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Master Slides 101: How to Create and Use Master Slides in PowerPoint

Get a complete overview of one of PowerPoint’s best tools: Slide Master!

The Slide Master in PowerPoint is, in short, an option that allows you to standardize specific visual aspects of your presentation .

It’s a feature that not many people are aware of. However, it can truly make a difference when you constantly work with presentation decks. If you like working with templates in PowerPoint , you’d love Slide Master!

In this article, we’ll explain what exactly the Slide Master feature is and how you can use it to create outstanding presentations.

We’ll go over the following topics:

• Master Slides 101: What is a Master Slide in PowerPoint?
• Why is Master Slide used? And most importantly: Why Slide Master is used for businesses
• Let’s go step-by-step: How to use slide master in PowerPoint

How to create master slides in PowerPoint

How to edit master slide in powerpoint.

• Ready to start? Get professional PowerPoint Master Slides!

What is a Master Slide in PowerPoint?

Slide Master is a PowerPoint feature you can find in the View tab . It allows you to create master templates (or master slides). It’s a way to automatically add elements that you want to be repeated throughout your slides, like a font or a theme.

Why is Master Slide used?

The Slide Master feature in PowerPoint is extremely useful for making your presentation design process more efficient . The main reason it’s used is because it helps you customize all of your PowerPoint elements at once.

That’s right, there is no reason to change slide by slide anymore . With master slides, you can change the typography, logo, and colors and even add your logo and watermark by changing these elements on one single slide. When you adjust one of the elements in the Master Slide, all of those elements will change in all the slides.

Why Slide Master is used for businesses

The slide master is not only a really efficient tool, it also can be great for your business. For example:

• It helps you standardize the design of your presentation : Instead of having a disparate array of different slide designs in your presentations, the Slide Master allows you to establish a consistent and professional look throughout. This consistency can enhance the professionalism of your brand and the clarity of your message.
• Or even better, it helps you brand your presentations : Something as simple as using your brand’s color scheme can make all the difference in creating truly unique slides. It can even help you convey values and ideas you want to be associated with your brand.

How to use slide master in PowerPoint

To create your own Master template, you just need to go to the View tab > Slide Master . This will allow you to access the Slide Master view.

Follow these steps to learn how to create a presentation using master slides in PowerPoint:

#1. Work on your main Slide Master

Once you are on the Master View, it’s time to get to work! Go to the very first slide on the Slides Overview Pane on the left. This is your Master Slide. You’ll recognize it because it’ll have a number 1 at the side, and it’ll be a little bigger than the rest:

Here is where you’ll work on the common elements all your slides will share. This is where you should customize your background, font style, and color . This is also the perfect opportunity to add an element you want to repeat throughout your slides, like a logo. Take into account that anything you do while in this mode will then be reflected in all the rest of your slides.

By clicking on the Master Layout option , you’ll also be able to customize which layout elements you want in your presentation slides.

For example, you can choose to include the date, the slide number, and more.

#2. Work on your Layout slides

Next, it’s time to move to the Layout slides . These are slides that appear below your Master Slide. In other words, these are your actual slides.

You’ll notice that PowerPoint offers 11 different default layout settings for you to start to work with . You can edit and alter these layouts as much as you want. Consider that these are meant to make your life easier when designing your presentation. That’s why it’s important to think through what kind of layouts your presentation will need.

If you don’t find a layout that fits your needs, you can also create a master layout from scratch . Select any of your layouts and click the option Insert Layout in the Edit Master group.

It’ll create a new type of slide you can edit and customize as you see fit. Use the option Insert Placeholder to add different kinds of elements to our new layout.

#3. Adding a new Slide Master if necessary

If you think just one “theme” is not enough for your presentation and want to use several different styles, or segments, in a single presentation, you can do it! You just need to add a second Slide Master. Select Insert Slide Master on the far left, and you’ll get a completely new Master slide in the same presentation.

You’ll be able to see your two different master slides, and the layout slides below each one:

Once you’re happy with how your master template looks, remember to click the option Close Master View so you can see your changes.

If you’ve worked with a presentation that’s already using a master template, you can edit your slides through Master View . Especially if there are common elements you want to eliminate, add, or edit on more than one slide!

#1. Access the Master Slide View

Just like for creating a master template, the first thing is to access the master view. Go to View tab > Slide Master to see exactly all the design guidelines your presentation has at the moment.

#2. Edit the Master Slide

If there’s a common element that you want to change, the Master Slide is the place to do it! It works great for adding and removing logos or changing the background or color scheme.

#3. Edit Specific Layout Slides

If there’s a design element you want to change from a specific layout style, you can do so, too. Pick the slide layout you want to edit and customize as you see fit.

Remember that all the slides below the master slide will have these changes . So, if you are looking for a specific change in one of the slides, it’s better to avoid the Master Slide view and edit your slides as you normally would.

Get professionally customized PowerPoint Master Slides

Master Slides are an outstanding tool to make your presentation creation process more efficient. They can save you precious time and enhance design consistency within your slides.

However, using master slides still requires a steep learning curve . Design skills are a must if you truly want to make the most of your master slides. If you’re going to use PowerPoint Master Slides but don’t feel you have enough experience or time to create your master template, don’t worry! 24Slides professional designers will be happy to help you make the perfect master slides . You can just sit back and relax, and we’ll do all the heavy lifting!

The best thing is that you’ll get a completely customized, professional design that you’ll be able to apply to all your future projects! You’ll no longer have to worry about your slide design or making it reflect your brand! Get an outstanding presentation design that you can apply to your own slides with just one click.

Want to learn more?

• How to Add Speaker Notes in PowerPoint (Tutorial)
• How to Convert An InDesign File to a PowerPoint Presentation
• How to Convert an Adobe Illustrator File to PowerPoint
• How to Make a Timeline in PowerPoint? Step by step
• How to Link or Embed an Excel File in PowerPoint? Quick Guide!

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• PowerPoint Tutorials

How to Make a Slide Master in PowerPoint?

