A presentation won't open or looks different
What to do when a presentation won't open, takes a long time, has a damaged slide or doesn't look like it does in PowerPoint.
“Couldn't open the presentation”
The reason appears below it, and if you sent it live, a notice says “… can't be projected” with the same reason. Try Retry. Then, depending on the message:
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| “The presentation has a password to open it…” | Open it in PowerPoint, remove the password and save it again. |
| “This presentation is from PowerPoint 95 or earlier…” | Open it in a newer version of PowerPoint and save it as .pptx. |
| “The file couldn't be opened as a presentation…” | It may be damaged, or it may not be a presentation. Open it in PowerPoint and save it again as .pptx. |
| “The PDF is password-protected…” | Save a copy of the PDF without the password. |
| “The file is no longer available…” | The file was moved or deleted. Locate it. |
“Some slides couldn't be shown”
The file changed or was damaged after the app read it. Click Read again. If that presentation is live, take it off the projector first, because the app won't re-read it while it's being projected.
**Damaged slide**
Part of that slide is damaged in the file. The app shows what it could read, and the warning appears only in the control window. To fix it, open the presentation in PowerPoint and save it again.
It takes a while to open
The first time you open a presentation, the app reads it (“Reading slides…”). After that it opens instantly. While it's reading, Cancel stops waiting, and Retry opens it again. If you have a lot of large presentations, have them read the day before with Prepare folder (how).
It looks different than in PowerPoint
- Object animations don't play; each slide appears all at once. Transitions do play when moving forward (which ones).
- A video inside a slide works if it's embedded, in
.pptx,.pptm,.ppsx,.ppsmor.odp. If it's linked, or the file is a.pptor.pps, embed it in PowerPoint and save the presentation as.pptx. - Hidden slides aren't shown.
- If the font isn't the one you chose, that font isn't installed on this computer, so the app uses one with the same measurements or the Fallback font from Settings › Slides. To see it exactly as designed, install the font, or embed fonts when you save in PowerPoint (the app uses embedded fonts).
- If an image is missing or an effect looks different (warped WordArt or a 3D effect looks flat; a chart in an
.odpdoesn't appear), open it in PowerPoint and save it as.pptx.
It doesn't auto-advance or has no music
- It never auto-advances in Preview. Try it live.
- PDFs have no auto-advance.
- If the music is a separate file, put it in the same folder as the presentation, with the same name, before you open the presentation for the first time. If you'd already opened it, pick the file with Add audio.
- MIDI audio inside the presentation doesn't play.
If it still doesn't work, report it and, if you can, attach the presentation.
Something didn't work the way the guide says? Tell us on GitHub what you did, what you expected and what happened, and we'll see whether the app or the guide needs fixing. Report a problem (opens in a new tab)