Does this workflow sound familiar? You have a meeting coming up, and you need to build a new presentation. So you dig through old files, open up a couple you’ve used in the past, and drop them into a new PowerPoint.
But somehow everything feels… off. The formatting is inconsistent, the colors don’t quite work, and something about it just looks outdated. Does your brand even use that version of the logo anymore?
Reusing an old PowerPoint seems like a shortcut—until you realize you’re spending more time fixing broken layouts, forcing old ideas to fit, and tweaking slides that simply no longer work.
Don’t waste your time making small, frustrating and time-consuming edits. With a few quick tweaks, you can instantly refresh a stale presentation, improving its clarity, impact, and design in just 10 minutes. Follow these steps to give your PowerPoint a modern, polished look without starting over.
Step 1: Use the right template (and paste content, not slides)
The first thing to do is to make sure you are using the right template. Templates tend to change every year or so and evolve alongside the look and feel of your brand, so it’s easier than it seems to pull in slides from old versions. Even worse, those slides can sometimes be third or fourth iterations of an original slide, meaning not only is the template off, but it’s been reformatted until the original is barely recognizable.
If you’ve copied and pasted from multiple sources over time—you’re likely dealing with inconsistent fonts, layouts, and colors. Instead of manually fixing each slide, start fresh with a structured approach. And it’s as easy as following these 3 simple steps.
Open a new PowerPoint file, then select File > New from Template… Find your current brand template and press Create.
In your main toolbar, use the dropdown next to “New Slide” to see a list of slide types in your template, and pick the one that fits your need.
Paste the content from your old slide into the fresh version
Your template likely includes a variety of slide types, so you may want to explore a bit and see if there are new ways to format your content! For advanced users, you can dig into the Slide Master to adjust your template to better suit your specific needs.
Step 2: Refresh your story
An old content story might not immediately be as obvious as a template, repurposing old content leads to the same result: mismatched ideas that don’t quite hang together, and a lot of time wasted trying to make them work.
While a lot of presentations tend to include similar information, high-quality presentations are tailored to the audience, the context, and the moment. A presentation created months or years ago was built for a different moment—it reflected what you knew, who your audience was and they cared about, and what your priorities were at the time. Trying to keep slides exactly as they were can actually create more work, not less.
Instead of making minor edits, take a step back and ask yourself a few simple questions:
Is my core message still the same? If not, reassess your flow and revise any key changes before adjusting slides.
Do these slides support the story I need to tell today? Remove anything outdated or redundant.
Can I simplify my key points? Trim unnecessary details and focus on what matters now, instead of keeping it in just because it’s there.
By refining the story first, you’ll avoid endless small fixes and create a presentation that’s clearer, more relevant, and more accurate to your current presentation needs.
Step 3: Make every slide work harder
You’ve got the right template. You’ve got a refreshed story. Now it’s time to bring it all together and make sure your slides are working as hard as they can to convey your message. This is probably the biggest step of the three, since it will require the most hands-on work, but it will pay off in big ways.
Since we’re trying to keep this deck refresh quick and easy, we don’t want to go too far into the weeds with slide design, animation, and other more complex parts of presentation design. Instead, you can focus on a few key areas that will give you the most bang for your buck. Try going slide by slide and adjusting these three areas:
Replace dense text with visuals. If a slide is overloaded with text, either trim it back or turn key points into a simple diagram, chart, or icon-driven layout.
Fix alignment and spacing. Use Smart Grids or PowerPoint’s Align tool to keep elements clean and structured.
Ensure each element has a purpose. If text, a visual, or an entire slide doesn’t add value or move your story forward, cut it. Be ruthless!
This isn’t just window-dressing and design polish. A clean, easy to read slide makes your message clear, keeps your audience engaged, and helps you deliver with confidence.
Learn how to update an old PowerPoint before crunch time hits
Knowing how to update an old PowerPoint efficiently can save you hours of frustrating edits. By starting with the right template, rethinking your story, and making each slide more effective, you can transform a tired deck into a polished, modern presentation in as little as 10 minutes.
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About the author
Kyle Kartz is the Creative Director of Storytelling at VerdanaBold. He is an expert copywriter and strategist, with experience driving major campaigns for global brands in multiple industries. He is passionate about communications, the outdoors, and cooking.