PowerPoint isn't responding, hangs or freezes

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 Office updates

• Send a frown to the Office product team

• Check whether PowerPoint is in use by another process

• Investigate possible issues with add-ins

• Repair Office

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

• Check whether antivirus software is conflicting with PowerPoint

• Change printer defaults

• Try some advanced troubleshooting solutions

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Installing any important, recommended, and optional updates can often correct problems by replacing out-of-date files and fixing vulnerabilities.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.

Change startup settings in Windows 10

Windows 8.1 Startup Settings (including safe mode)

Windows 7 Run Selective Startup using System Configuration

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