[Solved] PowerPoint Won't Play Audio or Video on Windows 10

PowerPoint won't play media is a common error that may occur due to various reasons. This post provides seven workable solutions to fix Powerpoint cannot play media. Keep reading and repair your PowerPoint errors in Windows 11/10/8/7.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a renowned tool that is usually used for making college or business presentations. In MS PowerPoint, you can incorporate videos, animations, and audio recordings to uplift the quality of the presentation and make it more appealing. Nevertheless, it has been seen that sometimes PowerPoint cannot play media!

A video or an audio file in a running presentation might get stuck or demonstrate an error, which may baffle you. This issue generates due to wrong PowerPoint settings or a conflicting video format. In case this issue pops up out of the blue, consider these solutions underneath to solve PowerPoint cannot play media issue. Let's get started!

How to Fix PowerPoint Cannot Play Media (7 Ways)

 PowerPoint presentations merge a wide array of media into slideshows, and the users often include videos and audio to make the presentation more enticing. PowerPoint can't play media is one of the peskiest problems that can emerge out of nowhere. But the issue is fixable! Before moving to the solutions, here is the main timeline of the video added to fix the audio, and the video does not play in PowerPoint.

• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:51 Optimize media compatibility
• 2:13 Clean the temp folder

Here are the top 7 ways to fix this PowerPoint error. These below-mentioned methods are applicable to PowerPoint 2010, 13, 16, and 19. 

Method 1. Check the Video Format

It's possible that the video won't play or have any music if PowerPoint doesn't allow the video format. For instance, the movie won't play in PowerPoint if your file name is .swf. You must look for another movie or employ an internet video translator in this situation. 

Method 2. Convert Audio/Video to a Supported Format

If your PowerPoint presentation can't play a media file, it implies you're utilizing an unsupported video or audio format. Therefore, you need to convert your video or audio and incorporate those into your PowerPoint slide. In order to verify which MS PowerPoint version you're using in Windows, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Access the PPT presentation.

Step 2. Choose "File > Account".

Step 3. The MS Office edition will be displayed. Since PowerPoint is a component of Microsoft Office, it comes with the identical edition as your Office program. Your PowerPoint, for instance, will be 13 if you are using MS Office Professional Plus 13. You can also select About PowerPoint to affirm by doing so.

Method 3. Set the Media Compatibility

Optimizing media compatibility is the best solution to get rid of a corrupted file. Follow the below-mentioned steps to boost the video file's compatibility with your PowerPoint presentation.

Step 1. Navigate to "Info"

Visit the "Info" section situated in the "File" section. It is the foremost tab in the PowerPoint window's ribbon.

Step 2. Hit the "Check Compatibility" option

The subsequent stage is to hit the "search for issues" and hit "check compatibility" from the drop-down option.

Step 3. Hit the OK button

When you choose the "Check compliance" button, Microsoft PowerPoint will instantly identify the media files, inform you of any problems with your video clip, and make an effort to resolve them.

Press the "Ok" option once the video file optimization procedure has finished, and the problem should be fixed.

Method 4. Redownload the Video

If the MS PowerPoint upholds the video file format but cannot play it, the chances are something's off about the video. You need to play the movie outside of PowerPoint to evaluate it. Several reasons why the footage in your PowerPoint slide presentation won't play:

• The storage area is damaged.
• The movie's soundtrack isn't timely.
• There could be some files lacking from the movie.
• The actual recording is broken or tampered with.

Therefore, one of the most straightforward fixes is redownloading the video from a distinct source. Lastly, don't forget to check if the YouTube video you're using is still accessible.

Method 5. Embed the Code for YouTube Videos

Do you want to incorporate a video in your PPT from YouTube? If yes, copying and pasting the link to your PPT will not be sufficient. Instead, you will need to insert the video's code in the PPT. Therefore, the steps for embedding the code for YouTube videos are the following:

Step 1. Go to the YouTube video you want to include in your presentation using the search bar.

Step 2. Hit Share and then choose Embed to insert the movie.

Step 3. Write down the embed code.

Step 4. Select Media > Video on the Embed menu in PowerPoint.

Step 5. Paste the YouTube video code into the Online Movies section.

Step 6. Press insert.

If you've embedded an online video, validate your internet signal before your demonstration. The clarity of the video will suffer, or the video might blur due to a bad link.

