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Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

Try to include PowerPoint in the exclusion list of your antivirus

updated on October 4, 2023

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  • When the antivirus is blocking PowerPoint, you won't be able to open your presentation.
  • Some readers received the message Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation .
  • To fix this problem, add PowerPoint to the exclusion list, reinstall the antivirus program, and check the presentation again.

Antivirus blocking PowerPoint

Have you ever toiled away on a presentation, perhaps for a new project idea or for pitching your services to a prospect, and then the morning of the big day comes, and it just won’t open?

This can be really devastating, especially if the night before, the presentation worked just fine, and you probably even rehearsed, timed it, and your workmates gave it a thumbs up.

Sometimes, the antivirus is preventing PowerPoint from opening the presentations, and you get an error message saying Your antivirus software has blocked the file you were trying to open , Then you go blank and don’t understand why this would happen.

This happens when your antivirus program and its signature files are out of date, thus preventing or blocking files from opening, including your presentations.

The error message is sent back for three reasons: incompatibility issues between your antivirus and Office, the file may be infected with a virus that your antivirus could not remove, or the file is damaged.

So, it’s important to treat the file with caution, or the file you’re trying to open is damaged.

When you get the PowerPoint antivirus error, there are some quick-fix solutions to help you restore it, as well as fix the problems based on the error message, and get back to your presentation in good time.

What can I do if the antivirus is blocking PowerPoint?

1. app powerpoint to the antivirus exclusion list.

  • Launch the  Search field and type Windows Defender.

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • Next, navigate towards  Virus & Threat protection settings .
  • Click on  Add or remove exclusions .
  • Add PowerPoint  or the whole Microsoft 365 suite to the exclusion list so that the program can be re-enabled.
  • Save your changes and reboot.

If you have installed a third-party antivirus, go to its settings and find the exclusion option. All antiviruses have it.

2. Uninstall and reinstall the antivirus program

Sometimes it helps to uninstall your antivirus and reinstall the correct version for the Windows 10 operating system. Try this and see if it fixes the antivirus-blocking PowerPoint problem, or try the next solution.

Antivirus vendors periodically provide updated virus signature files downloadable from the internet.

If your antivirus is outdated or needs an update, connect to the Internet and download the latest updates available from your antivirus software vendor.

You can also purchase a new antivirus program altogether.

We want to recommend our list of the best antiviruses that will keep your PC safe without having any compatibility problems with Windows or any other programs.

3. Recover your files if infected or damage

  • Delete the file from your system.
  • Re-create the file or restore it from a backup if you have one.
  • If the file is damaged, it cannot be correctly managed or handled by the antivirus or Office. In order to use the file again, try to recover it.

Symptoms of a damaged file give back errors when trying to open the presentation such as:

  • This is not a PowerPoint presentation
  • PowerPoint cannot open the type of file represented by ppt
  • Part of the file is missing
  • General Protection Fault
  • Illegal Instruction
  • Invalid Page Fault
  • Low system resources
  • Out of memory

There are several ways to determine whether your presentation is damaged, including opening the file on another computer. If the same behavior occurs, try creating a new file and see if it persists.

4. Try a temporary file version of the presentation

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • Right-click the file.
  • Select Rename .
  • Change old file name extension from .tmp to .pptx
  • Start PowerPoint .
  • In PowerPoint, click File , then select Open .
  • Browse to the folder that has the renamed file.
  • Try opening it in PowerPoint.

When you edit a PowerPoint presentation, the program creates a temporary version or copy of the file, named PPT####.tmp (#### represents a random four-digit number).

If you find several corresponding files, try opening each to see if one is the temporary copy of your presentation.

When issues arise with your presentation, the temporary file remains in the saved file location.

This temporary version or copy of the presentation may be in the same folder as the original presentation, or in the temporary files folder .

If there are no temporary files or copies of your presentation, or you can’t open them, try using PowerPoint Viewer as described in the next solution.

5. Use PowerPoint for web

  • Open your browser.

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • Now upload your presentation in your OneDrive.
  • Now, when you click on your presentation from OneDrive it should open automatically on PowerPoint for web.

This is a solution that worked for a few users but it’s not guaranteed to work if your presentation is too damaged. It doesn’t hurt to give it a try though.

6. Make a copy of the damaged presentation

  • Right-click on the presentation and select Copy .
  • Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer , right-click on a blank space, and click Paste .

If the file cannot be copied, it may be damaged, or resides in a damaged part of the hard disk (see solution 2). If you can copy the file, try opening it in PowerPoint.