Written by: Bill Whitman

Last updated: October 7, 2024

How to Make a Slide Master in PowerPoint

Welcome to this practical guide on one of PowerPoint’s most powerful features. Understanding how to create a Slide Master is essential for anyone looking to streamline their presentation design process. Let’s dive into how you can master this tool to ensure consistency and save time across your slides.

Category: PowerPoint Tutorials

Step-by-Step Guide

1. access the slide master view.

• Open your PowerPoint presentation and navigate to the View tab on the Ribbon.
• Click on the Slide Master icon to switch to the Slide Master view.

2. Edit the Master Slide

• At the top of the thumbnail pane on the left, click on the larger slide image. This is the Master Slide that controls the overall design of your presentation.
• Make changes such as adjusting the background, choosing new fonts, or changing the color scheme. These changes will apply to all slides in your presentation.

3. Create or Modify Layouts

• Below the Master Slide are individual layout slides. Select a layout to modify or right-click in the pane to add a new one.
• Adjust placeholders, add new text boxes, or other elements. These modifications will apply only to slides using that specific layout.

4. Save and Apply Changes

• Once you are satisfied with your changes, click Close Master View on the Ribbon to return to normal view.
• Apply your new master to existing slides by right-clicking a slide in the thumbnail view, selecting Layout , and then choosing the layout you’ve edited or created.
• Ensure consistency by keeping the font types and color schemes uniform across all layouts within the Slide Master.
• Use keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + Shift + S to quickly access the Slide Master view.
• Embed commonly used graphics or logos in the Slide Master to automatically appear on all slides.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Advanced Techniques

• Link to external templates : Incorporate professionally designed templates as Slide Masters to maintain a high standard of design across presentations.
• Automate common tasks : Use macros to automate repetitive modifications in the Slide Master, saving even more time.

Compatibility Notes

• Versions of PowerPoint earlier than 2010 may have different interfaces or lack certain features discussed in this guide.
• The fundamental concepts of Slide Master functionality remain consistent across most recent versions of Microsoft Office and PowerPoint.

Creating and using a Slide Master in PowerPoint is essential for producing professional and consistent presentations. Explore other powerful features such as custom animations or integrating multimedia to further enhance your PowerPoint skills.

A: Open the Slide Master view and import your template through the Background Styles option, then apply it to the desired layouts.

A: Yes, save your presentation as a template (.potx), and share this file with others who can use it as a base for their presentations.

A: Use the shortcut key Alt , W , M to quickly switch to Slide Master view in PowerPoint.

Other Categories

• Advanced Features and Interactivity
• Basic Features and Usage
• Media and Design
• PowerPoint File Types
• Slides and Organization
• Text and Formatting

How to Insert Excel into PowerPoint?

How to Convert PowerPoint to MP4?

How to Rotate Text in PowerPoint?

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How to Add Footnotes in PowerPoint?

How to Use Slide Master in PowerPoint?

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How to Add Headers and Footers in PowerPoint?

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How to Use the Slide Master View in PowerPoint

Microsoft Office, PowerPoint

In this PowerPoint tutorial, we’ll show you how to use the Slide Master view. It can help you keep your presentation’s appearance consistent throughout. Adding graphics and formatting text in the view are easy once you get there. Want to learn more about these and other features in PowerPoint? Then check out our PowerPoint training courses , taught by live instructors in our virtual, online or in-person formats.

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PowerPoint 2016  - Slide Master View

Powerpoint 2016  -, slide master view, powerpoint 2016 slide master view.

PowerPoint 2016: Slide Master View

Lesson 29: slide master view.

/en/powerpoint2016/modifying-themes/content/

Introduction

You may have noticed that when you select a different theme in PowerPoint, it rearranges the text on your slides and adds shapes to the background. This is because each theme has built-in slide layouts and background graphics . You can edit these layouts with a feature called Slide Master view . Once you learn how to use Slide Master view, you'll be able to customize your entire slide show with just a few clicks.

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Watch the video below to learn more about using Slide Master view.

What is Slide Master view?

Slide Master view is a special feature in PowerPoint that allows you to quickly modify the slides and slide layouts in your presentation. From there, you can edit the slide master , which will affect every slide in the presentation. You can also modify individual slide layouts , which will change any slides using those layouts.

For example, let's say you find a theme you like but you don't like a few of the slide layouts. You could use Slide Master view to customize the layouts to look exactly the way you want .

In Slide Master view, the Slide Master tab will appear first on the Ribbon, but you'll still be able to access commands on different tabs as normal.

Using Slide Master view

Whether you're making significant changes to your slides or just a few small tweaks , Slide Master view can help you create a consistent, professional presentation without a lot of effort. You could use Slide Master view to change just about anything in your presentation, but here are some of its most common uses.

• Modify backgrounds : Slide Master view makes it easy to customize the background for all of your slides at the same time. For example, you could add a watermark or logo to each slide in your presentation, or you could modify the background graphics of an existing PowerPoint theme.
• Rearrange placeholders : If you find that you often rearrange the placeholders on each slide, you can save time by rearranging them in Slide Master view instead. When you adjust one of the layouts in Slide Master view, all of the slides with that layout will change.
• Customize text formatting : Instead of changing the text color on each slide individually, you could use the Slide Master to change the text color on all slides at once.
• Create unique slide layouts : If you want to create a presentation that looks different from regular PowerPoint themes, you could use Slide Master view to create your own layouts. Custom layouts can include your own background graphics and placeholders .

Some overall presentation changes—like customizing the theme fonts and theme colors —can be made quickly from the Design tab. Review our lesson on Modifying Themes to learn more.

To make changes to all slides:

If you want to change something on all slides of your presentation, you can edit the Slide Master. In our example, we'll add a logo to every slide. If you'd like to work along with our example, right-click the image below and save it to your computer.

• The presentation will switch to Slide Master view , and the Slide Master tab will be selected on the Ribbon.

When you make a change to the slide master, it's a good idea to review your presentation to see how it affects each slide. You may find that some of your slides don't look exactly right. On the next page, we'll show you how to fix this by customizing individual slide layouts.

