerate the same
• Are RAID controllers blind to partition tables on individual disks?
• When we classify a polynomial as binomial, trinomial, etc., do we have to simplify it first?
• Meaning of the last stanza of "Haunted Houses" by Longfellow?
• C++ static vector implementation
• A butterfly effect of a dinosaur hunt
• Can you color the 8x8 grid red and blue?
• Is my yellow same as your yellow?
• Is it bad that I gave the wrong answer to a question during a recorded talk?

• Get started with computers
• Learn Microsoft Office
• Apply for a job
• Improve my work skills
• Design nice-looking docs
• Getting Started
• Smartphones & Tablets
• Typing Tutorial
• Online Learning
• Basic Internet Skills
• Online Safety
• Social Media
• Zoom Basics
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Career Planning
• Resume Writing
• Cover Letters
• Job Search and Networking
• Business Communication
• Entrepreneurship 101
• Careers without College
• Job Hunt for Today
• 3D Printing
• Freelancing 101
• Personal Finance
• Sharing Economy
• Decision-Making
• Graphic Design
• Photography
• Image Editing
• Learning WordPress
• Language Learning
• Critical Thinking
• For Educators
• Translations
• Staff Picks
• English expand_more expand_less

PowerPoint 2007  - Using the Slide Master

Powerpoint 2007  -, using the slide master, powerpoint 2007 using the slide master.

PowerPoint 2007: Using the Slide Master

Lesson 16: using the slide master.

/en/powerpoint2007/using-transitions/content/

Introduction

Using the slide master.

Download the example to work along with the video.

The slide master

The easiest way to make the same change to all slides or slides that use a specific layout is to change the slide master , also called the master slide . For example, let's say you like a theme but want to change a specific design element of that theme. You may want a different bullet style, slide titles that are center-aligned instead of left-aligned, or an accent line under each slide title. You can quickly make these changes and more by modifying the slide master.

To view the slide master:

• Select the View tab.
• Click the Slide Master view command in the Presentation Views group.
• The Slide Master tab will appear as the active tab on the Ribbon, and the slide master task pane will appear on the left.

About Slide Master view

The Slide Master view appears similar to Normal view ; however, in Slide Master view master slides are displayed in the task pane rather than actual slides. The first thumbnail image in the task pane on the left is the slide master that controls all slides . If you want to make a change to all slides in a presentation, you can do so by changing this slide.

Each slide below the slide master is a master slide for a supporting layout . For example, if you want to make a change to all slides that use a Title and Content layout, you can do so using the Title and Content layout master slide in the task pane.

You can see which slides in the presentation use a specific layout. To see this information, hover over a layout and read the screen tip. The screen tip contains the slide numbers that use the layout.

Making changes to all slides

Any change you can make to a slide in Normal view can be made to the slide master so the change will be reflected on all slides in the presentation. The following examples will show how you can make these changes and move from the Slide Master tab to other tabs on the Ribbon while the presentation remains in Slide Master view .

To change the theme font on all slides:

• Click the Slide Master view command in the Presentation Views group. The Slide Master tab will appear active.
• Select the slide master for all slides, if it is not currently selected.
• Click the Fonts command in the Edit Theme group on the Slide Master tab.
• Hover over each option to display a live preview of the font option on the master slide.
• Click a menu option to select it.
• Click the Close Master View command to return to Normal view.

To change text color/alignment on all slides:

• Select the text you want to modify, and format it how you want. In this example, we'll change the title color and alignment.
• Select the Home tab. The slide master and supporting layouts will remain in the slide task pane on the left because Slide Master view is the current view.
• Click the Font Color command in the Font group.
• Hover over each font option to display a live preview on the master slide.
• Select a font color from the menu options. The font color change will appear on all the slides in the task pane on the left.
• Click an alignment command to change the alignment of the selected text.
• Click the Slide Show view or Normal view command at the bottom of the window to exit Slide Master view and see the changes in the presentation slides.

To insert a picture on all slides:

• Select the Insert tab.
• Click the Picture command in the Illustrations group. The Insert Picture dialog box will appear.
• Locate the picture file on the computer.
• Select the picture file.
• Click Insert . The picture will appear on the slide master.
• Click the picture and while holding down the mouse button, drag it to the desired location on the slide. Release the mouse button.

Pay attention to the tab that's active so you don't take unnecessary steps to accomplish a task. For example, if the Slide Master tab is active, click the Close Master View command to return to Normal view; however, if it isn't active, click the Normal view command at the bottom of the window.

