How to Change the Background in Microsoft PowerPoint

The slide background is one visual you don’t want to forget about when creating a presentation. Whether a subtle shade, matching color, or image, here’s how to customize the background in Microsoft PowerPoint for one slide or all.

Change the Background for Individual Slides

If you want to change the background for a single slide or give each slide its own look, you can pick from colors, gradients, patterns, and more.

1. Head to the slide you want to change in your slideshow.
2. Go to the Design tab and select Format Background. Alternatively, right-click a blank spot on the slide and pick Format Background.

3. When the sidebar opens on the right, you should see the Fill section expanded. If not, use the arrow on the left to display its settings.
4. You can use one of four background styles: solid fill, gradient fill, picture or texture fill, and pattern fill.

5. Once you select the fill, you’ll see the options displayed directly beneath. You can choose a solid color, gradient style, insert a picture, or pick a pattern.

6. Optionally, check the box for Hide background graphics. This is handy if you’re using a PowerPoint template that provides images in the background.

You’ll see the change apply to the slide immediately, so if you change your mind, you can revert it.

To return the background to its original appearance, select Reset Background at the bottom of the Format Background pane.

Change the Background for All Slides

To keep your presentation’s appearance consistent, you might want to change the background for all slides to match. You can use the same options, colors, gradients, or patterns for every slide in the show.

1. Go to a slide, open the Design tab, and select Format Background.
2. When the sidebar opens on the right, choose the background type in the Fill section.
3. Select the settings for the fill style, like the color, gradient, image, or pattern.
4. At the bottom of the sidebar, select Apply to All.

5. Like when modifying the background for a single PowerPoint slide, you’ll see the change right away.

To return all slides to the original background, choose one of the slides and change the background in the sidebar. Then, pick Apply to All.

If each slide had a unique background before you made the change to all slide backgrounds, you’ll need to revert each one individually. The Reset Background button mentioned above is only available for single slides.

Tip: If you didn’t make any other changes to your slideshow after adjusting the background, you can use the Undo option in the Quick Access Toolbar.

Whether you want to use your company’s colors, insert a watermark, or apply an attractive gradient, you can change the background on a PowerPoint slide in just a few steps.

For more, look at these tricks and tips for improving your PowerPoint presentations.