Since installing Windows XP SP2, I have been unable to open
.pps files. Short of downloading Open Office which carries a .pps access, is
there any other way of regaining this access?
PPS files are created by Microsoft Office PowerPoint. PPS files are a common
distribution form for PowerPoint presentations and slide shows.
Since you indicated that SP2 broke this, I’ll assume that this was working
at some point.
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The first question is, do you have PowerPoint? If so, running Microsoft
Office’s Setup and selecting Repair should do it. If you have the PowerPoint
viewer installed, then it may also have a repair option on its Setup. Either can be
accessed through Control Panel, Add/Remove programs.
If you have neither of those, you can certainly download Microsoft’s free PowerPoint Viewer.
And finally, if you have PowerPoint or its viewer installed, you may only
need to re-assign the “pps” association. This article:
How do I make something other than “Picture and FAX Viewer” the default for
viewing pictures? discusses the steps to associate a “.jpg” file with a
graphics program. Use the same steps to associate “.pps” with PowerPoint or
with the PowerPoint Viewer.
I downloaded PowerPoint but I can’t get it to work.
It shows in my programs as well as in my start.
But when I click on it, it says I need to file it in a file.
But every file I try, it says:
Power Point Viewer cannot find the file.
Can you help me?
Thanks, Janie
Well, it’s a only a viewer, so it needs a power point file to view. Try double clicking on a PPT or PPS file instead.
Hello,
I have a user that received a powerpoint file and he is not able to view the images. Running office 2003 and an administrator I am able to view the images.
Is there something that I can do with out making him an administrator that will allow him to view the images in a PPT file.
If the powerpoint viewer was installed and made available to all users, it should just work. Exactly why it doesn’t work is hard to say without knowing how it’s failing – as in what error message you’re getting.
Good evening Leonard.
People having this problem should check out the following link;
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ppsopen.htm
And now I bid you good day, sir!
Good day!
Dr Archibald Meathammer Esq
This only relates to a OS that has a power point viewer. When receiving an E-mail with a pps file attachment, right click the name of the attachment and save it to “my documents” folder. Then open your power point viewer. The pps file should be listed under “my documents” folder. Click the pps file name, and then click “open” on the viewer. The pps file then can be viewed.
Bob
I have a disc that is a .pps file and every time I go to Microsoft Powerpoint Viewer 2003 and open it, it says “Powerpoint Viewer cannot open the file “Kindergarten 2004.pps”. Can you please tell me how I CAN view it?
When you say “a disc” – to you mean the file is on a CD-ROM? I’d start by copying the file to your hard disk before opening it. Otherwise … does it give *any* more information other than “cannot open”?
Hi I have Microsoft Powerpoint Viwer downloaded and my .pps and .ppt etc. files still will not open automatically. I do not have Microsoft office. I have the files associated with the right extensions for all and still.. will not open automatically. I put this program, Microsoft Powerpoint Viewer on right after I reforamatted my computer so no other pograms can be causing problems. If I save the .pps etc files to my desktop then the powerpoint viwer will open them, no problem so why is this happening? Please help. Thanks!!!
Not sure if this is a pps problem or not. A few times I have tried to watch a movie trailor or a commercial but all I get is the sound with not picture or movie. What can I do about this.
Not related to PowerPoint or PPS files at all. Probably you don’t have the right encoders/decoders installed for those types of video files. It depends on what type they are, and what program you’re using to view them.
Hi
I can’t seem to open PPS files straight from Outlook or when I save them to my documents. Powerpoint seems to be running fine-I’ve done all the repair actions, assigned pps files to powerpoint as directed but it still won’t work. The message is:
‘Powerpoint can not read the file ….’
Any suggestions?
xx
could I view .PPS files on palm phone (treo650) if yes how?
thanks
Not that I’m aware of.
Ive downloaded the powerpoint viewer but when I go to run it the message “this is not a valid win32 application comes up” What do i do?
Sounds like you have a corrupt download. I recommend downloading it again.
I run XP and also have the SP2 installed. To view PPS files after creating an association, simply save the file you are trying to open to a folder. Now click on the file you just saved and it will open. Cheers !!
How do you view pps files on a Mac? It has been asked several times but is there an answer?
—–BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE—–
Hash: SHA1
There is an (old) powerpoint viewer for Mac. Just search for “powerpoint viewer
mac” on the Microsoft.com site.
If that doesn’t work, I’d look into getting OpenOffice (free) and using it’s
“Impress” program, which claims to be able to work with PowerPoint files.
Leo
—–BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE—–
Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (MingW32)
iD8DBQFGICayCMEe9B/8oqERAm9iAJ4039IIFWgym2E3fdDJ3T/MxafNhwCfenPN
7EyScOtY0JI7aEZ/xbUvreU=
=5ZKX
—–END PGP SIGNATURE—–
I googled power point..chose the free 2003 one to download…saved it in “mydocuments”..when I get a pps, I save it in “my documents”…to view I go to “my documents” and right click on the item, and click “show”…works like a charm..I have XP SP2
When I open PPS files sent to me in email’s, sometimes I got an error message. It turned out that I was trying to open a link. Each sender was forwarding (?)the email, and when I finally got to the last link it opened. I stumbled on this by almost by accident. Something to look for.
