Random vertical lines when annotating PowerPoint presentation.

I just finished uninstalling/reinstalling and the problem still exists. Sigh.. And I realized that my topic was wrong I had horizontal lines instead of vertical. I already edited it.

I have just tried every suggestion except creating a new user account. I am unwilling to go that route. This is a bug that needs to be fixed.

Thanks for your quick response but please note that as far as my system is concerned, all its software, drivers, programs, apps even bios etc is up to date, everything. The laptop is new to me so everything has been freshly installed. Everything works perfectly except for powerpoint pen tool. It's a Lenovo loq 16irh8 x64 based system. Everything else works well for office 365 except for this pen tool issue.

Hello Vince,

I am just using a usb mouse, but I used the laptop's touchpad and I had the same issue.

No I am not seeing an error message either and I do not have access to my other laptop right now so I cannot check to see if the issue is there too.

I am currently using Microsoft 365 personal.

I opened a new powerpoint file (blank slide) and it is doing the same thing. I have a screenshot attached. I was just drawing a horizontal line and in comes those cone/triangular looking shapes.

I am going to uninstall and reinstall office and see if that works.

Hello! Romano Abraham

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community

I understand how troublesome it can be to encounter unexpected issues while teaching online classes. Allow me to ask:

• Do you use any external device such as a Pen? or just using Mouse?
• Is there any error message showing?
• Is this happening to other devices?
• What version and edition of Office do you have installed in your device? Example: Personal/Family/Enterprise?
  • You can open any Office apps
  • Go to File > Accounts - on the right side you can see Product Information
• Is this also happening when creating a new blank slide? or in any Office programs?
• Can I ask for a screenshot of your concern? This should help us identify what the issue is.

Let’s troubleshoot this random horizontal line problem in PowerPoint.

Here are some steps you can try:

1. Update Your Graphics Drivers:
   • Ensure that your graphics drivers are up to date. Sometimes outdated or incompatible drivers can cause display issues. Visit the manufacturer’s website (Wacom or Ugee) and download the latest drivers for your graphics tablet.
2. Disable Slide Show Hardware Graphics Acceleration:
   • Open your PowerPoint presentation.
   • Click on File in the top left corner.
   • Choose Options.
   • Go to the Advanced section.
   • Scroll down to the Display section.
   • Check the box that says Disable Slide Show hardware graphics acceleration.
   • Click OK to save the changes.
3. Create a New Windows User Account:
   • Sometimes issues can be related to user profiles. Create a new Windows user account and test whether the problem persists there. If it doesn’t, it might be specific to your existing user profile.
4. Uninstalling/reinstalling Office:
   • You can try to uninstall/reinstall the Office to reset the Office application in your computer. Do not worry this will only uninstall the program and does not affect your personal files.
   • You can reinstall the office by going to your account in https://account.microsoft.com/services/ and click the Install button.
5. Provide Feedback to Microsoft:
   • If the problem persists, consider reporting it to Microsoft. You can do this by choosing File > Feedback within PowerPoint.

We will also leave the thread open for any volunteer moderators to join in and share their opinion/suggestions to help you with your concern.

Remember to restart PowerPoint after making any changes. Hopefully, one of these steps will resolve the issue and allow you to continue teaching without those pesky random lines. If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out! 

Thank you,

Vince

Microsoft Community Moderator

Hello! Romano Abraham

Thank you for the reply!

Have you tried updating your Windows Operating system or your Mouse driver? In some cases this can be caused by an outdated driver in your system. Please open your Windows update and check for any updates.

Let me know once you have done this and shows the same issue.

Thank you,

Vince

Microsoft Community Moderator