My macOS PowerPoint suddenly cannot display images correctly

Question

My macOS PowerPoint suddenly cannot display images correctly

Jinzhang Wang 0

Hello,

I am using the latest version of PowerPoint on macOS. My slides used to display all images normally, but recently some images suddenly cannot display properly. As shown in the attached screenshots, the same slide has a normal image on one device but appears incorrectly on another.

What is strange is that on my other MacBook with the same macOS version and the same PowerPoint version, all images display normally. Only this machine has the problem.

Has anyone encountered this issue? What could be causing the inconsistent image rendering between two identical macOS devices?

Any suggestions or fixes would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Answer 1

Gabriel-N 9,545 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear Jinzhang Wang

Thank you for posting your question on the Q&A forum. To better assist you, I’d like to gather a few details:

Were these diagrams created directly in PowerPoint, or were they designed in another application and then pasted into PowerPoint?
If they were created in PowerPoint, have you tried grouping all the shapes together and then opening the file on the affected machine? In some cases, grouping shapes and then using Save as Picture to reinsert the image can help, as this preserves the layer order and may resolve rendering inconsistencies.
If the diagrams were created in another program, could you try exporting them as an image (PNG or JPG), then inserting that image into PowerPoint, and opening it on the affected machine to see if the issue persists?
Are you opening the file from cloud storage or locally?
Based on your description, I assume you’re using the desktop app, but if you open the same file in PowerPoint Online, does the same behavior occur?

The reason I’m asking these questions is that the issue might be related to how PowerPoint renders layered objects or transparency effects. Grouping or converting the content to a single image often helps when rendering layers behaves differently across devices.

Please share the results after completing the checks so I can assist you further. Thank you for your cooperation, and I look forward to your update.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Jinzhang Wang 0 Reputation points

2025-11-26T02:21:46.8433333+00:00
Thank you for your reply and for looking into this issue.

Here are the answers to your questions:

The diagrams were created directly in PowerPoint.

Yes, I have tried grouping all the shapes.

(Not applicable)

I am opening the file locally (not from cloud storage).

I am using the desktop app. When I open the same file in PowerPoint Online, the diagrams display normally.

I’d also like to add some key information:

The same PowerPoint file used to display correctly on this MacBook.

The issue started occurring after my macOS was updated.

I have another MacBook with the same macOS version, and the file displays correctly there.

The file also opens normally on Windows machines and Online version.

I have reinstalled PowerPoint, but the problem still persists on this MacBook.

Because only this specific machine shows the rendering issue—even after reinstalling PowerPoint—I suspect that the PowerPoint installation or some system-level display/rendering component on this Mac may have been affected after the macOS update.

If you have any suggestions for diagnostics or deeper reset options (such as clearing PowerPoint caches, resetting preferences, or checking for known macOS rendering issues), I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your assistance.
Gabriel-N 9,545 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-26T11:39:28.4266667+00:00
Dear Jinzhang Wang

Sorry for the late reply, and thank you for providing such detailed information, it’s very helpful.

To help us narrow this down further, could you please let us know the exact macOS version number (e.g., macOS Sonoma 14.5 vs 14.6) and the specific device model (e.g., MacBook Pro M1 2020 vs. MacBook Air M2) for both the unaffected MacBook and the affected one?

In the meantime, as a temporary workaround, please continue using PowerPoint Online on the affected machine to ensure your work is not interrupted.

Regarding the desktop app, I have a couple of suggestions for you to try:

1> Perform a “clean startup” to determine whether background programs are interfering with Office for Mac. This helps rule out any third-party conflicts that might affect rendering.

2> Clear PowerPoint caches and reset preferences by open Finder > press Command + Shift + G > type ~/Library/Preferences > remove com.microsoft.Powerpoint.plist.

3> Sign out of your Microsoft account in the PowerPoint desktop app, then sign back in with a different account and open the same file. This helps determine if the issue is tied to your user profile settings.

4> Since reinstalling the app didn't work (which often leaves preference files behind), please try this method:

Quit all Office apps completely.

Open Finder → press Command + Shift + G > paste this path: /Library/Containers.

Find the folder named Microsoft PowerPoint (or sometimes com.microsoft.Powerpoint).

Drag this entire folder to your Desktop (this acts as a backup, we’re moving it, not deleting it permanently yet).

Restart your Mac (mandatory to clear cached settings).

Open PowerPoint and check the file again.

If the file opens normally, the old settings were the cause, and you can delete the folder on your Desktop. If not, simply drag the folder back to its original location to restore your previous settings.

