Background Color of a Slide

The current Office JavaScript API for PowerPoint (as of now) does not provide a direct way to get the slide background color or theme color through a documented or supported call.

Not Yet Supported

Unfortunately, these are not currently accessible:

• Background color of a slide

Theme colors or design applied to a presentation

Master slide styles

There is no Office.js method like slide.background.color or presentation.theme available right now.

Workaround Ideas (Limited)

1. Manually use shapes/layers to infer background

If your slide background is actually a filled shape, you can access that shape and inspect its fill:

PowerPoint.run(async (context) => {
  const slides = context.presentation.slides;
  slides.load("items");

  await context.sync();

  const shapes = slides.items[0].shapes;
  shapes.load("items/fill");

  await context.sync();

  shapes.items.forEach(shape => {
    console.log("Fill Type:", shape.fill.type); // e.g., "Solid"
    // Unfortunately no color info is exposed yet
  });
});

But note: this only works if the slide background is created using a shape.

2. Use Office Add-in to Export Slide as Image and Analyze Color

This is a hacky workaround:

Export slide as an image (not available in JS API, but possible via VBA or desktop automation)

Use color analysis on the exported image to infer background

3. VBA as Alternative (Desktop only)

In VBA, you can read theme color and slide background formatting, e.g.:

Sub GetSlideBackgroundColor()
    Dim slide As slide
    Set slide = ActivePresentation.Slides(1)
    MsgBox slide.FollowMasterBackground  ' True or False
    ' Unfortunately, background color itself is not directly readable
End Sub

Even in VBA, it’s limited unless the background is explicitly set using shapes or fill formatting.