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Tips for Solving Common PowerPoint Problems

Fix audio and image issues and more

By Wendy Russell Wendy Russell Writer Brock University Former Lifewire writer Wendy Russell is an experienced teacher specializing in live communications, graphics design, and PowerPoint software. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 29, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Powerpoint Word Excel Outlook PowerPoint problems can stump the best of us, from beginners to seasoned users.

How to Fix Common PowerPoint Issues

PowerPoint presentations can be complicated to build, and getting the text, images, and audio right isn't easy. Try these solutions to the most common PowerPoint issues. Troubleshoot audio issues. You can do a few things when you or others can't hear the music or sounds in your presentation. First, you should ensure you're using a compatible file type and then consider embedding the sound files rather than linking to them. Extract sound files. If you'd like to use the music from a presentation someone shared with you (with permission, of course), you can save the audio files separately from the presentation. Fix a red 'X' picture in your presentation. Sometimes a picture doesn't display correctly in PowerPoint and it's replaced with a red X. This can happen if something went wrong in the linking process or you night need to update PowerPoint. Use portrait and landscape orientation. Some of your slides don't look right sitting on a landscape-oriented page. Thankfully, you can place portrait-oriented slides in your presentation too. Change the font for the whole presentation. If you don't like the font in your presentation, you don't have to change it slide by slide. You can make a global change to the fonts. Copy slides from one presentation to another. If you regularly present similar material in PowerPoint, you probably reuse the same slides from time to time. PowerPoint lets you quickly copy slides from one presentation into another, so you don't have to duplicate your work. Prevent the fonts from changing when you use a different computer. If you embed your fonts, you don't have to worry about formatting issues when presenting with a different computer. Recover an unsaved PowerPoint. You can use AutoRecover to retrieve an unsaved presentation. You should also check the trash and recycle bins in case you accidentally deleted the file. Protect your presentations from being viewed or changed by others. Encrypt a presentation by adding password protection. You can also save the presentation as graphic images or a PDF file. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint How to Link Slides in Google Slides How to Copy a PowerPoint Design Template to Another Presentation How to Select Multiple Slides in PowerPoint How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation Landscape and Portrait Slides in the Same Powerpoint 5 Best Sites for Free Microsoft PowerPoint Backgrounds How to Merge PowerPoints How to Wrap Text in Google Slides How to Add Page Numbers in PowerPoint How to Fix a Red 'X' Picture on a PowerPoint Slide How to Use Speaker Notes in PowerPoint How to Use Google Slides to Make a Presentation Fixing Audio Problems With PowerPoint Edit Music, Sound, or Other Audio Settings in PowerPoint Using Design Themes in PowerPoint Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies