how can you create a new presentation in powerpoint

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Simple Steps to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

Last Updated: July 23, 2024 Fact Checked

Creating a New PowerPoint

Creating the title slide, adding a new slide, adding content to slides, adding transitions, testing and saving your presentation.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,345,640 times. Learn more...

Do you want to have your data in a slide show? If you have Microsoft 365, you can use PowerPoint! PowerPoint is a program that's part of the Microsoft Office suite (which you have to pay for) and is available for both Windows and Mac computers. This wikiHow teaches you how to create your own Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on a computer.

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

• Open the PowerPoint app, select a template and theme, then like “Create.”
• Click the text box to add your title and subtitle to create your title slide.
• Click the “Insert” tab, then “New Slide” to add another slide.
• Choose the type of slide you want to add, then add text and pictures.
• Rearrange slides by dragging them up or down in the preview box.

Things You Should Know

• Templates make it easy to create vibrant presentations no matter your skill level.
• When adding photos, you can adjust their sizes by clicking and dragging in or out from their corners.
• You can add animated transitions between slides or to individual elements like bullet points and blocks of text.

• If you don't have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, you can use the website instead of the desktop app. Go to https://powerpoint.office.com/ to use the website version.
• You can also use the mobile app to make presentations, though it's easier to do this on a computer, which has a larger screen, a mouse, and a keyboard.

• If you don't want to use a template, just click the Blank option in the upper-left side of the page and skip to the next part.

• Skip this step if your selected template has no themes available.

• If you're creating a PowerPoint presentation for which an elaborate title slide has been requested, ignore this step.

• You can change the font and size of text used from the Home tab that's in the orange ribbon at the top of the window.

• You can also just leave this box blank if you like.

• You can also click and drag in or out one of a text box's corners to shrink or enlarge the text box.

• On a Mac, you'll click the Home tab instead. [1] X Research source

• Clicking the white slide-shaped box above this option will result in a new text slide being inserted.

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Content with Caption
• Picture with Caption

• Naturally, the title slide should be the first slide in your presentation, meaning that it should be the top slide in the left-hand column.

• Skip this step and the next two steps if your selected slide uses a template that doesn't have text boxes in it.

• Text boxes in PowerPoint will automatically format the bulk of your text for you (e.g., adding bullet points) based on the context of the content itself.
• You can add notes that the Presentation will not include (but you'll still be able to see them on your screen) by clicking Notes at the bottom of the slide.

• You can change the font of the selected text by clicking the current font's name and then clicking your preferred font.
• If you want to change the size of the text, click the numbered drop-down box and then click a larger or smaller number based on whether you want to enlarge or shrink the text.
• You can also change the color, bolding, italicization, underlining, and so on from here.

• Photos in particular can be enlarged or shrunk by clicking and dragging out or in one of their corners.

• Remember to keep slides uncluttered and relatively free of distractions. It's best to keep the amount of text per slide to around 33 words or less. [2] X Research source

• Slide content will animate in the order in which you assign transitions. For example, if you animate a photo on the slide and then animate the title, the photo will appear before the title.
• Make your slideshow progress automatically by setting the speed of every transition to align with your speech as well as setting each slide to Advance . [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

• If you need to exit the presentation, press Esc .

• Windows - Click File , click Save , double-click This PC , select a save location, enter a name for your presentation, and click Save .
• Mac - Click File , click Save As... , enter the presentation's name in the "Save As" field, select a save location by clicking the "Where" box and clicking a folder, and click Save .

Community Q&A

• If you save your PowerPoint presentation in .pps format instead of the default .ppt format, double-clicking your PowerPoint presentation file will prompt the presentation to open directly into the slideshow view. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 0
• If you don't have Microsoft Office, you can still use Apple's Keynote program or Google Slides to create a PowerPoint presentation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Your PowerPoint presentation (or some features in it) may not open in significantly older versions of PowerPoint. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 2
• Great PowerPoint presentations avoid placing too much text on one slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=DBDCE00C929AA5D8!252&ithint=file%2cpptx&app=PowerPoint&authkey=!AH4O9NxcbehqzIg
• ↑ https://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-the-timing-and-speed-of-a-transition-c3c3c66f-4cca-4821-b8b9-7de0f3f6ead1#:~:text=To%20make%20the%20slide%20advance,effect%20on%20the%20slide%20finishes .

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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Presentation Design
• January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

• Change the slide order
• Reset your layout
• Change the slide dimensions
• Use PowerPoint Designer
• Format text
• Format objects
• Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Here is how the program is laid out:

• The Application Header
• The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
• The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
• The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

• The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

• Online Pictures
• Screenshots
• Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

• A SmartArt graphic,
• A 3D object,
• A picture from the web,
• Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

• A picture from the web

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

• Click on the  Picture  icon
• Find  a picture on your computer and select it
• Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

• Using graphics in PowerPoint
• Inserting icons onto slides
• Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
• How to embed a video in PowerPoint
• How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

• The background color automatically changes across all slides
• The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
• The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

• Gradient fill
• Picture or texture fill
• Pattern fill
• Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
• In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
• Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

• Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
• Select  Fonts
• Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

• Select the  element
• Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
• Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

• Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
• Click on the little star  next to the slide
• Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

• Navigate to the  Animations tab
• Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

• Select the  slide
• Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
• In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
• Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

• Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
• Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

• Navigate to the  File tab
•  Select  Save As  on the left
• Choose  where you want to save your presentation
• Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
• Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

• Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
• Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

• Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
• Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
• Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
• Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
• Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

• How to print multiple slides per page
• How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
• How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

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PowerPoint  - Creating and Opening Presentations

Powerpoint  -, creating and opening presentations, powerpoint creating and opening presentations.