7. Run Scandisk on your hard drive

  • Press Windows key + E to start File Explorer .
  • Right-click the hard disk drive that has the damaged presentation.

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • Select Tools tab.
  • In Error checking , click Check .
  • Select Automatically fix file system errors .
  • Select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors .
  • Click Start .

Scandisk may verify that your presentation is cross-linked and then repair the presentation, but this doesn’t guarantee PowerPoint will read it.

8. Perform a clean boot and install/reinstall the antivirus

8.1 perform a clean boot.

  • Go to the search box.
  • Type system .

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • Select Hide all Microsoft services box.
  • Click Disable all .
  • Go to Startup tab.
  • Click Open Task Manager .
  • Close Task Manager then click OK .
  • Reboot your computer.

You will have a clean boot environment after all these steps are carefully followed, after which you can try and check if you can perform a system restore.

After performing the clean boot, perform the next step.

8.2 Uninstall the antivirus

  • Install, uninstall antivirus program .
  • Run PowerPoint application.
  • Fix an error or problem, in this case to fix antivirus blocking PowerPoint.
  • Reset the computer to start normally after clean boot process.

While your computer is in a clean boot environment, try to install or uninstall the program (antivirus), or an update of it, which you had tried before clean boot but failed.

If successful, the issue has been resolved. But, if it fails, then the antivirus blocking PowerPoint issue isn’t caused by an app or service interference.

If you could not run PowerPoint before the clean boot, try and run it again while in clean boot environment. If it runs correctly or your presentation opens, then the issue is caused by an app or service interference.

If you manage to boot in Safe Mode, perform a clean boot to eliminate any software conflicts that may be causing the antivirus blocking system restore problem in Windows 10.

Performing a clean boot for your computer reduces software-related conflicts that can bring up the root causes of the problem.

These conflicts can be caused by applications and services that start running in the background when you start Windows normally.

Follow the next procedure described below to fix an error or problem after a clean boot.

9. Troubleshoot the Powerpoint blockage

  • Log on using the administrator account.
  • In the search box, type msconfig .
  • Select System Configuration from the results.

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • Click to check the  Hide all Microsoft Services box.
  • Click to select the upper half of the boxes in the Service list
  • Click OK , and then click Restart
  • After the restart is complete, check if the antivirus blocking PowerPoint issue persists.

If the problem persists, repeat the above steps but this time clear the lower half of the boxes in the Service list you selected before.

If the problem goes away, repeat the above steps but only select the upper half of the boxes that are unchecked, and repeat the steps until you have selected all boxes.

Suppose the antivirus blocking PowerPoint problem persists when only one service is selected from the Service list. In that case, that is the service causing the problem, after which you can contact the program manufacturer to see if this can be resolved.

Alternatively, run System Configuration utility then click to clear the checkbox for the problem item. Reset the computer to start normally after clean boot process

10. Reset your PC

  • Go to the search box and type msconfig .
  • Select System Configuration .
  • Go to the General tab.
  • Click Normal startup .
  • Click Services tab.

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • Click Enable all .
  • Click Startup tab .

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  • In Task Manager, enable all your startup programs
  • Click OK , if prompted to restart, click Restart .

Follow the steps above to reset your PC and restart it properly. Check if your presentation works now.

Did any solutions here help you fix the Presentation cannot be opened issue caused by your antivirus? Let us know in the comments section below.

More about the topics: antivirus , Powerpoint guides

Milan Stanojevic

Windows Toubleshooting Expert

Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He's a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology. Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he's one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.

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FIX: The Presentation Cannot be Opened in PowerPoint (Solved).

PowerPoint is a powerful tool that can be used to create or view presentations. One of the common errors that PowerPoint users have encountered is " Sorry, PowerPoint can't read file…The Presentation cannot be Opened. Your Antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation ", or " PowerPoint found a problem with content in PPT file ."

FIX The Presentation cannot be Opened

This generally happens if the system is blocking the file or because of certain settings in PowerPoint application.

If you have problems opening a PowerPoint file on your system don’t panic. In this guide, we have compiled some fixes that will help you to solve the following PowerPoint errors:

  • PowerPoint found a problem with content in PPT file.
  • Sorry, PowerPoint can't read PPTX file.
  • Presentation Cannot be Opened.

How to FIX: Cannot open PowerPoint file in Windows 10.

