Why does PowerPoint Designer not show suggestions?

Designer needs a signed-in Microsoft account and an internet connection, and it appears on the Design tab in current Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 builds. It also stays quiet on slides with unusual content – give it a title plus a clear image or a few short bullet points and the suggestion pane populates. If it is still missing, check File, then Options, then General for the automatically show me design ideas setting.

How do I make every slide use the same font and logo?

Edit the Slide Master: View, then Slide Master, click the top parent thumbnail, set the fonts and position the logo, then close master view. Every slide inherits the change. This is also where you delete the junk layouts teams accumulate, which keeps new slides consistent.

What is the fastest way to duplicate a slide or shape?

Select it and press Ctrl+D, or hold Ctrl while dragging the object to copy it in place. For a new slide, Ctrl+M inserts one using the same layout as the current slide. These three cover the bulk of repetitive deck-building work.

How do I stop my video failing on a presentation laptop?

Embed the file with Insert, then Video, then This Device instead of linking, set the playback trigger on the Playback tab, and run Compress Media from File, then Info before travel. Rehearse with Shift+F5 on the actual machine so codec, resolution and audio surprises surface before the audience does.

How do I send a PowerPoint without huge file size or broken fonts?

Compress Pictures from File, then Info, then Compress Pictures, discard external media you no longer need, and embed fonts via File, then Options, then Save, then Embed fonts in the file. For sharing rather than presenting, export a PDF, which freezes layout and fonts for the recipient.

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