PowerPoint: Creating and Opening Presentations

Lesson 3: creating and opening presentations.

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Introduction

PowerPoint files are called presentations . Whenever you start a new project in PowerPoint, you'll need to create a new presentation , which can either be blank or from a template . You'll also need to know how to open an existing presentation .

Watch the video below to learn more about creating and opening presentations in PowerPoint.

To create a new presentation:

When beginning a new project in PowerPoint, you'll often want to start with a new blank presentation.

• A new presentation will appear.

To create a new presentation from a template:

A template is a predesigned presentation you can use to create a new slide show quickly. Templates often include custom formatting and designs , so they can save you a lot of time and effort when starting a new project.

• Click the File tab to access Backstage view , then select New .

• A preview of the template will appear, along with additional information on how the template can be used.

• A new presentation will appear with the selected template .

It's important to note that not all templates are created by Microsoft. Many are created by third-party providers and even individual users, so some templates may work better than others.

To open an existing presentation:

In addition to creating new presentations, you'll often need to open a presentation that was previously saved. To learn more about saving presentations, review our lesson on Saving Presentations .

Most features in Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint, are geared toward saving and sharing documents online . This is done with OneDrive , which is an online storage space for your documents and files. If you want to use OneDrive, make sure you’re signed in to PowerPoint with your Microsoft account. Review our lesson on Understanding OneDrive to learn more.

To pin a presentation:

If you frequently work with the same presentation , you can pin it to Backstage view for easy access.

• Select the File tab to go to Backstage view , then click Open . Your Recent Presentations will appear.

Compatibility Mode

Sometimes you may need to work with presentations that were created in earlier versions of PowerPoint, like PowerPoint 2003 or PowerPoint 2000. When you open these types of presentations, they will appear in Compatibility Mode .

Compatibility Mode disables certain features, so you'll only be able to access commands found in the program that was used to create the presentation. For example, if you open a presentation created in PowerPoint 2003, you can only use tabs and commands found in PowerPoint 2003.

In the image below, you can see at the top of the window that the presentation is in Compatibility Mode. This will disable some current PowerPoint features, including newer types of slide transitions.

To exit Compatibility Mode, you'll need to convert the presentation to the current version type. However, if you're collaborating with others who only have access to an earlier version of PowerPoint, it's best to leave the presentation in Compatibility Mode so the format will not change.

You can review this support page from Microsoft to learn more about which features are disabled in Compatibility Mode.

To convert a presentation:

If you want access to the newer features, you can convert the presentation to the current file format.

Note that converting a file may cause some changes to the original layout of the presentation.

• The presentation will be converted to the newest file type.
• Open our practice presentation .
• Notice that the presentation opens in Compatibility Mode . Convert it to the current file format. If a dialog box appears asking if you would like to close and reopen the file in order to see the new features, choose Yes .
• In Backstage view, pin a file or folder.

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How to Create New Presentations in PowerPoint 2019

Powerpoint 2019 for dummies.

Sign up for the Dummies Beta Program to try Dummies' newest way to learn.

After PowerPoint is started, you can also create a new presentation by clicking the File tab to switch to Backstage View and then clicking the New command. This action brings up the screen shown here, which offers several ways to create a new presentation:

• Choose Blank Presentation: Double-click Blank Presentation to start a new presentation from scratch.
• Choose a template: You can select one of the displayed templates to create a new presentation based on the template’s design. Several templates are displayed on the New screen.
• Search for a template: You can type a search phrase into the Search text box and then click the magnifying glass icon. Doing this opens a list of templates that match your search criteria. Double-click one of these templates to create a presentation based on it.

How to edit text in a PowerPoint presentation

Most slides contain two text objects: one for the slide’s title and the other for its body text. However, you can add more text objects if you want, and you can remove the body text or title text object. You can even remove both to create a slide that contains no text.

Whenever you move the cursor over a text object, the cursor changes from an arrow to the I-beam, which you can use to support bridges or build aircraft carriers. Seriously, when the cursor changes to an I-beam, you can click the mouse button and start typing text.

When a text object contains no text, a placeholder message appears in the object. For example, a title text object displays the message Click to add title. Other placeholders display similar messages. The placeholder message magically vanishes when you click the object and begin typing text.

If you start typing without clicking anywhere, the text that you type is entered into the title text object — assuming that the title text object doesn’t already have text of its own. If the title object is not empty, any text that you type (with no text object selected) is simply ignored.

How to add a new slide to a PowerPoint presentation

• On the Home tab, click the New Slide button in the Slides group, as shown.
• Press Ctrl+M.
• Right-click in the Slides pane on the left and then choose New Slide.

