A family of Microsoft presentation graphics products that offer tools for creating presentations and adding graphic effects like multimedia objects and special effects with text.
Start PowerPoint in Office Safe Mode to bypass add-ins; since the in-app Fix button did not work, this provides a separate test before performing a full Windows repair.
1. Start PowerPoint in Safe Mode
- Press Windows key + R.
- Enter:
powerpnt /safe - Select OK. Be sure there is a space before
/safe.
Safe Mode is available for PowerPoint in Microsoft 365 and Office 2016–2024 on Windows.^1^
If PowerPoint opens
An add-in may be blocking normal startup:
- Select File → Options → Add-Ins.
- At the bottom, set Manage to COM Add-ins, then select Go.
- Clear all add-in checkboxes and select OK.
- Close PowerPoint and open it normally.
- If it works, enable add-ins one at a time, restarting PowerPoint after each one, to identify the problematic add-in.^2^
2. If Safe Mode does not open, run Online Repair
This is different from the Fix prompt displayed when PowerPoint fails: it repairs the installed Office suite from Windows.
Windows 11
- Right-click Start → Installed apps.
- Find Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office.
- Select the three dots → Modify.
- For a Click-to-Run installation, select Online Repair → Repair.
- Follow the prompts, restart the computer if requested, and test PowerPoint.
Windows 10
- Right-click Start → Apps and Features.
- Select Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office → Modify.
- Select Online Repair → Repair.
Online Repair is the more complete option; repairing Office repairs the whole suite even when only PowerPoint is affected.^3^
3. If Online Repair also fails
Reinstall Office, provided the license is associated with a Microsoft, work, or school account:
- Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
- Locate Microsoft 365 or Office, select the three dots, and uninstall it.
- Restart Windows.
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Apps page using the account associated with the license.
- Select Install apps, run the downloaded installer, and complete activation.^4^
Uninstalling removes the Office applications, so first confirm that the account or product key required for reinstallation is available. It normally does not delete presentation files, but back up important files before proceeding.
References