MS PowerPoint

Changing the Background of Every Slide

If you want a logo, a graphic, or a drawing item to appear on all "regular" slides, place it on the Slide Master. Any object in the Slide Master's drawing layer appears in the drawing layer of all nontitle slides in the same location it occupies on the Slide Master.

Text you place on the Slide Master behaves the same way. For example, in a presentation that contains sensitive data, you might want to add the word CONFIDENTIAL to every slide; for a presentation that's under construction, you might want to stamp DRAFT on every slide. To put identical pieces of text on every "regular" slide, follow these steps:

1.
Switch into Slide Master view (choose View, Master, Slide Master) and select the Slide Master.

2.
Click the Text Box icon in the Drawing toolbar. Draw a text box on the Slide Master and adjust its size and position as necessary.

3.
Click in the text box and enter the text you want to repeat on all slides. This text will appear in the drawing layer on all the "regular" slides in your presentation, and thus will not show up in the outline.

4.
To apply formatting to the box itself, right-click the edge of the box and choose Format Text Box. You might want to draw a thick line around the box, for example, or change its background color.

Similarly, if you want a logo, fixed text, or other drawing item to appear on all title slides, put it on the Title Master.

You'll find by far the richest vein of background customizing options when you learn how to develop, modify, and apply designs. Use these techniques to customize the Master Slides included with PowerPoint's ready-made designs, or devise your own masters and store them for future use.