Change the default start layout (Title slide) in PPT 2019

When you start a presentation in PPT by default you always get the Title slide layout as the first layout. When you click the New slide button the Title and content layout follows. That is the way PPT works.

Default setting

You can alter this to start with the layout you prefer. It makes no sense to do this for every new presentation you start. It is better to create a template that you can use as starting point.

Go to View - Master and drag the slide layout of your preference to the position just under the master. Then move the Title slide layout to position three or any other position you prefer. See the example below. Close the slide master by clicking on the Close master view button.

Blank layout as the first layout

Once you have returned to your presentation remove the old title slide and click on the New slide button. The new slide layout you chose appears as the first layout. 

Now save your master as a template. In the Save as dialog click the list arrow next to save as and choose PowerPoint template (*.potx). PPT will take you to the folder you specified as your personal default (File - Options - Save - Default personal templates location).

When you create a new presentation based on your template (File - New - Custom) you will now get your preferred slide layout. Clicking on the New slide button will result in a Title and content layout.

It is possible to create your own layout in the master and use this as your preferred slide layout. On the Slide master tab, click the Insert layout and Insert placeholder buttons. Then follow the procedure described above.