Discover where to find the best PowerPoint themes to improve your presentation design. Learn how to import and change PowerPoint template designs quickly.
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jun 16, 2023 • 12 min read This post is part of a series called How to Use PowerPoint (Ultimate Tutorial Guide).Use your theme to engage with your audience. Discover how to change a PowerPoint template for an existing presentation as well as how to import a PowerPoint template.
Changing your PowerPoint theme (template) can help you set your presentation apart.
A PowerPoint theme is a set of backgrounds, font pairings, color schemes, and slide designs. It's also referred to as a PowerPoint template.
We'll use these terms interchangeably in this article.Best of all, there are plenty of custom PowerPoint themes out there that to download and use for your own presentations.
In this tutorial, I'll teach you three key skills for working with PowerPoint templates:
We also have the perfect complement to use alongside a professional PowerPoint template. Download our Free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It'll help you write, design, and deliver the perfect presentation.
In the screencast below, I'll give you a brief overview of apply PowerPoint template to existing presentation. The screencast will help you take a drab presentation and quickly add some much-needed design style to it.
In the rest of this tutorial, I'll teach you how to download, install, and change custom PowerPoint templates.
After you download a custom PPT templates, you'll need to install it to use it for your own PowerPoint presentations.
This section was written using a macOS and PowerPoint version 16.73. If you’ve got a different operating system or a different version of PowerPoint, your steps may be slightly different.
Here's how to import PowerPoint templates and install new PowerPoint themes:
The first step how to apply a PPT template to existing presentation is to choose a PowerPoint template. Every custom PowerPoint theme is packaged differently. The installation of each theme will differ.
Take, for example, the Lotus Business PowerPoint template that's available via Envato Elements. The download package includes a variety of .PPTX formats in different colors and three sizes.
Open the PPTX file and add your own content to build out your presentation quickly.
Premium themes from Envato Elements include several file sizes and color variations. Before you start customizing the template, check your theme’s folder to see what’s available to you.
Custom PowerPoint themes typically come in two types of formats:
Here's how to work with each type of file:
Many theme makers package custom PowerPoint themes as simple PPTX files, standard PowerPoint presentation files. Add these to PowerPoint by double-clicking on them or choosing File > Open inside PowerPoint.
The advantage of this approach is that the theme author can package many ideas for layouts inside the file. Then pick and choose the slides that have the layouts you want and add your content to them.
The disadvantage of this type of theme is that it doesn't feel as re-usable. Each time that you work with the custom PowerPoint theme, you'll need to open the original file, choose the slides to use, and add your content.
The alternatives to pre-built PPTX files are .THMX or .POTX files. These are reusable themes that you can add to PowerPoint and apply to your current presentation with a few clicks.
The Arcama PowerPoint theme is a great example of this. It includes .THMX files that you can add to PowerPoint and use again.
When you've got .THMX files (or .POTX in earlier versions of PowerPoint), create a folder to store the files in. Move the .THMX files to that folder.
Now, find the folder path where your themes are stored, such as /Users/username/Themes, for example. Right-click the folder and then click on Get Info to grab this path if needed.
Now, return to PowerPoint and go to the File > Save as template menu. From there, choose the folder you’ve created to store your THMX files.
Your custom themes are now available in PowerPoint. Now, let's learn how to use them.
So, you've installed your PowerPoint themes. Now you're ready to begin using them. Let's look at how to apply template to existing PowerPoint.
If your PowerPoint themes were PPTX files, you can start using them as soon as you open the file. As I mentioned earlier, simply drop in your own content and you're using the custom theme.
For THMX files, you'll see these in the Personal Section when you create a new PowerPoint presentation. On the File > New menu, click on Personal to see your newly installed themes. Click on one of them to create a new presentation with the selected theme.
You might be accustomed to changing PowerPoint's themes on the ribbon. Unfortunately, your Personal PowerPoint themes don't automatically show up on PowerPoint's ribbon. You'll need to add the themes specifically to PowerPoint's ribbon to make them available.
To add PowerPoint themes to the Design tab, click on the drop-down arrow on the right side of the Themes section. Choose Browse for Themes and browse to your custom .THMX files. Then, choose Save Current Theme after you've applied new template to existing PowerPoint.
Now, your custom PowerPoint themes will be available on PowerPoint's ribbon. Simply click on the thumbnail to choose the new theme design you'd like to quickly apply the PPT template to existing presentation.
Downloading new PowerPoint templates helps set your presentation apart. You can build your own themes, sure. But you're probably focused on doing research and writing your own content.
