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How to Edit Background Graphics in PowerPoint [An Easy Guide]

November 7, 2023 1.3K views

In PowerPoint presentations, an abundance of templates are available online for all the right reasons, as users consistently seek them for the time-saving benefits and some even come with professional designs. However, sometimes, merely altering the background of a template can significantly enhance our overall visual appeal, and not just that, it allows us to infuse our personal touch. In this article, we will learn how to edit PowerPoint background graphics and, by doing so, how we can make our presentation unique.

How to Edit Background Graphics in PowerPoint

How to Edit Background Graphics in PowerPoint


Different Background Formatting Options

To refine background graphics in PowerPoint, navigate to the Design tab and select Format Background. This will unveil a menu with a plethora of options for enhancing your background.

PowerPoint format background

PowerPoint format background


Solid Fill Background

Opt for a Solid Fill background to impart a clean, minimalist appearance with your chosen color. This choice is ideal for presenters seeking simplicity. You can fine-tune the transparency when working with a solid color in your slide design.

PowerPoint Solid Fill background

PowerPoint Solid Fill background


Enhance with a Gradient Fill Background

To infuse more vibrancy into your slides, embrace the Gradient Fill option, allowing you to select captivating color gradients for your designs. This menu offers preset gradients that you can customize by adjusting position, transparency, angle, brightness, and colors to your preference.

PowerPoint  gradient fill

PowerPoint  gradient fill


Background featuring a Picture or Texture-Filled

This menu offers two prominent choices: texture from available designs or using an image. You can also adjust the texture using the "Tile picture as texture" feature.

PowerPoint texture fill

PowerPoint texture fill

For a picture background, click "Insert" under "Picture source" in the same menu and choose a source for your image. Options include adding images from files, stock images, online pictures, and icons.

PowerPoint insert picture

PowerPoint insert picture


Pattern-Filled Background

While patterns may not be everyone's choice for PowerPoint backgrounds, this option lets you create a custom pattern or utilize an existing one as your background design. The Pattern Fill feature offers various patterns, background and foreground color options to craft a unique design.

PowerPoint pattern fill

PowerPoint pattern fill


PowerPoint Designer feature

Under the Design tab, the PowerPoint Designer tool assists in formatting your slides as you build them. It suggests background designs based on content types, like text and images. Basic design options are available even if your slides contain no content.

PowerPoint Designer

PowerPoint Designer


Hide Background Graphics option

The "Hide background graphics" feature, within the Format Background menu, conceals all graphics, fostering a minimalist slide layout. The example below illustrates a slide without this option enabled.

 PowerPoint hide graphics disabled

PowerPoint hide graphics disabled


And here, if we enable the hide graphics option, the results are different.

PowerPoint hide graphics enabled  How to Edit Background Graph

PowerPoint hide graphics enabled  How to Edit Background Graph

How to Edit Background Graphics in PowerPoint

Now that we've explored the various background options available in PowerPoint, let's proceed to learn how to change the background in PowerPoint:

How to Add A Picture To All Slides

If you want to use the same background on every slide, this shortcut is more efficient than adding it individually to each slide:

Step 1: Open PowerPoint and navigate to the "View" tab. Click on "Slide Master" in the ribbon.

PowerPoint Slide Master

PowerPoint Slide Master


Note: Ensure that your very first slide is open; this is known as the master slide, and any changes made here will be applied to all slides.

Step 2: Right-click on the master slide and select "Format Background".

 PowerPoint format background

PowerPoint format background


Step 3: In the side menu, click on "Picture or Texture Fill", and then click "Insert".

 PowerPoint insert picture as background

PowerPoint insert picture as background


Step 4: Browse your computer to insert the desired picture as the background.

PowerPoint set picture as background

PowerPoint set picture as background


Step 5: In the "Format Background" menu, adjust the transparency as needed by moving the transparency slider up or down.

PowerPoint adjust picture transparency

PowerPoint adjust picture transparency


By following these steps, you'll have a consistent background across all your slides.

How to Add A Picture To One Specific Slide

Step 1: Go to the View tab, then click on Slide Master in the ribbon menu.

