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In PowerPoint, a placeholder is a pre-formatted container on a slide for content (text, graphics, or video). The pre-set formatting makes it easier to format slides consistently.

You format a placeholder in Slide Master view. Then you use the placeholder—add content to it—in Normal view.

The pictured slide has two rectangular placeholders:

  1. The (upper) Title placeholder prompts the user for text and formats it in the default Heading font, size, and color

  2. The (lower) Content placeholder accepts text, or a table, chart, SmartArt graphic, picture, or video, as indicated by the clickable icons at its center.

A Title and Content slide with two placeholders

Change the prompt text in a placeholder

You can change the generic prompt text ("Click to add ...") for a placeholder.

  1. On the View tab, in the Master Views group, select Slide Master.

  2. In slide master view, in the thumbnail pane, select the layout that you want to revise.

  3. In the main pane, on the layout, select the current prompt text (such as Click to edit Master text styles, and then type the text you want to use instead.

  4. When you complete the changes in slide master view, on the Slide Master tab, select Close Master View to return to Normal view.

    Tip: Modifications to the slide master and the corresponding slide layouts are temporarily added to the theme that is applied to your presentation. If you apply a different theme, then the slide master changes are discarded. If you want to keep the changes for future use, in the Edit Theme group, click Themes, and then click Save Current Theme.

Resize or reposition a placeholder

  1. On the View tab, click Slide Master.

  2. On the slide layout that you want change, click the placeholder that you want to change, and then do one of the following:

    • To resize it, point to one of its sizing handles, and when the pointer becomes a two-headed arrow Two-headed arrow, drag the handle.

    • To reposition it, point to one of its borders and when the pointer becomes a four-headed arrow White pointer with 4-headed arrow, drag the placeholder to a new position.

  3. On the Slide Master tab, click Close Master View.

  4. In Normal View, in the thumbnail pane, select all the slides that use the slide layout you just revised.

    To select multiple slides, press and hold the Ctrl key, and then click each slide.

    Click the slide in the Thumbnail pane
  5. On the Home tab, click Layout, and then select the layout that contains the placeholders that you just changed.

    This step finalizes the placeholder change by reapplying the changed slide layout to an actual slide.

Add a placeholder to a slide layout

Placeholders can only be added to slide layouts, not individual slides in a presentation. If you haven't worked with slide layouts, check out What is a slide layout? and What is a slide master? to learn more before reading on.

  1. On the View tab, click Slide Master.

  2. In the left thumbnail pane, click the slide layout that you want to add one or more placeholders to.

  3. On the Slide Master tab, click Insert Placeholder, and then click the type of placeholder that you want to add.

    Shows the Insert Placeholder button in the Slide Master View in PowerPoint

  4. Click a location on the slide layout, and then drag to draw the placeholder. You can add as many placeholders as you like.

  5. If you add a text placeholder, you can customize the prompt text ("Click to add ...") that appears in it:

    Select the default text in the placeholder, and replace it with your own prompt text.

    Switch to the Home tab to format the prompt text as you want it to appear.

    With the text selected, you can change the Font or Font Size. If an unwanted bullet appears before your custom prompt text, in the Paragraph group, click the down arrow next to Bullets, and then click None.

  6. When you're done, on the Slide Master tab, click Close Master View.

  7. In Normal View, in the thumbnail pane, select all the slides that use the slide layout you just revised.

    (To select multiple slides, press and hold the Ctrl key, and then click each slide.)

    Click the slide in the Thumbnail pane
  8. On the Home tab, click Layout, and then select the layout that contains the placeholders that you just changed.

    This step finalizes the placeholder change by reapplying the changed slide layout to an actual slide.

Remove a placeholder

We recommend that you don't remove a placeholder from a pre-built slide layout. If you want to make a change like that, duplicate that layout, give it a distinct name, and then edit that copy.

  1. On the View tab, click Slide Master.

  2. In the left thumbnail pane, click the slide layout that you want to revise.

  3. Select the placeholder on the layout, then press the Delete key.

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