Before proceeding with the methods listed below to fix errors when trying to open a PowerPoint presentation, try the following:

1. Check the name of the PowerPoint file you can't open and make sure it doesn't contain any dots other than the dot before the "pptx" extension. Files with such names sometimes are flagged are malicious by the antivirus programs.

For example, if the PowerPoint file is named "Presentation_File.19.10.2020.pptx", then remove all other dots from the name except the ".pptx" (e.g. rename the file to "Presentation_File_19_10_2020.pptx")

2. If the PowerPoint file comes from a trusted source and your antivirus program blocks the file, temporarily disable your antivirus program and then try to open the PPT file.

Method 1: Unblock the PowerPoint File

If you are seeing the error "Sorry, PowerPoint can't read .PPTX file" in a PowerPoint file downloaded from the internet or received as an attachment in your mail, then unblock the file and then try opening it by using the steps below.

1. Right-click on the PowerPoint file that is not opening and choose Properties from the menu.

clip_image001

2a. In the properties window, make sure you are in the General tab.

2b. At the bottom of the window, check the Unblock option next to the security warning message "This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer ", and then click Apply & OK to save the setting.

Unblock Security

3. Finally try to open the PowerPoint file that you cannot open.

Method 2. Turn Off the Protected View settings in PowerPoint.

1. Open the PowerPoint application. 2a. Click on the File menu and…

clip_image003

2b. …choose Options from the left-hand side.

clip_image004

3. From the PowerPoint Options window, choose Trust Center at the left and click to to open the Trust Center Settings.

Powerpoint Options - Trust Center

4. In the Trust Center window that opens:

1. Choose Protected View from the left-hand side. 2. Untick all the three options from the right side as shown below. 3. Click OK to apply the change.

Disable Protected View PowerPoint

5. Click OK again to close the PowerPoint Options window. 6. Now try to open PowerPoint presentation.

Method 3: Create a copy of the PPT file that does not open.

In some cases, a presentation cannot be opened because it is either damaged or stored in a wrong/corrupted location on the disk. So try to copy the presentation to a different location (folder) on the disk. To do that:

1. Select the damaged PPT File.

2. Press CTRL + C keys to copy the PPT file.

3. Navigate to your desktop (or any other location you want) and press the keys Ctrl+V to paste the file.

4. Now try to open the presentation.

Method 4: Create a blank PPT file in the same location as the damaged PPT file. *

* Note: Although this method may seem a little weird, it seems to work in some cases.

1. Open PowerPoint application. 2. From the File menu click New and then click Blank Presentation .

Create Blank Presentation

3. Now press the Ctrl+S keys to open the "Save As" window.

4. In the Save As window, browse to the location where the damaged PPT file is present.

* Note: In this case, the problematic PPT file is in Desktop, hence navigating to the Desktop location.

5. Give a suitable name to the Presentation and Save it to the same location where the damaged Presentation is.

image

6. Try to open the damaged PPT file.

That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

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Cannot Open PowerPoint Presentations in Windows 10

When the issue occurred, the following error message is displayed:

Powerpoint found a problem with content in X:\Path\Filename.pptx. Powerpoint can attempt to repair the presentation. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); If you trust the source of this presentation, click Repair.

User is presented with “Repair” or “Cancel” button. But clicking or tapping on Repair does not fix the issue. Instead, it throws another error message with a “Show Help” button:

Sorry, Powerpoint cannot read X:\Path\Filename.pptx.

Upon clicking on “Show Help”, the following message is displayed:

The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation.

The issue seems to happen as Windows 10 and PowerPoint app try to protect and block suspicious files from been accessed or executed. Try the following fixes which can help to resolve the issue.

Method 1: Unblock the PowerPoint Files

  • Right click the affected PowerPoint presentation.
  • Choose Properties from the the pop-up context menu.
  • Click OK or Apply .
  • Open the PowerPoint file again.

Method 2: Disable Protected View in PowerPoint

  • Open Microsoft Office PowerPoint program.
  • Go to File -> Options .
  • Enable Protected View for files originating from Internet
  • Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations
  • Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments
  • Click or tap OK when done.

Method 3: Reinstall Microsoft Office

Try to uninstall Microsoft Office and then reinstall Microsoft Office in Windows 10 may help to eliminate the problem. Then, you can try to open the PowerPoint presentations again.

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powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

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Corrupted Presentation Recovered Magically

When I tried opening the file directly, PowerPoint said file is corrupted . Tried to repair it but it was in vain.

