Apply a template to an existing PowerPoint presentation

If you need help knowing where to put a template file so you can apply it as described in this article, go to Where template files belong. 

Select a template

1. Select File > New.
2. Under New, navigate to a personal template, search for a template, or choose a featured template or theme from the gallery.
3. Select the template to preview it, and then select Create. The template is applied to the blank presentation.
4. If you don't have existing slides to import, simply begin creating slides in your new file.

Apply the template to existing slides

If you have existing slides, import them into the new file you created:

1. Open the file that contains the existing slides.

2. Select the thumbnail pane and then select the slides you want: 

   To select this	Do this
   All slides	Press Ctrl+A
   A subset of the slides	Press and hold Ctrl while you select the individual slides you want to select

3. Copy the selected slides (Ctrl+C).

4. 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.  

Where template files belong

To use a template easily, store a personal template that you created in a standard folder location. 

When you store the template in this folder, it appears in PowerPoint from File > New in the tab next to the Featured tab.

Personal templates: see or change the default location

1. In PowerPoint, select File > Options > Save.
2. Under Save presentations, check the box named Default personal templates location.
   • There might already be a folder location specified in this box. If a folder is specified, continue using it. Place your personal template in this folder.
   • If no folder is specified in that box, use File Explorer to create the default personal template folder:
     C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\Custom Office Templates
     YourUserName isn't a literal folder name. Use the above folder path name in the Default personal templates location box but replace YourUserName with whatever your username is on this computer.

Start from a custom template

To create a new presentation from a custom template, follow these steps:

1. Select File > Open.
2. Go to the folder where the template file is stored.
3. Select the template file and then select Open.
4. Select File > Save As.
5. In the dialog box, type a name for your new presentation in the Save As box.
6. In the File Format box, choose PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx).
7. In the Where box, select the folder where you want to save the presentation.
8. If you don't have existing slides to import, simply begin creating slides in your new file. If you have existing slides that you want to apply the template to, see the section Apply the new template to existing slides below.

Start from a standard Microsoft template

To create a new presentation from a standard PowerPoint template:

1. Select File > New from Template.
2. Choose a template from the Gallery, then select Create.
3. If you don't have existing slides to add to the new presentation, simply begin creating slides in your new file.

Apply the new template to existing slides

If you have existing slides, import them into the new file you created:

1. Open the file that contains the existing slides.

2. Select the thumbnail pane and then select the slides you want:

   To select this	Do this
   All slides	Press +A
   A subset of the slides	Press and hold while you select the individual slides you want to select

3. Copy the selected slides ( +C).

4. Switch to the new file, right-click the thumbnail pane, and paste the slides by pressing +V. All the copied slides are inserted in the new presentation, and they adopt the design of its template.  

5. Save the file and then continue creating slides as you see fit.