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Designer improves slides for Microsoft 365 subscribers by automatically generating design ideas to choose from.

While you're putting content on a slide, Designer works in the background to match that content to professionally designed layouts.

PowerPoint Designer

This is a subscriber-only, Microsoft 365 feature. If you don't see the Designer  The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button button, or you don't see certain features described on this page, read Requirements below for more details.

Get design ideas

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  1. Ask for design ideas any time by choosing Design > Designer  The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button on the ribbon.

  2. The first time you try out Designer, it may ask your permission to get design ideas for you. If you want to use Designer, select Turn on.

    To learn more, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

    Once you've turned on "connected experiences," PowerPoint automatically shows you design ideas when you're creating your slides. Over time PowerPoint learns from your experience using design ideas and shows you design ideas at the appropriate time. 

  3. Scroll through the suggestions in the Designer pane on the right side of the window.

  4. Click to select the design you want, or else close the window. If you select one of the ideas, your slide is changed accordingly.

    You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Press Ctrl+Z to undo a design change you've just selected.

What Designer gives you:

A title-slide photo and a design scheme

When you start a blank presentation and enter words on the slide, Designer recommends high-quality photos that reflect the slide text, plus a design scheme with colors that complement the photograph you choose. All the slides in the presentation will fit together visually.

Sample slide of a photo suggested for a title slide.

Professional layouts

Designer detects pictures, charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

Sample slide with a text timeline and photo that Design Ideas arranged and laid out.

More visuals, less text

Too much text on your slide? Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable graphic.

Sample slide showing a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer converted to a SmartArt graphic

Bulleted lists get suggestions for an icon to accompany each bullet item. If you don't like a suggested icon, just select it and use our on-the-spot replacement button:

If you don't like a suggested icon, you can easily replace it

Illustrations

Designer watches for key terms and concepts that it has illustrations for, and it shows you those illustrations in various layouts. The Illustrations are from the Microsoft 365 icons library.

Sample slide with a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer added illustration and design touches to.

Designer and "ink"

(Only for Microsoft 365 subscribers) Designer recognizes when you draw or write with ink, and it incorporates that content into the design ideas it shows you.

Turn off Designer

If you don't want Designer to automatically offer suggestions:

  1. On the File menu, click Options.

  2. In the PowerPoint Options dialog box, click the General tab on the left, then scroll toward the bottom and clear the Automatically show me design ideas check box.

Requirements

Task, checklist, planning symbol

This is a subscriber-only, Microsoft 365 feature.
Find your version

Design ideas for one photo
 Applies to:

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1511 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Version 1602 or later
 

Multiple photos, color extraction, and facial recognition
 Applies to:
 

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1603 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Version 1605 or later

Convert lists to SmartArt graphics
 Applies to:
 

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1609 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Version 1701 or later

Design ideas for action-oriented lists
 Applies to:
 

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1702 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Version 1708 or later

Design ideas where icons substitute for text
 Applies to:
 

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1612 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Not available yet

Design ideas for charts
 Applies to:
 

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1705 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Version 1803 or later

Design ideas for time lines
 Applies to:
 

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1707 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Version 1803 or later
   

Design ideas for converting text to Icons + SmartArt graphics
 Applies to:

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 
 

Design ideas for content drawn in ink
 Applies to:
 

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365
Current Channel: Version 1812 or later
Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel: Not available yet

This is a subscriber-only, Microsoft 365 feature. If you don't see the Designer  The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button button, or you don't see certain features described on this page, read Requirements below for more details.

Get design ideas

  1. Ask for design ideas any time by choosing Design > Designer on the ribbon.

    The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button
  2. The first time you try out Designer, it asks your permission to get design ideas for you. If you want to use Designer, select Turn on or Let's go.

    To learn more, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

    Once you've turned on intelligent services, PowerPoint automatically shows you design ideas when you add photos to your slides.

  3. Scroll through the suggestions in the Designer pane on the right side of the window.

  4. Click to select the design you want, or else close the window. If you select one of the ideas, your slide is changed accordingly.

    You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Press ⌘+Z to undo a design change you've just selected.

The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button

You can ask for design ideas any time by choosing Design > Designer on the ribbon.

What Designer gives you:

A title-slide photo and a design scheme

When you start a blank presentation and enter words on the slide, Designer recommends high-quality photos that reflect the slide text, plus a design scheme with colors that complement the photograph you choose. All the slides in the presentation will fit together visually.

Sample slide of a photo suggested for a title slide.

Professional layouts

Designer detects pictures, charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

Sample slide with a text timeline and photo that Design Ideas arranged and laid out.

SmartArt graphics

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic.

Sample slide showing a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer converted to a SmartArt graphic

Bulleted lists get suggestions for an icon to accompany each bullet item. If you don't like a suggested icon, just select it and use our on-the-spot replacement button:

If you don't like a suggested icon, you can easily replace it

Illustrations

Designer watches for key terms and concepts that it has illustrations for, and it shows you those illustrations in various layouts. The Illustrations are from the Microsoft 365 icons library.

Sample slide with a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer added illustration and design touches to.