In all three cases, PowerPoint adds a blank slide with a standard layout that includes a title and content area, as shown. If you want to choose a different layout, click the Layout button in the Home tab to display the gallery of slide layouts. This pane enables you to pick from several types of slide layouts. Just click the one that you want to use, and PowerPoint sets the new slide to the layout of your choosing.

Each slide layout has a name. For example, the Title and Content layout includes a text object in addition to the title area . This is probably the layout you’ll use most. It’s the best format for presenting a topic along with several supporting points. For example, this figure shows a typical bulleted list slide.

The bit about Psalm 46 secretly containing the name Shakespeare is true, and indeed worthy of a Dan Brown novel. It only works with the 1611 edition of the King James Bible, though. If you have a copy lying around, check it out!

Moving from slide to slide

• Click one of the double-headed arrows at the bottom of the vertical scroll bar. Doing so moves you through the presentation one slide at a time.
• Press the Page Up and Page Down keys. Using these keys also moves one slide at a time.
• Use the scroll bar. When you drag the box in the scroll bar, a tooltip appears to display the number and title of the current slide. Dragging the scroll bar is the quickest way to move directly to any slide in your presentation.
• In the list of slides on the left side of the window, click the thumbnail for the slide that you want to display. If the thumbnails are not visible, click the Slides tab above the outline.

Choosing a design

Because of space constraints, PowerPoint doesn’t display all the available themes on the Ribbon at the same time. But just to the right of the themes is a scroll bar that you can use to scroll through the themes. And the button at the bottom of the scroll bar brings up a gallery that displays all the themes that come with Office 2019.

A new design feature for PowerPoint 2019 is the Design Ideas task pane, which you can activate by clicking Design Ideas in the Design ribbon tab. It lets you apply fancy design features to your otherwise plain slides. The following figure shows a slide after the Design Ideas features has had its way. The Design Ideas tab is smart enough to suggest designs that relate to what it deduces to be the slide’s topic. For example, PowerPoint noticed the word Shakespeare in the slide, so it offered to include the classic dramatic comedy and tragedy masks.

About This Article

This article is from the book:.

• PowerPoint 2019 For Dummies ,

About the book author:

Doug Lowe is a master at demystifying technology. The 50+ technology books he's written include more than 30 For Dummies books, including Networking All-in-One For Dummies. Doug has been managing networks at publishing companies and nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years and is presently IT director for a civil engineering firm.

This article can be found in the category:

• PowerPoint ,
• How to Remove Picture Backgrounds in PowerPoint 2019
• Audio Options in Microsoft PowerPoint 2019
• How to Share Presentations via the PowerPoint Web App
• How to Share a PowerPoint 2019 Presentation in the Cloud
• PowerPoint 2019 Slide Libraries and Ways to Reuse Slides
• View All Articles From Book

A step-by-step guide to captivating PowerPoint presentation design

november 20, 2023

by Corporate PowerPoint Girl

Do you often find yourself stuck with a lackluster PowerPoint presentation, desperately seeking ways to make it more engaging and visually appealing? If your boss has ever told you to "please fix" a presentation and you didn't know where to start, you're not alone. In this article, we'll walk you through a straightforward method to transform your PowerPoint slides into a visually captivating masterpiece. 

Let's dive right in! 

Clean up your slides 

The first step in this journey to presentation excellence is all about decluttering your slides and elevating their impact. Say goodbye to those uninspiring bullet points that often dominate presentations. Instead, focus on what truly matters – the key call-out numbers. By increasing the font size of these numbers, you ensure they take center stage, immediately drawing your audience's attention. 

To make those numbers pop, consider breaking the text after the numbers into the next line and adding a touch of color. The contrast created by pairing a dark color with a lighter shade, like dark teal and light teal or burnt orange with peach, can work wonders. This simple adjustment makes your data more engaging , enhancing the overall impact of your presentation. 

Add dimension with boxes 

Now, let's introduce an element of depth and organization to your slides. By adding boxes, you'll create a visually pleasing structure that guides your audience through the content. In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text. 

To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly enhances the visual appeal of your slides. 

Insert circles 

To further enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your slides, let's introduce circles. In the Insert menu, navigate to Shapes and choose the circle. Adjust the circle's height and width to 1.2, ensuring it complements your content seamlessly. Match the circle's shape fill color with the corresponding text color for a harmonious look. 

Avoid using colored outlines for the circles, as they may distract from the overall aesthetic. This simple addition of circles adds an element of visual interest to your presentation, making it more captivating. 

Choose icons 

Now, it's time for a touch of creativity. Selecting icons to complement your text can elevate the clarity and appeal of your slides. In the "Insert" menu, you can search for relevant keywords to find the perfect icon from PowerPoint's extensive library . 

For instance, if your text discusses investment portfolio yield, search for "growth" and choose an upward arrow growth icon. These icons add an extra layer of visual appeal and clarity to your content, making it more engaging and informative. 

Final touches 

To wrap up the transformation process, we come to the final touches that give your presentation a polished, professional finish. Align your icons with their corresponding circles and change the shape fill color to white. This simple adjustment creates a crisp, cohesive look that ties everything together seamlessly. 

