Intermittent Missing Images in PowerPoint (Desktop App Editing on SharePoint)

Question

Intermittent Missing Images in PowerPoint (Desktop App Editing on SharePoint)

J Rajesh 0

Users are experiencing an intermittent issue where images in PowerPoint presentations are not visible to other collaborators when the file is opened in the desktop app via SharePoint.

Typically, one user is able to see and work with the images they inserted, but other users opening the same file may see missing or blank image placeholders. In some cases, the image is replaced with an error message stating that the picture cannot be displayed. This has been observed multiple times, especially when multiple users are working on the same presentation.

The issue appears to occur more frequently in scenarios involving co-authoring (multiple users editing the same slide simultaneously).

J Rajesh 0 Reputation points

2026-04-27T15:47:00.5166667+00:00

I wanted to share a few additional findings. It appears that images in PNG format are the ones being affected.

When the file is opened in the desktop app, there seems to be a delay in image rendering. During this time, AutoSave may trigger and save a new version of the file while the images are still rendering, which results in partially loaded or distorted images being saved. Consequently, the next user ends up working on this updated version where the images are already impacted.

From what I can see, we don’t have control over the users who insert or format images (for example, asking them to avoid PNG). At best, we can guide colleagues working on these to follow certain best practices on PowerPoint files.

Do you see any alternative approaches to address this?
Hin-V 14,180 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T20:47:15.61+00:00

Hi @J Rajesh

Thank you for sharing your update.

It is good to know that this issue appears to be related to a specific PNG file, particularly files with larger sizes and more complex data that are harder to render or embed.

For a reliable workaround, you could consider to optimize the PNG image immediately after inserting it.

Insert the image as usual, select the image (or press Ctrl + A to select all images on the slide).

Go to Picture Format > Compress Pictures, check Apply only to this picture (or All pictures in this file if preferred).

Check Delete cropped areas of pictures, select 150 ppi (Screen / Web) > OK.

Then press Ctrl + S to save manually and wait 10–15 seconds until the bottom status bar shows “Saved to SharePoint” or the cloud icon stops spinning. This may help ensure the PNG is fully optimized and properly embedded.

Alternatively, as you suggested, you may also consider using other image formats where possible.

To better resolve this, Microsoft’s support team will need to step in. A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.

Reference: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

Note: To create a support ticket, you need to have Microsoft 365 admin privileges and if you aren’t admin of your organization, please contact the admin of creating a new ticket.

Apologies for redirecting you to the related development team support as the moderators in this community have limited resources to check the backend information, and to get the fast and better assistance we requested for it.

If you have any additional concerns, feel free to comment below. I’m more than happy to assist.

Warm thanks and have a nice day.

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J Rajesh 0 Reputation points

2026-04-27T15:47:00.5166667+00:00

I wanted to share a few additional findings. It appears that images in PNG format are the ones being affected.

When the file is opened in the desktop app, there seems to be a delay in image rendering. During this time, AutoSave may trigger and save a new version of the file while the images are still rendering, which results in partially loaded or distorted images being saved. Consequently, the next user ends up working on this updated version where the images are already impacted.

From what I can see, we don’t have control over the users who insert or format images (for example, asking them to avoid PNG). At best, we can guide colleagues working on these to follow certain best practices on PowerPoint files.

Do you see any alternative approaches to address this?

Answer 1

Hin-V 14,180 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @J Rajesh

Thank you for sharing your concerns.

Based on your description, this issue appears to be related to a sync conflict during co‑authoring. When a user inserts an image using the PowerPoint Desktop app, the image data is uploaded and synced in the background on their side. However, during real‑time co‑authoring, especially when multiple users edit the same slide simultaneously, other users’ desktop apps might open or merge the file before the image data has fully synced to their local cache. As a result, images may appear missing or show as blank placeholders for other collaborators.

To avoid this issue, you could ask users to minimize simultaneous editing in the app, particularly on the same slide, and ensure that images are embedded rather than linked. After inserting images, please allow sufficient time for the file to fully save and sync before others open or edit it, and additionally avoid heavy simultaneous editing on slides that contain newly inserted images.

I hope this helps.

If you have any additional concerns, feel free to comment below. I would be more than happy to assist.

Note: Please follow the steps in [our documentation] to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Hin-V 14,180 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-25T22:59:42.53+00:00

Hi @J Rajesh

I wanted to check if the solution I shared earlier worked for you.

If you need any clarification or further help, feel free to reach out.
J Rajesh 0 Reputation points

2026-04-27T09:28:40.8466667+00:00

Hi Hin-V,

Thanks for the clarification—it helped me better understand the behavior with newly inserted images. Apologies if my earlier question wasn’t clear.

What I wanted to highlight is a slightly different issue: the images were already present on the slide. However, when a user opens the file in the desktop app and later reopens it (either the same user or another user), the images are no longer visible. Instead, they appear blank with a message indicating that the image cannot be loaded.

In my case, the initial version of the file was uploaded by my backend application, and the images were visible at that point. However, in a later version—after the file was opened in the desktop app and then closed and reopened—the images were no longer visible. This happens even if no edits are made to the image before saving.

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Intermittent Missing Images in PowerPoint (Desktop App Editing on SharePoint)

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