How To Revert Google Slides To Default Templates

How to Revert Google Slides to Default Templates (and Why You Might Want To)

Google Slides offers a powerful and versatile platform for creating presentations. Part of its appeal lies in the vast array of themes and templates available, allowing you to quickly customize the look and feel of your slides. But what happens if you’ve experimented with different themes, made extensive modifications, or inherited a presentation with a design you just don’t like? You might want to revert back to one of Google Slides’ default templates.

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to reset your Google Slides presentation to a default template, covering various scenarios and offering alternative approaches. There isn’t a single “revert to default” button, so understanding the nuances is key.

Understanding “Default” in Google Slides

Before we dive into the methods, it’s important to clarify what “default” means in the context of Google Slides. There are two primary interpretations:

1. The “Simple Light” Theme: This is the true, unadulterated, blank slate that Google Slides presents when you create a new, empty presentation. It features a white background, black text, and very basic slide layouts. This is the most basic default.
2. Other Pre-Designed Themes: Google Slides offers a gallery of built-in themes (e.g., “Focus,” “Shift,” “Streamline”). While not the default, these are pre-designed and considered “default” options in the sense that they come directly from Google and haven’t been customized.

This guide will show you how to achieve both.

Methods to Revert to Default Templates

Here are the primary methods for returning to a default template in Google Slides:

1. Starting a New Presentation (The Easiest Way for “Simple Light”)

This is the most straightforward approach if you want the absolute “Simple Light” default and are willing to copy your content over.

• Step 1: Open a New Google Slides Presentation: Go to Google Slides (slides.google.com) and click the “+” button (Blank) to create a new presentation. This will automatically open with the “Simple Light” theme.
• Step 2: Copy and Paste Your Content: Open your old presentation in a separate tab. Select all slides (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) in the slide navigator (the panel on the left). Copy them (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C).
• Step 3: Paste into the New Presentation: Go to the new presentation (the one with the “Simple Light” theme). Right-click in the slide navigator and choose “Paste”.
  • Important Note: When pasting, you’ll likely see two options: “Paste” and “Paste without formatting”.
    • “Paste”: This will attempt to preserve some of the formatting (fonts, colors) from your original slides. This might be desirable if you want to keep some elements, but it’s not a true revert.
    • “Paste without formatting”: This is the closest you’ll get to a clean transfer. It will strip most formatting and apply the “Simple Light” theme’s styling to your content. You will likely need to do some reformatting (font sizes, bullet points, etc.).
• Step 4: Rearrange and Reformat: Adjust the slide order and make any necessary formatting adjustments.

2. Applying a Default Theme (For Pre-Designed Themes)

This method allows you to switch to one of Google’s pre-designed themes without starting a new presentation.

• Step 1: Open Your Presentation: Open the Google Slides presentation you want to modify.
• Step 2: Access the Theme Menu: There are a few ways to do this:
  • Themes Panel: If the Themes panel is already open on the right side of your screen, you can skip this step.
  • “Theme” Button: Look for a button labeled “Theme” in the toolbar (it usually looks like a paint palette or a series of overlapping rectangles). Click it.
  • Slide > Change theme…: Go to the “Slide” menu at the top of the screen and select “Change theme…”.
• Step 3: Choose a Default Theme: In the Themes panel, scroll through the available options. You’ll see a section of pre-designed themes from Google. Select the theme you want to apply (e.g., “Simple Light,” “Focus,” “Shift,” etc.). Clicking on a theme will instantly apply it to your entire presentation.
• Step 4 (Optional): Customize Layouts: Even after applying a theme, you might need to adjust individual slide layouts. To do this:
  • Select the slide you want to modify.
  • Go to “Slide” > “Apply layout…” or right-click on the slide and choose “Apply layout…”.
  • Select a layout from the list that best suits the content of that slide. These layouts are part of the theme you selected.

3. Resetting Individual Slides (For Targeted Changes)

If you only want to revert some slides to a default layout within a chosen theme, use this method:

• Step 1: Apply a Theme (if needed): If you haven’t already, apply the desired overall theme using Method 2.
• Step 2: Select the Slide(s): In the slide navigator, select the slide(s) you want to reset. You can select multiple slides by holding down Ctrl (or Cmd) while clicking.
• Step 3: Reset the Layout:
  • Right-click on the selected slide(s) and choose “Apply layout…”.
  • Select the desired layout from the list. The “Title Slide” or “Title and Body” layouts are often good starting points for a “default” look.
  • Alternatively, go to Slide > “Apply layout…”.

4. Dealing with Imported Themes and Master Slides (Advanced)

If you’ve imported a custom theme or made extensive changes to the Master Slides, simply applying a default theme might not completely override the previous design. Here’s how to handle that:

• Step 1: Access the Master Slide Editor: Go to “View” > “Theme Builder”. This opens the Master Slide editor.
• Step 2: Identify the Master Slides: The Master Slide editor shows you the “master” slides that control the overall look and feel of your presentation, as well as the individual layouts that inherit from them.
• Step 3: Apply a Default Theme to the Master:
  • Select the top-level Master slide (usually the first one).
  • In the Themes panel (which should still be open), select the default theme you want to apply. This will change the theme for the entire presentation, including the master slides.
• Step 4: (Optional) Reset Individual Master Layouts: If you still see remnants of the old theme in specific layouts, select those layouts within the Master Slide editor and apply a default layout (right-click > “Apply layout…”) or manually adjust their formatting.
• Step 5: Close the Master Slide Editor: Click the “X” in the top-right corner of the Master Slide editor to return to your main presentation view.
• Step 6: After exiting the theme builder, you can reapply the layout of your chosing by clicking Slide > Apply Layout.

Troubleshooting

• Formatting Still Persists: If you’re still seeing unwanted formatting after trying these methods, it’s possible that the formatting was applied directly to individual text boxes or objects, rather than being controlled by the theme. In this case, you’ll need to manually select those elements and adjust their formatting (font, color, etc.) using the toolbar options.
• Imported Images: Background images or logos that were imported directly onto slides (not as part of a theme) will need to be manually removed or replaced.

Conclusion

Reverting to a default template in Google Slides is a valuable skill for cleaning up presentations, starting fresh, or simply adopting a more professional look. By understanding the different methods and their nuances, you can effectively control the design of your slides and ensure they meet your specific needs. While there’s no one-click solution, the techniques outlined above provide a comprehensive toolkit for achieving a clean, default aesthetic. Remember to save your work regularly!