Making changes to specific layouts

In addition to changing design elements on all slides, you can change design elements on slides that use a specific layout . For example, you can apply different formatting to the Title and Content or Section Header layouts. By customizing specific slide layouts, you have more control over the slides and the presentation as a whole.

To change font color/formatting on slides with a specific layout:

• Select the supporting layout you want to change. In this example, we'll select the Section Header Layout in the task pane on the left.
• Select the text you want to modify on the slide. Now you can format it how you want. In this example, we'll change the font color and add a text shadow.
• Select the Home tab.
• Hover over each option to display a live preview on the master slide.
• Select a font color from the menu options.
• Click the Text Shadow command to add a shadow to the selected text.
• Click Normal view to close the slide master view and see the section header slides that have been formatted.

To insert a line on slides with a specific layout:

• Select the supporting layout you want to change. In this example, we will select the Title and Content Layout in the task pane on the left.
• Click the Shape command.
• Select a line from the menu. The cursor will turn into a crosshair.
• Click and drag the mouse to insert a line where you want on the slide. Release the mouse button.
• Select the Format tab. Format the line if you want. In this example, we'll change the line color, weight, and style.
• Click the Shape Outline command.
• Choose a color, weight, or line style option.
• Click the Normal view command to close the Slide Master view and see the section header slides that have been formatted.

Press and hold the Shift key while inserting a straight line. This will make the line appear completely straight.

Use the Employee Orientation presentation or any other presentation you choose to complete this challenge.

• Open a presentation.
• Open Slide Master view.
• Insert a picture on all slides .
• Change the title color and alignment on all slides.
• Change text formatting on one layout .
• View the presentation in Slide Show view to see the changes.

/en/powerpoint2007/smartart-illustrations/content/

Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Claim Your FREE Training Module and Get Your Time Back!

PowerPoint title slide explained (it’s not what you think it is)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• November 29, 2023

What is a title slide in PowerPoint, and is it the same thing that you think it is? This is a tricky topic if you are an analyst, associate, or keeper of your team’s PowerPoint presentation, when it comes to managing the headers and footers in your presentation.

That’s because the Header and Footer dialog box (pictured below), has the following option that will throw you for a loop.

If you don’t understand what PowerPoint considers as the title slide of your presentation, it is easy to accidentally mess up the headers and footers in your presentation, creating an embarrassing disaster that you will be stuck trying to troubleshoot and fix.

This can be the same issue you find in your client decks, so it’s good to know how to fix this.

Table of Contents

What is a title slide.

A title slide in PowerPoint (as humans think of it as) is either the slide that is named “title slide” in your presentation, or the slide that looks like a title slide. Common elements include a large title, a subtitle, some kind of graphical element, etc.

This is where you type the title and subtitle of your presentation, add your name, your presentation topic, the date and time, or whatever other elements you want to display on the first slide of your presentation. Typically, this is the slide you put up first to let your audience know they are attending the correct meeting.

Unfortunately, this is not how PowerPoint defines it. Read the next section to see why your instincts might lead you astray.

What PowerPoint considers your title slide

The title slide in PowerPoint (as PowerPoint thinks of it as) is simply the first slide layout of your presentation. This is true whether it is named “title slide” or whether it looks like a title slide. PowerPoint is just a program. So, whatever the first slide layout is in your presentation is, is what PowerPoint defines your title slide as.

Notice in the picture above, that there is a different slide in the first position of otherwise the same exact PowerPoint template. In both cases, the first slide is what PowerPoint uses as the title slide when determining where to place your headers and footers.

The problem with example 2 in the picture above, is that if you select “don’t’ show on title slide” in the Header and Footer dialog box, then none of your slide numbers, date and time, and/or your footers will display on the Title and Content layout in your presentation. I guarantee this is not what you want.

Arranging a layout so it becomes your title slide

If the wrong slide is in the first position of your PowerPoint presentation, you will need to navigate to the Slide Master view to fix it. In short, all you need to do is move your actual title slide into the first position on your slide master, so that both you and PowerPoint are on the same page.

To rearrange a slide to be your title slide in PowerPoint, simply:

• Click the View tab
• Select Slide Master View
• Click and drag your desired Title Slide into the first position

By dragging your preferred slide into the first position on your Slide Master, automatically designates it as the Title Slide in PowerPoint. That means you won’t have any header or footer issues moving forward.

NOTE: For help adding and troubleshooting slide numbers in PowerPoint (which can be tricky), see our guide on adding slide numbers to PowerPoint .

