No No No Dont Let It Slide Again

In this article, you'll learn nine different ways to fix the new Designer feature in PowerPoint, if your Design Ideas command is non working (or is greyed out).

While thePattern Ideascharacteristic can be extremely useful, it is frustrating when you lot become the following error message:

That's why understanding how to troubleshoot the Blueprint Ideas command is a big footstep frontward in learning how to best use information technology. Simply before you get lost in how to fix this new PowerPoint feature, let'due south beginning brand sure you lot fully understand what the new feature is.

What is the Design Ideas command (or Designer) in PowerPoint?

Designer  is the same as the Pattern Ideas  command. It can also exist chosen the Designer Pane. I will exist referring to these interchangeably throughout this commodity.

The Pattern Ideas control (orDesigner) is a new PowerPoint characteristic that generates slide layout ideas for you lot. The coolest thing virtually this feature is that it uses the content currently on your slide to create fast PowerPoint backgrounds.

Designing slide layouts is one of the biggest challenges in PowerPoint, and then hats off to Microsoft for creating this handy tool!

As you tin see in the picture above, the command gives you a diverseness of layout ideas based on the content of your slide. If you then click on a layout in theDesign Ideas pane, information technology is immediately applied to your slide equally a slide groundwork.

When information technology works, it's great. When information technology doesn't work, it sucks (big fourth dimension).  So, let's look at how to quickly fix it if it is not working for y'all.

[Sentinel] PowerPoint Designer NOT working

In add-on to the vi fixes discussed in the video to a higher place, I've included iii boosted fixes in the article below. I will continue adding to this commodity, then I recommend bookmarking this folio.

To get access to all our best PowerPoint speed grooming courses and resources, bank check out our PowerPoint Pro Membership here.

ane. Microsoft Office 365 Subscription Merely

If you exercise not have an annual Microsoft 365 subscription, you practice not have access to the PowerPoint Design Ideas command.

That ways that unless you purchase (or have access to) the latest version of Microsoft Role, you will not be given the automatic layout ideas for your slides. This is one reason why I highly recommend getting a subscription.

To learn more about the Microsoft 365 subscription, come across Microsoft's website here.

ii. Design Ideas Requires Internet Access

ThePattern Ideas control is powered by what is called Function Intelligence Services. That means that to generate layout ideas for you based on the content of your slides, PowerPoint requires internet access.

If you are working offline or have a spotty net connectedness, attempt troubleshooting your internet connection or finding a better wifi zone.

To troubleshoot your internet connection in Windows 10, simply:

1. Right-click ​the Internet Admission icon in your taskbar
2. Select Troubleshoot Problems
3. Follow the prompts to gear up your internet

Warning: Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access the internet will also disable the Pattern Ideas tab. As of correct now, the Office Intelligent Services do not work with VPN connections. So that is something else to check if Designer is not working for you.

3. Remove Mixed Shapes on Your Slide

PowerPoint Designer does not work with mixed shapes or other objects on your slide. If you add a shape, line, text box, ink or video to your slide, the Pattern Ideas command will likely not work. That'southward because it's designed to work with placeholders (editable elements set on the Slide Main) only.

And then, if yourDesigner is not working, double-check that you don't have whatsoever of these objects on your slide.

Alternatively, you tin try copying and pasting your content on a blank slide to run across if Design Ideas works at that place.

Microsoft is pushing out monthly updates as function of the Office 365 subscription, so hopefully they fix this issue in one of their future updates.

4. The ten-6-1-1-ane Content Rule

The PowerPoint Design Ideas control tin only generate slide layout ideas for sure types of PowerPoint objects and just a certain number of each of those objects.

Designer but works for up to x pictures, 6 icons, one SmartArt graphic, 1 table or ane nautical chart on a slide. I telephone call this the 10-6-1-1-1 rule for PowerPoint Designer.

Additionally, y'all cannot mix and match any of these shapes on a slide for Designer to work.

The picture show beneath shows the variety of layout ideas that Designer provides with 10 images.

Just as before long as y'all add together an 11th film,Designer doesn't work anymore. Hopefully, this is something that Microsoft fixes with a time to come update.

Depending on the size of your picture, sometimes yous tin only become 6 pictures on a slide earlier Designer stops working.

So that's another reason why your Design Ideas might not be working: You're either not using the right type of content, or you're using too many objects.

On another picture note, if you are using lots of pictures in your presentation, you lot might need to compress them to reduce your PowerPoint file size. To larn how to compress images in PowerPoint, read our guide here.

Note: If you lot utilise SmartArt to ingather your images, or fill a shape with a motion picture to get in transparent, theDesign Ideas command volition as well non work. That is because PowerPoint considers your paradigm a shape, rather than a picture show.

To learn how to make an paradigm transparent in PowerPoint, read our guide here.

5. Change Your PowerPoint Layout

Designer only generates pattern ideas for the half-dozen default slide layouts that come with PowerPoint. These 6 slide layouts include:

1. Title Slide
2. Title and Content
3. Department Header
4. Two Content
5. Championship Simply
6. Flick with Explanation

If y'all are using a custom PowerPoint layout or have tweaked one of these default layouts on your Slide Primary,Design Ideas will not work. To expand your knowledge and acquire how to set upwards (and design) new slide layouts for your templates without Designer, read our guide here.

