PowerPoint 2010: Changing the Default Theme

by AJ George

I have an update to last week's article on creating new color palettes. I had been asked if there was a way to change the default color palette and I had reported back that there was not. Well, I nerded out a bit and realized that there actually is a way to do this.

Let's say you like the default Office theme because it doesn't have fancy layouts or backgrounds, but you would just like the default color palette to change. For example: when you draw a shape you want it to be a different color other than medium blue with a dark blue line.

Here's how:

1. Open a new PowerPoint presentation.
   
   Your current theme will be stated at the bottom of your PowerPoint window. Assuming you have made no previous changes to the Default theme, this should say "Office Theme."
   
   
   
   
2. From the Ribbon, choose Design > Colors to choose a new color palette from the drop-down menu.
   
   If you followed last week's directions, you can choose the color palette you created then, or you can select Create New Theme Colors and use those same directions from last week to create one now.
   
   
3. On the Design tab, click the More arrow from the Themes group.
   
   
   
   
4. Select Save Current Theme.
   
   
   
   The Save Current Theme dialog box will appear.
   
   
5. In the File Name field, type a name for the new theme and then click the Save button.
   
   On the Design tab, your theme will now be listed in the Themes area (hover over each theme to view its name).
   
   
6. Right-click your new theme and select Set as Default Theme.
   
   

Your default theme has now been changed. Every time you open PowerPoint, you will now be using your custom theme by default. (The bottom of the screen that once read "Office Theme" will now say "Default Theme.") The original Office Theme will still be available, and if at any point you would like to revert back to it, you would need only to follow the above directions to once again set it as your default.

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About the author: AJ George is IconLogic's lead Technical Communicator and author of both "PowerPoint 2007: The Essentials" and "PowerPoint 2008 for the Macintosh: The Essentials."

Comments

[Wendy Peterson]

Brilliant post!! It's really great support for changing the default theme. Thanks for the bit posting about PowerPoint 2010. :)