I’ve just downloaded PowerPoint Viewer 2007 (is this the latest version?)so I could see an email attahment that was sent to me. I then tried to view it & a popup said, “This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Folder Options Control Panel.” I went there & under the tab, “File Types” found many PowerPoint listings & also in “Add/Remove Programs” saw the PowerPoint Viewer I just installed. I’ve read the article about default to Picture & Fax Viewer that says to 1st “close Picture & Fax Viewer” I don’t know what you are talking about. There is no “Picture & Fax Viewer”. What else do I have to do to view my email attachment? Thanks
I’ve followed all steps suggested & still get popup saying “this file does not have a program associated with it…” I note 2 differences from your guidelines and your referenced Ramesh’s Site: you say type: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\PowerPoint Viewer\pptview.exe” “%1” and he says type: “C:Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\pptview.exe” “%1” The other difference: you say go ahead and check DDS as well and he says Uncheck the Use DDE box. I’m trying to think of anything I can to be able to read the pps file emailed to me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
If the things you have listed do not fix the problem try using the info found in this site (http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/149/1/Unable-to-open-PPS-attachments-directly-from-Windows-Mail-in-Windows-Vista.html) This article makes changes to to regedit.exe entries. I did not try Ramesh’s solution as it seemed to be beyond my ablility
Thanks I have found other solutions on your site
I recently bought a new computer, with Windows Vista and although I have MS Powerpoint 2003 and 2007 I cannot play any .pps files. What am I missing? Please reply
17-Mar-2009
Am helping a friend configure new Vista laptop. Downloaded and installed PP Viewer after receiving error message trying to open a .pps attachment to e-mail. Created association. Still doesn’t work. Answers here seem only to address XP, not Vista.
I used to have power point and had to redo my computer, now everytime I download power point it don’t work….I had a site from iowa state university that had it and that 1 worked for me and now can’t find that either…I use it in outlook express ty
For those of you who have Open Office, it opens .pps files with no problem (simpress.exe)! No reason to install the Powerpoint viewer….:-)…
Janet
Using Vista. Have Office 2003 and PP Viewer 2007 installed and updated. I get my emails via Outlook Express. It’s not opening any .pps file. I have to first save the attachment, and then Powerpoint viewer 2007 will open it from the folder where it’s been downloaded to. But will not open directly from Out Express. Just weird. Will try Open Office, as suggested above.
Save the .ppt or .pps file to the Desktop. Point to the icon for the powerpt.pps file. Right click and choose open with . . . Power point Viewer. When Power Point Viewer is not on the list, we must Browse for pptview.exe. At the bottom of the Dialogue screen is a request for the file name. Copy and paste the full path to the file name, pptview.exe:
“C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\PPTVIEW.EXE”
check [/] Always use this program to open a pps or ppt file
Download PowerPoint Viewer 2007
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=048DC840-14E1-467D-8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en
On XP pro the main Power Point Viewer Program will be saved here:
“C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\PPTVIEW.EXE”
I recently bought a computer with Vista Home Premium 32 bit with SP2.I have installed MS power point viewer 2003 and 2007.Cannot open .PPS files in my e-mail [windows mail].When I try to open I get the following messages: The selected file has an extension[.pps]that is not recognized by windows.When I hit retry button the following message appears: Windows Media Player cannot play file.The player might not support codec that was used to compress this file.I do not have MS Office.All I want to do is to be able to open >PPS files in my e-mail.
Can you help???
Hi,I have downloaded powerpoint viewer several times. If .pps file is saved to my docs then it can be viewed. will not open from outlook express. Having to save and double click are too many extra steps. Can you please assist?
Hi Leo, I forgot to mention with previous comment that I have XP SP3 installed.
Same problem as Ed Ryan; in Windows Mail (Vista) I cannot open an attached pps or ppt file; I have to first save it to the desktop and open it there using the viewer. Is there no way to open it directly within Windows Mail?
Power Point Viewer has been installed, but still can not open .pps files. Following your instructions on “How do I view “PPS” files”, all went OK to window “Editing action for type….”. At this point, the “Application used…” line shows Office12 instead of Powerpoint Viewer, but I clicked OK and a window showed stating “specified program could not be found. Make sure file name and path are correct”. At this point, I need further help. Thanks.
how can i convert pps files to ppt……..
Why do some pps files open on my nokia n95 and others don’t ?
Absolutely right on advice. Have been trying to read and solve this problem for over a week. This solved my problem in less than two minutes. Thanks!!
