Question: Q: making Mac powerpoint presentations compatible for windows. If you are already having trouble with PowerPoint for Mac, messing with Keynote is not going to help, as it is even less compatible with Windows. I think I'll have to sign up to a tutorial.

Problems with PowerPoint 2013 or PowerPoint 2016 hanging, freezing or not responding may occur for one or more of the several reasons. Try these solutions in the order listed below:

Install the latest updates

Installing any important, recommended, and optional updates can often correct problems by replacing out-of-date files and fixing vulnerabilities. To install the latest Office updates, see Install Office updates.

You can also attempt to get updates manually at any time. If installing the latest Office updates doesn't resolve your issue, continue to the next step.

Send a frown to the Office product team

If you're using Office 2016, on the File tab in PowerPoint, select Feedback. Click Send a Frown. (The Feedback pane opens on the right side of the PowerPoint window.)

Describe the problem, and then please select the Include diagnostic and usage data box. (Sending diagnostic data to the Office product team allows it to analyze the context in which your problem has occurred. This helps the team determine what needs to be fixed in the software.)

Click Submit to transmit the feedback to the Office team.

Check whether PowerPoint is in use by another process

If PowerPoint is in use by another process, this information will be displayed in the horizontal status bar at the bottom of the screen. If you try to perform other actions while PowerPoint is in use, PowerPoint may not respond. Let the task in process finish its job before attempting other actions.

If PowerPoint is not in use by another process, continue to the next step.

Investigate possible issues with add-ins

While add-ins can enhance your experience, they can occasionally interfere or conflict with PowerPoint. Try starting PowerPoint without add-ins to see if the problem goes away. Here's how:

  1. Do one of the following:
    • If you're running Windows 10, click the Start button in the lower-left corner of the screen.
    • If you are running Windows 8, move your mouse to the upper right corner of your screen and select Search.
    • If you are running Windows 7, click Start.
  2. Type PowerPoint /safe, and then click OK.
  3. If the issue is resolved, on the File menu, click Options, and then click Add-Ins.
  4. Select COM Add-ins, and then click Go.
  5. Click to clear all the check boxes (Disable the Add-ins) in the list, and then click OK.
  6. Restart PowerPoint.

If the issue does not occur, start enabling the add-ins one at a time until the issue occurs. This will allow you to figure out which add-in is causing the problem. Be sure to restart PowerPoint each time you enable an add-in.

If disabling add-ins did not resolve your issue, continue to the next step.

Repair Office

Repairing your Office programs can resolve issues with PowerPoint not responding, hanging, or freezing by automatically repairing errors in the file.

  1. Close any Microsoft Office applications that are running.
  2. Open Control Panel, and then open Programs and Features.
  3. In the list of installed applications, right-click your version of Microsoft Office, and then click Change and select Repair.

If repairing your Office programs did not resolve your issue, continue to the next step

Check to see if your antivirus software is up-to-date

If your antivirus software is not up-to-date, PowerPoint may not function properly. Download the latest updates by visiting your antivirus software vendor's website.

For a list of antivirus software vendors, see Consumer security software providers

Check whether antivirus software is conflicting with PowerPoint

If your antivirus software includes integration with PowerPoint, you may experience performance issues. In this case, you can disable all PowerPoint integration within the antivirus software. Or, you can disable any antivirus software add-ins that are installed in PowerPoint.

Warning: Changing your antivirus settings may make your PC vulnerable to viral, fraudulent, or malicious attacks. Microsoft does not recommend that you attempt to change your antivirus settings. Use this workaround at your own risk.

You may have to contact your antivirus software vendor to determine how to configure software to exclude any integration with PowerPoint or to exclude scanning in PowerPoint.

If updating you antivirus software, and excluding it from integrating with PowerPoint did not resolve your issue, continue to Advanced Troubleshooting.

Change printer defaults

PowerPoint loads a default printer, and changing this setting may resolve the issue:

  1. Open the Control Panel, and then open Hardware and Sound.
  2. In the list of printers, right click on either the Microsoft XPS Document Writer or Send to OneNote.
  3. Select Set as default printer from the menu.

Advanced troubleshooting

This section is intended for more advanced computer users.