Title slide examples

If you are looking for inspiration for your own presentations, below are three different examples from the default PowerPoint templates that come with the Microsoft Office Suite. All these templates include color variations too, giving you a variety of options to work with.

To find these default PowerPoint templates (or themes) and their color variations, simply:

• Click the Design tab
• Select a Theme
• Choose a Variant of that theme

The variant options represent different color combinations and/or design elements of the base theme you chose, giving you a different look and feel for your title slide, divider slides, and the other content container slides in your presentation.

PowerPoint Template Help: If you don’t want to use the default PowerPoint templates, you can buy a professional PowerPoint template online ( see my guide here ). Alternatively, if you are willing to invest the time, you can create your own PowerPoint template from scratch ( see my guide here ).

1. Integral template

The integral template focuses on a blue and white design element at the top, with the title and subtitle of your presentation at the bottom of the slide. That said, you can add any other elements you like. This template also includes seven other color options including green, red, yellow, solid colors etc.

2. Circuit Template

The Circuit PowerPoint template includes a blue gradient background, with some circuit like design elements on the left side. The left side of your title slide is a great place to add your own company branding, or elements from your industry. This template includes three variations, including green, red, and black.

3. Vapor Trail Template

The Vapor Trail PowerPoint template is a bit more artsy than the other two. This includes wavey colored lines, giving it a more modern and artistic look and feel. Like the other templates, the default title slide only includes a title and subtitle, but you can add any other elements you need for your own presentation. The Vapor Trail template also includes three additional colors: green, pink, and orange.

You now know more about what a title slide is than most professionals (even those that have been using PowerPoint for years). This is a nuance of PowerPoint that specifically relates back to getting your headers and footers to properly display throughout your PowerPoint presentation. So, if you are an investment banking analyst, associate, or that is constantly updating large decks, this is something you will want to properly nail dwon.

If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about our PowerPoint training seminars, courses, and other useful Powerpoint tutorials that will get you to Happy Hour, visit us here .

🔒 Unlock the PowerPoint Shortcuts Trusted by Industry Leaders KKR, American Express, HSBC, and More!

Join over 114,880 professionals from diverse fields including consulting, investment banking, advertising, marketing, sales, and business development who have supercharged their PowerPoint game with our proven methods.

✅ Customize compelling presentations effortlessly.

✅ Master time-saving techniques for faster deck creation.

✅ Boost your career prospects with top-notch PowerPoint skills.

Get FREE access to the Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts module of our premium training course by entering your name and email below.

DISCLAIMER: PC Users Only!

We respect your privacy and will keep your info safe and confidential.

About The Author

Popular Tutorials

• How to Strikethrough Text (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) in Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Make Animated Fireworks in PowerPoint (Step-by-Step)
• Strikethrough Shortcut (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) for Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Create a Flash Card Memory Game in PowerPoint (Like Jeopardy)
• Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working: Solved

PowerPoint Tutorial Categories

• Strategies & Opinions
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• Presentation Design
• Pictures, Icons, Videos, Etc.
• New Features
• Miscellaneous
• Charts & Data Viz

We help busy professionals save hours and gain peace of mind, with corporate workshops, self-paced courses and tutorials for PowerPoint and Word.

Work With Us

• Corporate Training
• Presentation & Template Design
• Courses & Downloads
• PowerPoint Articles
• Word Articles
• Productivity Resources

Find a Tutorial

• Free Training
• For Businesses

We help busy office workers save hours and gain peace of mind, with tips, training and tutorials for Microsoft PowerPoint and Word.

Master Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Secure Your FREE Training Module and Save Valuable Time!

⌛ Master time-saving expert techniques.

🔥 Create powerful presentations.

🚀 Propel your career to new heights.

We value your privacy – we keep your info safe.

Discover PowerPoint Hacks Loved by Industry Giants - KKR, AmEx, HSBC!

Over 114,880 professionals in finance, marketing and sales have revolutionized their PPT skills with our proven methods. 

Gain FREE access to a full module of our premium PowerPoint training program – Get started today!