Customizing slide layouts

You can use Slide Master view to modify any slide layout in your presentation. It's easy to make small tweaks like adjusting background graphics and more significant changes like rearranging or deleting placeholders. Unlike the slide master, changes to a slide layout will only be applied to slides using that layout in your presentation.

To customize an existing slide layout:

In our example, our newly added logo is hidden behind the photo in the Picture with Caption Layout . We'll customize this layout to make room for the logo.

You can also move placeholders on the slide master , which will move the placeholders on multiple slide layouts at the same time. However, some slide layouts may still need to be adjusted manually.

Customizing text formatting

You can also customize the text formatting from Slide Master view, including the font , text size , color , and alignment . For example, if you wanted to change the font for every title placeholder in your presentation, you could modify the master title style on the slide master.

Each title placeholder is connected to the master title style on the slide master. For example, take a look at the slides before changing the title font.

Now look at the same slides after changing the title font.

Instead of customizing individual placeholders, you could change the theme fonts for a presentation. From the Slide Master tab, click the Fonts command in the Background group, then select the desired fonts.

Creating new slide layouts

One of the most powerful features of Slide Master view is the option to create new slide layouts . This is an easy way to add interesting and unique slide layouts to an existing theme. You could even use this feature to design an entirely new theme , as in the example below.

To insert a new slide layout:

To rename a custom layout:

When you're done designing your custom layout, you'll want to give it a unique name so it will be easy to find.

To use a custom layout:

Once you've created a custom slide layout, it's easy to add a new slide with that layout or apply it to an existing slide.

• If you're currently in Slide Master view, click the Close Master View command on the Slide Master tab.

PowerPoint also allows you to add new placeholders to existing slide layouts.

Using custom layouts in other presentations

When you modify the slide master or slide layouts in Slide Master view, you're actually creating a custom version of the current theme. If you want to apply the theme to other presentations, you'll need to save it .

To save a theme:

From the the Slide Master tab, click the Themes command, then select Save Current Theme from the drop-down menu.

If you're not in Slide Master view, you can save the theme from the Design tab. Just click the drop-down arrow in the Themes group, then select Save Current Theme .

• Open our practice presentation . If you already downloaded our presentation to follow along with the lesson, be sure to download a fresh copy.
• On the slide master, change the Background Style to Style 7.
• Delete the tall rectangle shape near the left of the slide master.

• Reopen Slide Master view. In the Picture with Caption layout, select the background shape on the left side of the slide behind the text,and change the color to Dark Aqua .

• Optional: Save your theme to your computer.

/en/powerpoint2016/hyperlinks/content/

Mastering PowerPoint with Master Views

To be a master of PowerPoint, you need to acquire all the knowledge and or skills that come along with PowerPoint. This may seem a bit daunting.

Below we’ll briefly go through 3 Master Views tools that will help you quickly become a master in PowerPoint:

• Slide Master,
• Handout Master,
• and the Notes Master.

PowerPoint Master Views group

These masterful Master Views will help you become a master in PowerPoint. From the Slide Master View to the Notes Master View, these features help you optimize development time, and keep you organized when presenting.

We’ll guide you through each of the views and show you how they are vital to mastering PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Slide Master

The Slide Master View allows you edit and create your own layouts . In these layouts you can add pictures, text, and even graphs and SmartArt.

When you edit and create layouts in Slide Master view, the changes you make to existing layouts will be apparent. So to avoid confusion (and accidentally messing things up), you will want to insert a new layout. Once you have done that you can insert pictures, text, etc.

Once you are done editing the Slide Master, you can save it out and use it in different projects. This really helps when creating presentations that may have similar layouts.

Once you are done creating and modifying layouts, exit the Slide Master and on the Home tab on the main ribbon, you can insert the layout directly into your existing project by right clicking on the slide you would like to insert the layout onto.

Then, scroll down to Layout and select the layout that you created.

Note that you will not be able edit the inserted Master Slide while not in the Slide Master View.

PowerPoint Handout Master

The Handout Master has everything to do with the layout of your presentation as it is printed out on paper. There are many things that you are able to change while in this view.

For example,

• the orientation from Landscape to Portrait,
• the size of the slides displayed on the page,
• how many slides are shown per page.
• In Placeholders group you have the choice to select/deselect headers, footers, page number, and the date from showing on the page.
• can choose to add a solid color or gradient to be the backdrop on your handout,
• also have the option to add an image from your personal library.

Once you have finished editing in the Handout Master, you can go File > Print and you will be given a preview of your handout.

If you don’t like the look of it, you can quickly make changes without leaving the print screen.

Notes Master

The Notes Master is very similar to the Handout Master.

• So when you change the layout of the Notes Master it will change it for every single notes section in your project.
• Again, like the Handout Master, you can change the orientation and slide size.
• Note that you are given the option to get rid of the slide image as well, so if all you want are notes for each slide, then you can select that option.
• Also be aware that the page number corresponds to the slide number as well (since there are only notes for one slide per page).
• Like the Handout Master, you can change format of the background.

Once you have finished editing the Notes Master for your project, you can preview your changes by going File > Print .

You then need to click where it says Full Page Slides under Settings and to change it to Notes Pages . Then you will be able to preview and print.

The original article is here.

View Options in PowerPoint – A Complete Beginner’s Guide!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

There are many different types of presentations view available in PowerPoint including Normal View, Outline View, Presenter View, and Slide Show View to name a few. All these views serve different purposes and it is important to know how to use them appropriately to get the most out of PowerPoint!

In this article, we will talk about what each type of view does in PowerPoint and how to access them so that you can choose the best for your needs! So, let’s get started!

[ A Quick Note Before We Begin – for this article, I will be using one of the presentation templates from Envato Elements . With Envato Elements, you get access to thousands of presentation designs with unlimited downloads so you never run out of options again. Plus, you get free previews so you know exactly what you’re getting before buying! It is also very affordable. Check out their pricing here ]

1. What are the Different Type of View Options Available in PowerPoint?  

Microsoft PowerPoint is equipped with a variety of Slide View options that can be used for different purposes.

