Block the Slide Master in PowerPoint

[Marc Jordana Reist]

Hello everybody,

Do you know if there is any way to block users from modifying the Slide Master of a PowerPoint presentation?

We are having lots of trouble having the users stick to the presentation designs our designers have delivered for the corporate presentations. Even though we have delivered plenty of training and advice, people keeps modifying the master slide or bringing new designs to the presentations when copy pasting from other presentations. This makes the presentation non-compliant with our design standards and fills the files with trash, making them even heavier. Before escalating to harsh words, murderous looks or pinches, I would like to know if there is a way in PowerPoint to avoid this.

Thank you in advance.

Marc Jordana

[#2]

I can think of two possible ways to forestall the harsh words, murderous looks or pinches solution.
1) If you can install an add-in on each user's computer, an add-in can prevent users from accessing the slide master (for all presentations or for just certain ones). Of course, if they take the presentation home and edit it there, where the add-in isn't installed, all bets are off.
2) Chirag Dalal's ShapeLocker, which allows you to "lock" most attributes of any shapes you like: http://officeoneonline.com/shapelocker/shapelocker.html This wouldn't work on any computer, w/o having to install special software.

[#3]

@Steve Rindsberg thank you very much for your response. I'm going to look for the add-in in order to block de Slide Master. I guess I could install it through a GPO or Intune to all the target PCs in the company. Now, thinking a bit deeper, I think it wouldn't work for mobile devices anyway, nor external PCs as you said.

I thought there would be a way to prevent this type of bad behaviour from within the presentation itself. I think I'm going to have to ask in UserVoice.