How do I add a new slide to the same format in PowerPoint?

To add a new slide that uses the same design theme and formatting as your current presentation, the simplest way is to use the "New Slide" button. If you are pasting a slide from another source and want to keep its original look, use the "Paste Options."

Adding a new slide in PowerPoint generally means adding a slide that adheres to the presentation's active theme and master slides, ensuring a consistent look. However, sometimes "same format" might mean keeping the specific formatting from a slide copied from elsewhere.

Adding a New Slide Using the Current Presentation's Format

This is the standard method for maintaining design consistency.

1. Select the location: In the left-hand slide thumbnail pane, click on the slide before where you want the new slide to appear.
2. Use the "New Slide" button: Go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click the top half of the New Slide button. This will automatically insert a new slide using the default layout for your presentation's theme.

Choosing a Specific Layout

If you need a different arrangement of content (like title and two content areas, or a picture with caption), you can choose a specific layout from your presentation's template.

1. Select the location: As above, click on the slide before your desired location in the thumbnail pane.
2. Use the lower half of "New Slide": Click the lower half of the New Slide button on the Home tab.
3. Select a layout: A gallery of layouts available in your presentation's theme will appear. Click on the layout that best suits your content. A new slide with that layout will be inserted.

Pasting a Slide and Keeping its Original Format

Sometimes you might copy a slide from a different presentation and want to retain its unique design or formatting, rather than adopting the destination presentation's look. The reference mentions this specific scenario:

After pasting a new slide into the slide thumbnails on the left, look for the "Paste Options" icon at the bottom-right of the new slide's thumbnail. Click on the icon and change the default setting to "Keep Source Formatting". Voila - two templates in the same presentation.

Here's how to do that:

1. Copy the slide: Go to the presentation containing the slide you want to copy, select it in the thumbnail pane, and press Ctrl + C (or Cmd + C on Mac).
2. Paste the slide: Go to your target presentation, click in the slide thumbnail pane where you want the slide to go, and press Ctrl + V (or Cmd + V on Mac).
3. Use Paste Options: Immediately after pasting, a small Paste Options icon will appear near the pasted slide thumbnail in the pane.
4. Choose "Keep Source Formatting": Click on the Paste Options icon. A menu will appear. Select Keep Source Formatting (K).

This action will apply the formatting (including fonts, colors, and layout elements) from the original source presentation to the pasted slide. As the reference notes, this can result in having slides with different formatting themes within the same presentation.

Comparing Paste Options

PowerPoint offers different paste options when pasting slides or content. Understanding them helps control the final format:

Paste Option	Description	Result
Use Destination Theme	Applies the formatting and theme of the presentation you're pasting into.	Slide adopts the look of the target presentation.
Keep Source Formatting	Retains the formatting and theme of the presentation you copied from.	Slide keeps its original look (as mentioned in the reference).
Picture	Pastes the slide content as an image.	Content cannot be edited as text/shapes.
Keep Text Only	Pastes only the text content without any formatting.	Text uses the default body text style of the target theme.

By default, PowerPoint often uses "Use Destination Theme" when pasting slides, which is why you need to specifically select "Keep Source Formatting" if you want to preserve the original look.

Using the standard "New Slide" button or selecting a layout ensures your new slides match the existing presentation's theme and master slides, providing a consistent visual experience. Pasting with "Keep Source Formatting" is a useful technique when you deliberately want to incorporate a slide with a different design identity.