In conclusion, by following these steps, you've embarked on a journey to enhance your PowerPoint presentation . These initial steps are just the beginning of your exploration into the world of design elements and styles that can cater to your specific presentation needs. The key to a stunning PowerPoint presentation lies in the details. By following these steps, you can turn a lackluster set of slides into a visually engaging and dynamic presentation that will captivate your audience. So, the next time your boss says, "Please fix," you'll know exactly where to start. Happy presenting! 

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Create a new presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint

Note:  This feature is available to customers with either a Copilot for Microsoft 365 (work) or Copilot Pro (home) license.

Using the on-canvas experience

Note:  This feature is currently rolling out to Microsoft 365 Insiders and will be coming soon for all Copilot subscribers. If you don't see it yet, you can still create presentations with Copilot Chat .

Create a new presentation in PowerPoint.

Select the  Create a presentation about...  option in the  Copilot  menu above your slide.

Complete the prompt with a description of the presentation you'd like Copilot to help you draft.

Review and modify the topics that Copilot generates for you.  To refine your prompt and regenerate a new set of topics, select the pencil   button.

Add a topic by selecting the   button, then describe your topic.

If you're happy with your topics, select  Generate slides  and Copilot will draft a presentation for you!

Create a presentation with Copilot Chat

Note:  This feature is currently available for all Copilot subscribers.

Create a new presentation in PowerPoint.

Select the Copilot button in the Home tab of the ribbon.

Select or type Create a presentation .

Complete the prompt with what you would like Copilot to help you draft.

Select Send and Copilot will draft a presentation for you!

Edit the presentation to suit your needs, ask Copilot to add a slide , or start over with a new presentation and refine your prompt to include more specifics. For example, "Create a presentation about hybrid meeting best practices that includes examples for team building."

Create a presentation with a template

Note:  The feature is available to customers with a Copilot for Microsoft 365 (work) license.

Copilot can use your existing themes and templates to create a presentation. Learn more about making your presentations look great with Copilot in PowerPoint .

Open an existing presentation with your theme or create a new presentation using a theme or template from File > New or Office.com .

Enter your prompt or select Create presentation from file to create a first draft of your presentation using your theme or template.

Copilot will replace your current presentation with a new one. If needed, s ave a copy first and rerun the steps above. If you already have a copy, confirm with Copilot to proceed with creating your new draft.

Edit the presentation to suit your needs, ask Copilot to add a slide , organize your presentation, or add images.

Create a presentation from a file with Copilot

Note:  This feature is available to customers with a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license for full options, or a Copilot Pro license for limited options.

With Copilot in PowerPoint, you can create a presentation from an existing Word document—or a PDF if you have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 (work) license. Point Copilot in PowerPoint to your document, and it will generate slides, apply layouts, create speaker notes, and choose a theme for you.

Select or type Create presentation from file .

Select the document you want from the picker that appears. If you don't see the document you want, start typing any part of the filename to search for it. You can use a Word document—or, if you have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 (work) license, you can use a PDF, and encrypted documents are available as well.

Note:  If the file picker doesn't appear, type a front slash (/) to cause it to pop up.

Best practices when creating a presentation from a Word document

Leverage word styles to help copilot understand the structure of your document.

By using Styles in Word to organize your document, Copilot will better understand your source document structure and how to break it up into slides of a presentation. 

Include images that are relevant to your presentation

When creating a presentation, Copilot will try to incorporate any images in your Word document. If you have images that you would like to be brought over to your presentation, be sure to include them in your Word document.

Start with your organization's template

If your organization uses a standard presentation template, start with this file before creating a presentation with Copilot. Starting with a template will let Copilot know that you would like to retain the presentation's theme and design. Copilot will use existing layouts to build a presentation for you. Learn more about making your presentations look great with Copilot in PowerPoint .

Tip:  Copilot works best with Word documents that are less than 24 MB.

Frequently Asked Questions

Select a heading for more information. ​​​​​​​ 

What is the create a presentation feature in PowerPoint?

The PowerPoint Copilot create a presentation feature helps the user get started with creating a designed presentation in PowerPoint. Users can create a presentation with their own prompt or by referencing a file.

What are the feature’s capabilities?

The create a presentation feature streamlines the creation process by understanding the content the user is trying to create, whether by prompt or referenced file, and creating a designed presentation that gets the user started. When creating a presentation from the Copilot button above the slide, PowerPoint Copilot also helps the user create a narrative and steer the output of their presentation by allowing the user to add, remove, and reorder topics before presentation generation.

What is the feature’s intended use?

The create a presentation feature is designed to help get PowerPoint users started in their creation process.

How was the create a presentation feature evaluated? What metrics are used to measure performance?

The feature is evaluated through a combination of comparative analysis, human review, automated testing, red teaming, and customer engagement metrics. User feedback and presentation kept rates gauge the effectiveness of generated presentations. End-users provide ongoing feedback on each Copilot feature, along with iterative improvements that contribute to optimizing the system's performance across all features.

What are the limitations of this feature? How can users minimize the impact of the feature’s limitations when using the system?

