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How to troubleshoot a damaged presentation in PowerPoint

• 5 contributors
• Applies to: PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007

You may experience unexpected behavior when you work with a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. This behavior may occur because the presentation is damaged. This article contains step-by-step methods that may help you partly or fully restore your presentation.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user. You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.

When you try to open or change a presentation that is damaged, you may experience the following symptoms:

When you try to open a presentation, you receive one of the following error messages:

This is not a PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint cannot open the type of file represented by <file_name>.ppt

Part of the file is missing.

You receive the following kinds of error messages:

General Protection Fault

Illegal Instruction

Invalid Page Fault

Low system resources

Out of memory

More Information

How to determine whether you have a damaged presentation.

There are several ways to determine whether you have a damaged presentation. You can try to open the file on another computer that has PowerPoint installed to see whether the unexpected behavior occurs on the other computer. You can try to create a new file in PowerPoint and see whether the unexpected behavior occurs with the new file. This section describes how to use existing presentations and how to create a new file in PowerPoint to determine whether the presentations have the same behavior.

Method 1: Open an existing presentation

• In PowerPoint 2007 select the Microsoft Office Button .
• Select a different presentation, and then select Open.

If this presentation opens and seems to be undamaged, go to Method 3 in this section. Otherwise, go to Method 2 to create a new presentation.

Method 2: Create a new presentation

Step 1: create the presentation.

• In PowerPoint 2007, select Installed Templates , and then select Introducing PowerPoint 2007 .
• Select Create . This process creates a presentation that is based on the template.
• In PowerPoint 2007 select the Microsoft Office Button , and then select Save .
• Type a name for the presentation, and then select Save .
• Exit PowerPoint.

Step 2: Open the new presentation

• In PowerPoint 2007 select the Microsoft Office Button , and then select Open .
• Select the new presentation, and then select Open .

If you cannot open or save the new presentation, go to Method 3.

If you cannot create a new presentation, PowerPoint may be damaged and a repair should be initiated. (See Method 3, Part 2 below.)

Method 3: General troubleshooting

Windows 10, windows 8.1, windows 8, and windows 7.

This procedure allows your computer to restart without startup add-ons. For a clean restart, follow these steps:

Sign in to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.

Select Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press Enter to start the System Configuration utility.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, you should type the password or provide confirmation.

On the General tab, select the Selective startup option, and then clear the Load startup items check box. (The Use Original Boot.ini check box is unavailable.)

On the Services tab, select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then select Disable all.

This step lets Microsoft services continue to run. After you do a clean restart, you should check Office performance and then resume usual startup.

This procedure will cause the Office program to check for issues and repair itself.

Select the Start button and type Control Panel.

Open the Control Panel, go to Uninstall or change a program (or Add or Remove Programs ).

Scroll through the list of programs and find your version of Microsoft Office. Right-select and then select Change .

We suggest that you do the online repair option.

Methods to try if you cannot open a presentation

Method 1: drag the presentation to the powerpoint program file icon, windows 10, windows 8.1, and windows 8.

Right-click the Windows icon on the Taskbar, and then select Run.

Type one of the following depending on your version of PowerPoint:

Select the Enter key.

Locate the Powerpnt.exe icon in Windows Explorer.

Drag the damaged presentation icon from one window to the Powerpnt.exe icon in the other window.

PowerPoint will try to open the presentation. If PowerPoint does not open the presentation, go to Method 2.

Select Start, and then select Documents. Or select Start and then search for Windows Explorer.

If you have the MSI version of PowerPoint 2013 installed, type %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\office15 (PowerPoint 2013 64 bit) or %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\office15 (PowerPoint 2013 32 bit), and then press Enter.

If you have PowerPoint 2013 Select-to-Run installed, type C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15 (PowerPoint 2013 64 bit) or C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15 (PowerPoint 2013 32 bit), and then press Enter.

If you have the MSI version of PowerPoint 2016 installed, type %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\office16, and then press Enter.

If you have PowerPoint 2016 Select-to-Run installed, type %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 (PowerPoint 2016 64 bit) or %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 (PowerPoint 2016 32 bit), and then press Enter.

Method 2: Try to insert slides into a blank presentation

Step 1: create a blank presentation.

• In PowerPoint 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click New .
• Select Blank Presentation, and then select Create.

This process creates a blank title slide. You can delete this slide later after you re-create the presentation.

Step 2: Insert the damaged presentation as slides

• On the Home tab, select the arrow next to New slides in the Slides group, and then select Reuse Slides.
• In the Reuse Slides task pane, select Browse. Select the damaged presentation, and then select Open.
• Select Insert Slide for each slide in the damaged presentation.
• In PowerPoint 2007 click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Save .
• Type a new name for the presentation, and then select Save.

Step 3: Apply the damaged presentation as a template

If the presentation does not look the way that you expect after you try these steps, try to apply the damaged presentation as a template. To do this, follow these steps:

On the File menu, select Save as.

• In PowerPoint 2007 click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Save as .

This will make a backup copy of the restored presentation that you can use in case the damaged presentation damages this new presentation.

On the Design tab, select More in the Themes group, and then select Browse for Themes.

Select the damaged presentation, and then select Apply. The slide master of the damaged presentation replaces the new slide master.

If you start to experience unexpected behavior after you follow these steps, the template may have damaged the presentation. In this case, use the backup copy to re-create the master slide.

If the backup copy of the new presentation exhibits the same damage or strange behavior as the original presentation, go to Method 3.

Method 3: Try to open the temporary file version of the presentation

When you edit a presentation, PowerPoint creates a temporary copy of the file. This temporary file is named PPT ####.tmp.

The placeholder #### represents a random four-digit number.

This temporary file may be located in the same folder as the location to which the presentation is saved. Or it may be located in the temporary file folder.

Rename the file, and then try to open the file in PowerPoint

Right-select the file, and then select Rename.

Change the old file-name extension from .tmp to .pptx so that the file name resembles the following file name:

PPT ####.pptx

Start PowerPoint.

On the File menu, select Open.

Browse to the folder that contains the renamed file.

Try to open the file in PowerPoint.

More than one file may correspond to the temporary file that was created the last time that you saved the presentation. In this case, you may have to open each file to see whether one is the temporary copy of the presentation.