Designing slides that work together and are visually engaging is time consuming. Using pre-built, custom PowerPoint templates will save you quite a bit of time. It'll also give you a professional set of presentation designs to work with.
When it's crunch time to finish your upcoming presentation, the best option is to buy a professional PowerPoint template from a marketplace like Envato Elements.
To download a PowerPoint template, set the filter for PowerPoint to see only those templates. When you find a template, you like you can easily download it.
Envato Elements is a subscription-based marketplace with a compelling offer. For a low monthly fee, you get access to thousands of PowerPoint templates for all your presentation needs.
Besides that, you also get access to thousands of other design assets to help you take your presentation to the next level. From stock photos to beautiful and unique fonts, Envato Elements has it all.
Download as many design assets and PowerPoint templates as you want. Customize them to meet your needs. And use them in an unlimited number of projects. Browse through our curated selections of the best PowerPoint templates:
.jpg)
.jpg)
You can certainly find some free PowerPoint templates by Googling and searching around. But premium templates have unique advantages. By purchasing PowerPoint themes from qualified marketplaces like Envato Elements you get:
In short: the built-in themes are a great start in PowerPoint. But professional templates give your presentation an edge over others.
You've just learned how to change and import PowerPoint template to existing presentation.
Now, let’s look at cool premium PowerPoint presentations that are available on Envato Elements. These templates have modern designs. They're easy and quick to use and customize:
The Kanal PowerPoint template has a modern and fresh design. You can use it for any type of presentation. The template comes with both PPT and PPTX files as well as 68 creative slides. Kanal was designed in widescreen resolution and includes 100+ custom icons.
The Aporesh template is perfect for a finance or nature-related presentation. It's got a minimal design with a green color scheme. You’ll find 150+ slides, five color variations, and picture placeholders for easy editing. The template also includes PPT and PPTX files.
grey minimal powerpoint template" width="870px" height="534px" />
If you’re looking for a minimal PowerPoint template, look no further than Grey. This template lends itself well to all kinds of presentations. It includes five premade color variations and drag and drop image placeholders. Easily customize it and create a stunning presentation.
The Antivia template has 30 slides based on master slides and comes with PPTX files included. This template includes portfolio slides that have a modern design. The template also includes image placeholders and vector-based shapes.
The Limbosan template comes with a grand total of 30 slides based on master slides. The template has a clean design and features a variety of slide layouts. You’ll also find custom vector shapes and image placeholders. The file includes PPTX files.
The above is just a small selection of PowerPoint templates that are available on Envato Elements. If you’re looking for more PowerPoint templates inspiration or if you want to see different PowerPoint styles, check out these articles below:
PowerPoint presentations are just supporting tools for speaking and sharing information. But that doesn't mean that we can't style and customize the look of them.
Check out these tutorials to learn more about PowerPoint presentations and check out top PowerPoint themes and templates.
Now that you know how to apply a template to an existing PowerPoint, it’s time to learn more about PowerPoint. Here are some common PowerPoint questions and answers:
Adding a color gradient is a subtle background that won't distract from your text. So, when considering a PowerPoint import template to an existing presentation, use a color gradient background. For more information, read this article:
If you want to change the theme font of PowerPoint, you can. Premium fonts offer a unique way to change theme font in PowerPoint. For more information, read this article:
If you want to know more than how to apply a new template to an existing PowerPoint or how to change the theme font in PowerPoint, then read this guide. It covers what a template is, the different types of templates, and how to customize it.
You must download a premium template before applying a PPT template to an existing presentation. When you use a premium template, you save time and get a professional result. Here’s an in-depth tutorial on how to download a premium template:
Whether you're changing the theme font PowerPoint or applying a template to an existing PowerPoint, most will have a placeholder. Placeholders are spots where text or images can go. For more information on placeholders and how to use them read this article:
We've got just the right complement to a professional PowerPoint template. It'll help you learn the complete process of how to write, design, and deliver great presentations.
Download The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations now for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. Get your ideas formed into a powerful presentation that'll move your audience.
You've just learned how to import a PowerPoint template. Changing and importing PowerPoint templates isn't hard when you've got a great PowerPoint template to use as a starting point. Luckily, you can find plenty of great PowerPoint templates with modern designs over on Envato Elements.
What are your favorite PowerPoint themes? Which ones do you turn to when you need to give an impactful presentation? Let me know in the comments.
Editor Note: This tutorial was originally published on July 12, 2017. It's been comprehensively updated by Brenda Barron and Sarah Joy .