Turn off Designer

If you don't want Designer to offer suggestions:

  1. On the PowerPoint menu, select Preferences.

  2. Under Authoring and Proofing Tools, select General.

  3. In the General dialog box, under PowerPoint Designer, clear the Automatically show me design ideas check box.

The Designer button is grayed out

If you can see the Designer button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it means:

  • You aren't connected to the internet, or

  • A slide isn't selected. (This can be the case when multiple slides are selected in the slide thumbnail pane in Normal view, or when the focus in the thumbnail pane is between two slides. It also is the case when the focus is in the Notes pane or you are in Slide Show view rather than Normal view.)

The Designer button isn't there

Designer is a feature for Microsoft 365 subscribers. If you don't see the Designer button, you're using an older version of PowerPoint for Mac, rather than PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac.

Requirements

Task, checklist, planning symbol

This is a subscriber-only, Microsoft 365 feature.
Find your version

 Applies to:

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac
Monthly Channel: Version 15.26.0.160910 or later
   

This feature is available for files stored on OneDrive and SharePoint in Microsoft 365. If you don't see the Designer  The Design Ideas button in PowerPoint for the web. button, or you don't see certain features described on this page, read Requirements below for more details.

Get design ideas

  1. Ask for design ideas any time by choosing Design > Designer on the ribbon.  The Design Ideas button in PowerPoint for the web.

    PowerPoint shows design ideas for your slide.

  2. Scroll through the suggestions in the Designer pane on the right side of the window.

  3. Click to select the design you want, or else close the window. If you select one of the ideas, your slide is changed accordingly.

    You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Press Ctrl+Z to undo a design change you've just selected.

What Designer gives you:

Professional layouts

Designer detects pictures, charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

Sample slide with a text timeline and photo that Design Ideas arranged and laid out.

SmartArt graphics

Sample slide showing a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer converted to a SmartArt graphic

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic.

Bulleted lists get suggestions for an icon to accompany each bullet item. If you don't like a suggested icon, just select it and use our on-the-spot replacement button:

If you don't like a suggested icon, you can easily replace it

Illustrations

Designer watches for key terms and concepts that it has illustrations for, and it shows you those illustrations in various layouts. The Illustrations are from the Microsoft 365 icons library.

Sample slide with a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer added illustration and design touches to.

The Designer button is grayed out

If you can see the Designer button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it means that someone else is currently also editing the slide:

  • If you're co-authoring a presentation with someone else and more than one person is actively editing a single slide at one time, Designer won't give design suggestions on that slide.

  • However, as soon as there's only person editing the slide, Designer will begin offering design suggestions again once that person does an action (such as adding a photo) that Designer can respond to.

Requirements

Task, checklist, planning symbol

 Applies to:

PowerPoint files stored in OneDrive, OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint in Microsoft 365.

Designer is available when you're using an iPad, but not an iPhone. Read Requirements below for more details.

Get design ideas

  1. Ask for design ideas any time by choosing Design > Design Ideas on the ribbon.

    The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button
  2. The first time you try out Designer, it asks your permission to get design ideas for you. If you want to use Designer, select Turn on or Let's go.

    To learn more, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

    Once you've turned on intelligent services, PowerPoint automatically shows you design ideas when you add photos to your slides.

    When you select a design idea, it immediately appears full-size on the slide

  3. Scroll through the suggestions in the Design Ideas pane on the right side of the window.

  4. Click to select the design you want, or else close the window. If you select one of the ideas, your slide is changed accordingly.

    You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Tap Undo Undo your last action to back out of a design change you've just selected.

What Designer gives you:

Professional layouts

Designer detects pictures, charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

Sample slide with a text timeline and photo that Design Ideas arranged and laid out.

SmartArt graphics

Sample slide showing a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer converted to a SmartArt graphic

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic.

The Design Ideas button is grayed out

If you can see the Design Ideas button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it means you aren't connected to the internet.

Requirements

Task, checklist, planning symbol

Designer is available when you're using an iPad, but not an iPhone.

 Applies to:

PowerPoint for iOS
Version 2.0.17042601 or later
   

Designer is available when you're using an Android tablet, but not a phone. Read Requirements below for more details.

Get design ideas

  1. Ask for design ideas any time by choosing Design > Design Ideas on the ribbon. The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button

  2. The first time you try out Designer, it asks your permission to get design ideas for you. If you want to use Designer, select Turn on or Let's go.

    To learn more, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

    Once you've turned on intelligent services, PowerPoint automatically shows you design ideas when you add photos to your slides.

    When you select a design idea, it immediately appears full-size on the slide

  3. Scroll through the suggestions in the Design Ideas pane on the right side of the window.

  4. Click to select the design you want, or else close the window. If you select one of the ideas, your slide is changed accordingly.

    You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Tap Undo Undo your last action to back out of a design change you've just selected.

What Designer gives you:

Professional layouts

Designer detects pictures, charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

Sample slide with a text timeline and photo that Design Ideas arranged and laid out.

SmartArt graphics

Sample slide showing a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer converted to a SmartArt graphic

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic.