If there are no temporary files, or if the temporary files display the same kind of damage or strange behavior, go to Method 4.

Method 4: Make a copy of the damaged presentation

• Right-select the presentation, and then select Copy.
• In the Windows Explorer window, right-select in a blank space, and then select Paste.

If you cannot copy the file, the file may be damaged, or the file may reside on a damaged part of the computer's hard disk. In this case, go to Method 5.

If you can copy the file, try to open the copy of the damaged presentation in PowerPoint. If you cannot open the copy of the damaged presentation, try to repeat Method 1 through Method 5 in the "Methods to try if you cannot open a presentation" section below by using the copy of the damaged presentation.

Method 5: Run Error Checking on the hard disk drive

• Exit all open programs.
• Right-click the Start menu and select File Explorer .
• Right-select the hard disk drive that contains the damaged presentation.
• Select Properties, and then select the Tools tab.
• In Error-checking, select Check Now.
• Select the check box Automatically fix file system errors.
• Select the check box Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
• Select Start.
• Select Start, and then select Computer.
• Right-click the hard disk drive that contains the damaged presentation.
• Select to select the Automatically fix file system errors check box.
• Select to select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box.

Error checking may verify that the presentation is cross-linked and attempt to repair the presentation. However, this is not a guarantee that PowerPoint will be able to read the presentation.

Methods to try if you can open a damaged presentation

Method 1: try to apply the damaged presentation as a template.

• In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button , and then select New .
• Select Blank Presentation , and then select Create . This process creates a blank title slide. (You can delete this slide after you re-create the presentation.)

Step 2: Insert the damaged presentation into the blank presentation

• On the Home tab, select the arrow next to New slides in the Slides group, and then select Reuse Slides .
• In the Reuse Slides task pane, select Browse .
• Select the damaged presentation, and then select Open .
• Select the Microsoft Office button, and then select Save .

If the presentation does not look the way that you expect it to look after you try follow these steps, try to apply the damaged presentation as a template. To do this, follow these steps:

• On the File menu, select Save as .
• In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button , and then select Save as .

Type a new name for the presentation, and then select Save .

On the Design tab, select More in the Themes group, and then select Browse for Themes .

Select the damaged presentation, and then select Apply . The slide master of the damaged presentation replaces the new slide master.

If the backup copy of the new presentation still displays damage or strange behavior, go to Method 2.

Method 2: Transfer the slides from the damaged presentation to a blank presentation

• In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button , and then select Open .
• Locate the damaged presentation, and then select Open .
• Select Blank Presentation , and then select Create . This process creates a blank title slide.

Step 2: Copy slides from the damaged presentation to the new presentation

On the View tab, select Slide Sorter . If you receive error messages when you switch views, try to use Outline view.

Select a slide that you want to copy. On the Home tab, select Copy .

If you want to copy more than one slide at a time, hold down the Shift key, and then select each slide that you want to copy.

Switch to the new presentation. To do this, on the Window tab, select Switch Window in the View group, and then select the new presentation that you created in step 1.

On the View tab, select Slide Sorter .

On the Home tab, select Paste .

Repeat steps 2a through 2f until the whole presentation is transferred.

In some cases, one damaged slide may cause a problem for the whole presentation. If you notice unexpected behavior in the new presentation after you copy a slide to the presentation, that slide is likely to be damaged. Re-create the slide, or copy sections of the slide to a new slide.

If the new presentation shows damage or strange behavior, go to method 3.

Method 3: Save the presentation as a Rich Text Format (RTF) file

If there is damage throughout the presentation, the only option to recover the presentation may be to save the presentation as a Rich Text Format (RTF) file. If this method is successful, it recovers only the text that appears in Outline view.

Step 1: Save the presentation in the RTF file format

• Open the presentation.
• In PowerPoint 2007, select the Microsoft Office Button , select Save As , and then select Other Formats .
• In the Save as type list, select Outline/RTF(*.rtf) .
• In the File Name box, type the name that you want to use, select a location in which to save the presentation, and then select Save .
• Close the presentation.

Any graphics, tables, or other text in the original presentation will not be saved in the .rtf file.

Step 2: Open the .rtf file in PowerPoint

• On the File menu, select Open .
• In the Files of type list, select All Outlines or All Files .
• Select the .rtf file that you saved in step 1d, and then select Open .

This procedure will re-create the presentation based on the original presentation's outline view.

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Additional resources

Top 11 Fixes for PowerPoint Not Opening on Windows 11

Even with free alternatives like Keynote and Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint remains the preferred choice among consumers, marketers, and professionals. It has native apps on most platforms and valuable features like Designer to create eye-catching presentations quickly. But what if PowerPoint fails to open in the first place on Windows 11? If you frequently face the same, check the best ways to fix PowerPoint when it is not opening on Windows 11.

Table of Contents

1. Restart Microsoft Office

You should restart Microsoft Office services and try opening PowerPoint again.

1. Right-click on Windows key and open Task Manager .

2. Use the search bar at the top and type Microsoft Office .

3. Select Microsoft Office and hit the End task button in the top right corner.

2. Check If PowerPoint Is In Use By Another Process

If you attempt to perform several tasks simultaneously in PowerPoint, the app may not respond to your actions. You should let the app complete a task before attempting other actions.

3. Check Possible Issues with Add-ins

While add-ins improve your overall PowerPoint experience, they may occasionally create a conflict with the app. Here’s how you can disable irrelevant add-ins from PowerPoint.

1. Press the Windows key and type PowerPnt /Safe .

2. Hit Enter , and the system will run the command to open PowerPoint in safe mode.

3. If PowerPoint is opening with any problems, disable add-ins.

4. Select Options from the bottom left corner.

5. Open Add-ins . Click Go .

6. Select an add-in and click Remove .  

You can now restart PowerPoint and try using it again.

4. Repair Microsoft Office

If you face unusual behavior with Office apps on Windows, repair it from system settings. It’s one of the effective ways to fix PowerPoint not opening on Windows 11. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Press Windows + I keys to open Settings .

