The PowerPoint® Blog

When using Microsoft PowerPoint on a Windows computer files save to the “Documents Folder” by default. But is that the best option for your workflow?

Where PowerPoint saves a file by default is an app setting that can be customized. For TLC Creative, we update to have presentations saved to the desktop as the default. Here’s how:

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint.

2. In PowerPoint, click on the File tab located at the top-left corner of the window.

3. Near the bottom of the File menu, click Options.

4. In the PowerPoint Options dialog, click on the Save category on the left-hand side. This section contains settings related to saving presentations, such as file locations.

5. In the Save presentations section, locate the Default local file location field. This is where PowerPoint saves files by default, and the location can be changed here.

To get the desktop folder path, on Windows 11, do the following:

• • Open a File Explorer window
  • Navigate to the desktop folder. The path for the desktop folder is typically C:\Users\[ Username]\Desktop
  • Right click the Address bar and select Copy Address as Text

• • Back in PowerPoint, with the PowerPoint Options dialog still open, paste the copied address for the computer desktop into the Default local file location field.

6. Click OK in the PowerPoint Options window to save the changes. From now on, PowerPoint will save any new presentations to the desktop by default!

Notes

• This is for Windows users only: The steps above apply specifically to users on Windows computers. If using an iPad or Mac, the process may differ, and we recommend checking specific support resources for those devices to find the correct method.
• This is an app setting: The save setting will apply to all PowerPoint presentation files going forward. Every time a new file is saved, it will default to saving on the desktop unless a different location is chosen manually.
• Corporate Environment Considerations: If working within a corporate environment, PowerPoint options may have been pre-configured to save files to a shared network drive or another location. In such cases, it’s usually best to leave that setting as-is. Changing it might interfere with company protocols for file storage, access, and sharing. If unsure, it’s always a good idea to consult the IT department before making this change.

There are several benefits to setting PowerPoint’s save location to the desktop. Saving directly to the desktop ensures that presentations are easily accessible. There is no navigating through multiple folders to find them. Also, customizability. While PowerPoint typically defaults to saving files in a more general location (like the Documents folder), customizing allows personalization of the workspace to make your workflow a little smoother.

Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, is the inspiration for these 2 PowerPoint templates – and both are Free to download and use!

Christie, on the TLC Creative design team, used the Pantone Mocha Mousse color as PowerPoint’s Accent 1 and created a rich color template.

This full feature PowerPoint template has all core styling elements preset – and includes a theme layout, plus three full frame (eg. no placeholders) layout options!

Download the editable PowerPoint file HERE. (2.7 MB, .pptx)

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Mike on the TLC Creative design team also used the Pantone Mocha Mousse color as PowerPoint’s Accent #1 for a PowerPoint template.

This full feature PowerPoint template has all core styling elements preset – and a master layout picture placeholder is preset for the logo on the Theme and Title layouts (insert either layout, click the picture placeholder to insert your logo).

Download the editable PowerPoint file HERE (2 MB, .pptx)

Are you designing a presentation with a lot of text? Not sure how to make your points stand-out? Typography is one of the most important aspects of a slide, and how well its done will determine how well you can communicate your message. We originally posted this in August of 2020, and the same design principles apply today!

One way to grab your viewer’s attention is to utilize a bold font, which is heavier and darker than the regular type. Bold fonts are used for emphasis, but too much bolding can have the exact opposite effect, because when everything is bold – nothing is bold.

Selective bolding is a design process we use often. Be choosing key words to be bold and standout the viewer can quickly see, and read, what is important.

Happy bolding! This is from our Look Back series rediscovering previous blog posts with relevant PowerPoint Tips, Tricks and Examples. Original August 7, 2020 blog post here.

It is surprising how some of the PowerPoint formatting tools the TLC Creative design team just takes for granted. As an example, the PowerPoint Ruler.

A default install of PowerPoint (desktop app) has the simple, but important ruler turned off. If you do not see the PowerPoint ruler, do yourself a favor and turn it on! It is only 2 clicks away:

• Go to the VIEW tab
• Check the RULER box
• Done!

Side note: in writing this post, the page name (eg. the “slug”) would not accept. Turns out we did almost the same post (https://thepowerpointblog.com/powerpoint-ruler) 9 years ago!