Perform a Selective Startup to determine if another program is conflicting with PowerPoint

When you start Windows normally, several applications and services start automatically and then run in the background. These applications and services can interfere with other software on your PC. Changing your startup settings can sometimes help you resolve issues.

If performing a Selective Startup does not resolve your issue, please contact Microsoft Support.

If you're having the issue on Office 2010, please see: PowerPoint 2010 not responding, hangs or freezes-->

Symptoms

When you try to start PowerPoint for Mac, you may receive the following error message:
Microsoft PowerPoint has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Cause

This behavior may occur if any one of the following conditions is true:

Resolution

To resolve this issue, follow these steps. You may find it helpful to print this article before you continue.

Step 1: Quit all applications and close all windows

  1. On the Apple menu, click Force Quit.
  2. Select an application in the 'Force Quit Applications' window.
  3. Click Force Quit.
  4. Repeat the previous steps until you quit all active applications.
Warning
When an application is force quit, any unsaved changes to open documents are not saved.
When you are finished, click the red button in the upper-left corner of the screen, and then go to 'Step 2.'

Step 2: Remove PowerPoint Preferences

  1. Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac applications.
  2. On the Go menu, click Home.
  3. Open Library.
    Note
    The Library folder is hidden in MAC OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.
  4. Open the Preferences folder.
  5. Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.powerpoint.plist. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. Start PowerPoint, and check whether the problem still occurs. If you cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.
  6. If the problem still occurs, quit PowerPoint, and restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.powerpoint.plist file to the trash.
  7. Quit all Microsoft Office for Mac applications.
  8. On the Go menu, click Home.
  9. Open Library.
    Note
    The Library folder is hidden in MAC OS X Lion. To display this folder, hold down the OPTION key while you click the Go menu.
  10. Open the Preferences folder.
  11. Open the Microsoft folder.
  12. Look for a file that is named com.microsoft.powerpoint.prefs.plist. If you locate the file, move it to the desktop. Start PowerPoint, and check whether the problem still occurs. If you do cannot locate the file, the application is using the default preferences.
  13. If the problem still occurs, quit PowerPoint, and restore the file to its original location. Then, go to the next step. If the problem seems to be resolved, you can move the com.microsoft.powerpoint.prefs.plist file to the trash.
If the problem continues to occur, go to the next step.

Step 3: Perform a clean startup

For information how to 'clean start' your computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
2398596 How to use a 'clean startup' to determine whether background programs are interfering with Office for Mac
If the problem continues to occur, go to the next step.

Step 4: Create a new user account

Sometimes, a specific user's information may become corrupted, and this may prevent installation, startup, or use of some applications. To determine whether this is the case, you can log on to the computer by using a different or new user account, and then test the application.
Mac
If the problem no longer occurs, the cause exists within the user’s home folder. If you think that the user account was responsible, you can continue to troubleshoot by using the new user account.
Note
For help moving your user files to the new account, contact Apple.
If the problem continues to occur, go to the next step.

Step 5: Use the 'Repair Disk Permissions' option

You can use the Repair Disk Permissions option to troubleshoot permissions problems in Mac OS X 10.2 and later versions. If the permissions for your Microsoft software are incorrect, Office for Mac applications may start slowly or perform slowly. To use the Repair Disk Permissions option, follow these steps:
  1. On the Go menu, click Utilities.
  2. Start the Disk Utility program.
  3. Click the primary hard disk drive for your computer.
  4. Click the First Aid tab.
  5. Click Repair Disk Permissions.
Note
The Disk Utility program only repairs software that is installed by Apple. This utility also repairs folders, such as the Applications folder. However, this utility does not repair software that is in your home folder.

Step 6: Remove and then reinstall Office

For information about how to manually remove and then reinstall Office, see the following article:

Third-party disclaimer information

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.
The information and the solution in this document represent the current view of Microsoft Corporation on these issues as of the date of publication. This solution is available through Microsoft or through a third-party provider. Microsoft does not specifically recommend any third-party provider or third-party solution that this article might describe. There might also be other third-party providers or third-party solutions that this article does not describe. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, this information should not be interpreted to be a commitment by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot guarantee or endorse the accuracy of any information or of any solution that is presented by Microsoft or by any mentioned third-party provider.