When creating a presentation using a prompt, only a single output language is supported at a time. When creating a presentation by referencing a file, additional context cannot be provided within the same prompt. The user must have access to and permission to use the file they are referencing to create a presentation. The output of the create a presentation feature is AI generated content and should be reviewed and edited by the user accordingly,

What operational factors and settings allow for effective and responsible use of the feature?

Data privacy and security : Implement robust data privacy measures to protect customer information and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Use secure communication channels and encryption methods to safeguard sensitive data.

User training and guidelines : Provide comprehensive training to users on the system's features, capabilities, and limitations. Establish clear guidelines and best practices for responsible and ethical use, emphasizing the importance of accurate representation, respectful communication, and adherence to legal and ethical standards.

User permissions and access control : Implement role-based access control to limit system functionalities and data access based on user roles and responsibilities. Ensure that users have appropriate permissions aligned with their job responsibilities and authorized access to customer data.

Monitoring and auditing : Regularly monitor system usage, interactions, and outcomes to identify any potential issues or concerns. Conduct periodic audits to assess adherence to guidelines, data protection measures, and ethical practices.

Feedback and continuous improvement : Encourage users to provide feedback on system performance, accuracy, and user experience. Actively seek user input to understand their needs and identify areas for improvement. Regularly update the system based on feedback and advancements in technology.

Transparency and explainability : Foster transparency by clearly communicating to users how the system works, the underlying technologies used, and any limitations or potential biases. Ensure that users have a basic understanding of the system's capabilities and are informed about its AI-powered nature.

Accountability and error correction : Establish mechanisms for addressing errors or inaccuracies that may occur in system-generated content. Encourage users to review and correct any inaccuracies, taking responsibility for the final output, and ensuring it aligns with their knowledge and expertise.

The Create a Presentation feature, as well as Copilot in PowerPoint more generally, has undergone responsible AI reviews prior to release. We're open to user feedback to make continuous improvements. We strive to follow Microsoft’s AI principles and have, for example, implemented: 

Responsible AI handling pipeline to mitigate the risks like harmful, inappropriate content.

In product user feedback with which users can report offensive content back to Microsoft. ​​​​​​​

Welcome to Copilot in PowerPoint

Frequently Asked Questions about Copilot in PowerPoint

Where can I get Microsoft Copilot?

Copilot Lab - Start your Copilot journey

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How to Make a PowerPoint Template (Tutorial with Pictures!)

PowerPoint templates are the hidden gem of top designers worldwide. That's why incorporating templates within your team is a wise choice! 

They not only save you a lot of time but also help convey your brand identity across internal departments and stakeholders .

In this guide, you will learn how to make a PowerPoint template from scratch, which will also help you know how to edit an existing one. 

In summary, you'll learn about:

• What exactly is a PowerPoint Template , and what is its difference from a PowerPoint Theme ?
• Is there a Quick Method for creating a PowerPoint Template?
• How to create a Custom PowerPoint Template from scratch?
• How to get a Branded PowerPoint Template with a fast turnaround?
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about PowerPoint Templates

Let's begin with the basics – or jump to your favorite section using the list above.

What are PowerPoint Templates?

PowerPoint templates are a group of slides with predefined layouts, colors, fonts, and themes that will optimize your creative process when designing presentation decks. 

A good PowerPoint template contains nice layouts, great background styles, and unique color combinations. It also has strategically positioned placeholders, allowing for seamless insertion of text, images, videos, charts, or tables.

Without a doubt, PowerPoint templates are an excellent tool for quickly creating professional slides!

PowerPoint Template vs. PowerPoint Theme

You may have heard the terms "theme" and "template" being used interchangeably, but they don't have the same meaning in this software. 

Let's learn about the real difference between a PowerPoint template and a PowerPoint theme:

• A PowerPoint template is a set of ready-made PowerPoint slides that contain layouts, themes, graphs, charts, and even content. Its extension is .potx.
• A PowerPoint theme is a pre-set of fonts, colors, and visual effects you apply to your slides. Its extension is .thmx .

So, in summary, a template provides a pre-set structure where you only need to insert your content. Meanwhile, a theme allows you to change the overall visual appearance of your presentation with just a click.

Naturally, you can apply any theme to an existing PowerPoint template  or presentation. When it comes to design, your imagination is the only limit!

The Quick Method: Using an Existing PowerPoint Template

In a rush? You don't have enough time to build a PowerPoint template?

If so, you should use an existing PowerPoint template from the software itself or download a free PowerPoint template from Templates by 24Slides.

We can tell you that both are high-quality resources and easy to customize.  

Regarding the PowerPoint templates by 24Slides, we have elaborate two types of templates:

Presentation Deck Templates

They have a standard presentation structure .

It starts with a cover slide and a table of contents. Then, it gives you space to introduce yourself or your team with an "About Us" slide.

Also, you'll find slides with some diagrams and charts to organize your information. Check out this example:

Individual Slides Templates

These templates do not follow a step-by-step structure. So feel free to use each slide independently . 

Most of the time, they're about the same topic and differ primarily in the layout design. Here is an example:

One of the greatest pros about templates is that you don't need expert knowledge to customize them , as PowerPoint is very intuitive software.