2. Click Apps from the sidebar. Open the Installed apps menu.

3. Scroll to Microsoft 365 . Click the three-dot menu beside it.

4. Open Modify .

5. Select Quick Repair and follow the on-screen instructions.

5. Online Repair Microsoft Office

If repairing Microsoft Office doesn’t resolve the issue, it’s time to reset it.

1. Open the Installed apps menu in Windows Settings (refer to the steps above).

2. Head to Microsoft 365 and open Modify .

3. Select Online Repair from the following menu and confirm your decision.

Open Microsoft 365, and the app may ask you to log in with Microsoft account details to sync files. If PowerPoint still isn’t opening, continue reading to try other tricks.  

6. Change the Default Printer

PowerPoint loads a default printer, and if you have selected the wrong printer, the app may crash on startup.

1. Open Windows Settings by pressing the Windows + I keys.

2. Select Bluetooth & devices from the sidebar.

3. Open Printers and scanners .

4. Disable the Let Windows manage my default printer toggle.

5. Select your preferred printer and hit Set as default at the top.

PowerPoint should open without any problems on your computer.

7. Unblock a File

Windows may block specific files from another computer for security purposes. PowerPoint may not open on Windows if you are trying to open such files.

1. Open File Explorer and right-click on such a file.

2. Open Properties .

3. It will open the General menu. Find Unblock under Security . Click it.

Hit Apply , and you are good to go.

8. Update Microsoft PowerPoint

You can update Microsoft PowerPoint from any Office app. Here’s how.

1. Open Microsoft OneNote or Word on your computer.

2. Select File at the top and move to your Account.

3. Expand Update Options and select Update Now .

Download and install the latest Office update to fix PowerPoint not opening on Windows 11.

9. Reinstall Microsoft Office

When none of the tricks work, it’s time to reinstall Microsoft Office on your computer.

1. Open the Installed Apps menu in Settings (check the steps above).

2. Click the more menu beside Microsoft 365 and select Uninstall .

3. Head to Microsoft 365’s official website and download the latest version.

10. Check OneDrive Status

Are you trying to open a PowerPoint presentation from your OneDrive account? If OneDrive is facing server-side issues, PowerPoint won’t open. You must head to Downdetector to confirm server-side issues and wait for Microsoft to fix the problem.

11. Try PowerPoint Web Version

Although it’s not as feature-rich as the web version, you can use the PowerPoint web version to make minor edits on the go. However, we won’t recommend PowerPoint web to create new presentations from scratch.

Create Presentations Like a Pro

You should also confirm your Microsoft Office subscription from your account. If your subscription has expired, you may face issues with editing PPT files in PowerPoint. We hope PowerPoint is not opening and working on your Windows computer.

Parth previously worked at EOTO.tech covering tech news. He is currently freelancing at TechWiser, Android Police, and GuidingTech writing about apps comparisons, tutorials, software tips and tricks, and diving deep into iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows platforms.

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How to Fix Audio Playback Issues in PowerPoint Presentations

Having trouble with sound or music with a presentation? Try these tips

• Brock University

Although there are various reasons why music or other audio might not play correctly in a PowerPoint presentation , compatibility is the most common cause. Learn how to troubleshoot and resolve audio playback issues in PowerPoint.

Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365.

Make Sure the File Format Is Supported

If you are not using one of the following supported audio file formats, consider converting it to a recommended format and then reinserting it in the presentation.

The following audio file formats are supported in PowerPoint:

• AIFF Audio file, .aiff
• AU Audio file, .au
• MIDI file, .mid or .midi
• MP3 Audio file, .mp3
• Advanced Audio Coding—MPEG-4 Audio file, . m4a, .mp4
• Windows Audio file, .wav
• Windows Media Audio file, .wma

Optimize Media

Optimizing your audio media for compatibility is the best way to resolve audio playback issues when you share your PowerPoint presentation.

Go to File .

Select Info .

Select Optimize Compatibility .

If Optimize Compatibility appears, your media format may have compatibility issues on another device. If it doesn't appear, there are no compatibility issues and the presentation is ready to be shared.

Wait while PowerPoint optimizes your audio. Once it's done, select Close .

Compress Audio Files

Embedding audio files rather than linking to them will guarantee playback. This increases the size of your presentation, but compressing your audio files helps save space.

Choose Info .

Select Compress Media .

Choose the audio quality option you want to apply and wait while PowerPoint compresses your media files .

Select Close when the process is complete.

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• Slide Library
• Slide Library for PowerPoint
• Downloadable slides and shapes
• Slide Library search
• Search Library via shortcut keys
• Slide Library update alerts
• Rename or delete objects
• Share Slide Library
• Save slides or shapes to Slide Library
• Save presentation to Slide Library
• Manage Templates
• View all templates and set default
• Agenda Wizard
• Create Agenda Slides
• Update Agenda Slides
• Agenda Slide Numbering
• Navigate via Agenda
• Table of Contents
• Import Agenda Items
• Save Agenda Format
• Manage Colors
• Color Palette Toolbar
• Customize Color Toolbar
• Apply fill with outline color
• Recolor Charts
• View RGB color values & names
• Theme Color Tints and Shades
• Share Color Palette with team
• Insert Shapes
• Standard PowerPoint shapes
• Callouts / Speech Bubbles
• Hand Drawn Circles
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• Create Mini Slides
• Move to Multiple Slides
• Right Facing Centered Triangle
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• Arrange and Align Shapes
• Select same color or size
• Select shapes by attribute
• Align shapes
• Align to first selected shape
• Choose Align anchor point
• Align using shortcut keys
• Copy paste position multiple shapes
• Straighten Lines
• Swap positions
• Distribute evenly
• Set Horizontal Gaps
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• Format Text
• Fit text to textboxes
• Wrap Text Toggle
• Merge Textboxes
• Split Textboxes
• Increase/ Decrease Font size
• Change Text Case
• Color Bold Text
• Delete Text or Replace
• Insert Superscript text
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• Create table from text boxes
• Convert table to text boxes
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• Express Table layout
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• Evenly space columns
• Align shapes over tables
• Harvey Balls for Tables
• Status Indicators for Tables
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• F4 or Ctrl+Y redo or repeat
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• Getting started with PPT Productivity add-in for PowerPoint

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Troubleshooting PowerPoint Slide Numbering: How to fix common issues

• April 16, 2021

Looking for how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint? Trying to work out what to do when PowerPoint slide number not showing? This help guide steps through troubleshooting options to fix scenarios of slide numbers not showing in PowerPoint. This includes when slide numbers do not appear on one or more PowerPoint slides in your presentation. 