We hate spam too and promise to keep your information safe.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook . To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

• All-Access Subscriptions
• Business Licensing
• Lightroom Classic
• Photoshop Elements
• Crystal Reports
• Interview Skills
• Resume Skills
• Excel for Lawyers
• Outlook for Lawyers
• QuickBooks for Lawyers
• Word for Lawyers
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Outlook on the Web
• Microsoft Project
• Microsoft Teams
• QuickBooks Online
• QuickBooks Pro
• Video Course Options
• SUBSCRIPTIONS
• Photoshop Elements 2024
• Photoshop Elements 2023
• Photoshop Elements 2022
• Photoshop Elements 2021
• Photoshop Elements 2020
• Photoshop Elements 2019
• Photoshop Elements 2018
• Photoshop Elements 15
• Google Classroom for Teachers
• Google Docs
• Google Drive
• Google Forms
• Google Sheets
• Google Slides
• Mac OS Keyboard Shortcuts
• Excel Formulas and Functions
• Excel Keyboard Shortcuts
• Excel Tables PivotTables and Charts
• Access for Microsoft 365
• Excel for Microsoft 365
• Microsoft Office 365
• Outlook for Microsoft 365
• PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
• Publisher for Microsoft 365
• Word for Microsoft 365
• Access 2021
• Microsoft Office 2021
• Outlook 2021
• PowerPoint 2021
• Publisher 2021
• Access 2019
• Microsoft Office 2019
• Outlook 2019
• PowerPoint 2019
• Publisher 2019
• Access 2016
• Microsoft Office 2016
• OneNote 2016
• Outlook 2016
• PowerPoint 2016
• Publisher 2016
• Microsoft Office 2013
• OneNote 2013
• Outlook 2013
• PowerPoint 2013
• Microsoft Office for iPad
• QuickBooks Pro 2024
• QuickBooks Pro 2023
• QuickBooks Pro 2022
• QuickBooks Pro 2021
• QuickBooks Pro 2020
• QuickBooks Pro 2019
• QuickBooks Pro 2018
• QuickBooks Pro 2017
• QuickBooks Pro 2016
• QuickBooks Pro 2015
• QuickBooks Pro 2014
• Sage 50 Accounting
• Windows 11 and 10 Keyboard Shortcuts
• Chrome OS for Chromebooks
• Word and Excel (Mac) 2022
• Word and Excel (PC/Windows) 2021-2016 and 365
• QuickBooks Desktop (PC/Windows) 2024
• QuickBooks Desktop (PC/Windows) 2023
• QuickBooks Desktop (PC/Windows) 2022-2015
• Windows 11 and 10
• Our History
• Customer Service
• Testimonials
• Lost Password
• Register a Product
• Manage My Account
• Member Login

Try the Complete PowerPoint Course for Free!

Slide masters in powerpoint – instructions, slide masters in powerpoint: video lesson.

            This video lesson, titled “ Using Slide Masters and Slide Layouts ,” shows you how to use slide masters in PowerPoint. This video lesson is from our complete PowerPoint tutorial , titled “ Mastering PowerPoint Made Easy v.2016-2013 .”

Slide Masters in PowerPoint: Overview

            You use slide masters In PowerPoint to set the default layout and appearance of presentation slides. When you add presentation slides and apply a slide layout, the slide is formatted according to the slide master’s specifications. Each slide master has several associated slide layouts. It is possible to also use more than one slide master in a presentation, if desired. You can create and customize your own slide layouts and slide masters in PowerPoint. You can then save these into a custom template for future use.

            To create and modify slide masters in PowerPoint and also slide layouts, click “View” tab in the Ribbon. Then click the “Slide Master” button in the “Master Views” button group. Doing this then opens the presentation’s slide masters and associated layouts.

            Each slide master in the presentation appears at the top of a hierarchy of connected slide layouts in this pane. Each layout appears as a branch of the slide master. The current slide master and layout appear selected in the slide pane at the left side of the window. It is displayed for editing in the main window. You will also see a new “Slide Master” tab appear in the Ribbon. You use the commands and buttons in the button groups on this tab to change the slide masters in PowerPoint.

            To insert a new slide master into the presentation, click the “Insert Slide Master” button. To insert a new layout for a slide master, select a slide master and click the “Insert Layout” button.

Slide Masters in PowerPoint – Instructions: A picture of a user adding a new slide master in PowerPoint.

            To customize a slide master, select it in the slides panel. Then select which default placeholders to apply by clicking the “Slide Master” tab in the Ribbon. Then click the “Master Layout” button in the “Master Layout” button group. Check the default placeholders to add and then click the “OK” button.

            To rename a selected slide master, click the “Rename” button in the “Edit Master” button group to open the “Rename Master” dialog box. Enter a new name into the “Master name:” text box. Then click the “Rename” button to rename it. To save the selected slide master with the presentation, even if it is not actively used by any slides in the presentation, click the “Preserve” button in this same button group. To delete a custom slide master, click the “Delete” button in this button group.

