How to Change Theme Colors in Google Slides

You choose a pre-set color or create a custom color palette

What to Know

  • Go to New > Google Slides > Blank Presentation and choose the Themes sidebar.
  • Then, select Slide > Edit theme > Colors.
  • Select the Choose a theme color dropdown and use Hex color codes, the Hue slider, or the Default color palette.

This article explains how to change theme colors in Google Slides. A theme is a preset combination of colors, fonts, backgrounds, and layouts that make it easy to create a presentation rather than start it from scratch.

How to Change Theme Color

Google Slides gives you 20+ themes to choose from, but you don't have to accept the preset theme colors. Here's how to customize the themes with your own color combinations.

  1. In a new presentation, select a theme from the Themes sidebar on the right. Alternatively, go to the toolbar and select Slide > Change Theme to display the same sidebar with all available themes.

    Theme sidebar on Google Slides
  2. Select Slide > Edit theme.

    Edit theme in Google Slides
  3. Select Colors on the editing toolbar.

    Theme colors in Google Slides
  4. Select the drop-down menu and choose the slide element. For instance, Text and background, Accent, or Link.

    Google Slides Color Dropdown for Themes
  5. Pick a theme color for the element. Choose from various pre-set colors or use the Hue slider to experiment with a custom color.

    Note:

    Every slide that uses a particular color will update to the new color. These color changes will only be applied to this theme and will not create a new one.

    Change theme colors in Google Slides
  6. Select one of the colors under the Default color palette for a default color.

    Default palette in Google Slides
  7. For custom colors, drag the Hue slider for the color you want to use or enter a hex value. You can also pick a color from the color picker box that covers all the tones and shades of the specific hue you selected.

    Custom color palette in Google Slides
  8. Use the same steps to change theme colors for all the different slide layouts and the specific colors.

  9. Select the Close (X) button at the top of the Theme builder to close it and return to your presentation.

How to Customize a Color Palette

Google Slides themes allow you to customize the default color palette. As we have seen above, you can use three options:

  • Use a hex code.
  • Move the hue slider.
  • Choose a shade for the hue.

Tip:

The custom color palette cannot be saved for future presentations. But you can save the presentation and reuse it for future slides. Open a new Google Slides document and select Import theme on the Themes sidebar. Select the saved presentation with the customized theme colors and apply the theme to your new document.

FAQ
  • How do I change text color in Google Slides?

    Highlight the words you want to change the color of, then select the Text Color icon in the tool bar along the top. The will open a drop-down menu of various preset colors you can choose from, or you can select a Custom swatch from the bottom to set something that isn't available in presets.

  • How do I change the background color of a slide in Google Slides?

    Choose the slide you want to change, then from the top of the screen select Slide > Change background. Select the box to the right of Color, then either select a color to use or set up your own under Custom.

  • How do I change the color of bullet points in Google Slides?

    Highlight the line or lines from a bulleted list you want to change the color of, then select the Text Color icon at the top of the screen. Choose a color (or create one) from the drop-down menu to change the color of the bullet point. Note that this will change the color of the bullet and the color of the text connected to it.

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