Method 6. Clear the TEMP Folder

The existence of some storage media files may have an impact on the general functionality of PowerPoint and contribute to the PowerPoint cannot play media problem. To test whether removing a few temporary files has an impact, try the below-mentioned solutions:

Step 1. Windows + R button needs to be pressed together.

Step 2. Once the dialogue box opens, %temp% - this path must be typed.

Step 3. Pick out and remove any folders with the TMP path suffix.

Step 4. Reboot your machine after the leftover files have been removed.

Method 7. Open PowerPoint in Office Safe Mode

This method entails Open PowerPoint in Office Safe Mode, which can easily eliminate the PowerPoint cannot play media issues. Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Hit the CTRL key to start the program.

Step 2. You need to double-click the icons PPS, PPTX, PPT, and PPSX files.

Step 3. Until you notice a text box, keep hitting the CTRL key.

Step 4. Hit the "Yes" button if you're willing to open PPT in the office safe mode. 

How to Repair Corrupted PowerPoint Video

Are you unable to insert a video on your PPT file? This problem, "PowerPoint cannot play media", may happen anytime without prior notice! So, how can you repair a corrupted PowerPoint video?

Stop wondering, as there's a professional tool for this issue, for example, EaseUS Fixo Video Repair. Any form of video, including MP4, MOV, and AVI files, can be repaired by the video repair software. Moreover, this program can restore videos from hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, pen drives, and other storage devices. The best features of this tool are the following:

• It's 100% secure and confidential.
• Maximum success rate for MP4 repair, game video repair, MOV repair, etc.
• It has repaired 150M+ videos.

In case you have a corrupted file or videos, those can be repaired in several scenarios, which are the following:

• Shooting
• Converting
• Recording
• Editing...

Step 1. Open Fixo on your local PC. Click "Video Repair" and add the corrupted MP4/MOV/AVI/MKV/3GP/FLV/MKV/WMV video files by clicking "Add Videos".

Step 2. Move the pointer to a video and click the "Repair" button to start the single video repairing process. If you want to repair all the videos, click "Repair All".

Step 3. Wait a few minutes, and the corrupted videos will be repaired. Click the play icon to preview the videos. You can save a single video by clicking the "Save" button next to the play icon. If you want to save all the repaired videos, choose "Save All".

Step 4. If the quick repair fails, you should utilize the advanced repair mode. Click "Advanced Repair" and add a sample video. Choose "Confirm" to ensure.

Step 5. A list of detailed information on corrupted and sample videos will show up. Click "Repair Now" to start the advanced video repair process. When the repair is complete, you can view the videos and click the "Save" button to save the repaired video files to an appropriate destination.

Conclusion

PowerPoint aids you in using video, audio, and images to be highly spontaneous and interactive with the audience. But often, the issue "PowerPoint cannot play media" ensues, which no one wants to deal with. Thankfully, with the aforementioned methods, you can easily eliminate this error and give a presentation without a hassle.

These are the most practical solutions to help you repair corrupted video files. This article also includes the best software to repair corrupted PowerPoint videos: the EaseUS Fixo video repair. Download this video repair tool now and repair videos from any smartphone, dash cam, and camera. 

PowerPoint Won't Play Audio or Video FAQs

Follow the FAQs below to better understand the topic:

1. Why are my videos not playing in PowerPoint?

There are several instances why the video in your PowerPoint presentation won't play:

• The storage area is damaged.
• The music in the movie is not on time.
• Powerpoint found a problem with the content.
• There could be some files lacking from the movie.

2. How do I fix the media player not playing?

When Windows Media Player ceased functioning following the most recent Windows Update, you could use System Restore to confirm that the upgrade is to blame. In the Start menu, enter "system reset" to get started. Click System Restore in the System Settings window after choosing to Make a restore point.

3. How do I enable media playback?

To enable media playback, hit the "start" button, choose "settings"> "Apps"> "Apps and Features"> "Handle optional features"> "Incorporate a feature"> "Windows media player", after that hit "Install".

4. Why can't I insert MP4 into PowerPoint?

Suppose your multimedia file is in an accepted format but won't play in PowerPoint. In that case, you could change the media file to the suggested format or incorporate a missing codec into your computer. Transforming your video file is simpler than figuring out each unique codec's mysteries.

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