            You can select a slide layout associated with a slide master and then add placeholders to it. To do this, select the slide layout in the slide pane. Then click the “Insert Placeholder” drop-down in the “Master Layout” button group. Then select the type of placeholder to add from the drop-down menu. You then click and drag over the area in the slide layout where you want the placeholder to appear. Repeat this, as needed, until you have added the placeholders you want. Check the “Title” and “Footers” checkboxes in the same button group to remove the display of these elements from the slide layout, if desired.

            To delete a custom slide layout, select it and then click the “Delete” button in the “Edit Master” button group. You can also click the “Rename” button to rename it.

            To close the slide master view, click the “Slide Master” tab in the Ribbon. Then click the “Close Master View” button in the “Close” button group.

Slide Masters in PowerPoint: Instructions

• To create and modify slide masters in PowerPoint , click the “View” tab of the Ribbon.
• Then click the “Slide Master” button in the “Master Views” button group.
• Each slide master appears at the top of a hierarchy of connected slide layouts in this pane. Each layout appears as a branch of the slide master.
• The current slide master and layout appear selected in the slide pane at the left side of the window and appear for editing in the main window.
• A new “Slide Master” tab also appear in the Ribbon.
• To insert a new slide master, click the “Insert Slide Master” button to insert a new slide master and its slide layouts into the “Slides” pane.
• To customize a slide master , select it in the slides pane.
• Then select which default placeholders to apply by clicking the “Master Layout” button in the “Master Layout” button group on the “Slide Master” tab in the Ribbon.
• Check the default placeholders to appear in the slide master and then click the “OK” button.
• To rename a selected slide master , click the “Rename” button in the “Edit Master” button group to open the “Rename Master” dialog box.
• Enter a new name for the master into the “Master name:” text box.
• Then click the “Rename” button to rename it.
• If you want to save the selected slide master with the presentation, even if it is not actively used by any presentation slides , click the “Preserve” button in the “Edit Master” button group.
• To delete a custom slide master , click the “Delete” button in the “Edit Master” button group.
• To add a placeholder to a slide layout , first select the slide layout in the slide pane.
• Then click the “Insert Placeholder” drop-down in the “Master Layout” button group and select the type of placeholder to add from the drop-down menu.
• Then click and drag over the area in the slide layout where you want the placeholder to appear.
• Repeat this, as needed, until you have added the placeholders you want.
• If you want to remove the “Title” or “Footer” from the slide layout , check the “Title” and “Footers” checkboxes.
• To delete a custom slide layout , select the layout and click the “Delete” button in the “Edit Master” button group.
• If you want to rename a custom slide layout , click the “Rename” button and enter a new name.
• To close the slide master view , click the “Close Master View” button in the “Close” button group on the “Slide Master” tab in the Ribbon.

About Joseph Brownell

How-To Geek

How to add titles to slides in microsoft powerpoint.

Include titles on your slides for those using screen readers or to use other PowerPoint features that need slide titles.

Quick Links

Find slides with missing titles in powerpoint, add slide titles using outline view, use a title slide layout, how to hide the title on a slide.

You may not think much about using slide titles for your presentations. But for accessibility and the use of other features, slide titles are important. Here, we'll show you how to add titles to slides in Microsoft PowerPoint.

For those using screen readers, slide titles are essential. And if you use features like custom slide shows or hyperlinks to slides in your presentation, slide titles are necessary elements. We'll show you how to quickly find slides that are missing titles and a few different ways to add titles to those slides.

Rather than reviewing each slide to visually spot the missing titles, you can use PowerPoint's built-in Accessibility Checker to find them fast.

Related: How to Add Alternative Text to an Object in PowerPoint

Open your presentation, go to the Review tab, and click "Check Accessibility" in the Accessibility section of the ribbon.

You'll see the Accessibility panel open on the right with Errors, Warnings, and Tips. Expand Errors and you'll see an item labeled Missing Slide Title with the number of slides in need of titles. If you don't see this error, then you don't have any missing titles.

Immediately Add Slide Titles

If you expand the Missing Slide Title label, you'll see the exact slide numbers that are missing titles.

You can then immediately add a title by doing one of the following:

• Click a slide number and it will display highlighted in the panel on the left side. Click next to the number and add a title.
• Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the slide and select "Add Slide Title."
• Select the slide, use the Slide Title drop-down arrow on the Accessibility tab, and choose "Add Slide Title."

Outline view is what you'll see on the left side of PowerPoint if you use the first method above to find missing slide titles. But you can also jump right to it to see which slides need titles if you like.

