In PowerPoint, what does a "slide master" control?

A slide master in PowerPoint is a fundamental component that controls the overall design and layout of the presentation's slides. It serves as a template for individual slides, ensuring consistency in formatting, style, and arrangement throughout the entire presentation.

When you make changes to the slide master, such as modifying the background, font styles, colors, or adding logos, these changes automatically reflect on all slides that are linked to that master. This feature simplifies the process of maintaining a coherent look and feel across all slides without needing to alter each slide individually.

While individual slides contain unique content, the master establishes the foundational framework upon which that content is laid out. This built-in hierarchical system aids in efficiently managing larger presentations, enhancing both visual consistency and the user experience. Furthermore, it is distinct from other elements such as slide transitions, which influence how slides navigate from one to another, and audio-visual components, which pertain to sound and video elements within the presentation.