This troubleshooting guide covers the following:

• PowerPoint Slide numbering placeholder in the Slide Master layout needs to be reset
• The Slide numbering placeholder needs to be reset and your PowerPoint presentation has multiple Slide Master layouts
• Your PowerPoint presentation uses the Title Slide layout for content slides as well as the Title slide and does not display slide numbers
• Slide numbering on one or more PowerPoint slides is obscured by pictures or shapes

Note that this guide has been written for users of PPT Productivity add-in for PowerPoint , but we have included alternative steps to also assist anyone working in PowerPoint without PPT Productivity.

PPT Productivity created a Manage Slide Numbering feature , so you can customize how slide numbers appear on your page. You can add slide totals or a slide count to each slide and add wording, e.g. Slide 1 of 20 .  

Error message when adding slide numbers and totals

Trying to add slide numbers and Slide Totals to your slides using the PPT Productivity Manage Slide Number feature, but encounter an error message?

Here is an example of the error message you likely encountered.

Or have you added Slide Numbers to your slide master but they are still not showing on your slides? You might need to reset the display of Slide Numbers in the Slide Master.

How to fix placeholders on Slide Master layout in PowerPoint?

Wondering why slide number is not showing in PowerPoint? The first thing to check is your PowerPoint Slide Master.  The slide numbering placeholder needs to be activated on your Slide Master layout.  Any previous updates to your presentation or template may have ‘deactivated’ the placeholder for one or more of the layouts in your presentation.

To do this:

• From the View tab of the PowerPoint ribbon, select Slide Master.
• From the thumbnail view, select the PowerPoint Master Slide Layout.  The Master Slide Layout is the slide at the top of the selection (it's also called the Parent layout).  The other layouts beneath this Master Slide layout are called Child layouts in PowerPoint.  It’s important to update the slide numbering placeholder on the Master layout, because the Child layouts inherit the update (unless you separately change a specific child layout).  Note that your PowerPoint presentation should ideally have only one Master slide (Parent) parent layout and multiple child layouts linked to it.

• While you have the Master Slide Layout selected, click on Master Layout from the top PowerPoint ribbon in Slide Master view.

• The PowerPoint Master layout menu will now appear.

• If the slide number check box is unchecked, check this box now. You can also check the footer check box at this point if required. Then click OK.

• The slide number and footer placeholder should now appear at the bottom of your Master slide.

• Next, review the rest of the child slide layouts to ensure that the slide number placeholder has been activated. To do this, navigate through each slide in thumbnail view to find any slides where the slide number placeholder is missing.

• If you discover a Slide Layout which does not show the placeholder, uncheck and then recheck the ‘Footer’ check box found on the top ribbon in Slide Master view.

• Unchecking then rechecking the Footer check box is a ‘reactivation’.  It will refresh the Slide Layout.  The Slide Number placeholder will now appear on the bottom of the Slide Layout.

• Continue reviewing the layouts to make sure that all Slide Layouts display the footer and slide number placeholders.  If you find any additional Slide layouts which are missing the placeholders, simply repeat step 8 to correct them.
• Now, try applying the PPT Productivity slide numbering feature again. You should no longer encounter the error message.

If you are still unable to see your slide numbers, it could be caused by several different issues. Below are some ways to troubleshoot.

How to manage PowerPoint Presentations with multiple Slide Master Layouts?

A slide layout is applied to every slide in a PowerPoint presentation. If slides have been copied from another presentation or different themes have been applied, extra layouts (or even masters) may have been added to your presentation.  These can impact the slide numbering placeholder which also impacts your ability to use the PPT Productivity slide numbering feature.  We recommend that you work with a single Master (Parent) slide layout in your presentation.

To ensure the desired layouts are applied to your slides:

• In Slide Sorter View, Ctrl-click each slide that should be using the same layout (i.e., the ones that have the slide number placeholders).
• From the ‘Layout’ drop down on the PPT Productivity ribbon select the desired layout (if you don't have PPT Productivity addin installed you can also find the layout menu on the Home tab in the Slides group).

• All slides selected will have the selected slide layout applied.
• Continue with any other slides that require the slide layout to be updated.

What if a PowerPoint presentation is using Title Slide layout for one or more content slides?

Users often turn off the slide numbering placeholder on the Title Slide layout, to remove the slide number on the title page.  However if you use the Title Slide layout for other slides in the content of your presentation, this slide will also not display the slide number.  To solve this, you can either update your preferences to include numbering on title slides, or you can change the slide layout used for the content slide(s) currently using the Title layout.

There are 2 ways to find out whether slide numbering has been disabled on Title Slide Layouts -skip to Option 2 if you do not have PPT Productivity addin for PowerPoint.

Option One: Using the Slide Number and Slide Totals PPT Productivity feature

• From the PPT Productivity tab or the PowerPoint Insert tab on the ribbon, select the ‘Slide number and Slide Total’ icon.

• The PPT Productivity ‘Slide Numbers and Totals’ dialogue box will open.

• If ‘Show on Title Slides’ is unchecked, slide numbering will not appear on any slides with the Slide Title layout applied. To have slide number appear on these slides, check the box and click ‘Apply All’
• Slide numbering with totals will now appear, in your chosen format to your Title Slides.

Option Two: Using the Slide Number feature from the Insert tab

An alternate method to ensure slide numbering is applied to Title Slide layouts is from the PowerPoint Insert Tab. Note that if you don't have PPT Productivity this is the option you should use. You will see less options for Slide numbering in the popup box below because standard PowerPoint does not have the option to add Slide Totals, nor to Skip numbering on hidden slides.

• From the Insert tab on the ribbon, select ‘Slide Number’.

• The Header and Footer dialogue box will open. If the ‘Don’t show on title slide’ box is checked, the slide number will not appear on any slide with the Slide Title Layout applied.

• If you want to use the Title slide layout on content slides and display slide numbering, uncheck ‘Don’t show on title slide’.  The slide numbering will now appear on all slides with Title Slide layout applied.

