Can you format all slides in PowerPoint at once?

In this post, you’ll learn how to easily and quickly change the fonts of your entire presentation. So, before you try to do it manually (like I used to do), read this article to learn how to use the Replace Fonts command.

Just be warned that replacing fonts does not guarantee that the wrong fonts will not re-appear within your presentation. See the replace fonts warning further below.

I’m using the latest version of Office, the Microsoft 365 subscription (which I highly recommend), check it out here.

[Watch] Changing fonts on all your slides

Question for you too. Are you using safe PowerPoint fonts?

Before replacing your fonts in PowerPoint, I recommend double-checking that you are using a safe font like Arial to ensure your text appears properly in all versions of PowerPoint (Mac or PC).

For a list of safe PowerPoint fonts and things to keep in mind when selecting them, read our guide here.

How to Change Fonts on All Slides

To change your fonts on all slides in PowerPoint, simply:

1. Navigate to the Home tab
2. Click the Replace dropdown arrow (don’t just select replace)
3. Select Replace Fonts
4. Click the Font Style you want to replace (Replace:)
5. Select the Font Style you want to replace it with (With:)
6. ​Click Replace

PowerPoint then replaces all the font styles within your presentation (including those on your Slide Master).

Just be aware that the Replace section (pictured below) will only show you a list of the fonts styles that are currently within your presentation.

That means that if you don’t see a specific font listed there, you can safely assume that it does not exist in your presentation.

The only exception to this rule is if that font style is in one of your charts. See the section “When Replace Fonts Doesn’t Work” section below.

This also means that you can use the Replace Font dropdown to spot-check edits people have made to your presentation. If they have added a font style they are not supposed to use, it will show up here.

Opening the Replace Font – With dropdown (pictured below), shows you all the available font styles on your computer. If a font you are looking for is not listed here, that means it’s not installed on your computer. You’ll have to do that before you can use it in PowerPoint.

Just remember that not all font styles will show up properly in all versions of PowerPoint (the Mac and Windows versions of PowerPoint have vastly different font styles available to them).

That’s why if you are not sure which version of PowerPoint your clients or colleagues are using, it’s best to use one of the safe fonts. To learn which nine fonts are safe to use regardless of which version of PowerPoint your clients have, read our guide here.

When Replacing Fonts Works

The Replace Fonts command specifically works with the following object classes (and places in PowerPoint):

That means that you can safely assume that your Slide Master, SmartArt objects, tables, shapes, text boxes and anything that is in your notes pane will be changed.

Note: Although the Replace Fonts command changes the font styles in your Notes Pane, keep in mind that you will only see those font style changes when you print your presentation with notes.

To expand your knowledge and learn the different options you have to print your PowerPoint slides with notes, read our guide here.

When Replacing Fonts Doesn't Work

The one place where the Replace Fonts command DOES NOT work is with your PowerPoint charts. For whatever reason, the command is not able to change the Font Styles for axes, data labels, chart titles, etc. So, keep in mind that you will need to replace the Font Styles in your charts manually.

Again, the Replace Fonts command will not change the font style of any of these elements within your presentation (no matter how much dreaming you do). That means you’ll need to double-check all your charts (and switch those fonts out manually) before calling your presentation final.

Fonts Styles in Your Notes Pane

When evaluating the font styles in your Notes Pane, it’s important to remember that only simple formatting will show up there.

Go to 4:22 in the video below for a quick demonstration of how this works.

Replacing Fonts Warning

Even after you use the Replace Fonts command to change the font styles in your presentation, there is one place where bad fonts can still show up. That is when you insert new shapes and text boxes into your presentation.

This is a common error that occurs when someone accidentally sets your default shapes and text boxes to the wrong formatting. To fix this, you need to set new default formatting styles for both your shapes and your textboxes.

You can do this both in the Slide Master View and the Normal View of PowerPoint. This is also something you should do whenever you create a new PowerPoint template. To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template from scratch, read our guide here.

To do that, follow the steps below for both your shapes and your text boxes (as PowerPoint considers them as different object classes).

1. How to change the default formatting of your shapes in PowerPoint

Before you set new formatting for your shapes, you first need to format a shape the way you want it.

1. Format a shape the way you want it
2. Right-click the shape
3. Select Set as Default Shape

When formatting a shape, go the distance and set everything:

• Font Style
• Font Size
• Shape Fill
• Shape Outline Color
• Shape Outline Weight
• Etc. 

The more formatting you save to your shape, the more time you will save in PowerPoint.

Note: Setting new default shape formatting does not update any of the existing shapes in your presentation. The new shape formatting only affects new shapes that you insert from here on out.

2. How to change the default formatting of your text boxes in PowerPoint

1. Manually format your text box however you want it (including the correct font style you want all text boxes to all have in the future).
2. Right-click your text box.
3. Select Set as Default Text Box.

Note: Setting new default text boxes will NOT update any of the pre-existing text boxes in your presentation. Your new formatting will only appear on new text boxes you insert into your presentation.

Conclusion

Replacing your fonts in PowerPoint manually is NOT a great use of your time. Instead, use the Replace Fonts dialog box to speed up the process. Just make sure you double check that set your font styles as default for your shapes and text boxes so that bad fonts don’t continue to show up in your presentation.

As a general speed training rule for PowerPoint, the more you can get PowerPoint to do these kinds of tasks for you, the more time you will save, and the sooner you will make it to Happy Hour.

To learn more about our PowerPoint training services and how to improve your presentation skills, visit us here.