PPT: Removing or Restoring Default Template

ID: q113373

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 4.0c
Microsoft PowerPoint for Macintosh, version 4.0

SUMMARY

Although it is very easy to apply different templates to your presentation, in Microsoft PowerPoint, sometimes you need to remove or clear the current template, or restore a presentation, so that the presentation uses the default PowerPoint template. This article explains how to restore the default template to your presentation.

MORE INFORMATION

To apply the default template to your presentation, follow these steps:

On the Format menu, click Presentation Template.

Select the Default.ppt template from the PowerPoint folder.

If you customize your default presentation and save it, PowerPoint uses that default presentation as a template every time you create a presentation based on the blank presentation.

If you customized the default presentation file (it no longer contains the default settings from when PowerPoint was first installed), you can restore the default presentation to its original format by following these steps:

Rename the existing DEFAULT.PPT file.

Start PowerPoint.
1. If the PowerPoint Startup dialog box appears, select Blank Presentation and click OK.
2. If the New Slide dialog box appears, select any of the AutoLayout options.
  
  NOTE: If neither the Startup dialog box nor the New Slide dialog box appears, go to step 3.

Save the file as DEFAULT.PPT.

Any presentation can be used as a template because all presentations have a set of masters (Slide, Note, Handout, Outline) and that is all that is used when you choose a file to apply as a template. The DEFAULT.PPT (or Default Presentation) presentation is simply a template that is used when you first run PowerPoint, and when you create a new presentation and choose Blank Presentation (version 4.0). If there is no Default Presentation available, the new presentation is created using default settings that are built into PowerPoint.

The name of the default presentation is different depending on the version of PowerPoint you are using. The following table indicates the default presentation name associated with each version of PowerPoint:


   Version of PowerPoint             Default Presentation Name
   ---------------------             -------------------------
   PowerPoint 98, Macintosh Edition  Blank Presentation
   PowerPoint 97 for Windows         Blank Presentation.Pot
   PowerPoint 7.0 for Windows 95     Blank Presentation.Pot
   PowerPoint 4.0 (Win/Mac)          Default.ppt

Additional query words: 4.00a 4.00c winppt macppt ppt8

Keywords : kbusage kbtemplate
Version : MACINTOSH:4.0; WINDOWS:4.0,4.0a,4.0c
Platform : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo