Powerpoint bug in slide show mode after software update

Question

Powerpoint bug in slide show mode after software update

Goran Hemdal 0

Hyperlinks in a Powerpoint presentation to other Powerpoint presentations point to the first slide in the destination presentation by default but may be set to point to any slide in the destination presentation by setting bookmarks. Before one of the latest updates hyperlinks to other powerpoint presentations (.pptx and .ppsx) worked in both edit and slide show mode without problems. After the software update hyperlinks to other Powerpoint presentations still work as before in edit mode, hyperlinks with explicit bookmarks work also in slide show mode, but hyperlinks without explicit bookmarks give the following error popup in slide show mode from both .pptx and .ppsx files: "This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action. Please install an app or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Apps Setting page.."

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Answer 1

Kai-H 26,135 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi, Goran Hemdal

This looks like a PowerPoint regression rather than a broken Windows file association. The fact that the same links work in edit mode and bookmarked links still work during Slide Show makes the error message misleading.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Edit each affected hyperlink and add #1 to the end of the destination, for example:

C:\Presentations\Example.pptx#1

This explicitly directs PowerPoint to the first slide. It is recommended as the simplest workaround and has resolved the same behavior after a previous update.

Alternatively, remove and recreate the link using Insert > Action > Hyperlink to > Other PowerPoint Presentation, then select the destination presentation and its first slide or bookmark.

Check File > Account > Update Options > Update Now, then restart the computer. Similar hyperlink problems have previously disappeared after a corrective Office update.

If it continues, report it through Help > Feedback and include the PowerPoint version and build number. Reinstalling PowerPoint or changing Default Apps is unlikely to help when bookmarked links already work.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you.

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Goran Hemdal 0 Reputation points

2026-07-20T11:36:16.83+00:00
Answer is not helpful as

I already know the workaround.

My set of interlinked Powerpoint presentations currently consists of 2,828 files in 776 folders, created and assembled over more than 20 years, which presentations until a software update about two weeks ago have worked flawlessly.

Most of the files that would need to be edited to have a bookmark to slide 1 added to existing non-bookmarked hyperlinks contains at least one hyperlink to other Powerpoint presentations.

I would therefore need to edit everyone of my Powerpoint files to check whether it contains a link to other Powerpoint presentations, and thereafter find and edit all links and test that the edit worked.
Kai-H 26,135 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-21T06:25:20.7133333+00:00

Hi, Goran Hemdal

Since the failure started immediately after an update, affects Slide Show mode only, and leaves bookmarked links working, this should be treated as a PowerPoint regression, not a file-association problem. The current public “recent issues” page does not list this specific bug yet.

I would not modify the presentation library. Instead, record the PowerPoint version under File > Account > About PowerPoint, then submit the issue through Help > Feedback > Report a problem. Include the file and folder counts, the exact error, and a small sample containing one working bookmarked link and one failing non-bookmarked link.

For immediate continuity, the practical option is to roll Office back to the last build on which the library worked, then temporarily disable Office updates. This avoids changing any presentation files while the regression is investigated.