Microsoft PowerPoint is a popular application for creating visually appealing slideshows business meetings, educational presentations, or conferences. While loaded numerous useful features, it is prone to occasional instability, rendering the app unusable. One such instance is when Microsoft PowerPoint stops responding or crashes on your Windows 11 PC .
Encountering such problems with PowerPoint can significantly disrupt your experience, particularly when in the middle of a critical presentation. We’ve compiled solutions to get PowerPoint running smoothly on your Windows PC.
1. Close and Reopen PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint app processes may experience problems while running on your PC. When this happens, PowerPoint may misbehave or stop responding on Windows. In most cases, simply closing and reopening the PowerPoint app can help restore normalcy.
Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut to open Task Manager.
Step 2: In the Processes tab, select Microsoft PowerPoint and click the End task option.
Open Microsoft PowerPoint again and see if it works fine.
2. Open PowerPoint in Safe Mode
One of your add-ins may be conflicting with PowerPoint and causing it to freeze or hang. To check that, you can open PowerPoint in safe mode. For that, press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type powerpnt /safe in the Open field and press Enter.
Try using PowerPoint in safe mode for some time and check if the issue occurs again. If it doesn’t, it means one of the installed add-ins is responsible for the problem. To identify the one causing the problem, you will need to disable all add-ins and then re-enable them individually. Here’s how you can go about it.
Step 1: Open PowerPoint and click the File menu at the top-left corner.
Step 2: Select Options from the left pane.
Step 3: In the PowerPoint Options window, switch to the Add-ins tab. Click the drop-down menu next to Manage and select COM Add-ins. Then, click the Go button next to it.
Step 4: Uncheck all the boxes to disable your add-ins and click OK.
Restart the app after this and enable your add-ins one at a time. You will need to observe PowerPoint’s performance after enabling each add-in. Once you find the problematic add-in, it’s best to remove it to avoid such issues in the future.
3. Repair Your PowerPoint File
Does PowerPoint only become unresponsive when you try to edit or save a particular file? If so, there may be an issue with the file itself. You can try repairing it by following the steps below and see if it works.
Step 1: Open Microsoft PowerPoint and click the File menu at the top-left corner.
Step 2: Select Open from the left sidebar and click the Browse option.
Step 3: Browse and select your file. Click the downward arrow next to Open to select Open and Repair.
PowerPoint will attempt to repair your file and then open it. Following that, check if the issue still occurs.
4. Change the Default Printer
Another reason why Office apps like PowerPoint may not open or stop responding on Windows is due to incorrect default printer settings. Here’s what you can do to fix it.
Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app. Navigate to the Bluetooth & devices tab and click on Printers & scanners.
Step 2: Select your preferred device from the list.
Step 3: Click the Set as default option.
5. Update the App
Using an outdated version of PowerPoint can also cause such anomalies. Hence, it’s a good idea to install any pending Office updates on your PC .
Step 1: Open PowerPoint on your PC and click the File menu at the top.
Step 2: Switch to the Account tab, click on Update Options, and select Update Now.
Wait for Microsoft Office to check for and install any available updates. Following this, PowerPoint should work smoothly on your PC.
6. Run the Office Repair Tool
If PowerPoint continues to be unresponsive or crashes despite installing the latest updates, there may be an issue with its installation on your Windows PC. In that case, your best option is to run the Office repair tool to fix PowerPoint. This tool can automatically find and fix issues with all the Office apps on your PC. Here’s how to run it.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Installed apps from the list.
Step 2: Locate the Microsoft Office suite on the list. Click the three horizontal dots menu icon next to it and select Modify.
Step 3: Select the Quick Repair option and click Repair.
If PowerPoint doesn’t work properly even after this, repeat the above steps and opt for an Online Repair instead. This process may take longer, but it’s most likely to fix the problem.
Power Up Your Presentations
You are in for a chaotic experience when PowerPoint stops responding or repeatedly crashes on your Windows 11 PC. Fortunately, you don’t have to accept this as the norm, as fixing issues with PowerPoint with the tips mentioned above is possible.
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- Run the Printer troubleshooter from Windows Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
- Reset Microsoft Edge settings from the three-dot menu > Settings > Reset settings.
Basic Fixes
- Disable Edge Extensions: Click the three-dot menu at the top right of Microsoft Edge and select Extensions > Manage extensions. Toggle off the installed extensions to disable them.
- Update or Reinstall Microsoft Edge: Open the Microsoft Store, search for Microsoft Edge Browser, and click Update (if available). Alternatively, uninstall Edge from Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, and reinstall it from the Microsoft Store.
Fix 1: Manually Set a Default Printer
If Microsoft Edge isn’t responding when you select your desired printer, you can manually set the default printer in Windows Settings so Edge can automatically use it for printing.
Step 1: Press the Windows + I shortcut to open Settings, select Devices , and click Printers & scanners .
Step 2: Select your desired printer from the list to open its settings.
Step 3: Click Set as default to set it as your default printer. Retry printing in Microsoft Edge.
Fix 2: Run the Printer Troubleshooter
If your connected printer stops responding when you try to print a webpage via Microsoft Edge, an existing glitch is causing the issue. Run the Windows built-in troubleshooter to fix it.
Step 1: Open the Windows Settings app, select System , and click Troubleshoot .
Step 2: Scroll down and select Other troubleshooters .
Step 3: Click Run next to Printer to launch its troubleshooter. Wait a few seconds for Windows 11 to automatically resolve the printing issue.
Fix 3: Switch Between ‘Print to PDF’ and ‘Save as PDF’
The Print feature in Microsoft Edge provides two different options to save your webpage as a PDF . If the browser becomes unresponsive while using one, you can switch to the second alternative to save your webpage as PDF.
Step 1: Right-click your desired webpage in Microsoft Edge and select Print .
Step 2: Choose Save PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF to effortlessly save your document as a PDF.
Fix 4: Reinstall Printer Drivers
Corrupt printer drivers can lead to issues with Microsoft Edge’s printing function. Reinstall the printer drivers from the Device Manager app and try again.
Step 1: Press the Windows + X shortcut to open the Power User Menu, and select Device Manager .
Step 2: Expand Print queues , right-click your connected printer, and select Uninstall device .
Step 3: Restart your PC to let Windows 11 automatically install the compatible printer drivers.
Fix 5: Restart the Print Spooler Service
The Print Spooler service manages printing documents on Windows. An existing issue with it can halt the print queue and make Microsoft Edge unresponsive. Restart it manually from the Services window to restore normalcy.
Step 1: Press the Windows key , search Services , and click Run as administrator .
Step 2: Locate the Print Spooler service, right-click it, and select Restart . Retry printing your document from Microsoft Edge.
Fix 6: Reset Microsoft Edge to Default Settings
Lastly, reset the Edge browser to its default settings, clearing any misconfiguration that makes it unresponsive when printing.
Step 1: Click the three-dot menu at the top right of Microsoft Edge and select Settings .
Step 2: Select Reset settings from the sidebar and click Restore settings to their default values .
Step 3: Click Reset when prompted to confirm.
