Make Copilot Use Your Company Template: PowerPoint Brand Kit Explained
The short answer: as a user, you have 3 ways to get your company look. Open the company template first and then ask Copilot, pick your organisation's Brand kit from the + button in the Copilot pane, or point Copilot at a deck you already like. The rest (who builds the kit, strict brand mode, rules in the speaker notes) happens on the admin side.
Both routes need the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence (now called Microsoft Copilot). Below: the user side, the admin side, and why your slides still come out off-brand.
The user side: 3 ways to get your template
1Open the company template first
Microsoft's own FAQ asks "Will Copilot follow the template if I open it first?" and answers yes. Open the .pptx or .potx, then open Copilot from the button in the corner and describe the deck. This is the route I'd teach first, because it needs nothing from IT.
2Pick the Brand kit
In the Copilot pane, select the + button, then Select brand, and choose the Brand kit you want for this presentation. If the list is empty, nobody in your organisation has built one yet (see section 02).
3Point at a deck you already like
Since June 2026 you can create a new presentation, or restyle an existing one, using another presentation as a reference. Copilot applies that deck's layouts, theme and visual system. Handy when the best "template" in the company is last quarter's board deck.
Build a 10-slide deck for our quarterly sales review using this template's layouts. 1 heading and up to 3 bullets per slide, and put the detail in the speaker notes.
Create a presentation about AI at work. Cover real life stories from different functions - HR, Sales & Marketing, IT, Manufacturing, Finance, Product. Also, make the productivity gains data-backed and represent through tables & charts.
Restyle this presentation so it matches the layouts and theme of /[reference deck]. Don't touch the text.
Starting from a Word document rather than a prompt? That's a different job, with its own steps: create a PowerPoint from a Word document with Copilot.
The admin side: what a Brand kit is and who builds it
A Brand kit holds 3 kinds of things: logos, colour palettes and typography, templates and layout patterns, and your brand voice, tone and terminology. Think of it as the brand book, in a form Copilot can actually read.
1Someone becomes a brand manager
Your IT admin designates you as a brand manager. It can then take up to 24 hours before you're allowed to create official kits. Official kits need a Microsoft Copilot Premium licence.
2The brand manager builds the kit
In the Microsoft Copilot app, select Create in the left menu, then More..., then Brand kits, then + New Brand kit.
3Choose who sees it
There are 3 types. Official kits are managed by brand managers and available to everyone in the tenant. Shared kits go to the people you share them with. Personal kits are for the creator only.
4Reuse the images you already have
If your templates, images and icons already live in a SharePoint organisation assets library, you can reference them in the Brand kit without uploading them again. Users find those images under Insert, Pictures, Brand Images (allow up to 24 hours for the library to show up in the desktop apps).
2 extras worth knowing. Brand Reviewer checks a deck against the brand and suggests one-click fixes. And brand managers can share skills (a .md or .zip file) with the whole organisation through the Brand kit.
Strict brand mode and rules in the speaker notes
Microsoft calls it strict brand adherence. When it's on, Copilot sticks to your approved template and slide master layouts. It won't add or remove placeholders and it won't invent new layouts. Microsoft's Message Center listed it as available now in September 2026.
1Where the switch lives
In your Brand Kit, open Manage Brand Kits and turn the Strict brand adherence toggle on or off.
2Who can flip it
Only the Brand Kit owner or a brand manager. People who build decks from the template can't override it. So if a user asks you how to turn strict mode off, the honest answer is: ask the brand team.
3Note steering
Write instructions in the template's speaker notes and Copilot reads them every time it builds a deck from that template. Microsoft's examples: Always include this cover slide. Don't modify this slide. Keep the text on this slide minimal.
Why your slides still come out off-brand
Before you blame Copilot, check the template. Microsoft's guidance on what makes a template work is very specific.
1Not enough sample slides
Copilot learns mainly from the template's sample slides, and only secondarily from its structure and layouts. With too few sample slides it falls back to the Slide Master, which Microsoft says may give less optimal output. A master alone is not a template.
2Text boxes instead of placeholders
Use text placeholders. And the grey placeholder text is used for styling only, so writing "put the agenda here" in it does nothing. Rules go in the speaker notes (see above).
3Too much content for the layout
Copilot doesn't change the font size or placeholder size. It may add design elements to fit the content instead. If slides look crowded, ask for less text, not smaller text.
4Template built in the browser
Templates must be created in PowerPoint for Windows or Mac, not the web. Both .pptx and .potx files work.
What to check before you share the deck
1Licence
Using your organisation's branding is only available with the Microsoft Copilot licence. Free Copilot Chat users won't see brand kits, strict mode or note steering.
2Language
Copilot's Design Suggestions officially support en-US only. Microsoft's own advice is to check content in other languages with a native speaker before you share it.
3Size
Microsoft says large or complex presentations may exceed system limits. If a 60-slide deck stalls, build it in parts.
4Previews
Editing SmartArt while staying on brand and the Create interactive slides skill are still Frontier or Insider previews. Don't promise them to the whole company yet.
For everything else Copilot does in PowerPoint (outlines, speaker notes, rewriting), see my Microsoft Copilot for PowerPoint guide.
Questions about Copilot and company templates
How do I make Copilot use my company PowerPoint template?
Open the company template first, then ask Copilot to build the deck. Microsoft confirms Copilot follows a template you open first. If your organisation has a Brand kit, select the + button in the Copilot pane, then Select brand, and pick the kit.
What is a Brand kit in Copilot?
A Brand kit holds your logos, colour palettes, typography, templates, layout patterns and brand voice guidance, so Copilot in PowerPoint can build decks that match your brand. Kits can be official, shared or personal.
Who can create an official Brand kit?
A brand manager designated by your IT admin. After the designation it can take up to 24 hours to get permission, and official kits require a Microsoft Copilot Premium licence.
Can I turn off strict brand mode in Copilot?
Only the Brand Kit owner or a brand manager can change it, under Manage Brand Kits. End users who build decks from the template can't override it.
Why does Copilot ignore my PowerPoint template?
Usually the template is missing sample slides, so Copilot falls back to the Slide Master. Text boxes instead of placeholders and templates built in PowerPoint for the web cause trouble too.
Does the Brand kit work with free Copilot Chat?
No. Using your organisation's branding in PowerPoint is only available to users with the Microsoft Copilot licence.
Want your team building on-brand decks?
I run live online Copilot workshops for groups of up to 20 people, from 1.5 to 4 hours. Bring your company template. It's the fastest way to see what Copilot really does with it.