Then I opened it with google chrome browser. The same file downloaded again. When I tried to open the downloaded file directly with PowerPoint, alas! it opened.

Same thing happens when I downloaded it from Free Download Manager (FDM). (Actually I tried opening it using Firefox. Since Firefox is integrated with FDM that happened.)

But when I tried to open it using Internet Explorer ("Save As..") the newly saved file was as the same as the original. For Microsoft Edge nothing happened.

This was what PowerPoint had to say: The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation.

So I turned "Real Time Protection" off in my Virus Guard (Defender) and tried to open it again but the same message popped up.

There were some other .pptx files in the same folder of the original file and they open just fine.

Although the original file doesn't open in PowerPoint, it's shown in the preview pane without a problem.

The HEX files of both the original and the cleaned are identical.

My problems are:

Why PowerPoint treat the two files differently?(Although the HEX files are identical.)

Is there some cleaning mechanism involved when we download a file? (For instance when a download is completed in Edge, it does a further processing saying "Scanning".)

If so, what are the changes made to the file by that cleaning process? (The properties were identical for both original and cleaned one.)

Is there any inbuilt security system in PowerPoint?

Are there any other factors/reasons contributing to this scenario?

What are the other situations in which this phenomena can be exploited?

  • microsoft-powerpoint

user2974951's user avatar

  • Then how was it possible? @Ramhound –  user2974951 Commented Jan 5, 2017 at 14:03
  • if there's no difference between the cleaned one and the original, how come PowerPoint says original is corrupted and opens cleaned one without a problem? –  user2974951 Commented Jan 6, 2017 at 2:22
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat . –  user2974951 Commented Jan 6, 2017 at 2:25
  • Where did I asked about edge? –  user2974951 Commented Jan 6, 2017 at 4:09
  • It wasn't about Edge, but browsers in general. –  user2974951 Commented Jan 6, 2017 at 4:53

If PowerPoint gives you error messages when you try to open a file you've downloaded from the internet, right-click the file's icon, choose PROPERTIES, then on the General tab of the Properties dialog box, check for a button marked UNBLOCK.

If it's there, click it. Close the Properties dialog box and try opening the file again.

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powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

How To Fix “Sorry, PowerPoint can’t read” in Windows 10 / 11

At times we might have come across this error that says the PowerPoint file cant read and wondered what is causing the issue. This issue is generally seen under the following circumstances:

  • The PowerPoint file is downloaded from an unknown source from the internet
  • The PowerPoint file looks unsecured to the system
  • The PowerPoint file is corrupt.

In this article, let us discuss various ways to fix the “Sorry, PowerPoint can’t read” issue in Windows 10. Here we see various issues to fix the first two issues mentioned above. However, if the file is corrupt, these Fixes won’t work.

Table of Contents

Fix 1: Unblock the PPT file from Properties

Step 1: Right-click on the PowerPoint File you need to open and Choose Properties

Properties

Step 2: In the Properties window,

  • Make sure you are in the General tab
  • Under the Security section, Tick on the Unblock option as shown below
  • Click on OK
  • Finally, Press OK

Unblock Setings

Try if this works and check if you will be able to open the PowerPoint File. If not, try the below fix.

Fix 2: Disable Protected View from Trust Centre Settings

Step 1: Open a Microsoft PowerPoint and click on the File menu option as shown below.

Step 2: In the window that opens, click on Options from the left-hand side menu.

Step 3: From the PowerPoint Options window that opens,

  • Choose Trust Center from the left-hand side
  • Click on Trust Center Settings

Step 4: From the Trust Center Settings window that opens,

  • Choose Protected View from the left-hand side menu
  • Untick the option Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet
  • Untick the option Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations
  • Untick the option Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments

Step 5: – Now, Click on Save in Next window which is till open.

In the right side , Scroll down and click on Delete Cached files

Step 6: – Click on Delete cached files

Step 7: Click on OK in PowerPoint Options

Step 8: Try opening the PowerPoint File that had issues.

Check if this resolves the issue. If not, try the below fix.

Fix 3: Temporarily Disable your Antivirus

Some times, when the PPT is downloaded from unknown, not so secure sources, the antivirus program in the system blocks it. If you have got the PPT from a trusted friend of yours or a trusted site, disable the antivirus program. Try opening the PPT file and enable the antivirus program back.

Check if this fix works, if not, try the next fix.

Fix 4 – Repair Microsoft Office

1 – Press Windows key and R key together from keyboard to open RUN command box

Type appwiz.cpl in it and click OK

2 -Now, Locate your microsoft office from the list. Right click and select change .

