How to edit the master slide in Keynote on Mac: slide layouts, step by step

If you searched for the master slide, you're looking for a slide layout. Apple's current Keynote guide uses that name, and the menus follow it. Apple Community replies from people on Keynote 13.1 describe the same rename, so an older guide may still say Master Slide. The idea hasn't changed. A layout is a template, and every slide built on it follows the template.

Open the layout editor in Keynote on Mac

Open the presentation you want to change. Click the View menu button in the toolbar, then choose Edit Slide Layouts. Keynote switches to layout view. Your layouts sit in the slide navigator, and the blue bar at the bottom holds the Done button you use later. You are now editing the templates, not the individual slides.

Prefer the keyboard? Press Shift-Command-E to enter layout view. Press the same keys to leave it. Apple's shortcut list gives the same combination for both directions, so you don't need a second key to get out.

Rename a layout and define its placeholders

Double-click the layout's name in the slide navigator and type a new name. Pick a name that says what the layout is for, such as Title and Photo or Quote. Names matter once a deck has several layouts, because you scan the names every time you add a slide.

A placeholder is a fixed spot that holds content. To make a text box or shape a text placeholder, select it, open the Format sidebar, click the Style tab, and choose Define as Text Placeholder. Images and video use Define as Media Placeholder in the same tab. The Display box holds the placeholder text, and the Tag box sets the tag.

• Text placeholder: a text box or shape. Set it with Define as Text Placeholder in the Style tab.
• Media placeholder: an image or video. Set it with Define as Media Placeholder in the same tab.
• Object placeholder: a table, chart, or image gallery. Set it in the Format sidebar. Each layout allows only one.
• Placeholder text: edit it in the Display box on the Style tab, so every slide gets the same starting wording.

Add, delete, and exit layouts

To add a layout, click Add Slide in the toolbar and pick a layout. You can also select a similar layout in the navigator and press Return. In layout view, Shift-Command-N adds a new layout. Start from the closest match, then change its placeholders.

To delete a layout, Control-click its thumbnail in the sidebar and choose Delete. If slides use that layout, Keynote asks you to pick a replacement. Choose the new layout in the dialog and click Choose. Then look through the slides that moved, because they now follow the replacement's design.

When you're done, click Done in the blue bar at the bottom. You can also choose View > Exit Slide Layouts. Changes to a layout appear on every slide based on it, so check one slide after you leave to confirm the result.

A worked example: a title slide for a lesson deck

Say you teach a unit and want every lesson to open with the same title slide. It needs a big title, a subtitle, and a photo on the right. Start in layout view and click the layout closest to that design. Rename it Lesson Title so you can find it later. Select the title box, make it a text placeholder, and check its Display text. Repeat for the subtitle. Then select the photo frame and choose Define as Media Placeholder.

Click Done. Add a slide from Lesson Title, type the lesson name into the title placeholder, and click the media placeholder to add your photo. If you later move the photo placeholder on the layout, every lesson slide built on it moves with it. You fix the layout once, and each lesson picks up the change.

Mistakes people make with slide layouts

• Editing a slide when you meant to edit the layout. A change on one slide stays on that slide. Enter layout view for changes that should repeat.
• Skipping placeholders. Content placed on a layout but not defined as a placeholder can be hard to change on each slide.
• Putting two object placeholders on one layout. Each layout allows only one, so a table and a chart need separate layouts.
• Deleting a layout without checking the slides. The replacement you pick changes how each affected slide looks.
• Using vague names. Names like Copy are hard to find once a deck has many layouts.

Which Keynote version you have, and what it costs

Apple's Mac guide covers Keynote 15.4, but the build on your Mac may differ. Open Keynote > About Keynote to check. MacRumors reported that Keynote for Mac was updated to 14.5 on January 28, 2026, and that the free version will no longer get new features. New features go to the Creator Studio editions at version 15.1. If your menus don't match this guide, trust the menus on your Mac.

Creator Studio costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year in the U.S., with a one-month free trial. Apple says Keynote remains free for all users, and Creator Studio adds premium content and intelligent features. Creator Studio versions of Keynote need macOS Sequoia 15.6 or later. You don't need the subscription to change a layout, and Apple's layout guide doesn't mention one.

Keynote in a browser

I could not confirm that the browser version lets you edit layouts. Apple's Keynote for iCloud guide doesn't mention master slides, slide layouts, or Edit Slide Layouts. Older third-party posts say the web version has no editable slide master, but I did not verify that. Test it on a copy before a deadline, or use the Mac app.

Where to go next

Once your layouts work, the next jobs are usually media and presenting. If your layout includes video, read how to add a video to a slide in Keynote on Mac. For notes on your presenter view, see how to add presenter notes in Keynote on Mac. Teachers building lesson templates can start with Keynote for teachers on Mac.