Convert a library of old presentations to a new template
A rebrand, a merger or a new course template can leave hundreds of decks in the old look. Pasting them into the new template slide by slide takes days, and it fills the template with stray copies of the old layouts. Upload the decks with the new template instead: each slide is placed into it with your words and numbers kept as they are, and you review the drafts.
1 free credit · Up to 30 slides · No card needed
How do you move hundreds of presentations to a new template?
Convert one typical deck first to see how your template handles it, then upload the rest in batches of up to 5 into the same template. Each deck is built from the template file, so no stray old layouts are copied in, and each gets its own review page with every slide shown before and after.
What you get
- Up to 5 decks converted together into the same template or brand, each with its own review page
- Decks built from the template file itself, so the old decks' slide masters and layouts are not copied in
- Your words, numbers, speaker notes and hidden slides carried over, never rewritten
- The old design (logos, footers, page numbers and decoration) left out, with each removal listed for review
- Your template kept private to your account, so the next batch uses the same one
- Before-and-after previews of every slide and a review notes PDF for each deck
What to know first
- 5 decks per batch; start the next batch when you are ready. Each deck uses its own credits.
- Up to 120 slides and 50 MB per deck.
- Each deck is a draft to review and finish in PowerPoint. Some charts, drawings or whole slides may remain pictures, and each one is named on the review page.
- For a large library, try one typical deck first to see how your template handles it.
How it works
Step 1
Try one typical deck
Use the free credit on a deck that looks like most of your library. Its review page shows what came across well and what needs a look.
Step 2
Upload a batch
Choose up to 5 decks and the same template or brand. The slide counts and credits are shown before anything starts.
Step 3
Review and download
Each deck gets its own review page. Check each slide against the original, then download the PowerPoint and the review notes.
When to use PowerPoint's own tools and when to use PurposefulDeck
Which way is quickest depends on how the old decks were built. Here is where each way works, and where it gets slow.
Apply the new theme in PowerPoint
Good for: Decks built on the old template's layouts, with text in placeholders and the same slide size. Fast, and nothing leaves your computer.
Watch out: Text boxes, pictures and charts added by hand stay where they were. Across hundreds of decks, the slides built that way all need fixing by hand.
Paste slides into the new template
Good for: A handful of slides. Paste with "Use destination theme" and press Reset on each slide.
Watch out: PowerPoint maps a pasted slide to a new layout only when the layout's name and placeholders match. Otherwise it copies the old layout in, as "1_Title and Content" and the like, and the template fills with stray layouts.
PurposefulDeck
Good for: Libraries of finished decks, PDFs and repeat work: up to 5 decks at a time go into the template, each with a review page.
Watch out: The decks are uploaded to an online service (see the privacy and security page), credits are needed after the free one, and each result is a draft to review.
Questions
How do I convert hundreds of presentations to a new theme?
Try one typical deck first, then upload the rest in batches of up to 5 into the same template. Each deck is placed into the template without rewriting and gets its own review page, so you check drafts instead of rebuilding slides by hand.
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. When they don't, it copies the old layout into the new template with a number in front of its name. PurposefulDeck builds each deck from the template file itself, so the old layouts are not copied in.
Can I put every speaker's deck for a conference into one template?
Yes. Upload the speakers' decks in batches of up to 5 with the conference template. Each speaker's words stay as they are and each deck gets its own review page. Check each one before the event, because every result is a draft.
Will the wording change?
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 on the review page before you share a deck.
How much does a large library cost?
One credit per deck of up to 30 slides, and one more for each further 30 slides. Credits come in one-time packs that don't expire; the pricing page lists them. If a conversion fails, its credits come back automatically.
Can the decks stay confidential?
Files are not shared with other customers, we don't use your files to train AI, and conversion files are deleted 30 days after conversion. Zero-retention mode in Settings converts every deck without AI and deletes it after download. 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: Convert one old PowerPoint to a new template · Rebrand decks to a new logo, colours and fonts · See a sample conversion before and after · What this will not do