The Design Ideas button is grayed out

If you can see the Design Ideas button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it means you aren't connected to the internet.

Requirements

Task, checklist, planning symbol

Designer is available when you're using an Android tablet, but not a phone.

 Applies to:

PowerPoint for Android
Version 16.0.7531.1011 or later
   

Designer is available when you're using a Windows tablet, but not a Windows phone. Read Requirements below for more details.

Get design ideas

  1. Ask for design ideas any time by choosing Design > Design Ideas on the ribbon.

    The PowerPoint Designer toolbar button
  2. The first time you try out Designer, it asks your permission to get design ideas for you. If you want to use Designer, select Turn on or Let's go.

    To learn more, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

    Once you've turned on intelligent services, PowerPoint automatically shows you design ideas when you add photos to your slides.

    When you select a design idea, it immediately appears full-size on the slide

  3. Scroll through the suggestions in the Design Ideas pane on the right side of the window.

  4. Click to select the design you want, or else close the window. If you select one of the ideas, your slide is changed accordingly.

    You can also select another idea from the pane or go back to your original slide design: Tap Undo Undo your last action to back out of a design change you've just selected.

What Designer gives you:

Professional layouts

Designer detects pictures, charts, or tables on a slide and gives you several suggestions for arranging them in a cohesive, attractive layout.

Sample slide with a text timeline and photo that Design Ideas arranged and laid out.

SmartArt graphics

Sample slide showing a text timeline that PowerPoint Designer converted to a SmartArt graphic

Designer can turn text such as lists, processes, or timelines into an easily readable SmartArt graphic.

The Design Ideas button is grayed out

If you can see the Design Ideas button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it means you aren't connected to the internet.

Requirements

Task, checklist, planning symbol

Designer is available when you're using a tablet, but not a phone.

 Applies to:

PowerPoint Mobile
Version 16.0.8201.1017 or later
   

Troubleshooting

Design ideas are only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers

On desktop versions of PowerPoint, only subscribers get design ideas. You can try or buy a subscription here.

On PowerPoint for the web, design ideas are available to everyone.

One Microsoft 365 subscription package doesn't include design ideas: Office 365 Germany Germany.

Turn on the Office connected experiences

To use Designer, make sure that Office "connected experiences" are turned on:

Go to File > Account, and under Account Privacy select Manage Settings.

The Account panel showing the Account Privacy, Manage Settings button

See Enabling and disabling intelligent services for more information.

An administrator may have turned off Designer

Designer is a feature for Microsoft 365 subscribers, but some organizations turn off the feature. If you have an Microsoft 365 subscription but don't see the Designer button, ask your IT department.

Reinstall Office to get subscriber features

If you've upgraded from Microsoft 365 to an Microsoft 365 subscription, you need to uninstall Microsoft 365 and then reinstall in order to get the subscriber features. See the instructions in these articles:

  1. Uninstall Office from a PC or Uninstall Office 2016 for Mac

  2. Reinstall Microsoft 365

Restart the app to get Designer

Sometimes users find that the first time they start PowerPoint after installing Microsoft 365, the Designer button isn't available. Restarting the app fixes this problem.

If there are no design ideas available for you, a few things might be the cause. First of all:

  • Make sure you're connected to the Internet. Designer goes online to get its design ideas.

  • Use a theme that comes with PowerPoint (not a custom theme or one that you've downloaded from elsewhere).

Following are other problems and how to solve them:

No design ideas for slides with pictures

  • Make sure your slide has either the Title or Title + Content slide layout applied.

  • Don't use any additional objects or shapes on the same slide as your photo.

  • Use a maximum of four photos (.jpg, .png, .gif, or .bmp) per slide, and make sure they're larger than 200 x 200 pixels in size.

No design ideas for process-based slides

  • Make sure your slide has the Title + Content slide layout applied.

  • Don't use any additional photos, objects, or shapes on the same slide as your process text.

Because Designer is a relatively new service, it is still learning new tricks. If Designer can’t generate high-quality options for you, it won’t show any options at all. We're working hard to be able to generate great design ideas for more varieties of your content.

And of course, if you don’t find Designer useful, you can turn it off by going to File > Options > General, and then clearing the box that says Automatically show me design ideas.

Someone else is editing

If you're co-authoring a presentation with someone else and more than one person is actively editing a single slide at one time, Designer won't give design suggestions on that slide.

However, as soon as there's only person editing the slide, Designer will begin offering design suggestions again once that person does an action (such as adding a photo) that Designer can respond to.

No design ideas for slides that have shapes or text boxes

Designer isn't able to suggest design ideas when a slide has a shape or text box drawn on it. You can have photos and you can have text in a placeholder.

If you can see the Designer button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it means:

  • You aren't connected to the internet, or

  • A single slide isn't selected. This can be the case when multiple slides are selected in the slide thumbnail pane in Normal view, or when the focus in the thumbnail pane is between two slides. It also is the case when the focus is in the Notes pane or you are in Slide Show view rather than Normal view.

See Also

Combining colors in PowerPoint: Mistakes to avoid

Format the background color of slides

Start with a presentation template

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