How to fix "Sorry, PowerPoint can't read presentation.pptx" in Microsoft PowerPoint
Sorry, PowerPoint can't read presentation.pptx.
What this error means
PowerPoint could not read the container — usually a cut-off file or a missing archive index.
Why it happens
- Incomplete download or email attachment
- File copied from a failing USB stick or SD card
How to fix it
- Create a blank presentation, then Home › New Slide › Reuse Slides, and browse to the damaged file
- Upload it here: we recover each slide that survived and list them in the free preview
About PowerPoint presentation files
A .pptx presentation is a ZIP of XML parts, one per slide, plus layouts, masters, media and a slide list in ppt/presentation.xml. Slides that survived are usually fully recoverable even when others are lost.