Alternative solution: Update your slide layout for content slides using the Title slide layout

The alternative way to solve this is to update the content slide(s) in the body of your presentation that use the Title slide layout.  To change the slide layout for the content slides currently using the Title layout slide:

• Navigate to the relevant slide in your presentation.
• From the thumbnail view beside the slide, hover over the relevant slide thumbnail, right click your mouse and select layout.  The current layout will be ‘Title Slide’. 
• Select an alternate layout given the content of your slides – for example a Title Slide Only or Blank Slide layout may be the most appropriate.
• Review your slide once you have made this change to correct any formatting.

Changing your slide layout should solve your missing numbering for this and any other content slides that originally used the Title Slide layout.  If the numbering is still not appearing for the updated slides, please refer back to the Fixing placeholders on the Slide Master layout section above.

Troubleshooting - is a picture or shape covering the PowerPoint slide number placeholder?

Another possible cause for slide numbers not displaying correctly is where a picture or shape is covering the slide number placeholder.  To solve this you can resize, move or reorder (send to back) the picture or shape.

• To send a picture or shape to the back of a selection of objects, click the picture or shape to select it.
• From the PPT Productivity Format toolbar, select send to back or use your assigned keyboard shortcut to move the shape/image behind the slide number placeholder.

• Repeat on any slides where the slide number is hidden.

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Click  here  to learn more  💡

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May 10, 2024

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Powerpoint Presenter view doesn't display

My powerpoint just flat out refuses to display anything in presenter view.

Yes, I've checked the box for "Use Presenter View" and try my single display laptop with both "Automatic" and "Primary Monitor".

Yes, I have checked "Disable Slide Show hardware graphics acceleration" in Advanced Options.

Yes, I have checked my NVIDIA control panel, and tried to download and install NView (to no joy because NView doesn't support my GPU).

I have a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, with an Intel Graphics 630, with a Window 11 Home Feature Experience Pack 1000.22598.200.0

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Replies (3) 

• Microsoft Agent |

Hello KelvinChen6,

Welcome to the Microsoft community and enjoy the time you've spent sharing detailed information. I understand that the problem is that the Powerpoint Presenter view doesn't display. If my understanding is wrong, please correct me in the answer. I am pleased to offer you assistance on this issue.

We fully understand the inconvenience caused by the problem and that the current situation can be frustrating. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused to you.

We need to understand the following information for further troubleshooting, in order to better help you solve the problem.

Have you been able to use Powerpoint Presenter View before?

If you were able to use Presenter View before, what did you do before this issue, eg update Office?

It is recommended that you try to open PowerPoint in safe mode and try again, some add-ins may be causing the problem. You can click here to learn how to enter Safe Mode.

If the problem persists in safe mode, it is recommended that you repair the office application , which may solve your problem.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused to you. Your understanding is greatly appreciated! I hope you are keeping it safe and well.

Sincere greetings

Mavis - | MSFT Microsoft Community Support Specialist

-----------------------------------------------------

* Beware of scammers posting fake support numbers here. »

* Please mark and vote on this answer if it helps, as it will benefit more community members reading here.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No

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How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

Thanks for your feedback.

Thank you for the reply.

Onto the questions:

Come to think of it, I've never used presenter view on this device before.

I will and try to use safe mode or repair the ppt but I suspect something is making Powerpoint unable to recognize my laptop display as a sole single screen and instead display the slides on it directly.

Thank you for your quick reply. In your case, we suggest you press alt+F5 on the keyboard at the same time to see if you can enter the Presenter View.

Also, what is your office version? You can click here for the office version.

Thanks again for your reply and look forward to sharing your test results with us.

3 people found this reply helpful

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Troubleshoot Designer in PowerPoint

If Designer doesn't have any design ideas for you or you don't see the Designer button, there are a few possible reasons for that situation. Want to learn more about Designer? Check out  Create professional slide layouts with Designer .

Select the dropdown and choose an option:

• Which problem are you facing?
• I clicked the Designer button, but no suggestions are offered
• I don't see the Designer button
• The Designer button is grayed out

If no Design Ideas are available for you, a few things might be the cause. First of all:

Make sure you're connected to the Internet. Designer goes online to get its Design Ideas.

Use a theme that comes with PowerPoint (not a custom theme or one that you've downloaded from elsewhere).

Following are other problems and how to solve them:

No design ideas for slides with pictures

Make sure your slide has either the Title or Title + Content slide layout applied.

Don't use any additional objects or shapes on the same slide as your photo.

Use a maximum of four photos (.jpg, .png, .gif, or .bmp) per slide, and make sure they're larger than 200 × 200 pixels in size.

No design ideas for process-based slides

Make sure your slide has the Title + Content slide layout applied.

Don't use any additional photos, objects, or shapes on the same slide as your process text.

Because Designer is a relatively new service, it's still learning new tricks. If Designer can’t generate high-quality options for you, it won’t show any options at all. We're working hard to generate great design ideas for more varieties of your content.

And of course, if you don’t find Designer useful, you can turn it off by going to File > Options > General , and then clearing the box that says Automatically show me design ideas .

Someone else is editing

If you're co-authoring a presentation with someone else and more than one person is actively editing a single slide at one time, Designer won't give design suggestions on that slide.

However, as soon as only person is editing the slide, Designer begins offering design suggestions again once that person does an action (such as adding a photo) that Designer can respond to.

No design ideas for slides that have shapes or text boxes

Designer isn't able to suggest design ideas when a slide has a shape or text box drawn on it. You can have photos and you can have text in a placeholder.

Designer is available only to Microsoft 365 subscribers

On desktop versions of PowerPoint, only subscribers get design ideas. You can try or buy a subscription here .

On PowerPoint for the web, Designer is available to everyone.

One Microsoft 365 subscription package doesn't include Designer: Office 365 Germany Germany .

Turn on the Office connected experiences

To use Designer, make sure that Office "connected experiences" are turned on:

Go to File > Account , and under Account Privacy select Manage Settings .

See Enabling and disabling intelligent services for more information.

An administrator may have turned off Designer

Designer is a feature for Microsoft 365 subscribers, but some organizations turn off the feature. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription but don't see the Design Ideas button, contact your IT department.

