How to Fix the Most Common PowerPoint Formatting Problems

Nothing’s more frustrating than spending hours designing a PowerPoint presentation only to have your carefully crafted slides fall apart when shared on another computer or screen. Misaligned text boxes, overlapping images, and shifting fonts can quickly turn a professional deck into a visual mess.

That’s where PeerShare.co.uk comes in — an easy way to upload, share, and solve your PowerPoint formatting problems with ready-made solutions and templates. Whether you’re presenting in the boardroom, online, or in a classroom, ensuring your formatting remains consistent is essential to making a strong impression.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the most common PowerPoint formatting issues and give you practical solutions to fix them fast.

1. Font Shifts and Missing Fonts

One of the most common headaches is when fonts look different on another computer. This usually happens because the font isn’t installed on the device where the presentation is opened.

How to Fix:

• Use standard fonts: Stick to system fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman for universal compatibility.
• Embed fonts:
  1. Go to File → Options → Save.
  2. Check “Embed fonts in the file.”
  3. Choose “Embed all characters” to avoid display issues.
• Use PeerShare templates: Download slides pre-formatted with widely supported fonts to save time.

👉 Pro Tip: Embedding fonts increases file size slightly but ensures your deck looks the same everywhere.

Related keywords: PowerPoint font issues, PowerPoint embedding fonts, PowerPoint presentation problems.

2. Misaligned Text Boxes and Objects

Text boxes that shift or overlap can make your slides look unprofessional. This usually happens when slides are resized or viewed on a different screen ratio.

How to Fix:

• Use the alignment tools: Select multiple objects → Format → Align → choose Align Left, Center, or Right as needed.
• Turn on the grid and guides:
  • View → Check “Gridlines” and “Guides” to align content precisely.
• Group related elements:
  • Select objects → Right-click → Group. This keeps everything in place even if you move or resize.

👉 Bonus: Use Smart Guides to snap elements into perfect alignment automatically.

For more layout tips, check out our guide to creating balanced slide designs on PeerShare.

3. Images That Resize or Shift Unexpectedly

When images behave unpredictably during a presentation, it can ruin the visual flow.

How to Fix:

• Lock aspect ratio:
  1. Right-click the image → Format Picture.
  2. Under Size, check “Lock aspect ratio.”
• Avoid dragging corners freely: Hold Shift while resizing to keep proportions.
• Use picture placeholders: Templates with predefined image boxes keep everything consistent.

👉 Pro Tip: Save all images in PNG format for sharper display and fewer scaling issues.

4. Slide Master Not Used Properly

If your slides look inconsistent, you’re probably not using the Slide Master correctly. This powerful feature keeps fonts, colors, and layouts uniform.

How to Fix:

• Go to View → Slide Master to make global formatting edits.
• Adjust fonts, logo placement, and colors here instead of on each slide.
• Apply consistent layouts by right-clicking slides → Layout → choose your master layout.

Example use case: Corporate teams can set a branded Slide Master once and ensure every team member’s presentation looks on-brand.

👉 Pro Tip: PeerShare offers ready-made Slide Master templates to help you standardize your decks.

5. File Size Too Large After Formatting

Embedding fonts, adding images, and using animations can bloat your PowerPoint file, making it hard to share.

How to Fix:

• Compress images:
  1. Select any image → Picture Format → Compress Pictures.
  2. Choose 150 dpi or 96 dpi for online presentations.
• Remove hidden data:
  • File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document.
• Save as PDF: When sharing slides that don’t need animation, PDFs are smaller and cleaner.

👉 External Resource: Microsoft’s official PowerPoint compression guide provides more optimization tips.

6. Text and Bullet Points Overlapping

Bullet points often shift or overlap when font sizes change or when slides are viewed on a projector with a different resolution.

How to Fix:

• Use consistent bullet spacing:
  • Home → Paragraph → Adjust Line Spacing and Before/After spacing.
• Use text placeholders instead of manually created text boxes.
• Avoid overcrowding slides: Stick to 4–6 bullet points max per slide.

Example: In training presentations, clean spacing improves readability and audience focus.

7. Transition and Animation Glitches

Animations may work smoothly on your computer but lag or disappear during the actual presentation.

How to Fix:

• Keep animations minimal: Too many can overload the file.
• Use simple effects: Fade or Wipe are more reliable than complex effects.
• Test on the presentation device: Always preview before going live.

👉 Pro Tip: Save a backup version with no animations in case of technical issues.

8. Wrong Slide Size or Cut-off Content

Slides designed in the wrong ratio (4:3 vs 16:9) can appear cut off or stretched on projectors and monitors.

How to Fix:

• Go to Design → Slide Size → Widescreen (16:9) or Standard (4:3) depending on the display.
• Use “Ensure Fit” to auto-adjust content.
• Design in widescreen by default for modern displays.

👉 Bonus: Test your deck on different screens before the event.

9. Inconsistent Colors and Branding

When presentations are created by multiple people, brand colors often get mismatched.

How to Fix:

• Create a custom theme:
  • Design → Variants → Colors → Customize Colors.
• Save and share theme files: So everyone uses the same branding.
• Use the Eyedropper tool to match exact colors.

👉 Pro Tip: PeerShare templates come with pre-built brand themes to keep your slides cohesive.

10. Hyperlinks and Media Not Working

Broken links or missing videos can disrupt the flow of your presentation.

How to Fix:

• Use relative file paths: Keep linked media in the same folder as the presentation.
• Embed media directly: Insert → Video → “This Device” to ensure it stays with the file.
• Test all links before your presentation day.

👉 Pro Tip: If you’re sharing online, upload the presentation to a cloud platform like OneDrive to avoid path errors.

Final Tips to Keep Your PowerPoint Clean

• Use Slide Master to manage consistency.
• Stick with standard fonts or embed custom ones.
• Test your file on multiple devices before presenting.
• Compress and clean your file to keep it lightweight.
• Use PeerShare.co.uk to find templates that solve formatting problems instantly.

💡 Want to save even more time in Office? Check out our post on 10 Time-Saving Microsoft Word Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know.

Final Thoughts

Formatting issues don’t have to ruin your presentation. With these tips, you can fix the most common PowerPoint formatting problems quickly and confidently.

👉 Find more templates and solutions at PeerShare.co.uk — upload, share, and solve your Office challenges today.