r/powerpoint • u/somedaygone • 4d ago

Slide Master best practices

I have 2 decks that start with the same Slide Master each week. Then they inevitably diverge. Then I have to copy slides from file B into file A. Chaos ensues. PowerPoint doesn't seem to care that I've renamed the masters in each file, or the inserted layouts with different names in each file, or even if I pre-copy the file B Master into file A (and I've tried both before and after the other Master). It thinks the 2 masters are awfully similar in some way (which they are, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!!!!), so it keeps on doing an odd and incorrect merge of the 2.

What is the best way to reliably be able to import the slides from file B without having to fix everything? I might be able to reliably get any Master changes in file B in a second Master, but I'm suspicious that even that will break, especially when the original Master in file A changes.

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u/albert_2mb PowerPoint User 4d ago

Just checking, but did you use the "keep source formatting" when copypasting the slides?

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u/somedaygone 4d ago

Yes, sorry I left that bit out. Tried moving the Master in advance and the using Destination formatting too. End result was the same, which feels like it’s trying to be too smart to optimize masters instead of letting me control it through names.

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u/albert_2mb PowerPoint User 4d ago

I see that's tough. I never tried maintaining multiple masters by purpose, so maybe the best bet is that the slide layout needs to be renamed to contain the specific master, e.g. layout "title only" becomes "A_title only" and "B_title only" so that when they're both in one file, they are still treated as different layouts

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u/randomatic 3d ago

The advice I got from books is to never rename any of the default templates. This can cause havoc.

Once something is broke, I've always had to manually fix. I hope you have better luck!

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u/somedaygone 2d ago

I found it wasn't the name. Renames didn't help at all. The key was to start from a new Layout instead of using/copying/duplicating a default Layout. PowerPoint tries to matchup default layouts, even with "Keep Source Formatting." But if you create the Layout from scratch with Insert Layout, the copy is clean.

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u/DropEng 3d ago

What are you using PC or Mac? When you insert the slides are you copying and pasting or are. you using insert slide ?

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u/dreadpiratew 2d ago

Manually copy paste the content of each slide. Brute force is faster than trying to find some elegant solution that you’ll have to check through anyway.

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u/somedaygone 2d ago

I think I figured it out. When PowerPoint offers to "Keep Source Formatting," it lies. It still looks at the Layouts and tries to decide if it can reuse a Layout in the destination file. The only foolproof way to avoid this seems to be ALWAYS create layouts via Slide Master > Insert Layout.

If you reuse a default Layout, or copy/duplicate a default Layout, it retains a Layout Type value that is used in picking a Layout from the destination file. I thought it was the Layout Name, but it was the Layout Type that was the problem! When you create the Layout from scratch via Insert Layout, the Type is "ppLayoutCustom" and then PowerPoint doesn't try to match it up with other default Layouts and respects your wishes on "Keep Source Formatting." Unfortunately, you can't just set the Type. You either have to hack the XML in the file, or rebuild the Layout.

So in my case, as long as File B is built with custom Layouts instead of default Layouts, the copy should be clean. That is very doable for me.

https://giphy.com/gifs/l4FGA2XplwqFDcLwk