Tech Tip: Custom PowerPoint Templates

Have you ever created a PowerPoint that you really like and would like to save the exact formatting of for future use? Presentations can be saved as templates to easily create more files with the same customization settings.

First, open the presentation that you would like to save as a template. Under the View tab, click Slide Sorter. Press [Ctrl] + [A] to select all slides, then hit [Delete]. Deleting the slides sounds counterintuitive, but it’s part of this process and will not result in any loss of data.

While still in the View tab, click Normal. The presentation will be empty. Click on Click to add the first slide. The title slide will appear, formatted as it was previously. Under the File tab, click Save As, then select PowerPoint Template (*.potx) under Save as type. Rename your file if you wish, and click Save.

To use the template, open PowerPoint. Click the Personal tab, directly above PowerPoint’s built-in templates. You will see a template in the format that you just saved. Double-click to open it. As you create your presentation and add slides, they will all be in the format as your previous presentation.

For more information and step-by-step screenshots, visit our Knowledgebase article.