I am running VISTA and cannot open PPS files attached to emails.Tried to save them to the desktop, but that didn’t work either.
Message is:
Usage:
/extract:path, extracts the content of the path folder
/quiet, runs the package in silent mode
/?, shows this held message
Using Vista, can’t open .pps files. Downloaded and installed PPviewer 2007, associated the files and end up with a message that reads:
Usage:
/extract:path, extracts the content of the package to the path folder
/quiet, runs the package in silent mode
/?, shows this help message
followed others advice and tried to save to desktop but still won’t open. Any help would be appreciated – this is so frustrating!
using windows 7 and windows live mail,cant open pps file attached to mail message unless i save file to documents and then open.
I also am using Vista and can’t open .pps files. I downloaded and installed PPviewer 2007, associated the files and end up with a message that reads:
Usage:
/extract:path, extracts the content of the package to the path folder
/quiet, runs the package in silent mode
/?, shows this help message
Please help
To read pps files using Windows 7 and Windows Live Mail, do the following: Download and install “Open Office.org 3.1”. Next, click on “Start”, then in the shaded area, click on “Default Programs”. On the window that opens, click on “Set your defauld program”. A box opens with a list of programs, including Open Office.org. Click on Open Office.org to highlight it. Two options will then open. Click on the one that says “Set this program as default”. Then click on OK in the lower right corner. You are finished and you can now read pps files. Happy reading.
OK.
So I’ve read all of the comments about this issue/problem and although none of the procedures or suggestions solved my inability to open .pps attachments with Windows Office PowerPoint Viewer 2007 using Windows Live Mail [running Windows 7 Home Premium x64 ], it made me think to try something that I hadn’t before.
Oh, I unstalled, reinstalled, redownloaded, rebooted, checked files assocations both thru the gui as well as surfing the registry, but all to no avail. It all worked well if I saved the file attachment and launched from explorer – but that is a PITA (as I see many others have similarly noted)
Two things struck me though. The first was that I could “Print” .pps attachments from my email msg and the second was the thread I read about MS$ confusing people over the “open” vs “show” variable for PowerPoint.
So, what I have done is to browse the registry to determine which key is associated with the pptview.exe executable (in my case it was “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTPowerPointViewer.SlideShow.11”) and I then changed the name of the subkey ‘Show’ – whose value was ‘S&how’ – to ‘Open’ – with a value of &Open.
Seems to work just fine … YMMV.
PowerPointViewer won’t display pps. zips. I can’t find an association for zip files of any type.
12-Apr-2010
I get pps attachments in some emails. The women I get them from sends very interesting and eye appeling attachments. I can open some but the ones with pps I am unable to open. I have tried to get pps on my computer but have tried every thing. I might as well give up trying to get pps as this has caused me a lot of time and frustration. Too bad there is such a thing as pps to be able to open fils!!!
Hi Leo, I noticed a link that does not work having to do with Microsoft’s free PowerPoint Viewer. This link is no longer valid. Would it be possible for you fix this?
Regarding PPS:
If you have neither of those, you can certainly download Microsoft’s free PowerPoint Viewer.
15-Apr-2010
Thank you Herald Baughman This was the only thiong that worked for me sooo happpy now!!
Is there any way of opening .pps on an iMac with Mac OS X 10.6.3?
I have powerpoint viewer. However, when I try to open a ppt file, whether from an email or from my hard drive, it won’t open it. Instead, I get the “save file” box. But, when I go to save it, I get an error message: “The converter failed to save document.”
Any suggestions? I’ve already uninstalled and reinstalled powerpointviewer.
I am unable to change the association for pps files on my desktop vista. All other pp* are associated with powerpoint viewr except the .pps format. It ALWAYS returns to IE8 ass.I never had ms office working but I uninstalled something about ms office. I know my viewer was workin previously but now it always reverts to IE and giver message unable to download due to security issues. I do not need to d/l all files are in my document folder.
I can`t open several Emails it wont let me is blocked by WINDOWS INSTALLER. Many was send and use PPS I click on it it open up for a vew seconds right after it is blocked, it piss me off.
11-Feb-2011
Is there any way of opening .pps on an iMac with Mac OS X 10.6.3?
I just opened a .pps file with Keynote, I have OS X 10.6.4, hope this helps
Got in a computer geek and I could get .pps for a while, then whatever the link was he created disappeared and I’m back to square one. Have no-idea how to reinstall Office. Help!
How to use PPS to send many pictures?
@Daniel
You can create a PPS in Power Point or Libre Office, insert the pictures and sent it to whomever you like.
When to Help in PowerPoint, clicked on Repair, inserted the CD and It worked.
Thanks.
Gilles
I merely want watch PPS travel and adventure videos..Is there a PPS phrase or library to ask for ?
@Jack
If you add filetype:ppt or filetype:pps, both common Powerpoint extensions, to your search criteria, you should get a list Powerpoint files in your search results.