These are the different view options available in PowerPoint –

• Normal View
• Slide Sorter View
• Notes Page View
• Reading View
• Outline View
• Slide Show View
• Presenter View
• Slide Master View

2. How to Access the Different View Modes in PowerPoint?

To access the different view modes in PowerPoint, you have to click on the ‘View’ tab in the ribbon. The 2-step process is described below.

Step-1: Click on the ‘View’ tab

At first, select the ‘View’ tab, which is the second to last tab in the ribbon section of your PowerPoint Window.

Step-2: Select your preferred ‘View Mode’

Once you have access to the ‘View’ tab, you can select your preferred view mode such as the Outline View , Slide Sorter view, Slide Master view, etc. from the Presentation View section or the Master View section. (as shown in the image in step 1)

3. What is the Purpose of Various View Modes in PowerPoint?

Each view mode in PowerPoint has its own purpose. Let’s go through the purposes of the different slide view options one by one below –

1. Normal View

The ‘Normal View’ option is the first option in the ‘Presentation Views’ section of the ‘View’ tab. It is the most commonly used viewing option and is also the default slide view for PowerPoint.

The slides appear on the left of the PowerPoint window in the ‘Slide Navigation’ bar. Thumbnails of the slide are represented as boxes in the ‘Slide Navigation’ bar with its consecutive serial number to the left of it.

The main function of normal view mode in PowerPoint is to navigate through slides in a vertical grid while allowing you to add, design, or edit the slides while getting a preview of the slides on the left.

2. Slide Sorter View

The ‘Slide Sorter’ option gives you an overview of all the slides in your PowerPoint presentation.

The slides are represented as thumbnails as a grid of boxes arranged side by side. The serial number of the slide is given on the bottom left corner of the slide thumbnail.

This option serves the purpose of viewing the slides together in one window making it easier to rearrange and organize them in a quick fashion.

3. Notes Page View

The ‘Notes Page View’ option gives you the view of each slide and its speaker notes in one page.

In this view, the slides appear at the top and the speaker notes are given on the bottom of the two sections. The serial number of the slide is not shown in this view. You can also edit speaker notes from here.

The main purpose of the notes page view in PowerPoint is to preview what each page will look like before you print the slides with speaker notes.

4. Reading View:

The Reading View option allows you to view your PowerPoint presentation without going into Full Screen mode. All the transitions and animations can be seen in this view. The serial number of the slide is given at the bottom right corner of the window.

It is used to preview the slide and review the slides with full focus. This mode also makes other view options easily accessible, which is not the case in ‘Slide Show’ mode where the presentation is shown in the full screen, and the options are not visible on screen.

The reading mode is actually more useful for word documents, as it allows the reader to focus just on the text. In my opinion, it adds little value to a PowerPoint presentation.

5. Outline View:

The ‘Outline View’ shows you the entire outline of your PowerPoint presentation in the ‘Slide Navigation’ bar.

In this view, there is no thumbnail of the presentation. Instead, there is an outline of all the data present in that slide. The serial number of the slide is at the left followed by a small white box that represents a slide and then the outline of that slide.

You can also create an entire slide in the pane of this view by copy and pasting data from Microsoft Word. However, you will have to design the slide separately once the data has been added to each slide.

6. Slide Show View:

The Slide Show View is the view that your audiences are going to see. This view shows each slide of your PowerPoint presentation in full screen.

All the transitions, animation, and multimedia files in your PowerPoint presentation are played here. Consecutive slides can be accessed using the direction keys on your keyboard or by clicking once on the slide.

7. Presenter View:

This is the view that you as a presenter are going to see while the audience is seeing the ‘Slide Show’ view.

Although you can give a presentation even in the slide show view, but it is always recommend to deliver the presentation using the “Presenter View” mode in PowerPoint as it provides you with additional features and benefits!

This view mode in PowerPoint will split the screen in multiple windows. The window on the left represents the current slide that is being displayed (the one that is visible to your audience).

The window in the top right section indicates the next slide in the queue. Whereas, the notes section displays the notes or key points made by each slide. Both, the notes section as well as the next slides window are only visible to the presenter and not to the audience!

The purpose of the “ Presenter View ” is to give the presenter all the aids to be prepared for the next slide and highlight the key points to be made on the current slide while delivering the presentation.

8. Slide Master View:

This view gives you a view of all the layouts used on the slides of your PowerPoint presentation.

The ‘ Slide Master View ’ option allows you to edit all the aspects of the layouts in your presentation such as fonts, background, color, and pretty much everything you can think of.

You can edit all the slide layouts of the presentation. Furthermore, you can also edit the header and footer of the presentation using the “ Slide Master View ” in PowerPoint.

4. How to Open the Presenter View in PowerPoint?  

There are 2 different ways you can enter into Presenter View in PowerPoint –

• Using Slide Show View
• Using the short cut key i.e. Alt+F5

If you are using the Office 365 version of PowerPoint , you can actually directly access the “Presenter View” in the View section. Simply click on “View”. Then, click on “Presenter View”

Let’s look at both the methods quickly –

Method 1 – Using the Slide Show View

Step-1: Click on the ‘Slide Show’ button at the bottom right corner of the screen

At first, you have to click on the ‘Slide Show’ button that looks like a projector screen which is located at the bottom right corner of your PowerPoint window. (as indicated in the image above)

Step-2: Right-click and choose “Show Presenter View”

Once you are in the ‘Slide Show’ mode, using your mouse right-click anywhere on the screen. From the menu that appears, choose the “ Show Presenter View ” option

Method 2 – Using the Keyboard Shortcut

Alternatively, you can press ‘ Alt + F5 ’ on your keyboard and that will immediately open the ‘Presenter View’ mode.

The keyboard shortcut to open the “Presenter View” in PowerPoint on Mac is “Option+Enter” key.

