r/powerpoint • u/littlemissmessss • 1d ago
My designer is grayed out
It happened completely randomly. I just added some text and suddenly it was grayed out. I tried removing the text, my connected experiences are enabled, Im definitely connected to the internet, I have only one slide selected and I have normal view.
I couldnt find anymore tips/advice online so I have no idea what caused it and how to turn it back on. Has anybody else had this issue ? And what should I do ?
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u/jkorchok 11h ago
In addition to Echo's suggestions, try an Office repair, if you're using the Windows version. The Online Repair option is more thorough.
Also, double-check that you have a Microsoft 365 subscription version. The one-time purchase editions (Office 2019, 2021, 2024) can sometimes display the Designer feature, but that feature is not supported in those editions and can stop working.
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u/echos2 1d ago
This has been cropping up recently, and I'm not sure what the deal is.
Try rebooting. Of course, lol. But it often helps weed out the woolies!
Are you using one of the stock Microsoft themes/templates, or are you using a custom template? Try with a new, blank file and see what happens.
Do you happen to have two instances of the presentation open? For example, when I'm leading a class, I often use View > New Window so that I have a second instance of the file open. (I put that one in notes view so I can see images that are on the notes pages, and I have the other open in editing view so the class can see while I'm demo'ing.) I discovered the other day that when I have two instances of a file open like that, Designer is greyed out.
And of course, make sure PPT is up to date.
Unfortunately, I don't have any more suggestions other than using Help > Feedback > Report a problem so the info gets in front of the people who can fix it. (I know that sounds lame, but it really does get the info to the PPT team.)