Replace text placeholders

Put an identifiable placeholder such as {{TITLE}} or {{YEAR}} in your PowerPoint template, then add a replacement row to PPT Setup.

Use the displayed text of a cell #

1. Set Paste as to Text from cell.
2. Set Source to a named single cell or a reference such as Dashboard!B2 or 'Sales report'!B2.
3. Enter the exact placeholder in Name / placeholder.
4. Leave Slide blank to replace matching text across all slides, or enter one slide number.
5. Set Export to Yes.

The replacement uses the cell’s displayed text, including its number formatting.

Use fixed text #

Choose Fixed text and enter the literal replacement in Source, for example 2026. Enter {{YEAR}} in Name / placeholder. An empty literal replacement removes the placeholder.

Check the placeholder #

Matching is case-sensitive: {{TITLE}} and {{Title}} are different. Use each placeholder in only one setup replacement row. The position and size columns are for exported objects and are not needed for text replacements.

With a template export, each run starts from the original placeholder text. In an active presentation, the first export replaces that text. Restore the placeholder before trying to replace it again.