Keep in mind that you have the freedom to adapt our PowerPoint templates for personal or commercial projects! 

Step-by-Step Guide: How to create a Custom PowerPoint Template from scratch? 

Now, if you need an impactful template fully customized to your needs , you should create a PowerPoint template from scratch. 

With a custom template in PowerPoint, you have complete control over the final design of your slides. 

That being said, let's explore together how to make a PowerPoint template in six simple steps! 

• Important : We recommend learning how to use Slide Master in PowerPoint . The key idea is that any element added to the Slide Master will be reflected across all subsequent slides.

Step 1: Set your Slides Size

Adjusting slide sizes is really easy on a blank PowerPoint presentation –just three clicks, and you're done!

To set or change your slide size in PowerPoint, you only need to: 

• Go to the Design tab . 
• Click on the Slide Size button .
• Select the size you need for your presentation deck. If you choose "Standard (4:3)" or "Widescreen (16:9)," your slides will automatically change.

How do you Resize a Slide with Custom Measurements? 

By default, the slides are sized for a widescreen presentation. This happens because most desktop screens have a 16:9 aspect ratio .

Good news! If you require it, you can customize the size of your slides in PowerPoint . You only need to:  

• Press "Custom Slide Size," and a pop-up will appear.
• To change the size of your slides, type the new measurement in the boxes or use the arrows from the "Width" and "Height" sections. 

• If you are unsure about the specific Width and Height your slides require , click "Slides sized for" and select the most appropriate measurement for your PowerPoint template.

Step 2: Open the Slide Master View

Here's where a special PowerPoint feature comes in: Slide Master . 

You wouldn't be able to learn how to make a PowerPoint template without this feature, so pay close attention! 

• Go to the View tab .
• Press the button "Slide Master" (see image).
• The Slide Master tab will appear, and you will be able to access new features in PowerPoint.

The first slide is called the " Slide Master ," and any changes you make there will be reflected in the following slides ( Layout Slides ).

Let's delve into a concrete example! The next image shows the effectiveness of using Slide Master for creating templates or presentations in PowerPoint.

Step 3: Customize your Slide Master

Now that you opened the Slide Master view, it's time to learn how to customize this tool.

Here are some important changes you can apply to your Slide Master in PowerPoint:

Edit the Placeholders on your Slide Master

Let's start with the easiest part: the placeholders of your Slide Master.

• Go to the Slide Master tab .
• Click on the " Master Layout " button. 

• A dialog box will appear with the different types of placeholders available in the software. There, you can check the placeholders you need to create a PowerPoint template.

Apply a PowerPoint Theme to your Slide Master

You are free to choose any default PowerPoint theme or a custom theme you already have for your project. 

• If you like PowerPoint aesthetics , you'll see these options when clicking the Themes button.
• If you have a custom theme saved on your computer , you only need to click "Browse for Themes."

Set Up a Custom Color Palette on your Slide Master

By default, PowerPoint offers some built-in color palettes, but you can also use your own set of colors. 

This approach is especially useful when your template is designed for a project with its own brand identity.  

• Go to "Colors" in the Slide Master tab.
• Click "Customize Colors" to set your own color palette in Slide Master.

• A new pop-up will appear with 12 sections to fill out. 
• Remember to name and save your final color palette in PowerPoint .

Choose a Custom Font Set for your Slide Master

In this process of creating your own PowerPoint template, you also need to know how to set up a font pack in this software. 

Let's check how to do it: 

• Go to "Fonts" in the Slide Master tab.

• Click on " Customize Fonts " to open a dialog box. There, you can set up your new Heading and Body fonts.
• Create a name for this font set and click on "Save."

Here you can see how the Layout Slides change when employing the Slide Master functionality in PowerPoint:

• PRO TIP: If you want a more eye-catching result, install your own fonts in PowerPoint . Follow all the steps in our blog!

Customize the Background of your Slide Master

If you don't like PowerPoint themes or feel like "something is missing," you can customize your background style.

Let's learn how to do it:

• Make sure you're on the Slide Master tab .
• Stay on the first slide (Slide Master slide).
• Select "Background Styles" > " Format Background ."
• A panel will open on the right side of the screen. There, you can customize your background with a solid color, a gradient, or even add a picture.

Add your Company Logo to your Slide Master

If you want to enhance brand consistency and improve brand awareness among your audience, it is advisable to incorporate your logo into the PowerPoint template.

It's very easy to do it – simply follow these instructions: 

• Go to the Insert tab > Pictures > This device.
• Select your company logo image with a transparent background (PNG is the most common format).
• Place the logo on your Master Slides, and voilá!

Step 4: Design your Layout Slides

When you finish designing your Slide Master, you should know a little more about the following slides, known as "Layout Slides."

Designing layouts in PowerPoint facilitates the task of adding information to your presentation deck. Without a doubt, having different pre-set layouts saves a lot of your time!

Also, in case you share this master resource with different teams, you'll be able to adapt it to their needs. That way, your PowerPoint template will be more user-friendly!