3 -Now, click Quick repair and then click OK .

Wait for it to repair microsoft office. Now, try again.

Fix 5: Update the PowerPoint Application

Step 2: In the window that opens,

  • Click on Account from the left-hand side menu.
  • Click on Update Options
  • Choose Update Now

Step 3: Restart your PC and try to open the file and check if the issue has fixed. If not, this might mean that the PPT is corrupted and cannot be opened.

That’s all. We hope this has been informative. Thank you for Reading. Kindy comment and let us know if this article helped you.

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powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

PowerPoint isn't responding, hangs or freezes

Problems with newer versions of PowerPoint hanging, freezing or not responding may occur for one or more of the several reasons. Try these solutions in the order listed below:

Install the latest Office updates

Send a frown to the Office product team

Check whether powerpoint is in use by another process, investigate possible issues with add-ins, repair office, check to see if your antivirus software is up-to-date, check whether antivirus software is conflicting with powerpoint, change printer defaults.

Try some advanced troubleshooting solutions

Install the latest updates

Installing any important, recommended, and optional updates can often correct problems by replacing out-of-date files and fixing vulnerabilities. To install the latest Office updates, see Install Office updates .

You can also attempt to get updates manually at any time. If installing the latest Office updates doesn't resolve your issue, continue to the next step.

If you're using Office 2016, on the File tab in PowerPoint, select Feedback . Click Send a Frown . (The Feedback pane opens on the right side of the PowerPoint window.)

Describe the problem, and then please select the Include diagnostic and usage data box. (Sending diagnostic data to the Office product team allows it to analyze the context in which your problem has occurred. This helps the team determine what needs to be fixed in the software.)

Click Submit to transmit the feedback to the Office team.

If PowerPoint is in use by another process, this information will be displayed in the horizontal status bar at the bottom of the screen. If you try to perform other actions while PowerPoint is in use, PowerPoint may not respond. Let the task in process finish its job before attempting other actions.

If PowerPoint is not in use by another process, continue to the next step.

While add-ins can enhance your experience, they can occasionally interfere or conflict with PowerPoint. Try starting PowerPoint without add-ins to see if the problem goes away. Here’s how:

If you're running Windows 10, click the Start button in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Type PowerPnt /safe , and then click OK .

If the issue is resolved, on the File menu, click Options , and then click Add-Ins .

Select COM Add-ins , and then click Go .

Click to clear all the check boxes (Disable the Add-ins) in the list, and then click OK .

Restart PowerPoint.

If the issue does not occur, start enabling the add-ins one at a time until the issue occurs. This will allow you to figure out which add-in is causing the problem. Be sure to restart PowerPoint each time you enable an add-in.

If disabling add-ins did not resolve your issue, continue to the next step.

Repairing your Office programs can resolve issues with PowerPoint not responding, hanging, or freezing by automatically repairing errors in the file.

Close any Microsoft Office applications that are running.

Open Control Panel , and then open Programs and Features .

In the list of installed applications, right-click your version of Microsoft Office , and then click Change and select Repair .

If repairing your Office programs did not resolve your issue, continue to the next step

If your antivirus software is not up-to-date, PowerPoint may not function properly. Download the latest updates by visiting your antivirus software vendor’s website.

For a list of antivirus software vendors, see Consumer security software providers

If your antivirus software includes integration with PowerPoint, you may experience performance issues. In this case, you can disable all PowerPoint integration within the antivirus software. Or, you can disable any antivirus software add-ins that are installed in PowerPoint.

Warning:  Changing your antivirus settings may make your PC vulnerable to viral, fraudulent, or malicious attacks. Microsoft does not recommend that you attempt to change your antivirus settings. Use this workaround at your own risk.

You may have to contact your antivirus software vendor to determine how to configure software to exclude any integration with PowerPoint or to exclude scanning in PowerPoint.

If updating you antivirus software, and excluding it from integrating with PowerPoint did not resolve your issue, continue to Advanced Troubleshooting.

PowerPoint loads a default printer, and changing this setting may resolve the issue:

Open the Control Panel , and then open Hardware and Sound .

In the list of printers, right click on either the Microsoft XPS Document Writer or Send to OneNote.

Select Set as default printer from the menu.

Advanced troubleshooting

This section is intended for more advanced computer users.

Perform a Selective Startup to determine if another program is conflicting with PowerPoint

When you start Windows normally, several applications and services start automatically and then run in the background. These applications and services can interfere with other software on your PC. Changing your startup settings can sometimes help you resolve issues.