5. How to Change PowerPoint Back to Normal View? 

To change your PowerPoint back to ‘Normal View’ from ‘Slide Show’ mode, ‘Presenter View’ option or the ‘Reading View’ option, all you have to do is simply press the ‘ESC’ button on the keyboard of your computer. This will take you back to Normal View.

If you are using any other view apart from these 3 view modes in PowerPoint, you need to do the following –

If you are in a different viewing option, such as ‘Slide Sorter’ option, or the ‘Reading View’ option then you have to select the ‘Normal View’ option from the ‘View’ tab instead of the ‘Slide Sorter’ option or the different slide view option you are currently on.  

More PowerPoint Related Topics

• How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint? [Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial!]
• How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? A Helpful Resource!
• What is a Presentation Clicker? [And How to Use it!]
• How to Convert a PowerPoint to PDF? [A Simple Guide!]
• PowerPoint vs Google Slides: Which is Better? [ULTIMATE Test!]
• How to Change Bullet Style in PowerPoint? A Complete Guide

Credit to Pressahotkey (via Freepik) for the featured image of this article

Byte Bite Bit

Where is Slide Master in PowerPoint: A Quick Guide for Users

Opening your PowerPoint presentation and needing to keep the design consistent can feel daunting. You can find the Slide Master in the View tab under the Slide Master View option. This option lets you control the overall look of your slides, ensuring that every detail, from fonts to themes, follows a uniform pattern.

Accessing the Slide Master is like peering behind the curtain of your presentation’s design. We can adjust the layout, colors, and background to maintain cohesion across all slides. Imagine tweaking one master slide and having those changes replicate throughout, making our presentation efforts much smoother and more efficient.

Harnessing the power of Slide Master not only saves us time but also elevates our presentations. With a few adjustments, we can create custom themes and layouts that reflect our unique style. Whether it’s a business pitch or a school project, mastering this feature will undoubtedly enhance our presentation game.

• 1.1 Accessing Master View
• 1.2 Customization of Slide Masters
• 1.3 Maintaining Consistency in Presentations
• 2.1 Using Placeholders and Layouts
• 2.2 Applying Themes and Templates
• 3.1 Ensuring Visual Consistency
• 3.2 Performing Comprehensive Reviews

Designing Effective Slide Masters

Designing effective slide masters in PowerPoint ensures consistent themes and layouts throughout your presentations. Let’s explore how to access master view, customize your slide masters, and maintain consistency across all slides.

Accessing Master View

To begin designing effective slide masters, we need to access the Slide Master View . This allows us to make broad changes that apply to every slide. Here’s how:

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Go to the View tab on the ribbon.
• Click on Slide Master .

This will bring up the Slide Master View , where you can see the master slide and its associated layouts.

Customization of Slide Masters

Customization is key to making your presentation stand out. Within Slide Master View , we can change the background, insert placeholders, and edit layouts to match our specific needs.

• Insert Layouts: Click on Insert Layout in the Edit Master group to create custom slide layouts.
• Add Placeholders: Use the Insert Placeholder option to add content areas like text boxes, images, or charts.
• Themes and Background: Change the overall theme and background by selecting Themes in the Slide Master tab. Customize colors by clicking on Customize Colors .

These customizations ensure that every new slide created aligns with our design criteria.

Maintaining Consistency in Presentations

Maintaining consistency is crucial for a professional look. Slide masters help ensure every slide follows the same design principles. Here are some tips:

By following these steps, we maintain a cohesive and professional look throughout our presentations. This not only enhances readability but also reinforces our branding effectively.

Managing Presentation Elements and Layouts

Controlling the design and functionality of our PowerPoint presentation can dramatically improve its effectiveness. We need to focus on essential elements like placeholders, layouts, themes, and templates.

Using Placeholders and Layouts

In PowerPoint, placeholders are predefined areas for adding various objects, such as text, images, charts, or tables. Understanding their placement and usage can save us a ton of time. We can insert placeholders by going to the Slide Master view and selecting Insert Placeholder . This feature allows us to define where and how content appears on each slide, ensuring consistency.

Slide layouts are configurations that ensure all slides follow a specific pattern. The default layout can be modified to suit our needs. In the Slide Master view , we can adjust these layouts to include specific placeholders like text boxes or image holders. Doing so helps in maintaining uniformity across the entire presentation.

Applying Themes and Templates

Themes and templates are vital in giving our presentation a professional look without starting from scratch. In the Slide Master tab , we can browse for themes that match our presentation’s tone. These themes include coordinated color schemes, fonts, and effects, making the design process straightforward.

When using PowerPoint templates , we can apply a pre-designed layout to avoid the hassle of customizing each slide. Templates can be customized further to represent our brand or message accurately. They offer a time-saving way to create polished and cohesive presentations quickly.

Using these features effectively can significantly enhance the visual appeal and organizational structure of our PowerPoint presentations.

Finalizing and Reviewing Presentations

To ensure your PowerPoint presentation is engaging and professional, it’s essential to refine visual elements and thoroughly check for errors. Let’s talk specifics on how to achieve this through visual consistency and comprehensive reviews.

Ensuring Visual Consistency

Consistency in your presentation makes it look polished. We start by paying attention to headers, footers, and slide numbers . These elements should be uniform across all slides. Use the Slide Master tool in PowerPoint to apply consistent styles, alignments, and font styles.

Headers can include the presentation title, and footers might feature the date or slide numbers. This not only makes the presentation professional but also aids in navigation. Remember to use a consistent color scheme and background graphics. All these contribute to a visually appealing and coherent presentation.

Check for alignment and spacing . Misaligned text boxes or uneven spacing can be distracting. Keep everything aligned, either left, right, or center, as per your layout’s design. In Slide Master View , you can adjust these elements to ensure they’re consistent across all slides. And don’t forget to preview your presentation to spot any outliers.

Performing Comprehensive Reviews

Reviewing your presentation involves multiple steps to ensure there are no errors or inconsistencies. Start with a spell check to catch any typos or misspellings. PowerPoint’s built-in spell checker helps here, but it’s good to manually scan for context-specific errors as well.