As a community moderator, I don’t have access to your device’s environment, system logs, or internal diagnostic tools. This means I can’t directly investigate the root cause within your operating system. However, I’ll do my best to guide you with troubleshooting steps and share solutions based on similar cases I’ve encountered.

Thank you for your understanding and patience throughout these steps. I look forward to your reply.
Gabriel-N 9,545 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-27T09:38:30.0133333+00:00

Dear Jinzhang Wang

Is there any update from you? If yes, please feel free to let me know.
Jinzhang Wang 0 Reputation points

2025-11-28T07:22:31.8066667+00:00
Sorry for the late reply and thank you for your detailed guidance.

I have followed all the suggested steps, including clearing caches, resetting preferences, performing a clean startup, and removing the entire PowerPoint container folder, but unfortunately the issue still persists with no visible improvement.

To help narrow down the cause, I tested the same PowerPoint file on multiple machines:

MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 2021) — two units

One running macOS Tahoe 26.1 (25B78) → issue present

One running macOS Tahoe 26.0 → no issue

MacBook Air (M3 and M4) — two units

Both running the latest macOS Tahoe 26.1 (25B78) → no issue

Interestingly, the problem only appears on macOS 26.1 on my MacBook Pro, while the same macOS version works normally on the MacBook Air models. More importantly, the rendering issue started only after updating to macOS 26.1 on my MacBook Pro.

Given these findings, I strongly suspect that the issue may be related to a compatibility problem triggered by the macOS 26.1 update on certain hardware configurations, causing a conflict with Office for Mac’s rendering engine.

Please let me know if the Office team is aware of any known issues with macOS 26.1, or if there are additional diagnostic steps I can try.

Thank you again for your help. I appreciate your continued support.
Gabriel-N 9,545 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-01T05:42:38.62+00:00

Dear Jinzhang Wang

Thank you so much for sharing these detailed findings, they’ve been incredibly helpful in narrowing down the issue. I truly appreciate your patience, and I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

At this point, I suggest trying to revert PowerPoint to version 16.100 or 16.99, as these builds are reported to work best with macOS Tahoe. Please make sure to turn off AutoUpdate in Microsoft AutoUpdate settings so the app does not upgrade back to the latest version automatically. After reverting, open the same file and check if the rendering issue persists.

Since your post is tagged under Education, please contact your institution’s IT administrator and ask them to raise a support ticket in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center on your behalf, including device logs from the affected MacBook. This will allow the support team to investigate the issue more thoroughly, as I’m just a forum moderator and I can’t directly investigate the root cause within your operating system.

Finally, consider raising this issue in the Microsoft Feedback Portal so the PowerPoint team can review and take action if needed.

Thank you again for your thorough testing and patience. I look forward to your reply.
Jinzhang Wang 0 Reputation points

2025-12-02T07:05:35.5366667+00:00

Dear Gabriel,

Thank you very much for your suggestion.

I followed your advice and installed the initial version provided by my university (version 16.54). With this version, PowerPoint can now display images correctly, so it is clear that the rendering issue is caused by an incompatibility between the newer PowerPoint builds and the latest macOS Tahoe on certain hardware (specifically the M1 Pro MacBook Pro).

However, I am now encountering a new problem: PowerPoint occasionally crashes and closes unexpectedly when I open or close the Powerpoint software. May I ask if there is a way to upgrade to one of the specific versions you mentioned (16.100 or 16.99)? It seems these versions may offer better stability while still avoiding the rendering issue.

Thank you again for your help, and I look forward to your guidance.

Best regards,

[Moderator note: personal info removed]
Gabriel-N 9,545 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T08:59:46.9133333+00:00

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.
Dear Jinzhang Wang

Thank you so much for sharing these details, I truly appreciate the effort you’ve put into testing and confirming the results. I’m also really glad to hear that my suggestion to roll back to an older version worked; that’s a relief and a great step forward.

Could you please click on this link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac#release-history-for-office-for-mac and check if you can download and install PowerPoint version 16.100? I’d like to confirm whether you’re able to get that build directly.

Or am I correct in understanding that you can only download and install versions provided through your university’s portal? If that’s the case, please consider contacting your IT administrator and ask them to check if they can provide version 16.100 or 16.99 for you. This will help ensure better stability while avoiding the rendering issue.

Thank you again for your patience and for working through these steps, I really appreciate your collaboration on this.
Gabriel-N 9,545 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-05T02:39:24.8266667+00:00

Dear Jinzhang Wang

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful.

If you have any further updates, please feel free to post back.

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My macOS PowerPoint suddenly cannot display images correctly

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