Customize the Placeholders on your Layout Slides

Here are all the types of placeholders you can incorporate into your Layout Slides: 

• Online Image

To edit these placeholders, you only need to:

• Click on the placeholder you want to edit.
• A new Format tab will appear. Depending on each type of placeholder, the PowerPoint settings would be different. 
• Finally, change the aesthetics of each placeholder as you want! 

We recommend adding placeholders in strategic areas on your Layout Slides. Try and see which setting fits better for your project! 

Hide Background Graphics on a Layout Slide

Remember how we added a logo in the Master Slide throughout the entire presentation deck? 

Well, if you want to remove the logo or any other background graphics from specific Layout Slides , here's what you need to do:

• Click on the Layout Slide you want to edit.
• Go to the Slide Master ribbon.
• Check the box that says "Hide Background Graphics" (see image).
• If you want to apply this to multiple slides, hold down the "Ctrl" key and select the slides you want to replicate this change.

Hide Title or Footers on a Layout Slide

Beyond hiding background graphics in the Layout Slides, you can also opt to hide the title or any footers.

Let's check how to do it:

• Go to the Slide Master tab.
• Uncheck the options "Title" and "Footers," as required (see image). 
• Unlike the previous functionality, these changes are made manually on each slide.

Create a New Layout Slide

What if you want different settings for only one Layout Slide? Well, you can break the rules a bit. 

Let's say you desire to incorporate a different background color from your Master Slide, and you'd rather use a white Stencil font for the headings –but just for a particular Layout Slide. 

Luckily for us, PowerPoint is flexible enough to make this happen . Here's what you need to do:

• Click on the layout you want to edit. In this example, we will change the Title Slide Layout (the layout immediately below the Master Slide). 

• To change the color of the background , right-click on the slide and select "Format Background."
• To edit the font style and color , highlight the text and the Shape Format tab will appear. There, you can customize it with the tools Text Fill, Text Outline, and Text Effects. 

Here's how the final Layout Slide looks like:

Step 5: Apply the Layout Slides to your PowerPoint Template

We are nearing the end of this guide on how to make a PowerPoint Template.

Now, it's time to apply the layout designs previously created to your template . Remember that you have the freedom to choose the order!

• Close the Master View by going to Slide Master > Close Master View.
• Right-click on the slide you want to edit (you can either create a new slide or edit an existing one).
• Select the "Layout" option, and a new list of layouts will appear (here you will see all the layouts created in the previous step!).
• Choose the layout that best suits your needs!

Step 6: Save your Custom PowerPoint Template

Once you're happy with the aesthetics of your slides, it's time to save your PowerPoint template: 

• Go to the File tab .
• Click on "Save As" > "Browse."
• Then, select "Save as Type."
• Choose "PowerPoint Template" (see image).
• Change the name of the file if needed. 
• Click on "Save," and that's it! 

There you go! You have created a custom PowerPoint template ready to be used for any project. 

We hope you like this tutorial on how to make a PowerPoint template from scratch. You're free to share it with everyone you want! 

Get a Branded PowerPoint Template with a fast turnaround

What if I tell you there's a quicker option to have your PowerPoint template on-brand ? And it has nothing to do with fiddling with PowerPoint's shapes and graphics yourself.

Nowadays, more and more big companies worldwide outsource their design tasks and get professional slides that significantly impact their audience.

If you're looking for a custom PowerPoint template, or want to elevate your business presentations, book a call with us !  

Customer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about PowerPoint Templates

1. how to delete a layout slide from slide master.

To delete a Layout Slide from Slide Master, simply:

• Right-click on the Layout Slide you want to delete.
• Select the "Delete Layout" option, and that's it! 

As you can see in the image below, you can insert, duplicate, delete, and rename a layout in this PowerPoint feature.

2. How to apply a PowerPoint Template to an existing Presentation?

To apply a template to a new presentation deck, you must know how to save the file as a theme:

• Choose the template you prefer (with the design and color palette you like the most!).
• Go to View tab > Slide Master > Themes .
• Press "Save Current Theme."
• Name it and save it on your device (see image).
• Open the PowerPoint presentation you want to edit.
• Go to Design tab > Themes > Browse for Themes.
• Choose the PowerPoint theme you just saved, and that's it!

• Note: Remember that theme and template do not mean the same in PowerPoint.

3. How to make your own PowerPoint Template with a Picture?

Thanks to the latest PowerPoint updates, you can create a template from scratch with any image.

To achieve this, follow these steps:

• Choose and save some images to add to your PowerPoint template.
• Create a new PowerPoint presentation and place yourself on the first slide.
• Go to Insert tab > Picture > This device (you can also try images from Office or Bing).
• Find the image you saved in the first step and insert it into your presentation.
• Go to the Design tab and press the PowerPoint Designer tool . The software will give you many design ideas for your template.
• Add the number of slides your PowerPoint template needs by pressing the "Enter" key on the first slide.
• Choose the layouts that best suit each slide, and voila, you finally have a unique PowerPoint template!  

