Convert an old PowerPoint to a new template
Moving an existing deck to a new or client template? Upload the deck and the template. Each slide is placed into the template's title style, colours, fonts and slide size, with your words and numbers kept as they are, so you finish a review instead of rebuilding slides by hand.
1 free credit · Up to 30 slides · No card needed
How do you convert an old PowerPoint to a new template?
Upload the old deck and the new template as a PPTX or POTX file. PurposefulDeck places each slide into the template's title style, colours, fonts and slide size, keeps your words and numbers as they are, leaves out the old logos and footers, and returns an editable PowerPoint with every slide shown before and after.
What you get
- A PowerPoint draft in the client's template, with each title in the template's title style
- Your words, numbers, speaker notes and hidden slides carried over, never rewritten
- Charts and tables from a PowerPoint file copied as real, editable PowerPoint charts and tables when supported
- Bar, column, pie, donut and line chart pictures rebuilt as editable charts when every printed number matches the chart
- Slides that are one pasted picture rebuilt as editable slides (beta) or kept as pictures, your choice
- A review page with every slide before and after, what was left out (such as the old deck's logos, footers and decoration), and a notes PDF to download
What to know first
- Some charts, drawings, photos or whole slides may remain pictures; each one is named on the review page.
- The result is a draft to review and finish in PowerPoint, not a guaranteed final deck.
- Up to 120 slides and 50 MB per deck, and up to 5 decks at once into the same template.
- The template must be a PPTX or POTX file; sample slides in it help match its layouts and styles.
How it works
Step 1
Upload your deck
A PowerPoint (PPTX, PPTM, PPSX, POTX or PPT) or a PDF. The slide count and the credits it uses are shown before anything starts.
Step 2
Add the client's template
Upload their PPTX or POTX. It is kept private to your account, so you can reuse it for the next deck.
Step 3
Review and download
Check each slide against the original, then download the PowerPoint and the review notes. One free re-run within 24 hours lets you try another template.
When to use PowerPoint's own tools and when to use PurposefulDeck
You can do this inside PowerPoint, and for a short, tidy deck that may be all you need. Here is where each way works and where it gets slow.
PowerPoint's Design tab
Good for: Decks whose text sits in the layout's own placeholders and whose slide size matches the new template. Colours, fonts and backgrounds change across all slides at once, and nothing leaves your computer.
Watch out: Text boxes, pictures and charts added by hand stay where they were, so slides built that way need fixing one by one. A different slide size can squash or stretch content.
Copy and paste into the new template
Good for: A few slides. Paste with "Use destination theme", pick a layout and press Reset on each slide. Also stays on your computer.
Watch out: It takes minutes per slide: boxes need moving into placeholders, and charts and tables need re-styling. On a 50-slide deck that is hours of work. A slide whose layout name or placeholders differ brings its old layout with it, as "1_Title and Content" and the like.
PurposefulDeck
Good for: Whole decks, PDFs and repeat work: every slide is placed into the template in one go, and a review page shows each slide before and after.
Watch out: The deck is uploaded to an online service (see how files are handled on the privacy and security page), it costs credits after the free one, and the result is a draft to review.
Questions
How do I change an old PowerPoint to a new template?
In PowerPoint, apply the new template from the Design tab, or paste slides into it with "Use destination theme" and press Reset on each. Both work for text in placeholders, but boxes and charts added by hand need fixing slide by slide. PurposefulDeck places every slide into the template for you and shows each one before and after.
Can I apply a new template to an existing PowerPoint without rebuilding it?
Yes. Upload the existing deck and the new template as a PPTX or POTX file. Each slide is placed into the template's title style, colours, fonts and slide size; you review the draft and finish it in PowerPoint.
Can AI convert an existing PPT to a new template?
AI presentation makers usually write a new deck from a prompt, so wording and numbers can change. PurposefulDeck keeps your words and numbers and places each slide into the template by fixed rules. AI is used only to read things such as chart pictures, picture slides and brand guides, and you can turn it off for any deck.
Why do pasted slides add layouts like "1_Title and Content"?
PowerPoint keeps a pasted slide on a new template's layout only when the layout name, its type and its placeholders match the old one. Otherwise it copies the old layout into the template with a number in front of its name. PurposefulDeck builds the deck from the template file itself, so the old layouts are not copied in.
Why doesn't changing the slide master update my old slides?
Old slides often have fonts and colours set directly on the slide, which a new slide master can't reach, so PowerPoint needs Reset on each slide. PurposefulDeck puts each slide's text into the template's title style and fonts. Colours that aren't in the template are kept and listed on the review page, so you decide.
My old deck is 4:3 and the new template is 16:9. Will logos and pictures stretch?
No. Each slide is placed into the template's slide size and pictures keep their proportions. The old deck's logos are left out, because the template brings its own, so you don't end up with two logos on a slide.
Is it free?
Eligible new accounts get one free credit, which covers a deck of up to 30 slides, with no card needed. After that, decks use credits from a pack.
Will my content be rewritten?
No. Words and numbers are copied as they are and the slide order is kept. Placement can still introduce mistakes, so check the wording and numbers before you share the deck.
What does the template decide?
Its slide size, title style, colours and fonts, and styles learned from its sample slides, such as a subtitle or a bullet style used at least twice.
How much does it cost?
One credit per deck of up to 30 slides, and one more for each further 30 slides. Eligible new accounts get one free credit. If a conversion fails, its credits come back automatically.
Can I use a client's confidential deck?
Slides are placed by fixed rules, not AI, we don't use your files to train AI, and conversion files are deleted 30 days after conversion. If your client's agreement limits outside services, check it first. Password-protected files are refused, and decks with a sensitivity label such as "Confidential" are flagged so you confirm first. Read the privacy and security page for the details.
Try it on one of your own decks
1 free credit · Up to 30 slides · No card needed. You see every slide before and after, and download the PowerPoint and the review notes.
Also: Turn a PDF deck into editable PowerPoint · Move hundreds of decks to a new template · See a sample conversion before and after