Next, we need to get feedback. Sharing the presentation with colleagues for comments and suggestions can provide fresh perspectives. Encourage them to look for content clarity, slide transitions, and overall coherence.

Lastly, make use of the Review tab . Add comments where you think revision is necessary. Consider using the Notes section to keep track of these suggested changes or reminders. This thorough review ensures that we leave no stone unturned before presenting.

Related posts:

• How to Save PowerPoint as Video: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
• How to Embed Excel into PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Add Notes to PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide for Enhanced Presentations
• How to Do Hanging Indent on PowerPoint: Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Edit Background Graphics in PowerPoint: Step-by-Step Guide for Effective Presentations
• How to Make a Copy of a PowerPoint: Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Track Changes in PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Create Master Slides in PowerPoint: Easy Guide for Professionals
• How to Save PowerPoint as Video on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Compress Media in PowerPoint: Enhancing Performance and Quality
• How to Make a Shape Transparent in PowerPoint: Step-by-Step Guide
• Why Is Designer Not Working on PowerPoint: Troubleshooting Tips and Solutions

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Mastering PowerPoint with Master Views

by getmygraphics | PowerPoint Tips | 0 comments

To master something means to acquire complete knowledge or skill pertaining to that thing. Which means in order to be a master of PowerPoint, you need to acquire all the knowledge and or skills that come along with PowerPoint. This may seem a bit daunting, but I will go through 3 tools that will help you quickly become a master in PowerPoint. The tools are the 3 Master Views: Slide Master, Handout Master, and the Notes Master. I will guide you through each of the views and show you how they are vital to mastering PowerPoint.

Slide Master:

The Slide Master View allows you edit and create your own layouts. In these layouts you can add pictures, text, and even graphs and SmartArt. When you edit and create layouts in this view, the changes you make to existing layouts will be apparent. So to avoid confusion (and accidentally messing things up), you will want to insert a new layout. Once you have done that you can insert pictures, text, etc. Once you are done editing the Slide Master, you can save it out and use it in different projects. This really helps when creating presentations that may have similar layouts.

Once you are done creating and modifying layouts, exit the Slide Master and on the Home tab on the main ribbon, you can insert the layout directly into your existing project by right clicking on the slide you would like to insert the layout onto. Then, scroll down to Layout and select the Custom Layout that you created. Note that you will not be able edit the inserted Master Slide while not in the Slide Master View.

Handout Master:

The Handout Master has everything to do with the layout of your presentation as it is printed out on paper. There are many things that you are able to change while in this view; for example, you can change the orientation from landscape to horizontal, change the size of the slides displayed on the page, and even change how many slides are shown per page. You also have the choice to select/deselect headers, footers, page number, and the date from showing on the page. Another feature that the Handout Master allows for is the ability to modify the background style. You can choose to add a solid color or gradient to be the backdrop on your handout, and you also have the option to add an image from your personal library.

Once you have finished editing in the Handout Master, you can go File>Print and you will be given a preview of your handout. If you don’t like the look of it, you can quickly make changes without leaving the print screen.

Notes Master:

The Notes Master is very similar to the Handout Master. In the Notes Master, you are given one layout to work with. So when you change the layout of the Notes Master it will change it for every single notes section in your project. Again, like the Handout Master, you can change the orientation, slide size, and format of the background. You are also given the option to select or deselect your headers and footers, the date, and page number. Note that you are given the option to get rid of the slide image as well; so if all you want are notes for each slide, then you can select that option. Also be aware that the page number corresponds to the slide number as well (since there are only notes for one slide per page).

Once you have finished editing the Notes Master for your project, you can preview your changes by going File>Print. You then need to click where it says Full Page Slides under Settings. You need to change it to Notes Pages. Then you will be able to preview and print.

As you can see, these masterful Master Views will help you become a master in PowerPoint. From the Slide Master View to the Notes Master View, these features help you optimize development time, and keep you organized when presenting. Let me know in the comments section below how Master Views have helped you.

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Views: Slide Master View in PowerPoint

Presentations Glossary in alphabetical order: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Slide Master view is an important view within PowerPoint. Why? Because, if you make any changes or edits within this view, these modifications will influence all slides within your presentation. For example, if you want to make your company logo appear on all the slides, you will have to add the logo within the Slide Master. If you want the font size of your slide titles to be a little larger or smaller, then those edits also need to be made in the Slide Master.

To learn more, choose your version of PowerPoint. If we do not have a tutorial for your version of PowerPoint, explore the version closest to the one you use.

Microsoft Windows

Slide Master View in PowerPoint 365

Slide Master View in PowerPoint 2019

Slide Master View in PowerPoint 2016

Slide Master View in PowerPoint 2013

Slide Master View in PowerPoint 2010

Slide Master View in PowerPoint 2011

Tutorial Code:  01 07 07 Previous:  01 07 06 Reading View in PowerPoint Next:  01 07 08 Handout Master View in PowerPoint

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Filed Under: V Tagged as: Interface and Basics , PowerPoint Tutorials , Slide Master View in PowerPoint , Views

One response to “Views: Slide Master View in PowerPoint”

[…] characters! To make this happen, you select an entire text placeholder in PowerPoint’s Slide Master view. Then you will access the Home tab of the Ribbon, and click the dialog launcher in the Font group, […]

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13 Things to Include in Your Next PowerPoint Presentation

Your visual presentation can be improved with these 13 tips and tricks.

Table of Contents

When putting together a presentation or deck for a big meeting, including a visual component is key. Creating and sharing a PowerPoint presentation can help you drive home key concepts with the support of text, images, graphs and tables and other multimedia elements. Having a tangible and concrete slide deck can also anchor you while also keeping your audience engaged, which can help increase your confidence as a presenter, especially if you aren’t the most extroverted person in the room.

Of course, developing an effective PowerPoint requires plenty of consideration, from determining the structure and design to navigating the technical aspects. To help, here are 13 things to include in your next PowerPoint as well as key dos and don’ts to ensure your presentation goes off without a hitch.

