Where is the Default PPT Theme Stored?

The default PowerPoint theme provides a blank presentation with a white background and a few standard layouts. You can replace the default theme with a custom theme or add new themes to your arsenal to make the most of PowerPoint as a presentation app. In this tutorial, we will show you methods for saving and customizing a PowerPoint theme to make an engaging presentation and answer questions like where the default PPT theme is stored.

How to Locate the Default PowerPoint Theme

Depending on your version of PowerPoint and the device you’re using, the PowerPoint theme might be stored in different directories. The default theme in PowerPoint is titled Office Theme.thmx. Below is a list of standard directories where the default theme will likely be stored.

Default Theme File Name: Office Theme.thmx

Windows

Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016:

32-bit version of Office: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Root\Document Themes 16

64-bit version of Office: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Document Themes 16

Older Office Versions:

32-bit version of Office: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Document Themes 15

64-bit version of Office: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Document Themes 15

Mac OS

/Applications/Microsoft PowerPoint.app/Contents/Resources/Document Themes

How to Change Default Theme in PowerPoint

You can change the default theme in PowerPoint with other PowerPoint themes or saved custom themes via Design -> Themes.

This menu provides several PowerPoint themes with additional options. You can also select color variations and background styles for a selected theme via the Variations menu. These menus are often what users are looking for when they search for tutorials on how to change PowerPoint templates.

How to Save Custom PowerPoint Theme

You can save a custom theme to use later for your presentations. In this example, we will save the theme for the Annual Marketing Plan PowerPoint Template, which is among the business PowerPoint templates at SlideModel. 

To save a new theme, expand the Themes menu from the Design tab.Note: For more templates and ideas, see our tutorial on how to make a presentation.

Go to Save Current Theme to save the PowerPoint theme. 

You can use this method to save themes you might have created from scratch and organizational themes with branding, including PowerPoint or Google Slides templates you might have opened in PowerPoint.

Save the theme to the default directory or a custom folder. The likely default location for saving the current theme includes the following:

Windows

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Document Themes

Mac OS

/Users/[Username]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Themes

How to Apply Custom PowerPoint Theme

To apply a custom PowerPoint theme, browse to the location where you saved it, be it the default directory for saved themes or a custom folder, via Design -> Themes -> Browse for themes.

Select the theme and click Apply.

Once the theme is applied, you can use all the saved layouts for the theme when designing your presentations. You might notice that you only see a blank white slide despite changing the theme. In this case, go to Home -> Layouts and select another layout. This might be required as many themes come with blank, white-colored, and other colorful layouts, where the white slide layout might be the first one to appear once a new theme is applied.

How to Replace Default Theme in PowerPoint

Method 1: Replace the Default Theme using the Design Tab

To replace PowerPoint’s default white theme, go to the Design tab, expand the Themes menu, right-click on the theme you wish to switch to, and click Select as Default Theme. In this example, we converted a custom theme to a default theme.

To verify that the changes have been made, restart PowerPoint. Once you open PowerPoint and restart it, the default theme will appear like the one you selected earlier.

Method 2: Manually Replace Default Theme

You can manually replace the Default Theme in PowerPoint by following the steps below.

Step 1: Backup the Default Theme

It is best to start by backing up the Default Theme by copying it from its directory.

Paste the theme in a backup folder to ensure it is available in case you need to revert back to it.

Step 2: Rename the New Theme

Rename the theme you wish to make as the Default Theme with Office Theme.thmx, which is the title for the original theme.

Step 3: Replace Default PowerPoint Theme

Now, paste the renamed theme in the directory where the original default theme is located. You will need to confirm that you wish to replace the theme file with the new file.

You might also see a prompt asking you to confirm replacing the theme using Administrative privileges.

This will replace the Default Theme with your custom theme in the respective directory. Restart PowerPoint to see if the changes have been applied. If this option does not work, use Method 1 mentioned above.

How to Restore Default Theme in PowerPoint

Method 1: Restore the Default Theme using the Design Tab

You can restore the original Default Theme in PowerPoint via the Design tab by selecting it from the Themes menu. Right-click the original (Office Theme) theme and select Set as Default Theme.

Restart PowerPoint to verify if the changes have been applied.

Once restored, the default white theme will automatically open for new blank presentations in PowerPoint.

Method 2: Manually Restore Default Theme 

You can manually restore the Default Theme in PowerPoint by copying it from the backup folder (as mentioned earlier).

Paste the original theme copied from the current Default Theme’s backup folder.

You will see a prompt asking you to replace the current Default Theme, click Replace the file in the destination to proceed further.

If prompted, click Continue with Administrative privileges to replace the theme file.

This will replace the Default Theme back to the original version.

FAQs

Final Words

The Default Theme in PowerPoint is meant to act as a blank slate for making new presentations. It comes with a minimalist outlook and simple layouts that you can replace with a more robust theme for regular use. This can help you answer a major question that plagues many presenters, i.e., how to start a presentation or end a presentation. For example, if you need to use a company theme with organizational branding, it might be best to make it the default to quickly switch to it. In fact, Communications and IT teams might also prefer ensuring that the default theme provided to new users is always the one with the company branding to ensure easy access and consistency for company presentations.

You can replace the Default Theme in PowerPoint by saving a new theme and making it the default via the Design tab via the right-click menu. Alternatively, you can replace it manually by going to the folder where the current Default Theme is and replacing it with a renamed file with the same name (Office Theme.thmx).