Note: If you lot add an extra placeholder to 1 of the default 6 PowerPoint layouts on the Slide Master, that is the same as creating your own custom slide layout.

The PowerPointBlueprint Ideas command does not work with custom slide layouts. Therefore, make sure you don't add placeholders to your slide layouts if you wantDesignerto piece of work for that type of slide.

If you think you are using the correct blazon of content, you can e'er copy and paste it into a blank presentation to see if that fixes the consequence.

To change your PowerPoint layout to i of the 6 layouts that piece of work, simply:

1. Be agile on the slide layout you desire to change
2. Navigate to the Home tab
3. Open the Layout dropdown
4. Select one of the 6 default PowerPoint layouts

If you lot select one of the 6 default PowerPoint layouts andDesigner still doesn't work for you, you lot'll desire to double-check your content. See Fix #three and Fix #4.

six. Fix Design Ideas to Automatically Pop Upwardly

If the Blueprint Ideas command is working for your colleague but not for yous, it's probably related to this setting. That's because you lot can cull to use theDesign Ideas command in one of two ways:

1. Have it automatically pop up whenever it has layout ideas for yous
2. Only open when you select it in your Ribbon

To take Blueprint Ideas automatically pop up for y'all in PowerPoint, but:

1. Navigate to the File tab
2. Select Options
3. Navigate to the Full general tab
4. In the PowerPoint Designer group, select Automatically show me design ideas
5. ClickOK

With this feature agile, any fourth dimension thatDesignertin can give yous layout ideas based on the content on your slide, it will pop open.

In addition, checking theAutomatically show me blueprint ideas gives you a second option to show you suggestions for the entire presentation.

With this selection selected, when you commencement a brand-new presentation, Design Ideas will give you the usual layout ideas for your one slide.

However, when you lot choose i of those layouts, Designer will then apply an entire theme to your presentation. Furthermore, that aforementioned style volition be applied to all your slide layout options.

The theme includes slide layouts in the Slide Principal, a font combination and a colour palette. To aggrandize your knowledge and larn about how PowerPoint themes piece of work, read our guide here.

Note: You don't have to haveDesign Ideasset to automatically show upwardly to utilise Designer in PowerPoint.

At whatever time you can open theDesigner Pane for a specific slide ide. To practice that, just:

1. Navigate to the Blueprint tab
2. Click theBlueprint Ideas command

Whether or not your see layout ideas for your slide will again depend on your content, your layout, and other factors as discussed in this article.

seven. Check Your PowerPoint File Type

PowerPointDesign Ideasdoes not work with the post-obit 2 PowerPoint file types:

1. PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation (.pptm)
2. PowerPoint 2003 to 2007 Presentation (.ppt)

While y'all can save your presentations this manner, theDesign Ideas tab will not piece of work in those types of presentations. It will but appear grayed out.

To fix this, all you need to practice is save your presentation in the regular .pptx file format.

To salve your presentation in the PowerPoint Presentation file format, simply:

1. Hit Ctrl + Shift + S (or F12) on your keyboard
2. Navigate to where y'all want to save your file
3. Change the Salve equally Blazon to PowerPoint Presentation
4. ClickRelieve

If y'all were previously using a Macro-Enabled or 2003 to 2007 presentation, you should at present find that theDesign Ideas works once again.

viii. Look out for Multiple PowerPoint Collaborators

If yous are collaborating on the same slide with one or more people,Designervolition not displayBlueprint Ideas. This is truthful for you and whatsoever of the other collaborators.

Every bit presently as y'all are the simply person working on your slide again, theBlueprint Ideas command volition open itself back upward.

nine. Have Your Company Turn Design Ideas on

If y'all have the latest Microsoft 365 subscription at your office and you don't see the Designer grouping in your Design tab, it's likely that your company has turned the feature off.

TheOffice Intelligence Services is something that an IT administrator tin turn off inside your company. Therefore, if nothing else in this post works double-check with the IT department in your company.

Concluding Thoughts on Designer

So those are 9 dissimilar means to fix the PowerPoint Design Ideas command if yours is not working.

Bold y'all have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription and your company has NOT turned this feature off, the main matter to remember is to cheque your content and your layouts.

IfDesigner is not working, information technology can almost always be traced back to ane of these 2 things.Still, equally yous can come across in a higher place, in that location are several other problems you might face. That'south why it's good to know how to troubleshoot Designer when it's non working.

If y'all enjoyed this article, you tin acquire more most our PowerPoint preparation courses and other presentation resources by visiting usa here.

Your PowerPoint Misery Ends Here!

Sign up now to see how 4 lilliputian-known secrets are turning peoples' PowerPoint headaches into high-fives… and saving them at least 40 hours each year.

Y'all'll also get our newsletter with the best PPT tips on the web, which you can unsubscribe from with one click.

We collect and protect your information in accordance to our Privacy Policy

morrisonretak1953.blogspot.com

Source: https://nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/powerpoint-design-ideas-not-working/

Share this post