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Microsoft PowerPoint contains built-in tools that allow you to customize the backgrounds of your slides with vibrant colors, patterns, photos, and gradients. You can also upload your PPT to Google Drive to edit it in Slides. Here's how to change the background on PowerPoint Slides using your Windows or Mac computer.
Changing the Background in PowerPoint
- Select the slide you want to change and click the Design tab. Click Format Background and click Fill.
- You can change the background to Solid, Gradient, Picture or Texture or Pattern.
- To apply the background to all slides, click Apply to All.
Steps
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![Step 1 Open a project in PowerPoint.]()
Open a project in PowerPoint. You can use an existing project or create a new one.- PowerPoint is available to download for Windows and Mac. You can also use PowerPoint online at https://www.office.com/.
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![Step 2 Click the slide you want to customize.]()
Click the slide you want to customize. These will be displayed in the left panel. By default, the selections you'll make will apply to the current slide.[1]Advertisement -
![Step 3 Click Design.]()
Click Design. This is the tab in the top toolbar, between Draw and Transitions. -
![Step 4 Click Format Background.]()
Click Format Background. You can find this in the Customize section. -
![Step 5 Create a solid background.]()
Create a solid background. To make the background a single color, choose Solid fill. Click the Color button to select a color from the palette. -
![Step 6 Fill your background with a colored gradient.]()
Fill your background with a colored gradient. Select Gradient fill to effectively make one (or more) color(s) fade into another. Select one of the preset gradients from the menu or design your own.- Use the Direction menu to view different gradient pattern options. Use the Gradient stops slider to adjust where each color begins and ends.
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![Step 7 Make the background an image or texture.]()
Make the background an image or texture. Select Picture or texture fill to use any personal photo as your slide background.- Click File to select the location of your custom image. Or, if you prefer, choose one of the preset textures from the list.
- You can move the Transparency slider to adjust how opaque the image or texture will appear. If you choose a “busy” image or pattern, you may want to raise the transparency so the text on your slide remains easy to read.
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![Step 8 Fill the background with a preset pattern.]()
Fill the background with a preset pattern. If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, you can select the Pattern fill option to choose from a list of simple preset patterns.- Modify the colors in these patterns with the Foreground and Background menus beneath the pattern palette.
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![Step 9 Apply the changes.]()
Apply the changes. If you don’t like any of the background options, click the Reset Background button to return to the previous background. Otherwise:- If you only want the new background to appear on the current slide, click Close to save the changes.
- If you want every slide in your presentation to have the new background, click Apply to All.
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![Step 1 Open Google Drive....]()
Open Google Drive. You’ll need a Gmail/Google account to use this option. Go to drive.google.com and log in with your Gmail username and password. You'll be redirected to your Google Drive gallery. -
![Step 2 Upload your PowerPoint presentation.]()
Upload your PowerPoint presentation. Click the New button on the top left corner of the screen, then select File Upload. Navigate to your PowerPoint presentation and click Open.- Once the upload is complete, a confirmation will appear at the bottom of the screen. Double-click the name of your PowerPoint file in that box to launch it in the viewer.
- When the preview of your presentation appears, click “Open with” and select “Google Slides.” It may take a few moments for the slide data to appear.
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![Step 3 Select a slide to modify.]()
Select a slide to modify. Click a slide on the left side of the screen to change its background. If you want to change the background for all slides, you’ll be able to in a few moments. -
![Step 4 Click Slide.]()
Click Slide. This is in the top toolbar. -
![Step 5 Click Change background.]()
Click Change background. You can find this in the drop-down menu. -
![Step 6 Choose a single color as the background.]()
Choose a single color as the background. Click the box next to Color and select one from the palette. If you want the background to be transparent, click Transparent above the color palette. -
![Step 7 Use an image as the background.]()
Use an image as the background. To make your background an image, click Image.- If your desired background image is on your computer, click Upload, then click Choose an image to upload. Go to the image location, click Open, then Select.
- To use an image from your Google account, click Google Drive and navigate to the location of your desired background image. You can search for the image name in the search box if you’re not sure where it’s located. Once you find it, double-click it to save the selection.
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![Step 8 Click Done when you're finished.]()
Click Done when you're finished. If you want to apply this background to every slide in your presentation, first click Add to theme, and then Done.- If you don’t like your background selection, click Reset Theme to try again.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhy can't I get rid of the black background on my slides regardless of changing it as instructed?
Community AnswerTry right-clicking on the slide background, then select "Format Background." If the "Hide Background Graphics" option is checked, any photos, patterns or textures you try to add to the background will not appear. Remove the check to be sure your background changes take effect. -
QuestionHow can I change the color of my text? Also, is there an easier way to change all of my slides?
Community AnswerTo change the color of your text, simply highlight the text and click on the "A" that should be on the tool bar. Select the desired color, and it should switch. To change the background of all of your slides, go ahead and change your background, then select the "apply to all" option to change all of your slides.
Video
Tips
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If all of your slides are similar in format aside from the background (e.g., headers, footers, watermarks), consider creating a template or “slide master”. With a slide master, changes you make to the master slide will propagate to the rest of the slides, eliminating the need to edit these details in each slide manually.[2]Thanks
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Editing a Microsoft PowerPoint document in Google Slides may slightly change other formatting details in your presentation. Make sure to browse through all of your slides to be sure they look how you want them to.Thanks
References
About This Article
To change the background on one or more PowerPoint slides, start by selecting the slides you want to change in the left panel. To select multiple slides, just hold down the Control key on a PC or the Command key on a Mac as you click each slide. Next, click the ""Design"" tab and select ""Format Background"" in the ""Customize"" section of the toolbar. The Format Background panel will open to the ""Fill"" tab, which gives you several options for changing the background. Choose a ""Solid fill"" to make the background a single color, or ""Gradient Fill"" to customize a gradient blend of two or more colors. If you'd rather use a pattern as the background, select ""Pattern fill"" to choose a design and color scheme. If you want to use an image as the background, select ""Picture or texture fill."" You can either select a background texture from the ""Texture"" menu or click ""Insert"" to choose an image from your computer, OneDrive, or Bing Image Search. Once you've decided on a background image, you can adjust the alignment and transparency on the Fill tab. You can also edit the image using the other tabs at the top of the Format Background panel—click the pentagon-shaped icon to apply different texture effects to your image, or the photo tab to customize the image's sharpness, brightness, contrast, and color balance. Once you're happy with your background, click ""Apply to All"" to change the background of the selected slides.
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