Go to the View tab and click "Outline View" in the Presentation Views section of the ribbon.

You'll then see this view appear on the left with each slide number. The title of a slide is the text that appears in bold. If you're missing a title, simply type it next to the small square for that slide.

One way to avoid missing slide titles is to use a layout that includes a title. While not always convenient for the type of slide you need, it's still an option.

To add a slide with a title, click the New Slide drop-down arrow on either the Home or Insert tab. You'll see those layouts with a title such as Title and Content or Title Only. Choose one of these and use the title text box included on the slide.

You can also change the layout of a current slide if it fits in with your presentation. Select the slide and go to the Home tab. Click the Layout drop-down arrow and choose a title slide like above. This changes the current layout to one with a title.

One disadvantage to adding titles to slides or using a title layout is that the title actually appears on the slide. Again, this may not be something you want, especially if the slide only contains a video or image.

Related: How to Add a Video to a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

A way around showing the title on the slide is to simply hide it, and there are two easy ways to do this.

Add a Hidden Title

Display the Accessibility tab by going to Review > Check Accessibility. In the Screen Reader section of the ribbon, click the Slide Title drop-down arrow and pick "Add Hidden Slide Title."

You'll see the text box for the title display directly above the slide. Simply add your title to it and leave the box where it is.

Move the Title Off the Slide

Another way to hide the title is to select the text box containing the title on your slide. When your cursor changes to a four-sided arrow, use it to drag the box off of the slide. You can move it above, below, or to one of the sides.

When you preview or practice your slideshow after using one of the above methods, you shouldn't see the title on the slide. However, the title is still technically there and available for screen readers and specific PowerPoint features.

Related: How to Practice Your Presentations with PowerPoint's Presenter Coach

Be respectful of those joining your presentation using a screen reader or prepare for other features that PowerPoint has to offer by including slide titles.

Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Add Title Slides in PowerPoint

How to Add Title Slides in PowerPoint

Before you can begin showcasing your work or open up a topic for discussion before your audience, you can start with the title slide! Since a title slide template is the first impression of your slide deck , it is essential that you pay special attention to it.

What is a Title Slide?

A title slide contains the slide title, introduces the topic, and often includes other relevant details, such as the name of the presenter and the organization they are representing. The title slide is an important part of the presentation and is often good for marketing your ideas beforehand using creatively crafted layouts.

Slide Vs. Title Slide Layout

A title slide contains the title in a presentation deck. The layout of such a slide can contain a title, subtitle, and other relevant information. The title slide also often includes particular branding, such as the company’s logo or/and tagline.

Slide layout refers to not only the cover or title slide and other types. The layouts used in a presentation can differ according to the needs of the presentation. For example, other than the title slide, a presentation might have a picture layout, chart layout, dashboard layout, etc. The title slide will be the introductory slide of the presentation containing the presentation title .

How to Add Titles to Slides in Microsoft PowerPoint

If you’re making a presentation from scratch rather than using a PowerPoint template , you will notice that a title slide is added by default when you start a new PowerPoint presentation. You can also add it via Home -> New Slide .

When making a title slide, you can also seek help from PowerPoint Designer, which provides suggestions based on the content of your slide, such as the text and layout of the slide you are using. To view suggestions regarding adding a slide title, click Designer from the Home tab and click on a design from the right sidebar to change your PowerPoint design.

How to Create an Effective Title Slide?

Merely adding a slide title isn’t enough to create a title slide that can help get the message across to the audience at the very start of the presentation. Below are some examples of title slides in PowerPoint that can help you design effective title slides. You might also be interested in our article about how to start a presentation .

Title Slide that Provides Basic Information

The most common method for making a title slide is to use text that can easily explain the presentation context. If you are making a presentation for an interactive discussion, this can be mentioned in the title slide. Similarly, a slide deck to guide discussion for a one-on-one meeting can mention the context of the meeting.

Title Slide that Visually Represents the Topic

A title slide can visually represent the topic. For example, the title slide shown below clearly elaborates on the topic under discussion, i.e., the digital divide. Such a title slide can help effectively deliver a message visually, even before the presenter elaborates on the topic.

Title Slide that Invokes Curiosity

Sometimes, making an ambiguous title slide is best to cause curiosity. This technique is often used to keep the audience interested and guess the presentation’s context. The technique can also be useful when aiming to persuade an audience during a presentation. 

Related: See our article about the Zeigarnik Effect for presentations.