Found this guide helpful? Check out more content like this: 

• PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
• How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?   
• How to Make a Picture Transparent in PowerPoint?
• How to Rebrand a PowerPoint Template after a Brand Refresh
• How to Refresh Your Brand? Discover Our Strategic Approach

Create professional presentations online

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Tutorial: Save your PowerPoint as a Video

How To Convert Google Slides To PowerPoint and Vice Versa

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Use a personal template to create a new PowerPoint presentation

If you want to use a template you've saved for your next presentation, here's how.

On the File tab, click New .

Select Personal or Custom . (The name varies, depending on circumstance.)

Tip:  If you don't see Personal or Custom then you probably don't have any templates stored in your templates folder.  Create and save one, or use the steps in the next section to copy a template to that folder.

Double-click your template and a new presentation will open with your template applied to it.

Got a custom template you want to use in PowerPoint?

Did you receive a template, via download, email, or other method, that you'd like to add to PowerPoint? Copy or save your template (.potx) file to the Templates folder at: 

C:\Users\< UserName> \Documents\Custom Office Templates\

Important:  Replace <UserName> with your username.

Import existing slides into your new presentation

Open the file that contains the existing slides.

Click the thumbnail pane and then select the slides you want:

Select all slides: Ctrl+A

Select a subset of the slides: Ctrl+click

Copy the slides (Ctrl+C).

Switch to the new file, right-click the thumbnail pane, and under Paste Options select Use Destination Theme :

All the copied slides are inserted in the new presentation.

Set your template as a default option

You can mark your personal template to be an option on the default Featured tab. Here’s how:

Repeat the first two steps from the first procedure above. 

Right-click your template and select Pin to List . 

Create and save a PowerPoint template

Where are my custom templates?

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How to Add a New Slide to PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Adding a new slide to your PowerPoint presentation is easier than you think. If you’ve got your content ready and need to know how to insert a new slide, you’re in the right place. After reading this quick overview, you’ll be able to add a slide to your presentation like a pro!

Step by Step Tutorial on How to Add a New Slide to PowerPoint

Before diving into the details, let’s clarify what we’re about to achieve. Adding a new slide to your PowerPoint presentation helps you expand on your ideas and organize your content effectively. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

Open the PowerPoint presentation where you want to add a new slide.

Once you’ve opened your presentation, make sure you’re on the slide after which you want to insert the new one. This is important for keeping your presentation’s flow logical and seamless.

Step 2: Go to the Home Tab

Click on the “Home” tab in the PowerPoint ribbon.

The “Home” tab contains the most commonly used PowerPoint features, including the option to add a new slide. It’s like your trusty toolbox for all things PowerPoint.

Step 3: Click on “New Slide”

In the “Slides” group, click on “New Slide.”

You’ll see a dropdown menu with different slide layout options. Choose the layout that best fits the content you’ll be adding.

Step 4: Choose a Slide Layout

Select your desired slide layout from the dropdown menu.

Each layout has placeholders for various types of content, such as text, images, or charts. Consider what type of information you’ll be presenting when selecting your layout.

After completing these steps, you’ll see your brand new slide inserted into your presentation, ready for you to add your content.

Tips for Adding a New Slide to PowerPoint

• Use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + M) to quickly add a blank new slide with the same layout as the previous one.
• Right-click between two slides in the slide sorter view to add a new slide in that specific location.
• Customize your new slide by adding background colors or images for a more visually appealing presentation.
• Use the slide master to create custom layouts that you can reuse throughout your presentation.
• Keep your slides consistent by using the same font styles and sizes across all slides.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adding a New Slide to PowerPoint

What is the quickest way to add a new slide.

The quickest way is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + M, which will add a new slide immediately after the selected one.

Can I add a new slide at the end of my presentation?

Yes, you can add a new slide at the end by clicking on “New Slide” when the last slide is selected.

How do I change the layout of a new slide?

After adding a new slide, right-click on it and select “Layout” to choose a different layout.

Can I duplicate an existing slide instead of adding a new one?

Absolutely! Right-click on the slide you want to duplicate and select “Duplicate Slide.”

How do I add multiple new slides at once?

You can’t add multiple slides at once, but you can duplicate an existing slide multiple times and then modify them as needed.

Summary of How to Add a New Slide to PowerPoint

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Click on the “Home” tab.
• Click on “New Slide.”
• Choose a slide layout.

There you have it! Adding a new slide to your PowerPoint presentation is a simple task that can make a huge difference in how you convey your message. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can effortlessly insert new slides wherever needed, ensuring your presentation is organized and engaging. Remember, the key is to keep your audience captivated, and a well-structured presentation is a crucial step in achieving that.

Additionally, the tips provided can help you enhance your PowerPoint skills, making your presentations stand out. Whether it’s through keyboard shortcuts or custom slide layouts, these little tweaks can save you time and add a professional touch.

Keep in mind the frequently asked questions as well, as they cover common concerns that arise when adding new slides. And, if you ever find yourself stuck, refer back to the summary for a quick reminder of the steps to take.

Creating a compelling PowerPoint presentation is an art, and like any artist, you need the right tools and techniques. Adding a new slide is just one of those essential skills that you now have up your sleeve. So, go ahead, give your presentations the structure and flair they deserve, and watch as your ideas come to life on the screen. Happy presenting!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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