Windows 10 Startup Settings (including safe mode)

If performing a Selective Startup does not resolve your issue, please contact Microsoft Support .

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Problems with Microsoft PowerPoint ¶

On Windows 10, Microsoft PowerPoint of Office 2016, Office 2013, Office 2010 or most other versions cannot open, view or play the PowerPoint presentations ( .ppt , .pptx , and other file extensions) that were previously downloaded from email or Internet, or synced through ICDC Disk, DropBox, Google Drive, OneDrive and etc.

When the issue occurred, the following error message is displayed:

Powerpoint found a problem with content in X:\Path\Filename.pptx . Powerpoint can attempt to repair the presentation. If you trust the source of this presentation, click Repair.

User is presented with Repair or Cancel button. But clicking or tapping on Repair does not fix the issue. Instead, it throws another error message with a Show Help button:

Sorry, Powerpoint cannot read X:\Path\Filename.pptx .

Upon clicking on Show Help , the following message is displayed:

The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation.

The issue seems to happen as Windows 10 and PowerPoint app try to protect and block suspicious files from been accessed or executed. Try the following fixes which can help to resolve the issue.

Method 1: Unblock the PowerPoint Files

Right click the affected PowerPoint presentation.

Choose Properties from the the pop-up context menu.

On the General tab, select (tick) the check box for Unblock at the bottom.

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

Click OK or Apply .

Open the PowerPoint file again.

Method 2: Disable Protected View in PowerPoint

Open Microsoft Office PowerPoint program.

Go to File -> Options .

In the PowerPoint Options dialog box, go to Trust Center , and click on Trust Center Settings button in the left panel.

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

In the Protected View tab, deselect the following 3 options to disable Protected View which open files in restricted mode:

  • Enable Protected View for files originating from Internet
  • Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations
  • Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments

powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

Click or tap OK when done.

Method 3: Reinstall Microsoft Office

Try to uninstall Microsoft Office and then reinstall Microsoft Office in Windows 10. It may help to eliminate the problem. Then, you can try to open the PowerPoint presentations again.

Powerpoint 2013 Issue Opening Presentation

When I open a powerpoint presentation that I created I get the following message:

The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation. I have disabled the AV and the error message still occurs. I have tried both Powerpoint 2003 and Powerpoint 2007.

To try to insert slides into a blank presentation, follow these steps or make use of following resources where you can find different solutions for damaged PowerPoint documents

https://onlinefilerepair.com/en/powerpoint-repair-online.html PowerPoint repair online https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/d86b2642-590d-4234-a173-f777ad40a0d7/powerpoint-file-crashes-powerpoint-upon-opening?forum=officeitproprevious http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/how-to-open-powerpoint-file/

The steps, which are mainly required for this solution, are shown below:

Open MS PowerPoint program. Click on Office button (on top of the left side).

A window will be appearing. Now select corrupt PowerPoint file from the system directory.

Click on the arrow of Open button. A list will be scrolled down.

From the list, click on Open and Repair. After some seconds, the file will be repaired and opened. Note: Though this solution efficiently works with corrupt files, but if it does not work we must try the following solutions.

Try to open a corrupt file in OpenOffice.org Impress.

Open a corrupt file in MS Word. If it gets opened, we can recover at least the text part of the presentation file.

Try to import the slides from the damaged file into a new file.

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  • Answers and Comments

usage ×11,987 rational-quality-manager ×10,950

question asked: Jun 17 '15, 12:35 a.m. question was seen: 6,579 times last updated: Jun 17 '15, 1:59 a.m.

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Trouble opening downloaded .ppt files in Powerpoint 2013

(1636) | asked Jun 17 '15, 12:35 a.m.

   Log into QM Project Area of the RQM  server

Click Reports > Browse > Shared Reports to view all shared reports Select an report type for ex:” ” Customize that report by saving a copy of it  with the parameters you have selected Finally click the Run Button the Report result will be displayed. Now, Click on the Export option and an new window dialog  will be opened . User can export a report to the selected format like Excel , PDF ,Word, PowerPoint etc.. Finally Click on the Submit dialog box.

Every time I double click on a PPT I get the message:

"The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation."

