Where Are PowerPoint Templates Stored?

PowerPoint for Windows saves your templates to whatever folder is listed in File > Options > Save > Default personal templates location. Open that box to see the real path. If it’s empty, or older templates disappeared, Microsoft’s fix is to paste %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates\ into it, then look on the Personal tab of File > New.

You saved a company template as a .potx last month, and now it isn’t under File > New and you can’t find the file anywhere.

The Short Answer: Two Folders Matter

There isn’t one fixed folder that every copy of PowerPoint uses. Your personal templates live in a folder you (or your PC’s setup) chose, and PowerPoint records that choice in a single settings box. Two locations come up again and again:

Folder	What it holds	How to reach it
The folder in Default personal templates location	New templates you save, and the ones shown on the Personal tab	File > Options > Save
%appdata%\Microsoft\Templates\	Custom templates from older setups that Microsoft 365 doesn’t show by default	Windows key + R, then paste the path

On many PCs the first folder is Documents\Custom Office Templates. That’s a common default rather than something Microsoft’s help page states, so treat the Save box as the final word. If the two folders differ, your templates may be split between them, which is exactly why a template can seem to vanish.

These steps follow Microsoft’s Where are my custom templates page, which applies to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2024 and PowerPoint 2021 on Windows. Older versions may label things differently.

Find Your Personal Templates Folder in PowerPoint

This takes under a minute and tells you exactly where PowerPoint is saving and reading templates on your PC.

1. Open PowerPoint and select File, then Options at the bottom of the left pane. If you’re on the start screen, Options sits in the same left column.
2. Select Save in the PowerPoint Options window.
3. Under Save presentations (Microsoft’s page calls the group Save Documents), find the Default personal templates location box.
4. Click in the box, press Ctrl + A to select the whole path, and press Ctrl + C to copy it.
5. Select Cancel so nothing changes, then paste the path into the address bar of File Explorer and press Enter.

The folder that opens is where PowerPoint keeps the templates that appear on the Personal tab. You should see your .potx files there, possibly next to Word (.dotx) and Excel (.xltx) templates if those apps point to the same place.

If the box is empty, PowerPoint has no personal templates folder set, and File > New may not show a Personal tab. The next section fixes that.

Where the Templates Show Up in PowerPoint

Select File > New. Above the thumbnails you’ll see tabs. Your own files appear on the Personal tab, which Microsoft’s page names. Microsoft’s built-in designs sit on a separate tab, often labeled Office or Featured, and some versions may label the personal tab Custom. You may need to open a folder inside that tab. If you only see Office, PowerPoint isn’t finding any templates in its personal folder.

Templates Missing After an Upgrade? Point PowerPoint at AppData

Microsoft explains that Microsoft 365 doesn’t show older custom templates by default. They’re usually still on your PC in the Templates folder inside AppData, a hidden folder in your user profile. You can reach it without turning on hidden items, because the Run box goes straight there.

1. Press Windows key + R to open Run.
2. Type or paste %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates\ and press Enter. File Explorer opens the folder.
3. Click the address bar at the top of File Explorer so it shows the full path (it starts with C:\Users\ and your account name), and copy it.
4. In PowerPoint, go to File > Options > Save.
5. Paste the path into Default personal templates location and select OK.
6. Open File > New and check the Personal tab.

Before you overwrite a path that’s already in the box, copy it somewhere first. If templates are sitting in both folders, you’ll want to move the files from the old folder into the new one rather than lose sight of either set.

Microsoft notes that new templates save to this folder from now on. If the Personal tab still doesn’t appear, close every PowerPoint window and open it again. That restart isn’t in Microsoft’s steps, but it can help when the tab doesn’t refresh right away.

For other routes into the same folder, including the View > Show > Hidden items switch, see how to open the AppData folder in Windows 11.

Save a Presentation as a Template So It Shows Up

A common reason a “template” never appears is that it was saved as a normal presentation (.pptx). The Personal tab is meant for PowerPoint Template files (.potx); a normal .pptx saved there generally won’t be listed. A .pptx still works as a starting point if you open it and use Save As.

1. Open the presentation you want to reuse. Set the slide size and orientation first, since everyone who uses the template inherits them. Here’s how to switch slides to portrait or rotate objects if you need a tall layout.
2. Select File > Save As (or Save a Copy if the file is on OneDrive), then Browse.
3. Open the Save as type list and choose PowerPoint Template (*.potx).
4. Look at the folder the dialog is showing. It often switches to your templates folder when you choose the template type. If it doesn’t, browse to the folder from the Save box in Options.
5. Give the template a clear name, such as Quarterly Review Template, and select Save.

A template saved to the Desktop or Downloads still works when you double-click it, but PowerPoint won’t list it on the Personal tab. Moving it into the templates folder is usually all it takes to make it appear.

Use a Template vs. Edit the Template Itself

In Windows, picking a template from File > New, or double-clicking a .potx in File Explorer, normally opens a new untitled presentation based on it. The template file stays untouched, which is what you want most days. To change the template itself (a new logo, an updated color), open it from PowerPoint with File > Open, or right-click the .potx in File Explorer and choose Open, if your menu offers it. Make your edits and save it again as a .potx with the same name.

