To change theme fonts in desktop PowerPoint, select Design, open the down arrow in Variants, choose Fonts, and select a font pair. This changes the theme's heading and body fonts, although text with a manually assigned font can keep its existing formatting. These steps apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 and PowerPoint 2024 on Windows and Mac.
Choose a font pair first, then review any text that stays unchanged. If you are still building your slides, you can make your first PowerPoint presentation before adjusting its theme fonts.
The short version
- Quickest method: Open Design > Variants > Fonts and choose a font pair.
- Custom pairing: On Windows, use Slide Master > Fonts > Customize Fonts to choose separate heading and body fonts.
- Unchanged text: Restore the text to the theme heading or body font when manual formatting overrides your choice.
- Browser and mobile: Choose a complete theme, or use desktop PowerPoint to edit the theme's font pair.
| Method | What it changes | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Design > Variants > Fonts | The theme's heading and body pair | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Slide Master > Fonts | A particular master's font pair | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Customize Fonts | A custom heading and body pair | Windows desktop |
| Browse for Themes | Fonts and other settings from a saved theme | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Theme entries in the Home font menu | Selected text's link to theme fonts | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Replace Fonts | An existing font throughout the presentation | Windows desktop |
| Direct text formatting | Only the selected text's font | Desktop and browser steps below |
| Complete theme selection | Fonts, colors, effects, and other theme settings | Desktop, browser, and mobile |
| Open in Desktop App | Opens a browser presentation for desktop editing | Browser with desktop PowerPoint installed |
| Save Current Theme | Saves your theme for reuse | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Set as Default Theme | The theme for new presentations | Windows and Mac desktop |
| Notes Master | The font used for printed notes | Windows desktop |
Choose a theme font pair on Windows or Mac
Open your presentation and select Design. In the Variants gallery, select the down arrow, open Fonts, and choose the heading and body font pair you want. Windows and Mac both provide this route for choosing an existing pair.
Use Fonts when you want to change the presentation's typography without choosing a different complete theme. To change the complete theme instead, select Design, expand the Themes gallery with More, and select a theme thumbnail. That also changes the theme's colors, effects, and other design settings.
Change fonts for a particular slide master
Select View > Slide Master and select the relevant master in the thumbnail pane. Open Slide Master > Fonts, choose the font pair, then select Close Master View. This method works in desktop PowerPoint on Windows and Mac.
A presentation with several masters may need the change repeated for each relevant master. If only one group of slides adopts your fonts, return to Slide Master and change the pair for the other masters. PowerPoint for the web does not include Slide Master.
Create a custom heading and body pair on Windows
For a pairing of your own, select View > Slide Master, then open Fonts > Customize Fonts. In Create New Theme Fonts, choose a typeface under Heading font and another under Body font. Enter a recognizable name in Name, select Save, then select Close Master View.
On Mac, choose an existing pair from Fonts or apply a saved custom theme containing the pairing you want. To apply that theme, open Design, expand Themes, and select Browse for Themes. Locate and select the saved .thmx theme, which also carries its other theme settings.
Fix text that keeps its old font
A manually assigned font can override theme formatting, so start by selecting the text that did not change. Open Home and expand the font-name dropdown in the Font group. Choose the Theme Headings or Theme Body entry to restore the text's link to the theme. The displayed typeface depends on your current theme.
For a broader substitution on Windows, select Home > Replace > Replace Fonts. Choose the existing font in Replace, choose its replacement in With, then select Replace and Close. This replaces a font throughout the presentation without defining a new heading and body pair.
To format only a specific passage, select the text or all text in a placeholder, then choose a font under Home > Font. That changes the selected content without redefining the theme fonts. Choose the theme heading or body entry instead when you want that text to follow later theme-font changes.
Save your fonts for future presentations
After choosing your fonts, open Design, expand Themes, and select Save Current Theme. Enter a name and select Save. PowerPoint saves a .thmx theme and makes it available in the custom theme gallery on Windows and Mac.
To use that theme for new presentations, apply it and save the presentation, then expand Design > Themes. On Windows, right-click the theme and select Set as Default Theme. On Mac, hold Control while selecting the theme, then select Set as Default Theme. This setting affects subsequently created presentations.
Change fonts in PowerPoint for the web
In the browser, select Design and choose a theme from Themes. You can then choose a variant from Variants. This applies a complete theme with coordinated fonts rather than independently editing its heading and body font pair.
For theme-font editing, select Editing > Open in Desktop App at the top of the web ribbon. In desktop PowerPoint, select View > Slide Master, select the relevant master, and open Fonts to choose a pair. Select Close Master View and save the presentation. You need a licensed, installed desktop app, which you can get through Microsoft's PowerPoint product page.
To change only selected text in the browser, select the text and open Home. Expand the font menu, hover over a font family, and select a variation. This formats the selection without changing the theme's font pair. Premium fonts require an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription.
Choose another theme on a phone or tablet
On Android, tap Edit, tap Home, then tap Design. Open Themes and select a design theme. This changes the complete theme, including its fonts.
On iPad, tap Design, then Themes and select a design. On iPhone, tap Edit, tap the ellipsis button, then tap Home > Design > Themes and select a design. Use desktop PowerPoint when you need to edit the theme's heading and body pairing independently.
Set a separate font for printed notes
Printed notes have their own font setting in PowerPoint for Windows. If you plan to add speaker notes in PowerPoint, remember that changing the printed-notes font does not change the Notes pane in Normal view.
Select View > Notes Master, then under Background, select Fonts > Customize Fonts. In Create New Theme Fonts, choose Body font (Latin), select Save, then select Close Master View. Use that setting before you print PowerPoint slides with notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you apply different theme fonts to only some slides?
Yes, you can apply different complete themes to selected slides in desktop PowerPoint. Select the slide thumbnails, then right-click the desired theme under Design > Themes on Windows, or hold Control while selecting it on Mac, and choose Apply to Selected Slides. This also applies the theme's other design settings.
Can PowerPoint for the web open a custom font template?
PowerPoint for the web cannot directly open ordinary .potx templates. Open the template in desktop PowerPoint, select File > Save As, choose PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx), and select Save. Store the file in OneDrive or another supported online location, then open that .pptx through File > Open in the browser.
How do you remove a custom theme and its fonts?
On Windows, expand Design > Themes and select Office Theme under Office. Theme-linked text adopts that theme's fonts, but manually assigned fonts can remain. Applying Office Theme replaces the presentation theme and does not uninstall fonts.
Can you save theme fonts as part of a PowerPoint template?
Yes, configure the fonts first, then save the presentation as a template. On Windows, select File > Save As, or Save a Copy in Microsoft 365, choose PowerPoint Template under Save as type, enter a File name, and select Save. On Mac, select File > Save as Template, enter a file name, and select Save. To reuse it, open File > New > Personal on Windows and open the template, or select File > New from Template on Mac, choose the template, and select Create.