I tried all the possible workaround solution,its not working

(7.7k21114139) | answered Jun 17 '15, 1:59 a.m.  ).
In comment 15, it is noted that there is a workaround. Please have a try:
 
Export the report as a .ppt file. If you try and open this in PowerPoint 2013, it will throw an error which you have seen. Rename the file, changing the file extension from .ppt to .pht. Then open it in PowerPoint. The report should come up as expected. Then File > Save As.. and save it as a regular (.pptx) presentation. This won't let you dynamically generate reports in .pptx format, but it will at least let you view them manually.

There is a RFE

for the issue but at the end it is subject to BIRT defect which RQM report is relying on.

I hope this helps.

Your answer

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I can't open any powerpoint files i download

  • Thread starter Thread starter asteriasylvester
  • Start date Start date Nov 25, 2012

asteriasylvester

  • Nov 25, 2012

The reason is always like this: The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirusprogram is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation. Please somebody help me to solve it.  

news: [email protected] ... Click to expand...
The reason is always like this: Click to expand...
The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and >the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the Click to expand...
Please somebody help me to solve it. Click to expand...
  • Jul 7, 2013

Obviously they were corrupted, make use of how to fix powerpoint file corrupt This item http://www.fixcorruptedpowerpointfile.powerpointfix.com will aid you to open powerpoint documents  

wrote in message Obviously they were corrupted, make use of how to fix powerpoint file corrupt This item http://www.fixcorruptedpowerpointfile.powerpointfix.com will aid you to open powerpoint documents Since you included the word "any" in your subject line I assume you have tried to open numerous PPT files and they don't open. Do you have the PowerPoint program on your computer or just the PPT reader? Perhaps the wrong program is being used to try to open the files. Save one to your desktop, right click it and choose "open with" to see what program is trying to open it. If it's not your PPT program or reader change it..click a checkmark in the "always use this program for this type file" and try to open them again.  

halfordcargo

  • Oct 24, 2013

open file properties and click unblock button.  

padmasinekg

  • Jul 14, 2014

Sir, I am unable to open my pptx. I showing repair, ihave tried all the online solution to open but unable toopen it. So please its very important presentation for me. So kindly requested to repair the file and make the file wok Comment: show while opening my presentation The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirusprogram is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation. please give some solution ASA.  

Sir, I am unable to open my pptx. I showing repair, ihave tried all the online solution to open but unable to open it. Click to expand...
  • Sep 17, 2014

The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirusprogram is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sure you turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation.  

insomniacatheist

  • Sep 19, 2014
open file properties and click unblock button. Click to expand...

kayer.jenkins005

  • Sep 24, 2014

This Software takes few seconds to recover corrupt PowerPoint files and restores all data such as image, spreadsheet, text, graph and stored procedures from corrupt PowerPoint files. Try:- http://www.recoverydeletedfiles.com/powerpoint-file-recovery-tool.html  

matt.livigne

  • Sep 25, 2014
The reason is always like this: The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent youfrom opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If you do this, make sureyou turn on your antivirus program again after you open the presentation. Please somebody help me to solve it. Click to expand...

davidversace077

  • Oct 14, 2014

If your file is truly corrupt, there are a number of things you can try to recover it. Firstly try a third-party recovery tool PowerPoint Repair softwaew. You may download it on :- http://www.recoverfilesdata.com/powerpoint-recovery-software.html use free demo version.  

  • Dec 8, 2014

I have just got off the phone to microsoft with the answer. I use Vista with Microsoft Office 2010 I could not open files downloaded by clicking on them without getting error message. I had to save then open Powerpoint 2010 then click open file search for file and then open. Simple fix. Open Powerpoint Click File Click options Click Trust Centre Click Trust Center Settings Click Protected View Untick first three boxes and all is well for a merry Microsoft Xmas  

  • Nov 5, 2017

Thanks a lot guys!!!! You reallllllly help me out there..if felt like the solution comes out from nowhere n it solves my problem that i face for a week in a blink of eyes..thank you guys.you really help me out there.thanks all..keep the good work!  

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Powerpoint Issue Opening Presentation

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IMAGES

  1. Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

    powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  2. Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

    powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  3. Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

    powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  4. Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

    powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  5. Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

    powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

  6. Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

    powerpoint the presentation cannot be opened your antivirus

VIDEO

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  5. PowerPoint to Video

  6. PowerPoint Not Responding Not Opening in Microsoft 365 On Windows 11/10

COMMENTS

  1. Fix: The Presentation Cannot be Opened [Antivirus error]

    Right-click on the presentation and select Copy. Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer, right-click on a blank space, and click Paste. If the file cannot be copied, it may be damaged, or resides in a damaged part of the hard disk (see solution 2). If you can copy the file, try opening it in PowerPoint. 7.