Open the Folder to Copy, Back Up or Share Templates

Once you know the path, the folder is just a normal folder. Say Priya, who builds the slide decks for her team, wants to move her templates to a new laptop:

1. On the old PC, paste the templates path into File Explorer’s address bar (or use Run for the AppData folder).
2. Copy the .potx files to a USB drive or a cloud folder. Copy the Word and Excel template files too if they’re in the same place.
3. On the new PC, open PowerPoint > File > Options > Save to see which folder it uses (set one if the box is empty).
4. Paste the files into that folder and check File > New > Personal.

The same copy works as a backup. If you accidentally delete a template, check the Recycle Bin first, then your backup. To share a template with one colleague, email or send them the .potx file and have them drop it into their own templates folder. If the address bar and copying between folders are new to you, this tour of File Explorer basics in Windows 11 covers both.

Set the Same Folder for Word and Excel

The Default personal templates location is a per-app setting. Changing it in PowerPoint doesn’t change Word or Excel. Microsoft’s instructions say to repeat the steps in each program. Open Word, then Excel, and set File > Options > Save > Default personal templates location to the same path in each. Keeping one shared folder means a single place to back up and a single place to look when something goes missing.

Where Templates Live on a Mac

Microsoft’s custom-templates page has no Mac steps, and PowerPoint for Mac doesn’t appear to offer the Default personal templates location box. The folder most often reported for Microsoft 365 on a Mac is:

~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates

Your Library folder is hidden in Finder, so jump straight to the path:

1. Click the desktop or a Finder window so Finder is active.
2. Press Shift + Command + G (or choose Go > Go to Folder).
3. Paste the path above and press Return.

If that folder doesn’t exist on your Mac, the path may differ with your Office version. Word for Mac shows its user templates folder under Word > Settings (Preferences on older versions) > File Locations, which can help confirm where Office is looking. When you save a .potx from PowerPoint for Mac with File > Save As and the PowerPoint Template format, it typically lands in this folder and shows up when you choose File > New from Template.

Your Organization’s Templates

If your company publishes official templates, they may not live on your hard drive at all. Microsoft’s page on using your organization’s templates in PowerPoint says the feature needs a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license, and it gives these routes:

• Windows: select New (or File > New), open the folder named for your organization, right-click the template and choose Create.
• Mac: select New, or File > New from Template, open the organization’s folder and double-click the template.
• Web: open PowerPoint from Office.com, then File > New > Browse templates and pick your company’s name.

Microsoft also says organization templates can show up in Design Suggestions on the Home tab. If you don’t see a folder for your company, ask your IT team. They control where those templates are published, and copying them into your personal folder can leave you with an outdated version.

If Your Template Still Doesn’t Appear

Work down this list in order. Most cases are solved by the first two checks.

• Wrong file type: in File Explorer, turn on View > Show > File name extensions. A file ending in .pptx isn’t a template; resave it as .potx.
• Wrong folder: compare the file’s location with the path in File > Options > Save. They must match exactly.
• Empty Save box: no path means no Personal tab. Add the AppData path or your own folder.
• Template inside a subfolder: PowerPoint may show subfolders as folders on the Personal tab. Click into them before deciding the file is gone.
• Setting changed in the wrong app: each Office app has its own box. Changing Word’s path does nothing for PowerPoint.
• App still open: close all PowerPoint windows and reopen the app.
• File truly missing: search This PC for *.potx in File Explorer, check the Recycle Bin and OneDrive’s recycle bin, then restore from a backup.

Template Location Questions

Can I keep my templates in OneDrive or on a shared drive?

The box accepts a typed folder path, so you can try a synced OneDrive folder or a mapped network drive. Microsoft’s page doesn’t discuss these, so test it: make sure the folder is fully synced (not online-only) and that everyone who uses it has permission to read it. For company-wide templates, the organization templates feature above is the managed option.

Is a theme the same as a template?

No. A theme (.thmx) is a set of colors, fonts and effects you apply from the Design tab. A template (.potx) is a whole starting presentation, which can include a theme plus layouts, placeholder text and sample slides. Themes are usually saved in a separate Document Themes folder and are applied from the Design tab rather than the Personal tab.

Where are Microsoft’s built-in templates stored?

Some designs on File > New come with PowerPoint and others download from Microsoft’s online template gallery when you pick them. Microsoft doesn’t document a folder for them that you should edit. If you like one, create a presentation from it, customize it, and save your own .potx copy instead.

Does PowerPoint for the web use my local templates?

Not that Microsoft documents. Its web instructions cover browsing your organization’s templates through File > New, not reading a folder on your PC. If you need a personal template in the browser, upload a presentation built from it to OneDrive and duplicate that file for each new deck.

Can I turn a template into a PDF handout?

Create a presentation from the template first, then export that file. The steps for saving a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF work the same on a deck built from a template.

Next Step

Open File > Options > Save in PowerPoint now and copy the path in Default personal templates location into a note. When a template goes missing later, that one line tells you where to look, and it’s the same path to back up before you ever switch computers.