Zooming Title Slide

Zooming slides have been the hallmark of presentation platforms like Prezi. Some PowerPoint templates also come with a similar effect for title slides that can effectively add extensive information within the title slide to elaborate various details using a zooming UI. In such a case, the screen zooms to the area you click in slideshow mode to help you elaborate on the information before moving on to the next bit of detail.

Quiz Title Slide

If you run a quiz competition using PowerPoint or need to start your presentation with a burning question, using a quick title slide might be a good idea! Using quiz PowerPoint templates like the one below you can create a multiple-choice question as your title slide using quiz PowerPoint templates like the one below.

Final Words

A title slide is more important than many people might think. While many presenters skip through it in a rush, a title slide can be a good starting point to set the tone for the discussion ahead. Spending time making a title slide that can convey a message to the audience or cause curiosity can help make the presentation all the more interesting—enabling the presenter to positively influence the audience’s mood at the very start of the presentation.

Like this article? Please share

Design, Presentation Tips Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

Related Articles

Filed under Business • May 31st, 2024

How to Create an Appealing Report Presentation (Guide + Templates)

Discover the elements that make any kind of report presentation stand out. Recommendations for slide deck content and PPT templates.

Filed under Google Slides Tutorials • May 22nd, 2024

How to Add Audio to Google Slides

Making your presentations accessible shouldn’t be a hard to accomplish task. Learn how to add audios to Google Slides and improve the quality and accessibility of your presentations.

How to Translate Google Slides

Whereas Google Slides doesn’t allow to natively translate slides, such process is possible thanks to third-party add-ons. Learn how to translate Google Slides with this guide!

Leave a Reply

Title a slide

There are multiple ways to add titles to your slides in PowerPoint. Use the Layout option to create a standalone title slide or to add a title to a slide that contains other text. You can also use the Outline view or the Accessibility ribbon to create and update the titles of your slides. 

Select a heading below to open it and see the detailed instructions.

Use the Accessibility ribbon to title a slide 

You can use the Accessibility ribbon to add or edit slide titles and to make sure your slides are accessible to everyone.

Select Review > Check Accessibility . The Accessibility ribbon is displayed, and the  Accessibility pane opens to the right of the selected slide.

Select one of the following options:

Note:  The available options depend on whether a title placeholder exists or not, and what type of element is selected on the slide.

To move the cursor to the title placeholder, select Edit Slide Title .

To add a title placeholder to the slide and move the cursor to the placeholder, select Add Slide Title .

To add an off-slide title placeholder and move the cursor to the placeholder, select  Add Hidden Slide Title . Because the title is positioned off-slide, it will be invisible during a slide show, but the title is available to help users navigate or select the slide.

If there is no title placeholder on the slide, to let the Accessibility Checker select the text box or shape that seems most like a title, select Set as Slide Title . This makes the selected object your slide title. If there is another text box or shape you want to use as the title, select the object, and then choose this option. Only objects with text that aren't in groups can be made into a title.

Selecting the  Slide Title  button without expanding the dropdown menu does the following:

If an object that can be set as the title is selected on the slide, that object is set as the slide title ( Set as Slide Title ).

If there is a title, but no object is selected, the cursor moves to the title placeholder ( Edit Slide Title ).

If there is no title and no object is selected, a title placeholder is added and the cursor moves to the placeholder ( Add Slide Title ).

Type or edit the slide title.

Tip:  To review your presentation for missing or duplicate slide titles, run the Accessibility Checker, and then check the Accessibility pane to find them.

Use the Layout option to title a slide

You can name or rename a slide by using a slide layout that has a title placeholder .

Select the slide whose layout you will change so that it can have a title.

Click Home > Layout .

Select Title Slide for a standalone title page or select Title and Content for a slide that contains a title and a full slide text box. Many other layout options include titles, too. Pick the one that’s best suited for your presentation.

Select the Click to add title text box. Enter your title for that slide.

Use Outline view to title a slide

You can also create a slide title in Outline view. This view also shows the titles for any other slides in your presentation.

Click View > Outline View .

A slide without a title will have no text to the right of the slide number.

If your slide already has a title, it appears next to the slide number.

Click to the right of the slide number.

Type your new title here, or update an existing slide title. Your text will appear on the slide as you enter it.

Tip:  You can use Outline view as your notes when you give a presentation. 

Put a title on a slide, but make the title invisible

You can position a title off the slide. That way, the slide has a title for accessibility or sorting reasons, but you save space on the slide for other content.

On the View tab, select Zoom and then lower the zoom percentage to about 50% so that the margins outside the slide are visible. 