Reinstall Office to get subscriber features

If you've upgraded from Microsoft 365 to a Microsoft 365 subscription, you need to uninstall Microsoft 365 and then reinstall in order to get the subscriber features. See the instructions in these articles:

Uninstall Office from a PC or Uninstall Office 2016 for Mac

Reinstall Microsoft 365

Restart the app to get Designer

Sometimes users find that the first time they start PowerPoint after installing Microsoft 365, the Designer button isn't available. Restarting the app fixes this problem.

If you can see the Designer button in PowerPoint but it's grayed out, it means:

You aren't connected to the internet , or

A single slide isn't selected . This can be the case when multiple slides are selected in the slide thumbnail pane in Normal view, or when the focus in the thumbnail pane is between two slides. It also can happen when the focus is in the Notes pane or you are in Slide Show view rather than Normal view.

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5 Fixes for Designer Not Working in Microsoft PowerPoint on Windows

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he's a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

• The Designer button may disappear or appear grayed out in PowerPoint if you have previously disabled the feature.
• Selecting the wrong slide layout or disabling the connected experiences option for Office apps can also prevent PowerPoint from displaying design ideas.
• If the Designer feature still won’t work in PowerPoint, consider running the Office repair tool.

Try Basic Fixes

• Check your Microsoft 365 subscription status: The Designer feature in PowerPoint is exclusive to Microsoft 365 subscribers. So, ensure that your Office subscription has not expired. To do so, visit Microsoft’s website and check the services & subscriptions section.
• Check your internet connection: An inconsistent or lack of internet connection can cause the Designer button in Microsoft PowerPoint to become unresponsive or stop working. Hence, ensure your internet connection is working before trying other things.

Fix 1: Allow PowerPoint to Show Design Ideas

The Designer button may be missing or grayed out in PowerPoint if you have previously disabled the feature. If you are unsure, follow these steps to confirm that PowerPoint is allowed to show design ideas on your Windows computer.

Step 1: Open PowerPoint and click the File menu at the top-left corner.

Step 2: Click on Options in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Under the PowePoint Designer section, check the boxes for Automatically show me design ideas and Automatically show me suggestions when I create a new presentation . Then, click OK .

Step 4: Go to the Design tab in PowerPoint and click the Designer button to use the feature.

Fix 2: Enable Connected Experiences

PowerPoint may not show design ideas even after enabling the feature if the connected experiences option for Office apps isn’t turned on. Here’s how to fix that.

Step 1: Open Microsoft PowerPoint and click the File menu at the top-left corner.

Step 2: Select Options from the left pane.

Step 3: In the PowerPoint Options window, click the General tab. Then, click the Privacy Settings button in the right pane.

Step 4: Select the checkbox that reads Turn on all connected experiences and click OK .

Fix 3: Use the Correct Slide Layout

Such issues can also arise if you use the wrong slide layout. To get design suggestions in PowerPoint, use the Title or Title and Content slide layout.

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint file and select the slide where you want to use the Designer feature.

Step 2: Go to the Home tab, click the Layout button, and select Title and Content or Title Only option.

Fix 4: Avoid Using Third-Party Themes in PowerPoint

Are you using a custom theme in PowerPoint? That affects the functionality of the Designer feature in Microsoft PowerPoint . It’s best to stick to one of the built-in themes for PowerPoint.

Open your PowerPoint presentation, switch to the Design tab, and select any built-in theme . Following that, check if the issue persists.

Fix 5: Run the Office Repair Tool

If the above suggestions do not work, there may be an issue with the Office installation on your PC. To fix it, run the Microsoft Office repair tool.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl in the box and press Enter .

Step 2: Locate and select the Microsoft Office product on the list. Then, click on Change .

Step 3: Select Quick Repair and click on Repair .

If the Designer feature does not work in PowerPoint even after performing a Quick Repair, repeat the above steps to perform an Online Repair. Note that this may take a little longer, and you’ll need an active internet connection.

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Last updated on 09 April, 2024

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PowerPoint Won’t Play Audio File? Fix It In 2 Minutes!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

It is often a common problem that PowerPoint audio files stop playing. This can be frustrating and time-consuming. But it does not need to be. If you understand the reasons behind why PowerPoint may not be playing an audio file, you will feel less irritated with it!

PowerPoint won’t play your audio files if the audio file format is not supported. Additionally, if the audio file is not embedded correctly, it won’t work in PowerPoint. Sometimes, the audio is played but the volume level is too low. So, increase the volume on your computer to an audible level.

In this blog post, we will discuss these reasons in detail along with the potential solutions that can fix this issue in PowerPoint!

So, let’s get started.

A Quick Note Before We Begin – if you want to make jaw-dropping presentations, I would recommend using one of these Presentation Designs . The best part is – it is only $16.5 a month, but you get to download and use as many presentation designs as you like! I personally use it from time-to-time, and it makes my task of making beautiful presentations really quick and easy!

1. Why does Audio Not Play in PowerPoint?

One of the most common problems that users face while using Microsoft PowerPoint is the difficulty to play audio or video files that are in the PowerPoint presentations. There can be several reasons why you may not be able to play the audio in your presentation file.

If you want to know how to play audio in PowerPoint and why it doesn’t play, check out some of the major reasons described below –

1.1 Your computer volume may be muted or is not audible

Here is a step-by-step guide to check whether your volume settings are set right. If the volume of your computer or the PowerPoint software is muted or is set to an inaudible level, you will not be able to hear the audio.

Step 1: Check the speaker volume

At first, make sure that the volume settings of your computer are set to an audible range. You can do this by clicking on the “ Volume ” icon in the bottom right corner of your computer screen. Make sure the speaker volume is not muted.

Step 2: Go to “Sound Settings”

The next step is to make sure that the volume for the PowerPoint software is not muted. To do that, right click on the “ Volume ” icon and press the “ Open Sound settings” button.

1.2 Audio File Format is Not Supported

Another reason why your audio file may not be working is perhaps you are using a file format that is not supported by PowerPoint. This may hold true especially if you are using an older version of PowerPoint (older than PowerPoint 2010) as those versions supported very limited audio file types.