  2. Powerpoint 2013 error: The presentation cannot be opened

    "The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again.

  3. FIX: The Presentation Cannot be Opened in PowerPoint (Solved)

    1. Right-click on the PowerPoint file that is not opening and choose Properties from the menu. 2a. In the properties window, make sure you are in the General tab. 2b. At the bottom of the window, check the Unblock option next to the security warning message "This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer ...

  4. Error: Can't read file, or Presentation cannot be opened

    Open Windows File Explorer (Open Start in Windows and type File Explorer.) Locate the problematic file on your computer. Right-click the file and select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, look for an Unblock button near the bottom right. If it exists, click Unblock, then click Apply, and then click OK to dismiss the dialog box.

  5. PowerPoint Presentation Blocked Under Properties > General tab

    "PowerPoint found a problem with content in [path to file]. PowerPoint can attempt to repair the presentation. If you trust the source of this presentation, click Repair" We do trust the source, so we clicked Repair. Then we got this error: "The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation.

  6. FIX: The presentation cannot be opened [Antivirus error]

    Try PC HelpSoft Driver Updater here: https://store.pchelpsoft.com/clickgate?uid=1020685&crid=12414&wid=1593&dest=https://www.pchelpsoft.com/driver-updater/en...

  7. Cannot Open PowerPoint Presentations in Windows 10

    Method 1: Unblock the PowerPoint Files. Right click the affected PowerPoint presentation. Choose Properties from the the pop-up context menu. On the General tab, select (tick) the check box for Unblock at the bottom. Click OK or Apply. Open the PowerPoint file again. Method 2: Disable Protected View in PowerPoint.

  8. Fix- The presentation cannot be opened , Can't open PPT file in Windows

    Disabling Protected View settings in PowerPoint may solve the problem. 1. Click on the Search box and then type " PowerPoint ". 2. Now, click on " PowerPoint " to open it on your computer. 4. In the PowerPoint window, click on " File " in the menu-bar. 5. Then scroll down through the menu and then click on " Options ".

  9. Corrupted Presentation Recovered Magically

    The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again.

  10. PowerPoint can't open downloaded presentation files

    "The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again.

  11. How To Fix "Sorry, PowerPoint can't read" in Windows 10 / 11

    Step 1: Open a Microsoft PowerPoint and click on the File menu option as shown below. Step 2: In the window that opens, Click on Account from the left-hand side menu. Click on Update Options. Choose Update Now. Step 3: Restart your PC and try to open the file and check if the issue has fixed.

  12. Powerpoint downloaded from online will not open (nothing works to fix

    'The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again.

  13. FIX: The Presentation Cannot be Opened in PowerPoint (Solved)

    FIX: The Presentation Cannot be Opened in PowerPoint (Solved)PowerPoint is a powerful tool that can be used to create or view presentations. One of the commo...

  14. PowerPoint isn't responding, hangs or freezes

    Select COM Add-ins, and then click Go. Click to clear all the check boxes (Disable the Add-ins) in the list, and then click OK. Restart PowerPoint. If the issue does not occur, start enabling the add-ins one at a time until the issue occurs. This will allow you to figure out which add-in is causing the problem.

  15. Problems with Microsoft PowerPoint

    The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again.

  16. Powerpoint 2013 Issue Opening Presentation

    When I open a powerpoint presentation that I created I get the following message: The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then ...

  17. Trouble opening downloaded .ppt files in Powerpoint 2013

    "The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again.

  18. I can't open any powerpoint files i download

    Nov 25, 2012. #1. The reason is always like this: The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirusprogram is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus ...

  19. Unable to open any PPT in PowerPoint 2013

    Setting the service to automatic and starting the service will fix protected mode. Please follow the following steps to do so: Go to Control Panel. Go to Administrative Tools. Open Services. Right click "Windows Firewall" and click Properties. Change Startup type to "Automatic" and click OK.

  20. Powerpoint Issue Opening Presentation

    The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again.

  21. Trouble opening downloaded .ppt files in Powerpoint 2013

    The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again. If ...

  22. Unable to open presentations in PowerPoint from SharePoint

    The presentation cannot be opened. Your antivirus program may prevent you from opening the presentation. To fix this problem, make sure your antivirus program is current and working correctly. If the problem persists and the presentation is from someone that you trust, turn off your antivirus program, and then try to open the presentation again ...