Type a title in the Title placeholder box.

Drag the Title placeholder upward or downward and then drop it outside the slide boundary. 

You can confirm that  the title will be invisible during a slide show by selecting Slide Show > From Current Slide . 

Systematically hide slide titles

If you want all or many of your slide titles to be hidden, use Slide Master view to achieve it. Duplicate the slide layout for which you want to have hidden titles. Then on the duplicate layout, move the title placeholder off-slide. Then apply the new layout to the appropriate slides.

For example:

On the View tab of the ribbon, in the Master Views group, select Slide Master .

In the slide thumbnail pane on the left side of the PowerPoint window, right-click a slide layout (such as Title and Content Layout ) that you want to alter and choose Duplicate Layout .

Select the duplicated layout.

Select the title placeholder, drag it upward, and drop it outside the boundary of the visible slide.

If PowerPoint doesn't allow you to drag the placeholder that far, use View > Zoom to make the slide surface area appear smaller so that there is adequate room to move the placeholder fully off-slide.

Close Master view and return to Normal view.

Select a slide whose title you want to hide. Right-click it, and apply the "hidden-title" slide layout that you just created.

The title moves to an off-slide position, but it still exists. You can see the title of the slide by switching to Outline view.

Put the same title on every slide

If you want the same title on every slide, you may be thinking of what PowerPoint calls a footer . For instructions on putting footers on your slides, see Insert or change footers in PowerPoint slides .

Why slide titles are important

Having slide titles is valuable for:

Accessibility     A visually impaired person that uses a screen reader relies on the slide titles to know which slide is which.

Helping various PowerPoint features work correctly     Design Ideas, Apply Layout, and Reset Slide work better on slides that have titles. Insert Hyperlink, Insert Zoom, and custom shows all refer to slides by their titles.

PowerPoint expert Geetesh Bajaj has an article on his site about Hiding Slide Titles in PowerPoint .

You can name or rename a slide by using a slide layout that has a title placeholder

Tip:  You can use Outline view as your notes when you give a presentation.

In the slide thumbnail pane on the left side of the PowerPoint window, right-click a slide layout (such as Title and Content Layout ) that you want to alter, and choose Duplicate Layout .

If there is no title placeholder on the slide, to let the Accessibility Checker select the text box or shape that seems most like a title, select Set as Slide Title . This makes the selected object your slide title. If there is another text box or shape you want to use as the title, select that object, and then choose Set as Slide Title . Only objects with text that aren't in groups can be made into a title.

If there is no title placeholder on the slide, to let the Accessibility Checker select the text box or shape that seems most like a title, select Set As Slide Title . This makes the selected object your slide title. If there is another text box or shape you want to use as the title, select that object, and then choose Set As Slide Title . Only objects with text that aren't in groups can be made into a title.

If an object that can be set as the title is selected on the slide, that object is set as the slide title ( Set As Slide Title ).

You can confirm that  the title will be invisible during a slide show by selecting Slide Show  > From Current Slide . 

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Contribute to the Microsoft 365 and Office forum! Click  here  to learn more  💡

April 9, 2024

Contribute to the Microsoft 365 and Office forum!

Click  here  to learn more  💡

PowerPoint Forum Top Contributors: Steve Rindsberg  -  John Korchok  -  Bob Jones AKA: CyberTaz   ✅

May 10, 2024

PowerPoint Forum Top Contributors:

Steve Rindsberg  -  John Korchok  -  Bob Jones AKA: CyberTaz   ✅

• Search the community and support articles
• Microsoft 365 and Office
• Search Community member

Ask a new question

Is there a way to add a second title placeholder in the Slide Master?

I am trying to add a second title placeholder in the Master Layout, and I can't figure out a way to do this. I like to have a main title on each slide and sometimes provide a second title (subtitle) for additional clarification. This second title is typically in a different font or italicized, so I can't just hit return in the Master Title Box, as everything in that box uses one font. I don't see any option in the "insert placeholder" submenu, and if I try to replicate the Main title box, it just appears as set text.

Report abuse

Reported content has been submitted​

You can't add a 2nd Title Placeholder but you can add a regular Text Placeholder & reformat it to emulate a Subtitle Placeholder.

2 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

Sorry this didn't help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

Thanks for your feedback.

Replies (2) 

Question info.

• For business
• Norsk Bokmål
• Ελληνικά
• Русский
• עברית
• العربية
• ไทย
• 한국어
• 中文(简体)
• 中文(繁體)
• 日本語