The newer versions of PowerPoint do have a wide range of audio file formats that it supports. In fact, some of the most common file types such as .mp3, .mp4, .m4a, .wav, etc are supported by PowerPoint. That said, every once in a while you still might come across an audio file format does may not work with PowerPoint.

So, this could be another reason why the audio file may not be playing in your presentation. Check out the full list of audio file formats that are supported by PowerPoint.

1.3 Audio File is Not Embedded Properly in the Presentation

One of the major reasons why audio cannot be played in a PowerPoint presentation is that the audio file in the presentation was linked by the author and not embedded to the presentation.

If the audio file is not embedded, and only linked to the PowerPoint presentation, you will need access to the linked file to play the audio file. In that case, you may need to ask the sender to embed the audio to the PowerPoint presentation before emailing you the file. 

2.  Why Won’t the Narration Play in PowerPoint? 

Like the issue of audio not playing in PowerPoint, there are more than a few reasons why a narration will not play in your PowerPoint presentation.

The Windows Media Player is the default multimedia player software for all Windows operating systems. If your Windows Media Player is not up to date, then there may be difficult to run the narration in your PowerPoint presentation.

Another major reason may be that your Microsoft Office program needs repairing. Following are solutions to both of these issues

Solution 1 – Update your Windows Media Player

Step 1: Download the latest Windows Media Player software.

To update your Windows Media Player to the latest version, click here and press the “ Download ” button.

Step 2: Install the downloaded Windows Media Player

After hitting the “ Download ” button, the file will be downloaded to your computer shortly and the preview will be shown at the bottom left corner of your browser screen.

After downloading, simply press on the “Open File” button and install the software according to the presented instructions.

Step 3: Restart your computer and play the narration again

After successfully downloading and then installing the updated Windows Media Player, restart your computer by pressing the “ Restart ” button on the “ Start ” menu.

After restarting, the narration should play on your PowerPoint Presentation.

Solution 2 – Repair your Microsoft Office  

Repairing your Microsoft office can be done following some simple and easy steps. The whole process is described below.

Step 1: Close all Microsoft Office tabs including Word, PowerPoint etc.

To start the repairing process, it is important to make sure all the Microsoft Office tabs are closed. Otherwise, the system will not be able to repair the programme.

Step 2: Open “Default apps” from the search menu

The second step of the process is to go to the search box on the bottom right corner of your computer screen beside the “ Start ” menu. Then type “ Apps & Features ” and then the “ Open ” button.

Step 3: Press “Modify” on your Microsoft office programme

After opening the “ Apps & Features ” window, find your Microsoft Office programme and “ Right click ” on it to find the “ Modify ” button. Click on the “ Modify button ”

Step 4: Allow the programme to make changes to the software

After clicking on the “ Modify button ” a pop-up will ask your permission to make changes to the software. Press “ Yes ” on that po-up window.

Step 5: Select the “Online repair” option and press “Repair”

Upon hitting the “ Yes ” button another pop-up will appear. The next part of the process is to select the “ Online Repair ” option and hitting the “ Repair button ”

Step 6: Restart your computer and play the narration on your PowerPoint Presentation

The “ Online repair ” option takes a little longer than the quick repair option, but it repairs all issues and bugs in your Microsoft office programmes. After the repairing process is finished simply restart your computer and paly the narration in your PowerPoint presentation.

3. How To Tell if Audio File is Embedded in PowerPoint?

In Microsoft PowerPoint versions 2003 to 2007, only “ .wav ” can be embedded. So, if your audio file is not in “ .wav ” format then the audio will not be embedded to the PowerPoint presentation.

In that case, the audio will be linked instead. To embed the audio, you have to convert your audio file to the “ .wav ” format. So, to confirm if your file has been embedded in the PowerPoint presentation, make sure the audio file is in the “ .wav ” format.

In Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 and later versions, all formats of Audio are automatically embedded to the presentation.

That means, it supports all forms of audio be it, “ .mp3 ” , “ .mp4 ” , “ .wav ”. So, in the latest versions of the software, there is no need to check if the audio file has been embedded in the PowerPoint presentation.

4. What Audio Format Does a PowerPoint Play?

In the older versions of the Microsoft PowerPoint, such as PowerPoint 2003 or PowerPoint 2007, the only supported audio format is the “ Windows Audio File ” or “. wav ”

Here is a list of audio formats supported by Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 and later version.

• AIFF Audio file (.aiff)
• AU Audio file (.au)
• MIDI file (mid or .midi)
• MP3 Audio file (.mp3)
• Advanced Audio Coding – MPEG-4 Audio file (.m4a & .mp4)
• Windows Audio file (.wav)
• Windows Media Audio file (.wma)

5. Audio Not Playing in Mobile on PowerPoint

If your audio is not playing on your mobile phone on PowerPoint, here’s what you could do to fix the issue –

Solution 1 – Make Sure the Embedded Audio is in the Correct Format

It is common to find difficulties playing audio from PowerPoint in mobile devices.

There may be a few reasons behind it, however, the most common reason is that the mobile version of the PowerPoint software does not support all types of audio formats. T

o play audio on your PowerPoint presentation in your mobile device, make sure that the audio file embedded in the PowerPoint presentation is in the right format.

Here is a list of supported audio formats for Android smartphones,

• MIDI (.mid or .midi)

Here is another list of supported audio format for iOS smartphones,

• Advanced Audio Coding – MPEG-4 Audio file (.m4a or .mp4)

Solution 2 – Use WPS Office instead of Microsoft PowerPoint

Another solution for playing audio in your PowerPoint presentation on mobile devices is to use the WPS Office app instead of the Microsoft PowerPoint app.

This is highly recommended if you want to play a slideshow of your presentation on your mobile since Microsoft PowerPoint for Android and iOS does not support audio playback while playing slideshows.

The WPS Office software supports all forms of audio in presentations and has functionalities very similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. Better yet, the WPS Office app can be used in both iOS and Android operating systems.

To use the app, download WPS Office from the Playstore for Android devices and the App Store for iOS devices and open your Presentation file using this app.

