Contact IT Support

 

 

 

 

#InsideIT

The KAUST Information Technology Department blog

PowerPoint Tips & Tricks: From Slide Design to Template in Minutes

15 September, 2025

PowerPoint Tips: Save Your Slide Design as a Template (Mac & Windows)

Stop rebuilding your slides every time. Save your design as a reusable template or host a shared library in SharePoint so your team can easily reuse slides, images, and icons.

Template vs. Theme

A theme controls colors, fonts, and effects. A template goes further, bundling your theme with slide layouts, placeholders, and any starter content you want to reuse. Templates save time, improve consistency, and keep branding on point.

How to Save a Template on Windows

  1. Open the presentation with the design you want to keep.
  2. Go to File → Save As (or Save a Copy in Microsoft 365).
  3. In Save as type, choose PowerPoint Template (*.potx).
  4. Save to the Custom Office Templates folder so it appears when you create a new file:
C:\Users\your username\Documents\Custom Office Templates
  1. Name the template and click Save.

Use it later: File → New → Custom (or Personal) → Custom Office Templates, then select your template.

How to Save a Template on Mac

  1. Open the presentation you want to turn into a template.
  2. Go to File → Save as Template…
  3. Choose PowerPoint Template (*.potx) as the file format.
  4. By default, PowerPoint saves templates here:
~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates
  1. Give it a name and click Save.

Use it later: File → New from Template → open it from My Templates.

Alternative: Use a SharePoint Library for Reusable Slides, Images, and Icons

If your team prefers not to use PowerPoint templates, a simple option is to host reusable assets in a read-only SharePoint Document Library. Team members can browse, download, or copy approved slides, images, icons, and sample decks, then save their working copy to their team’s SharePoint site or their OneDrive, depending on your team’s workflow.

Recommended Setup

  1. Create a document library on your SharePoint site, for example “Presentation Assets”.
  2. Add top-level folders, for example:
    • Slides (common slides, sample decks)
    • Images (photos, backgrounds)
    • Icons (SVG/PNG)
    • Logos (approved brand marks)
  3. Permissions: grant Read access to your department members. Limit Edit to a small owner group.
  4. Upload approved assets and keep them current. Use simple, descriptive file names.
  5. Turn on versioning so updates are tracked and older versions can be restored if needed.
  6. Share the library link in your team channels and onboarding guides.

How Team Members Use It

  1. Open the SharePoint library, browse to the asset or sample deck you need.
  2. Download or Copy to your working location:
    • Your Team’s SharePoint site (shared work)
    • Your OneDrive (personal draft or individual work)
  3. Open in PowerPoint, then customize the content as needed.
  4. When finished, save or upload your presentation back to your team’s SharePoint site or keep it in OneDrive according to your team’s process.

Tips

  • Use clear file names, for example: Dept-Intro-Slide.pptx, KAUST-Logo-Primary.svg.
  • Add metadata or columns (Category, Last Updated) to help people filter and find assets quickly.
  • Consider syncing the library to File Explorer or Finder with OneDrive to insert assets directly from a local folder path.
  • Keep an “Archived” folder for retired assets so people do not reuse outdated content.

This SharePoint approach is a simple, low-maintenance option to promote reuse and consistency even if your team chooses not to create formal PowerPoint templates.

Why It Matters

  • Consistency: Present with the same trusted look every time.
  • Efficiency: Skip rebuilding layouts, start from your template or shared assets.
  • Clarity: Keep branding, fonts, and colors aligned across decks.