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How to Change the Theme in PowerPoint The Beginner's Guide

November 29, 2023 1.1K views

Elevate your presentations with a simple tweak: changing the theme in PowerPoint. However, the steps remain a mystery to many. How to effortlessly change theme in PowerPoint? This guide holds the answers, providing you with a concise roadmap to revamp your slides and captivate your audience. Let's dive in!

Part1. Introduction to the Theme in PowerPoint

PowerPoint logo.

A PowerPoint theme is a set of design elements, such as colors, fonts, backgrounds, and effects, that you can apply to your presentation to give it a consistent and professional look and feel. Themes can also include slide layouts, which are pre-designed templates for different types of slides, such as title slides, bulleted list slides, and image slides.

PowerPoint theme.

Themes are important because they can help you to:

  • Save time and effort: Themes can save you a lot of time and effort when designing your presentation. Instead of having to manually format each slide, you can simply apply a theme and your presentation will be formatted automatically.

  • Create a visually appealing presentation: Themes can help you to create a visually appealing presentation by providing you with a set of complementary design elements.

  • Ensure consistency: Themes can help you to ensure that all of the elements of your presentation work together harmoniously. This is important because it can help to make your presentation more professional and polished.

Here are some tips for using PowerPoint themes effectively:

  • Choose a theme that is appropriate for your audience and the topic of your presentation. For example, if you are giving a formal presentation to a business audience, you might want to choose a more conservative theme. If you are giving a fun and engaging presentation to a younger audience, you might want to choose a more creative theme.

  • Avoid using too many different themes in the same presentation. Using too many different themes can make your presentation look cluttered and unprofessional.

  • Use the theme colors and fonts consistently throughout your presentation. This will help to create a sense of unity and cohesion.

  • Avoid using too many different effects in your presentation. Too many effects can be distracting and overwhelming for your audience.

  • Preview your presentation before you deliver it to make sure that the theme is working as expected.

Key differences between templates and themes

Comparison Themes vs Templates.

Feature

Template

Theme

Definition

A pre-designed presentation that includes a theme, as well as some content, such as text, images, and charts.

A set of design elements, such as colors, fonts, backgrounds, and effects, that you can apply to your presentation to give it a consistent and professional look and feel.

Content

Includes both design elements and content.

Includes only design elements.

Flexibility

Less flexible.

More flexible.

Use case

Good for creating presentations quickly and easily.

Good for creating presentations with a lot of flexibility in the design.

Whether you choose to use a template or a theme depends on your specific needs. If you need to create a presentation quickly and easily, a template is a good option. If you need more flexibility in the design of your presentation, a theme is a better choice.

Part2. How to Change the Theme in PowerPoint

To change the theme of your PowerPoint presentation using the Design menu:

Step 1: Open your presentation.

Step 2: Click the Design tab.

Select Design tab.

Step 3: In the Themes group, click the theme that you want to apply to your presentation.

Step 4: Click Apply to All to apply the theme to all of the slides in your presentation.

Apply to all slides in your presentation.

Apply to all slides in your presentation.

Apply to all slides in your presentation.

To create your own theme in PowerPoint:

Step 1: Open your presentation.

Step 2: Click the Design tab.

Select Design tab.


Step 3: In the Themes group, click More.

Design as your style.

Design as your style.

Step 4: Click Create New Theme.

Step 5: Enter a name for your theme and click Create.

Step 6: In the Theme Elements dialog box, you can change the theme colors, fonts, and effects.

Step 7: When you are finished customizing the theme, click Save to save your changes.

For beginners, I recommend using the Design menu to change the theme of their PowerPoint presentations. This method is quick, simple, and easy to use.

If you want to create a unique and professional-looking presentation, you can learn how to create your own theme in PowerPoint. However, I recommend that you start with the basics of using PowerPoint before you try to create your own theme.

Part 3. How to Edit PowerPoint Presentations for Free with WPS Office

WPS Office logo.

WPS Office logo.

WPS Office is a free and open-source office suite that is compatible with Microsoft Office. It includes three main components: Writer, Spreadsheet, and Presentation. WPS Office also has a built-in templates store with a wide variety of templates for different types of documents, including presentations.

Here are three advantages of WPS Office for PowerPoint editing:

  • Co-editing: WPS Office allows you to co-edit PowerPoint presentations with other people in real time. This is a great feature for teams who are working on a presentation together.

  • Group sharing: You can share PowerPoint presentations with a group of people and give them permission to edit the presentations. This is a convenient way to share presentations with colleagues or clients.

  • Free features: WPS Office offers a number of features for free that are not available in Microsoft Office, such as the ability to convert PowerPoint presentations to PDF files with hyperlinks.

How to change the theme color of WPS Office

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation in WPS Office Presentation.

Open your presentation.

Open your presentation.

Step 2: Click the Design tab.

Select design tab.

Select design tab.

Step 3: In the Themes group, click the Colors drop-down menu.

Step 4: Select the theme color that you want to use.

Select color theme.

Select color theme.

Step 5: Preview the theme color on the slide.

Step 6: If you like the theme color, click Apply to All to apply it to all of the slides in your presentation.

Tips:

  • You can also customize the theme color by clicking the Customize button in the Themes group.

  • You can save your custom theme color by clicking the Save button in the Customize Theme Colors dialog box.

WPS Office is a great free alternative to Microsoft Office for editing PowerPoint presentations. It offers a number of features that are not available in Microsoft Office, such as the ability to co-edit presentations in real time and share presentations with groups of people. WPS Office also has a built-in templates store with a wide variety of templates for different types of presentations.

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FAQs

  • How do I change the theme variant for an entire presentation?

To change the theme variant for your entire presentation in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation.

Step 2: Go to the "Design" tab in the ribbon at the top of the screen.

Step 3: In the "Variants" group, you'll see a selection of theme variants. Hover your mouse over each variant to preview how it will look in your presentation.

Step 4: Click on the variant you want to apply to your entire presentation.

Step 5: Your presentation will instantly update to reflect the chosen variant's colors, fonts, and effects.

  • How do I change the variant on one slide in PowerPoint?

To change the variant on one slide in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation.

Step 2: Navigate to the slide you want to customize.

Step 3: Go to the "Design" tab in the ribbon at the top.

Step 4: In the "Variants" group, you'll see a selection of theme variants. Hover over each variant to preview how it will look on the selected slide.

Step 5: Right-click on the variant you want to apply to the specific slide.

Step 6: From the context menu, select "Apply to Selected Slides."

Summary


This guide provides concise steps for changing themes in PowerPoint and underlines the significance of themes for cohesive presentations. It introduces WPS Office as a free alternative with collaborative features. Additionally, it offers quick tips for effective theme usage and addresses FAQs on theme variants. This resource is essential for enhancing PowerPoint presentations with ease and creativity.


15 years of office industry experience, tech lover and copywriter. Follow me for product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations for new apps and software.