If you switch to the master view with the ribbon command View | group Master | Slide master, an additional ribbon tab Slide master will automatically appear on the far right. This contains commands that are specifically responsible for working with the masters for slide layouts.
Before choosing one of its commands, select the slide layout to which you want to apply the command. To do so, click on the desired layout in the mini sorter (the pane on the left side of the window).
Note: The higher-level entry (for example, Default design, Blue sky, etc.) in the thumbnail overview represents the entire design. If you select this entry, some of the commands on the ribbon tab Slide master change: For example, the command Delete layout will be replaced by the command Delete design – which accordingly deletes the entire design, and not just a single slide layout.
The following commands are available on the ribbon tab Slide master:
Ribbon tab "Slide master" (with "Title slide" selected in the master view)
▪New design: With this command, you can create a completely new design – and not just a new slide layout as with the command Add layout. You can also use multiple designs within a presentation and apply different designs to different slides.
Tip: Although it is possible to use several designs within a single presentation, this is not recommended. Simple, concise presentations are usually more appealing than those with a number of inconsistent designs.
▪Duplicate layout (or Duplicate design if the higher-level design is selected in the thumbnail overview): This command creates a copy of the currently selected slide layout/design.
▪Add layout: Use this command to add a new slide layout to the current design.
▪Delete layout (or Delete design if the higher-level design is selected in the thumbnail overview): This command deletes the currently selected slide layout/design from the master view.
| Note: A final layout/design must always remain and cannot be deleted. |
▪Rename layout (or Rename design if the higher-level design is selected in the thumbnail overview): This command allows you to change the name of the selected slide layout/design.
▪Restore: This command restores parts of the slide layout that you previously deleted (for example, placeholders).
▪Insert placeholder: This command inserts a new placeholder into the slide layout. (You can change its position and size by moving the placeholder or by dragging one of its round handles with the mouse).
▪Title and Footers: These commands switch the title placeholder or footers on/off on the current slide layout.
▪Color scheme, Background: These commands enable you to specify the color scheme and background for the selected slide layout. The changes affect all slides in the presentation that use the corresponding slide layout.
| For more information on how to change these properties, see Changing slide color scheme and background. |
| Note about the command Background: If an object is added to the higher-level design (for example, Default design, Blue sky, etc.) in the Master view, you can enable the option Do not display objects from the slide master of the command Background separately for each subordinate slide layout. The display of objects will then be suppressed on all slides with this slide layout. If an object has also been added to a single slide layout in the Master view, the display of this object can be suppressed in the normal Slide view via the command Background. |
▪Page size and Page orientation: These commands allow you to adjust the slide format. The "screen formats" are automatically set to Landscape format. For all other formats, you can switch the page orientation between Landscape and Portrait. For more information, see Changing the orientation of slides.
▪Slide transition (only accessible via the context menu or sidebar): This command allows you to specify the slide transition for the selected slide layout, if required. The changes affect all slides in the presentation that use the corresponding slide layout.
| For information on how to change these properties, see Using slide transitions. |
To exit the slide master, click on the Close master 
button.