Step 2: This time, instead of the master slide, right-click on the slide where you want the picture, and select the Format Background option.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint


Step 3: Now, click on "Picture or texture fill" and then on "Insert". Browse and select the picture you want to insert.

PowerPoint insert picture to single slide

PowerPoint insert picture to single slide


Step 4: This picture will now appear on the selected slide.

 PowerPoint picture background on single slide

PowerPoint picture background on single slide


Adding a picture as a background in PowerPoint is easy and you can learn it quite quickly with some practice.

How to Remove Background Graphics in PowerPoint

Now, if you wish to remove the background, simply follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit the View tab, and then click on Slide Master.

Step 2: Right-click on the slide from which you want to remove the background and then click on "Format Background".

 PowerPoint Format background

PowerPoint Format background


Note: If you have added the background in the master slide, you cannot remove it from individual slides. You will need to go to the master slide to remove it.

Step 3: Now, click on "Solid fill", choose a color, and click on "Apply to Background".

PowerPoint remove background

PowerPoint remove background


Your background will be removed, and adding or removing backgrounds in PowerPoint is quite easy.

Free Alternative for Editing Presentations - WPS Office

Changing background graphics in PowerPoint is a simple task, but not necessarily cost-effective for Microsoft PowerPoint users. However, this task can be accomplished for free with WPS Office—an excellent free alternative to Microsoft Office. WPS Office is an office suite that offers a user-friendly interface for new users and advanced features that professionals favor. Furthermore, WPS Cloud allows you to save your work online for convenient access from anywhere. If you find Microsoft Office PowerPoint familiar, the process of adding or removing background graphics in WPS Office follows similar steps but is more cost-effective and user-friendly. Don't hesitate; try WPS Office now!

WPS Office

WPS Office


WPS as A PDF Editor

With WPS PDF Tools, you can also add or remove backgrounds in your PDFs. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open WPS Office on your system and open the PDF in which you want to edit the background.

Step 2: Visit the "Edit" tab and click on "Background". In the drop-down menu, click on "Add background".

WPS Office Edit tab

WPS Office Edit tab


Step 3: In the "Add background" window, select your desired color in the color field and then click "OK".

WPS Office PDF add background

WPS Office PDF add background


And you're done! A PDF editor that can add backgrounds to your PDFs, isn't that a great feature? Download WPS Office now and explore its other features.


How to Download WPS Office

Step 1:  Start by going to the WPS Office website on your computer.

WPS Office Homepage

WPS Office Homepage


Step 2: On the homepage, click either "Free Download" icon, located at the center or top right corner.

WPS Office Download

WPS Office Download


Step 3: Go to your downloads. There, you will find the "wps_wid.cid" setup file. Click on it.

WPS Office installation file

WPS Office installation file


Step 4:  Click on the small box to agree to the terms and conditions, then start the installation, click “Install Now”.

WPS Office Install now

WPS Office Install now


Step 5: Upon installation, WPS Office opens automatically, and you're set to use it.

WPS Office interface

WPS Office interface

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FAQs

Q1. Can I use my own images as slide backgrounds in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can. In PowerPoint, you have the flexibility to use your own images as slide backgrounds. It allows you to personalize your presentations and create unique visual experiences for your audience.

Q2. What is the "Hide Background Graphics" option in PowerPoint used for?

You can utilize the "Hide Background Graphics" option in PowerPoint to conceal any graphics that are part of the theme background on your slides. It comes in handy when you want to preserve the layout and text formatting of a theme and want to remove any distracting or unnecessary images or graphics.

Q3. Can I edit the background graphics of a PDF document using WPS Office?

Yes, WPS Office incorporates a PDF editor function that enables you to modify the background graphics of PDF documents. You can add, remove, or modify graphics within a PDF using WPS Office's PDF editing tools.

Elevate Your Presentation Quality

The effectiveness of a presentation can be significantly enhanced by judiciously changing background graphics. This improvement can enhance both the aesthetic appeal and the overall coherence when aligned with your content and objectives. To create dynamic presentations, WPS Office offers convenient slide design tools, smooth transitions, and engaging animations. With accessibility across multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, WPS Office is a strong recommendation for crafting professional presentations. So, elevate your presentation quality by downloading WPS Office now, and transform your slides into a compelling display of professionalism and impact.


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