>> Learn More: 5 Types of Presentations Every CEO Needs to Have

What to include in your PowerPoint presentation

A strong PowerPoint presentation should include the following components.

1. Who you are

When presenting to an unfamiliar audience — for example, if you’re speaking at an academic conference or giving a pitch to investors — it’s crucial to introduce yourself. Establish credibility and trust by briefly discussing your line of work, past accomplishments or related projects you have worked on.

2. Your logo

While you may have included your logo in your introduction, you can also put it on each slide of the presentation. This helps your brand “stick” and can be particularly effective when speaking about or on behalf of your company. [Read more about creating a small business marketing plan .]

3. An agenda

Next, write an agenda slide. Not only does this set expectations for your audience and maintain the flow of the presentation, but it can also keep you on track in both drafting and presenting your information.

4. A clear roadmap

In addition to establishing an agenda early on, you can also break down that agenda further with a clear roadmap for your presentation, which is especially helpful for longer PowerPoints with multiple sections. Don’t be afraid to return to the roadmap as needed to allow your audience to follow along better.

5. Information not on your slides

Your PowerPoint slide deck is designed to supplement and enhance your oral presentation, not replace it. Ensure your verbally-presented information adds value by including information that is not on your slides. Keep written text to a minimum, focusing on key words and main ideas. You can expand on these concepts in greater detail as you present.

6. Engaging visuals

The primary benefit of a PowerPoint is the ability to add visuals. In addition to any text on-slide and your verbal presentation content, enhance your message with engaging visual elements, such as graphs and infographics. Relying less on text helps ensure the focus remains on you, the presenter, while also illustrating your key takeaways effectively.

7. Updated data

There’s nothing wrong with reusing or repurposing a slide deck you’ve already created — as long as you keep everything current. If your PowerPoint includes statistics, industry trends , information on your business or other data, check every number and update as necessary before presenting.

8. The answer to ‘so what?’

Even if you include the most compelling and clear information in your presentation, it won’t make an impact if your audience doesn’t understand the bigger picture. Aim to answer the unspoken question of “so what?” by clarifying why the message is important and why it is relevant to your listeners.

9. Key takeaways

Your key takeaways are arguably the most important part of your presentation. Highlight these main points at the end of your PowerPoint ― or, for longer presentations, at the end of each section ― to help your audience remember them. Generating your key takeaways in the outlining stage can also help you structure your slide content.

10. Backup slides

Because a presentation is designed to be clear and concise, you may not always have the time or opportunity to go in-depth on certain topics or audience questions. Having backup slides with additional information can encourage further audience understanding — without letting the presentation veer off-track or run over time.

11. An objection slide

Depending on your presentation topic, your audience may have objections. Get ahead of these objections by dedicating a section to it in your PowerPoint. Give people the opportunity to raise any concerns and address known or anticipated issues directly.

12. A call-to-action slide

Consider what you want your audience to do after listening to your presentation. Are there specific actions to take, ideas to consider or a person to contact? Lay this out for your audience in a call-to-action slide.

13. Contact information

Display your contact information on the last slide to encourage your audience to reach out to you. They will likely appreciate the opportunity to reach out to you should they wish to discuss further and you may also make a valuable connection in the process. [Read more about how to improve customer service for e-commerce sites .]

Dos and don’ts of PowerPoint presentations

If you’re planning to use PowerPoint as a business tool, here are some key dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

• Do use speaker notes to your advantage: While your slides should be relatively clutter-free and light on text, you can include speaker notes at the bottom of the page that are only visible to you, the presenter. Use this section to include any facts, examples or questions you want to highlight in the presentation.
• Do keep your slide backgrounds subtle and consistent: Selecting a background or color scheme that’s too bold or busy can make your presentation hard on the eyes. Ensures sufficient visual contrast between the background and text colors so you and your audience can see it clearly. Microsoft has developed several built-in themes with this visual contrast in mind, though you can also create your own template if you have an eye for design.
• Do have a backup plan: Technology can fail us at the most inopportune times. Should the PowerPoint or your computer have issues, you’ll want to have a backup of your presentation on a memory stick, a CD or on the cloud. In the worst-case scenario, the tech won’t work and you won’t have any visuals to present. If that happens, take a deep breath, then deliver your presentation with a focus on the message. [Related article: Top 10 Cloud Storage Services for Business ]
• Don’t read your PowerPoint word for word: When presenting, your goal is to engage your audience and maintain their attention throughout. Reciting information verbatim from your slides can limit your connection with your audience and hurt your ability to “read the room.” Use the PowerPoint to guide and illustrate as needed but let you and your verbal presentation be the focus.
• Don’t go overboard on transitions and effects: It can be tempting to add slide transitions and sound effects for some visual excitement. However, these special effects rarely enhance your message and can be distracting or even come off as “gimmicky.” Additionally, PowerPoints with effects tend to run more slowly than those without, particularly if you’re presenting on a different computer than the one used to create the slide deck.
• Don’t include too many slides or too much information: People should not spend the entirety of your presentation reading, nor should there be so much information that they become overwhelmed and tune out altogether. Limit the number of slides in your presentation, as well as the amount of text on any given slide. Use your oral presentation to expand on key points and engage with your audience.

Scott Gerber contributed to this article.

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• Presentations

How to Put a Logo on Every PowerPoint Slide in 60 Seconds

• Bahasa Indonesia
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Your company's logo is a great way to brand your PowerPoint slides. When you want to add it to a presentation, there's a far better way to do it than to manually add it to each slide.

We also have a helpful complement to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . Grab it now before you read on. 

How to Quickly Put a Logo on Every PowerPoint Slide

Note : Watch this short tutorial screencast or follow the quick steps below, that complement this video.

1. Access the Slide Master

To add the logo to my presentation, the best way to do it is to jump over to the View tab, and then choose Slide Master .

2. Edit the Slide Master

When we edit the Slide Master , we're editing the settings that control the overall layout and style of the slide that we're working on. This controls multiple slides' designs at the same time. 

Paste in the logo and position it here on the Slide Master . You can resize it and place it, just as we do with a normal slide, but with the Slide Master we're updating multiple slide designs at the same time.

