The default background color of a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint is white. Changing the background color helps call more attention to a specific slide. The background may be changed to a single color, or you can set a color gradient that fades a color from lighter to darker.

Changing the background color of a slide

To change the color of a slide in your PowerPoint presentation, follow the steps below.

  • Open Microsoft PowerPoint.

  • In the Ribbon, click the Design tab.

  • Click the Format Background option on the right side of the Design tab.

  • In the Format Background pane that opens, choose Solid fill or Gradient fill.

  • Choose the solid or gradient color options you want to use. The background color changes after selecting these options.

At step 4 above, you can also select a picture to use as the slide background. Select the Picture or texture fill option and choose a picture in the Picture source section.

You can also right-click the outer area of a slide and select Format Background in the pop-up menu that opens.

  • How to create or add a slide in Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • How to insert a picture in Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • How to add a video to a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
  • How to insert a sound file into a PowerPoint presentation.
  • How to start and stop a PowerPoint slide show.
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