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How to Setup Custom PowerPoint Templates in Office 365

Sat, 15 Jul 2023

Solving PowerPoint Missing Custom Templates

Recently went through setting up a new development machine. The one tool that gave the most grief ended up being PowerPoint.

Specifically setting up custom PowerPoint templates. I tried everything, at least twice, and was still either unable to see a “Custom” link, or when PowerPoint finally showed a custom link it kept saying it couldn’t read any templates right now.

I understand the challenges that can arise during this process, and I’m here to help you with clear and concise instructions on what worked for me.

Creating the Custom Office Templates Folder

  1. Open “File Explorer”.
  2. Navigate to “C:\Users\yourusernamehere\Documents”.
  3. Create a new folder named “Custom Office Templates”.

Updating PowerPoint Template Folder Settings

  1. Open PowerPoint and click on “Options” at the bottom of the primary side-bar.
  2. In the pop-up window, select “Save” from the side-bar.
  3. In the “Default personal templates location” field, enter “C:\Users\yourusernamehere\Documents\Custom Office Templates".
  4. Scroll down and click “Delete cached files” under “Cache Settings”.
  5. Click “OK” to close the options pop-up.
  6. Close PowerPoint.

Saving PowerPoint Templates to the Custom Office Templates Folder

  1. Open an existing template PPTX or PowerPoint file.
  2. Click “File” and then “Save As” from the primary side-bar.
  3. In the “Save As” options, choose “This PC”.
  4. Navigate to “C:\Users\yourusernamehere\Documents\Custom Office Templates".
  5. Provide a name for the file without special characters.
  6. Select the “PowerPoint Template” type from the file-type drop-down menu below the file name input.
    • Ensure the file type includes “Template” in the name.
  7. “Save” the file.
  8. Close PowerPoint.

Using Your Custom PowerPoint Template

  1. Open PowerPoint.
  2. Click “New” in the primary side-bar.
  3. Under “Blank Presentation”, you will find two tabs: “Office” and “Custom”.
  4. Click on “Custom”.
  5. In the “Custom” tab, select “Custom Office Templates”.
  6. Choose the desired custom template from the available options.

By following these steps, you should now be able to use custom PowerPoint templates in Office 365.

Remember to save your templates in the designated folder and access them through the “Custom” tab in PowerPoint’s “New” menu.

Hopefully that helps you as much as it did me!