Slide Master Limitations: Naming, Locking, and Layering Issues
Hi Community, I’m encountering some persistent limitations when working with Slide Masters in PowerPoint that significantly impact template design and structured content management. I’d like to get insights from others who may have experienced similar challenges or found effective workarounds. Naming Inconsistencies: When custom placeholders are named in the Slide Master, these names do not persist when the layout is applied to slides. Instead, they revert to generic labels like Text Box 1, Content Placeholder 1, making it difficult to identify specific elements, especially when scripting or managing complex layouts. Locking Limitations: PowerPoint provides locking for shapes, but not for placeholders. This results in accidental content overwriting or repositioning, particularly when placeholders are intended as fixed visual elements (e.g., branded overlays or instructional text). Layering Issues: Layering behavior in Slide Masters is inconsistent. If a content placeholder is placed at the back and a visual element is placed in front, the intended layering is not respected when content is added to the slide. Content always renders above master elements, disrupting the intended visual structure. These issues are particularly disruptive in structured template environments, where content integrity and layout consistency are essential. I’d appreciate any guidance or insights from the community, especially if there are workarounds or third-party tools that can help mitigate these issues. Thanks for your input!
Force update to targeted release for Teams?
We have a number of people on the M365 targeted release option and they've been getting the updates including Teams for a while ⬇️ We also added some more people over 72 hours (3 days) ago to the targeted release option in the M365 admin center but they still don't have the Teams update They've signed out of the Teams desktop app and then signed in again to try and move things along but no change How long should this take? Is there a way of making this happen quicker? ThanksOpen in Read-Only mode pop-up option.
Good morning, I propose that MS developers add a new option to the contextual menu for document handling, which would be especially useful for online work. It is sometimes necessary to open a document in read-only mode, but there is currently no option to do so. It would be great here for example...
Actual list of updated features in Microsoft 365
As a trainer, it is infuriating that there is no single site that list what has been updated/added/modified when an update is applied in Office. I used to go to Release notes for Current Channel releases - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn, which was great. Now, all that displays is bug fixes or security updates. Can anyone provide a site which lists what has been done or added to Office? I should not have to subscribe and watch YouTube channels to find out about things like REGEXEXTRACT or TRIMRANGE, Trim operators, etc. For example, last week the pin for documents in the backstage on Open turned into a star. I figured that out, yet it would be nice to look at a list in one area. I should not have to find things out on the fly or in a class and say, "Oh. They changed that." That's ridiculous. Any help is appreciated.Seattle Conference
Join TechCon 365 coming to Seattle, June 23-27, 2025. Hear from Microsoft Product teams and Microsoft MVP's and community contributors in keynotes, sessions and ask the experts. Over 130 sessions on M365, Security and Compliance, Copilot, Power Platform, Data, Power BI and more. Register today at TechCon 365, PWRCON & DATACON - Microsoft 365 Conference, Microsoft Data Conference & Power Platform Conference - SeattleArticle on Migration of file share to SharePoint Site
I wrote an article on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/migrate-your-file-share-content-microsoft-365-site-ikechukwu-elendu-7qg6f on how to migrate file share to a SharePoint site from your on-premises PC Please look at it and give me your honest feedback. Thanks a lot.Resolved. Where Did the “Export Word to PowerPoint” Feature Go?
So here's something I almost missed… Microsoft quietly deprecated the “Export Word document to PowerPoint” feature in the Word for Web and desktop versions. No popup. No warning. Just—gone. Honestly, I didn’t notice at first because Copilot has been handling my presentations lately. It’s like having a personal assistant! 😁 I just open PowerPoint, ask Copilot to create a presentation using one, two, or even three Word documents, and watch it generate my first draft like magic. But here’s the thing—not everyone has access to Copilot. So if you're wondering where that export option went, you’re not imagining things—it’s been retired as of end of March 2025. And if someone on your team still relies on that feature, they may be caught off guard. The workaround? You guessed it—Ask Copilot. If you have access, it’s honestly more flexible and faster than the old method. Spread the word! This change is easy to miss but important to know—especially if your workflow still depends on Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. If you find this information helpful, please mark it as the best response to assist others with the same question. Thank you. #traccreations4e 3/24/2025