3. Check the Slides in Normal View

Any slide that uses this master will have the logo added to it. Let's go ahead and switch back to Normal View . 

You'll notice now that multiple slides now have the logo added to them. The advantage of doing it this way is easy to see, as not only can we adjust multiple slides quickly, but the logo is placed consistently in the same spot on each and every one.

Finishing Up!

Now that you've learned how to put a logo on every slide by using the Slide Master , you're ready to customize your presentation quickly.

More Great Envato Tuts+ PowerPoint Tutorials

Learn more in our  PowerPoint tutorials  and  quick video tutorials  on Envato Tuts+. We've got an assortment of PowerPoint material to help you make a great presentation: 

You can also find  great PowerPoint presentation templates  with premium designs on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver . 

Make Great Presentations ( Free PDF eBook Download )

We also have the perfect complement to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

Download our new eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

Add, edit, or remove a placeholder on a slide layout

In PowerPoint, a placeholder is a pre-formatted container on a slide for content (text, graphics, or video). The pre-set formatting makes it easier to format slides consistently.

You format a placeholder in Slide Master view. Then you use the placeholder—add content to it—in Normal view.

The pictured slide has two rectangular placeholders:

The (upper) Title placeholder prompts the user for text and formats it in the default Heading font, size, and color

The (lower) Content placeholder accepts text, or a table, chart, SmartArt graphic, picture, or video, as indicated by the clickable icons at its center.

Change the prompt text in a placeholder

You can change the generic prompt text ("Click to add ...") for a placeholder.

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

In slide master view, in the thumbnail pane, select the layout that you want to revise.

In the main pane, on the layout, select the current prompt text (such as Click to edit Master text styles , and then type the text you want to use instead.

When you complete the changes in slide master view, on the Slide Master tab, select Close Master View to return to Normal view.

Tip:  Modifications to the slide master and the corresponding slide layouts are temporarily added to the theme that is applied to your presentation. If you apply a different theme, then the slide master changes are discarded. If you want to keep the changes for future use, in the Edit Theme group, click Themes , and then click Save Current Theme .

Resize or reposition a placeholder

On the View tab, click Slide Master .

On the slide layout that you want change, click the placeholder that you want to change, and then do one of the following:

On the Slide Master tab, click Close Master View .

In Normal View, in the thumbnail pane, select all the slides that use the slide layout you just revised.

To select multiple slides, press and hold the Ctrl key, and then click each slide.

On the Home tab, click Layout , and then select the layout that contains the placeholders that you just changed.

This step finalizes the placeholder change by reapplying the changed slide layout to an actual slide.

Add a placeholder to a slide layout

Placeholders can only be added to slide layouts, not individual slides in a presentation. If you haven't worked with slide layouts, check out What is a slide layout? and What is a slide master? to learn more before reading on.

In the left thumbnail pane, click the slide layout that you want to add one or more placeholders to.

On the Slide Master tab, click Insert Placeholder , and then click the type of placeholder that you want to add.

Click a location on the slide layout, and then drag to draw the placeholder. You can add as many placeholders as you like.

If you add a text placeholder, you can customize the prompt text ("Click to add ...") that appears in it:

Select the default text in the placeholder, and replace it with your own prompt text.

Switch to the Home tab to format the prompt text as you want it to appear.

With the text selected, you can change the Font or Font Size . If an unwanted bullet appears before your custom prompt text, in the Paragraph group, click the down arrow next to Bullets , and then click None .

When you're done, on the Slide Master tab, click Close Master View .

(To select multiple slides, press and hold the Ctrl key, and then click each slide.)

Remove a placeholder

We recommend that you don't remove a placeholder from a pre-built slide layout. If you want to make a change like that, duplicate that layout, give it a distinct name, and then edit that copy.

In the left thumbnail pane, click the slide layout that you want to revise.

Select the placeholder on the layout, then press the Delete key.

You can replace the generic prompt text ("Click to add ...") for a placeholder.

On the View menu, point to Master Views , and then click Slide Master .

In slide master view, click the first slide layout below the slide master in the navigation pane. (Slide layouts are below the slide master, which is the first item in the navigation pane.)

Select the text Click to edit Master title style , and then type the custom text you'd like to replace it with.

When you complete the changes in Slide Master view, on the Slide Master tab, click Close Master to return to Normal (editing) view.

On the slide layout that you want change, select the placeholder that you want to change, and then do one of the following:

To select multiple slides, press and hold the Command key ⌘, and then click each slide.

Add placeholders to a slide layout

Placeholders are boxes on a slide layout that you click to add content when you're creating your slides. In slide master view, you can add placeholders to a new slide layout, or change the look of an existing slide layout.

On the View menu, in the Master Views group, click Slide Master .

In the navigation pane, click the slide layout that you want to change. Slide layouts are below the slide master, which is the top slide in the navigation pane.

In the Master Layout group, click the arrow next to Insert Placeholder , and then click the type of placeholder you want to insert. Options are for Content , Content (Vertical) , Text , Text (Vertical) , Picture , Chart , Table , SmartArt , Media , and Online Image .

On the slide, drag your cursor to draw the placeholder on the slide.

Do any of the following:

When you complete the changes in slide master view, on the Slide Master tab, click Close Master to return to normal view.

(To select multiple slides, press and hold the Command key ⌘, and then click each slide.)

Remove footer elements from a slide layout

The footer placeholders are included by default when you add a new slide layout. The footer is made up of three elements: date and time, footer text, and slide number. The formatting, size, and position of the footer placeholders are inherited from the footer elements on the slide master, except if you edit the footer placeholder directly on the slide layout.

Important:  Even if the footer elements are represented on the slide master and slide layouts in slide master view, you must turn them on before they can appear on the slides of your presentation. To turn on headers and footers, click the Insert menu, and then click Header and Footer .

In the Slide Master tab, in the Master Layout , clear the Footers check box.

When you complete the changes in slide master view, on the message bar click Close Master to return to normal view.

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