How to Fix PowerPoint Not Saving Files

Can’t figure out why PowerPoint is not saving files on your computer?

PowerPoint remains to be one of the best presentation software in the market despite the growing competition that offers modern tools and features that help users create better and more engaging presentations. 

If you are among the users who prefer to stick to PowerPoint, we can assume that you are having trouble saving files on your computer. 

Recently, we’ve received several complaints from users who cannot save their presentations after spending hours making them. This is very frustrating since all your hard work can disappear in an instant. 

After doing some research, we’ve found out that there several reasons why this issue occurs. 

First, it can be due to a corrupted file or data on your system that prevents PowerPoint from saving or modifying your storage. On the other hand, it can also be due to issues with your account data or PowerPoint’s installation package. 

To help you out, we’ve decided to make a guide for fixing PowerPoint if it’s not saving files on your computer. 

Let’s get started!

1. Create A New File.

If you can’t save the presentation you’ve just created, it is possible that the project you are working on encountered an error. To save your progress, try creating a new file on PowerPoint and copy all the slides you have created. 

After transferring the contents of your presentation, try saving the new project in a different folder and see if it works. 

2. Re-Login to PowerPoint. 

As mentioned above, this issue can also occur if your account data got corrupted during use. To solve this, try signing out of your Microsoft account to force PowerPoint to reload your account data. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. Inside PowerPoint, click on the File tab in the menu bar. 
  2. After that, go to the Accounts page. 
  3. Lastly, click on Sign Out
PowerPoint not saving files

After a few minutes, log back into PowerPoint and check if the problem is solved. You can also try saving your presentation after signing out of your account. 

3. Check Your Presentation. 

If you still can’t save your files on PowerPoint, we suggest reviewing all the slides in your presentation. While scrolling through the pages, look for any image, clipart, or video that is not showing up or corrupted. 

The problem could be with the elements you’ve added in the presentation, which prevents PowerPoint from saving your files. 

4. Disable Preview Pane in File Explorer.

The Preview Pane in File Explorer allows users to view the contents of files without actually opening them. However, this counts as if the file is already open by another app, placing it in ‘Read-only’ mode. 

If you can’t save an old project you are modifying, try turning off Preview Pane. Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. On your computer, launch the File Explorer and click on View
  2. Now, click on Preview Pane and ensure that it is disabled. 
PowerPoint not saving files

On the other hand, you can simply highlight another file or folder in File Explorer before saving your project. This should stop the Preview Pane from using your PowerPoint file and you’ll be able to modify it. 

5. Repair PowerPoint. 

Some of PowerPoint’s installation packages may have gotten corrupted due to random bugs and glitches on the platform. If this is the case, try repairing the software to eliminate broken data. 

Check out the steps below to guide you in the process: 

  1. First, open the Control Panel on your computer. 
  2. Now, click on Uninstall a Program and locate PowerPoint
  3. Right-click on the app and choose Change
  4. Lastly, choose the Quick Repair option and follow the prompts. 
PowerPoint not saving files

Go back to PowerPoint afterward and see if the problem is solved. 

6. Reinstall PowerPoint. 

At this point, the last option you have is to reinstall PowerPoint on your computer. Some of your files may have gotten severely corrupted and the repair tool cannot fix them anymore. 

Here’s how you can delete PowerPoint: 

  1. Launch Control Panel on your computer. 
  2. Choose the Uninstall a Program option and find PowerPoint
  3. Right-click on the app afterward and choose Uninstall

Once removed, restart your computer and reinstall PowerPoint. 

That ends our guide for fixing PowerPoint if it’s not saving files on your computer. For your questions and other concerns, leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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