“Kindly Help! I’m unable to open a PowerPoint file. It keeps saying ‘Sorry PowerPoint can t read’. I tried to open it in other system. But it doesn’t work.”
If you received this message like this or other messages saying “Sorry PowerPoint can’t read pptx” from PowerPoint, you can try 5 methods below.
Part 1: 5 Ways to Solve PowerPoint Can t Read
- 1. Unblock PowerPoint File
- 2. Repair PowerPoint File Using Stellar Repair for PowerPoint
- 3. Open and Repair in PowerPoint
- 4. Disable Protected View
- 5. Update Microsoft PowerPoint
1. Unblock PowerPoint File
1. Right click the PowerPoint file can’t read.
2. Select “Properties” at the bottom of the menu.
3. In the “General” menu, tick “Unblock”.
4. Select “Ok” or “Apply”.
5. Try to open PowerPoint file again.
This method can help you open the file can’t read which your system or PowerPoint considers it is suspicious. If it doesn’t work, check other methods.
2. Repair PowerPoint File Using Stellar Repair for PowerPoint
Your PowerPoint can’t read could be caused by corruption. With a third party software you can repair corrupted PowerPoint easily. Among various programs for repairing PowerPoint Files, Stellar Repair for PowerPoint is the most powerful one. You can recover severely corrupted files with no data loss.
Before using this software, you should check Stellar Repair for PowerPoint could:
- Run in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7
- Support: MS PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 and 2003
- And there should be at least 250 MB free space in hard disk
Now, download and install Stellar Repair for PowerPoint.
1. Launch the software.
2. Click “Browse” to select your file that can’t read.
If you don’t know where your file is, you can click “Search” and enter the name of file to find it.
3. Press “Scan” button at the bottom of the window to start scanning the file.
It will take a few moments to scan the corrupted file, please wait patiently.
4. After the scanning process, you can click the file and preview it.
5. Now, you can save the recovered file at the default position or selected destination.
6. Go where you save the recovered file, double click it to open.
3. Open and Repair in PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint also provides to repair PowerPoint file. You can have a try:
1. Launch Microsoft PowerPoint, and click “File” on the top right corner.
2. Select “Open” in the menu, and click “Browse”.
3. Find your file need to be repaired, select it.
4. You will see “Open” button at the bottom, click the arrow next to it.
5. Click “Open and Repair”.
6. Press “Repair” in the pop-up window.
7. Now, try to open the file again.
This method can help you repair slightly corrupted PowerPoint file for free. It may won’t work every time. Therefore, we recommend Stellar Repair for PowerPoint to repair your corrupted files when PowerPoint can’t read pptx because of corruption.
4. Disable Protected View
If your file is considered potentially dangerous, the protected view won’t allow you to open it. To fix this, just disable protected view.
1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint, and click “File”.
2. Select “Options” in the menu.
3. In the options, choose “Trust Center”.
4. You will see “Trust Center Settings” at the right corner of the bottom, click it.
5. Click “Protected View” tab, uncheck three options in it :
- Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet
- Enable Protected Vie for files located in potentially unsafe locations
- Enable Protected View for Outlook Attachments
6. Click “Ok”.
7. Open the file again.
5. Update Microsoft PowerPoint
Occasionally, Microsoft PowerPoint goes wrong so that your PowerPoint can’t read. And Microsoft Office will solve this error, all you need to do is to update to the latest version.
1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint, go to “File”.
2. Select “Account”, and choose “Office Updates”.
3. Click “Update Now” to update your PowerPoint.
This method can only fix the error that have been solved by Microsoft, but you can still try.
Part 2: Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How do I permanently unblock a PowerPoint presentation?
First, right click the file and select “Properties” at the bottom. In the “Properties” dialog, select “General” tab. There will be an “Unblock” button in the box, click it and you will unblock your presentation.
Q2: Why is PowerPoint taking so long to open?
There are many causes result your PowerPoint takes a little long to open. It may be related to processing power and memory, or your hard drive. Overheating can also speed down the process of opening PowerPoint. But most time, it is because you have too much temp files or too many programs running in the background.
Q3: Why do PowerPoint files become corrupted?
Corruption in your PowerPoint files can be caused by a bug of software, unusual shutting down system or incompatibility.
To Sum Up
We have introduced 5 methods to solve ‘Sorry PowerPoint can’t read pptx’ on different circumstances. Change settings to open .ppyx file, update PowerPoint to solve the issue in the software, repair the file if it is corrupted. If your files go wrong, we sincerely recommend Stellar Repair for PowerPoint. If you meet problems on passwords of PowerPoint, we strongly suggest you to try PassFab for PPT.