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Credit to drobotdean for the featured image of this article

5 Free Alternatives To Microsoft PowerPoint

M icrosoft PowerPoint has always been the default choice for creating professional meeting briefs or fun little project demonstrations in schools. Its inclusion as a free service for students or working professionals makes it a no-brainer to use. However, for the general public, it can get quite expensive to pay for a subscription just to be able to create simple presentation slides. Although you can subscribe to Microsoft's Office Suite and get more bang for your buck, the pricing still doesn't hit the affordable range for most. 

Fortunately, completion has been growing, and a sea of strong contenders offer similar services to PowerPoint. After considering feature sets, here are five of the best free alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint. At the end of the article, you can find a detailed explanation of why we've chosen the services, alongside useful comparisons that may help you make your decision easier.

Read more: The 20 Best Mac Apps That Will Improve Your Apple Experience

When it comes to productivity apps, Zoho makes some of the better ones in the market. Zoho Sheet, for example, is one of the best Microsoft Excel alternatives out there  —  owing to its extensive product catalog, there is a great way to view and edit presentations. The aptly named Zoho Show lets you design and demonstrate professional-looking slides, all without having to download the program.

Zoho takes a minimal approach to most of its services, and its PowerPoint application is no different. You'll find that most menus are contextually aware of what tasks you're currently performing, which helps keep unnecessary tools out of the way and bring the important ones in focus. There is also a huge library of customizable templates you can choose from, making it easier to kickstart your presentation work. 

Zoho Show is completely free to use for individuals and offers unlimited cloud storage. No features are locked behind a paywall, and rest assured, you can fully rely on this online presentation-making tool for all your needs, be it for school or work. 

Canva is a service that can easily climb up to becoming everyone's favorite once they start using it. While most applaud it for its graphic designing prowess, there are many other things Canva can do that you probably aren't aware of . Among them is the ability to craft beautiful slides for your presentations and projects. 

By creating a free account, you can access thousands of templates on Canva. You can filter these by use case—maybe you need one for a professional business briefing or a casual one explaining why your pet dog is the best canine. There is a whole section of ready-to-use templates dedicated to mobile-friendly viewing as well, which is something you don't usually find to be as accessible with other tools. 

Like most presentation apps, Canva lets you collaborate with your team members and work across devices seamlessly. The Canva app for mobile also lets you control your slides remotely during your presentation. Some menus also feature AI-featured tools to add one-click enhancements to your slides -- unfortunately, these are locked behind premium subscription tiers. However, for the cent percent of the population, Canva can be used without spending a dime to meet a plethora of creative needs. 

Apple takes great pride in developing in-house solutions to meet every user requirement. While most of its products dominate the competition in popularity, the same cannot be said for Keynote , the company's version of Microsoft PowerPoint. The program was first released in 2003 with macOS Big Sur and has largely remained one of those icons you glance over and forget about. 

However, recent versions of Keynote have made it a compelling alternative to PowerPoint. Not only is it pre-installed on every Apple device, including your iPhone, but it also works best with the iPad touchscreen. Keynote has a largely clean and professional approach to the built-in templates, but nothing is stopping you from going creative. Animations are one of Keynote's strongest suits, allowing you to create near cinematic-looking presentations with just a few clicks. 

While you can still use Apple Keynote through iCloud on Windows devices, this alternative is clearly meant for people surrounded by the walled garden of Apple technology. It makes use of features like AirDrop, Live Photos, and VoiceOver  — all of which are technologies available across Apple devices. Using Apple Keynote is completely free, and the app has easy exporting tools that make working with Microsoft PowerPoint less of a hassle.

WPS Presentation

WPS Office makes some of the best solutions for creating and editing documents on smartphones , but their service offerings extend to Windows, macOS, and even Linux. WPS Presentation is perhaps the closest you'll get to Microsoft PowerPoint in terms of the user interface and how most tools are bundled in familiar locations.

This PowerPoint app offers real-time collaboration where you can invite your team members and work on the same document remotely. Like most collaboration tools, users can leave comments to suggest changes or add information for other people on the team.

WPS Presentation is not the only free product; you can utilize every app in the WPS Office suite. Unlike most competitors, you don't need to download or use a separate mini-app to make presentations. WPS Office has a document editor, PowerPoint creator, spreadsheet manager, and other tools all within its umbrella. Premium plans for this service exist, but they mostly cater to unlocking features for editing PDFs. 

Google Slides

As a netizen, you most likely already have a Google account. Not only is it required to make any meaningful use of your Android phone, but popular services that we take for granted, like Gmail and Drive, all fall under Google's umbrella. One such free service that the tech giant has at its disposal is Google Slides . While the barebones UI might seem lackluster at first, Slides has nearly the same level of functionality as Microsoft PowerPoint and can even be supercharged by add-ons. 

All of Google's workspace apps, such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides, provide an intuitive way to work in a team. You can add comments, use annotations, and share the presentation with limited access to others. You can use one of the many predesigned Google Slides templates for simple presentations , or browse for templates that cater to specific needs. Being part of a bigger service catalog has its obvious advantages, such as seamless integration with Google Meet, Gmail, and other products from Google that you already use. 

We recommend Google Slides to anyone who needs to create and edit PowerPoint presentations on the go and can't be bothered with working in a complicated environment. The service is also available as an app for Android and iOS, and you can export your presentations in a wide range of formats, including PPT, PDF, or PNG for individual slides. 

To Pay Or Not To Pay?

You'll notice that all the services we've mentioned on this list are free to use. In fact, you can use Office 365 apps online for free   — including PowerPoint, which makes purchasing a standalone subscription to the Microsoft PowerPoint app quite redundant. However, nearly every free alternative here short of Keynote also offers premium plans, but should you consider buying one?

For the vast majority of people who are looking for a robust software to create, edit, and share presentations with  —  these free options deliver exceptionally well in every aspect. Some apps like Google Slides and Apple Keynote let you work in smaller teams with the free tier as well. Apps like WPS Office and Canva tend to lock new and exciting features like AI tools behind a paywall, and while these are nice to have, you definitely can do without them. 

If you're looking for a presentation tool for a company with multiple people, you can scale up using any of the alternatives mentioned on this list. Both Google Workspace and Zoho offer reliable and enterprise-level plans you can upgrade to. For everyone else  — enjoy creating and demonstrating your PowerPoint presentations for free.

Read the original article on SlashGear .