Animation pane does not remain open in powerpoint

Question

Animation pane does not remain open in powerpoint

Tom Sherman 0

Does anyone have a problem with the Animation pane closing after every bullet on a slide. The pane closes and I have to reopen it every time, which was never the case in the past.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Stefano Sirri 3,170 Independent Advisor

Hi Tom,

Thank you for reaching out!

My name is Stefano and it’s my pleasure to assist you today.

Your issue has been reported by some users.

The Animation Pane should stay open while you’re editing animations, so if it closes after every bullet or animation you add, that’s not normal behavior.

I suggest to try the following steps in order to fix the problem:

Make sure PowerPoint is fully up to date.
- Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
- If the problem started after a recent update, it may be a bug in that version.
Start PowerPoint in Safe Mode to see if an add-in is causing the issue.
- Press Windows + R.
- Type: powerpnt /safe
- Open your presentation and see if the Animation Pane still closes.
Disable COM Add-ins (if Safe Mode fixes the issue).
- Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
- At the bottom, select COM Add-ins and click Go.
- Disable them all, restart PowerPoint, then re-enable them one at a time to identify the culprit.
Try creating a brand-new presentation.
- Add a text box with several bullets.
- Open the Animation Pane and apply animations.
- If the pane stays open in the new file, the issue may be specific to the original presentation.
Repair Microsoft 365.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Find Microsoft 365, click the three dots on the right> Advanced Options> under Reset click Repair. (If that doesn’t help, run Online Repair.)

If the problem started recently after an Office update and occurs in every presentation, it’s quite possible it’s a regression in the current PowerPoint build rather than something wrong with your installation.

Keep me posted.

Kind regards,

Stefano

Tom Sherman 0 Reputation points

2026-07-02T18:36:26.46+00:00

Thank you for the assistance! I went through your list and did everything you mentioned. In safe mode, it worked as intended. I went to the Add ins and the only one I have in there is a Foxit add in. I disabled that and the issue remains. I tried a new program with bullets and the animation still closes after each bullet. Any other suggestions would be appreciated!
Stefano Sirri 3,170 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-03T11:04:03.47+00:00
The fact that Safe Mode works correctly is the key clue.

It tells us that PowerPoint itself is capable of working normally, and that something loaded during a normal startup is interfering, even if it isn’t showing up as a COM add-in.

Here are a few additional things to check:

Disable PowerPoint add-ins that aren’t COM add-ins

Go to File > Options > Add-ins.

At the bottom, select PowerPoint Add-ins (instead of COM Add-ins) and click Go.

Disable anything listed there.

Check for disabled items

Go to File > Options > Add-ins.

At the bottom, choose Disabled Items and click Go.

Make sure nothing PowerPoint-related has been disabled unexpectedly.

Start Windows with a clean boot Since Safe Mode works, another application (screen recorder, graphics utility, clipboard manager, mouse software, etc.) may be injecting into Office.

Perform a clean boot by disabling non-Microsoft startup services and applications. How to perform a clean boot in Windows

Launch PowerPoint and test the Animation Pane before re-enabling services one by one.

Answer 2

John Korchok 233.9K Volunteer Moderator

When Office misbehaves, try an Office Repair. The Online Repair option is more thorough.

Tom Sherman 0 Reputation points

2026-07-02T18:37:38.9366667+00:00

Thank you for answering. I did try both the local and online office repairs and they didn't change anything.