Introduction

A theme is a predefined combination of colors, fonts, and effects. Different themes also use different slide layouts . You've already been using a theme, even if you didn't know it: the default Office theme. You can choose from a variety of new themes at any time, giving your entire presentation a consistent, professional look.

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Watch the video below to learn more about applying themes in PowerPoint.

What is a theme?

In PowerPoint, themes give you a quick and easy way to change the design of your presentation. They control your primary color palette, basic fonts, slide layout, and other important elements. All of the elements of a theme will work well together, which means you won't have to spend as much time formatting your presentation.

Each theme uses its own set of slide layouts . These layouts control the way your content is arranged, so the effect can be dramatic. In the examples below, you can see that the placeholders , fonts , and colors are different.

If you use a unique slide layout—such as Quote with Caption or Name Card —then switch to a theme that does not include this layout, it may give unexpected results.

Every PowerPoint theme—including the default Office theme—has its own theme elements . These elements include:

• Theme Colors : There are 10 theme colors , along with darker and lighter variations, available from every Color menu.
  
• Theme Fonts : There are two theme fonts available at the top of the Font menu under Theme Fonts.
  
• Theme Effects : These affect the preset shape styles . You can find shape styles on the Format tab whenever you select a shape or SmartArt graphic.
  

When you switch to a different theme, all of these elements will update to reflect the new theme. You can drastically change the look of your presentation in a few clicks.

If you apply a font or color that isn't part of the theme, it won't change when you select a different theme. This includes colors selected from the Standard Colors or More Colors options and fonts selected from All Fonts . Using non-theme elements can be useful when you want certain text to be a specific color or font, like a logo.

You can also customize themes and define theme elements yourself. To learn more, review our lesson on Modifying Themes .

Applying themes

All themes included in PowerPoint are located in the Themes group on the Design tab. Themes can be applied or changed at any time.

To apply a theme:

1. Select the Design tab on the Ribbon, then locate the Themes group. Each image represents a theme.
2. Click the More drop-down arrow to see all available themes.
   
3. Select the desired theme .
   
4. The theme will be applied to the entire presentation . To apply a different theme, simply select it from the Design tab.
   

Once you've applied a theme, you can select a variant for the theme from the Variants group. Variants use different theme colors while preserving a theme's overall look.

Challenge!

1. Open our practice presentation .
2. Apply the Gallery theme, which has a light background with a wood texture at the bottom. Note : Theme names will appear when you hover over them.
3. Select a variant of the theme.
4. Here is an example of what your presentation might look like: