Create Custom Design Templates and Master Slides in PowerPoint

Create a New Presentation With Your Template

Create a new PowerPoint presentation based on a new design template

© Wendy Russell

Here are the steps to create a new presentation using your new design template.

1. Open PowerPoint
2. Click File > New...
   Note - This is not the same thing as clicking on the New button at the extreme left of the toolbar.
3. In the New Presentation task pane to the right side of the screen, select the On My Computer option from the templates section in the middle of the pane, to open the New Presentation dialog box.
4. Select the General tab at the top of the dialog box if it is not already selected.
5. Locate your template in the list and click on it.
6. Click the OK button.

PowerPoint protects your template from being changed by opening a new presentation rather than opening the template itself. When you save the presentation, it will be saved with the file extension .ppt which is the extension for presentations. This way, your template never changes and you only need to add content whenever you need to make a new presentation.

If you need to edit your template for any reason, choose File > Open... and locate the template file on your computer.

Index: Create Custom Design Templates and Master Slides in PowerPoint

1. Creating a Custom Design Template in PowerPoint
2. Changing the Fonts on the Slide Master
3. Add Pictures to the Slide Master
4. Add Clip Art Images to the Slide Master
5. Move Text Boxes on the Slide Master
6. Creating a Title Master
7. Change a Preset Slide Design Template
8. New Template Created From a Design Template in PowerPoint
9. Create a New Presentation With Your Template
10. Samples of the New PowerPoint Templates