External people can't open files with Sensitivity Label encryption.
Question: What are the best practices for ensuring external users can open files encrypted with Sensitivity Labels? Hi all. I've been investigating proper setup of sensitivity labels in Purview, and the impact on user experience. The prerequisites are simple enough, creating and configuring the labels reasonably straightforward, and publishing them is a breeze. But using them appears to be a different matter! Everything is fine for labels that don't apply encryption (control access) or when used internally. However, the problems come when labels do apply encryption and information is sent externally. The result is that we apply a label to a document, attach that document to an email, and send it externally - and the recipient says they can't open it and they get an error that their email address is not in our directory. This is because due to the encryption, the external user needs to authenticate back to our tenant, and if they're not in our tenant they obviously can't do this so the files won't open. So, back to the question above. What's the easiest / most secure / best way to add any user we might share encrypted content with to our tenant. As I see it we have the following options: Users have to request Admins add the user as a Guest in our tenant before they send the content. Let's face it, they'll not do this and/or get frustrated. Users share encrypted content directly from SharePoint / OneDrive, rather than attaching it to emails (as that would automatically add the external person as a Guest in the tenant). This will be fine in some circumstances, but won't always be appropriate (when you want to send them a point-in-time version of a doc). With good SharePoint setup, site Owners would also have to approve the share before it gets sent which could delay things. Admins add all possible domains that encrypted content might be shared with to Entra B2B Direct Connect (so the external recipient doesn't have to be our tenant). This may not be practical as you often don't know who you'll need to share with and we work with hundreds of organisations. The bigger gotcha is that the external organisation would also have to configure Entra B2B Direct Connect. Admins default Entra B2B Direct Connect to 'Allow All'. This opens up a significant attack surface and also still requires any external organisation to configure Entra B2B Direct Connect as well. I really want to make this work, but it need to be as simple as possible for the end users sharing sensitive or confidential content. And all of the above options seem to have significant down-sides. I'm really hoping someone who uses Sensitivity Labels on a day-to-day basis can provide some help or advice to share their experiences. Thanks, Oz.
Stop scrolling across slides
Currently if you slowly scroll to the edge of a slide (to examine/edit the details there), all of a sudden you land in the adjacent slide, defeating the purpose of scrolling. My humble ask: please make mouse scrolling only move inside the same slide. NEVER jump to another slide. If near the edge, show a margin of the next slide but don't jump to it unless the mouse clicks on that margin. Page Up/Down keys should be used to jump between slides, AND jump to the exact same location of that slide -- very useful for quickly going through slides and see if elements stay in the consistent spot (elements could be different and can't be placed using the slide master). Ctrl + mouse drag = pan (feature request) Ctrl + mouse wheel = zoom (existing feature) Mouse drag alone = select (existing feature) Mouse wheel alone = scroll (existing feature -- but don't go across slides!) Page Up/Down = fly through slides (always land in the same location) Left/Right/Up/Down arrows = slow move inside slide (when no element is selected) Now imagine the productivity/experience enabled by this solution...How to Create Reusable Templates in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Templates are time-savers. Instead of recreating the same document, spreadsheet, or presentation layout every time, you can design it once and reuse it whenever you need. Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all support custom templates, helping you streamline your work and keep your materials consistent. In this post, we’ll walk through how to create and save reusable templates in each application. https://dellenny.com/how-to-create-reusable-templates-in-word-excel-and-powerpoint/
Can't indent bullet point lists in PowerPoint for Mac
If I insert a text box into a slide and create a bullet point list, I am unable to indent sub-bullet text. However, I am able to indent non-bullet point text. I am also able to indent a bullet point list if I put list in the default body text box (from the presentation master template). It is only if I manually insert a text box and try to do a list. I've had this problem for months and it's really annoying. I'm currently running Version 16.12 Is anyone else having this problem?
PDF figures inserted in Word exhibit black background
I am using Word for Mac to prepare a manuscript. I inserted a PDF figure with transparent background, which was created with Adobe Illustrator. It looks fine on my Mac. But when I transfer the document to a Windows computer, the transparent background of the figure becomes black. For other Office softwares, such as PowerPoint, similar issues also happen. I know if I convert the figure to png format would fix the issue. But I still want to stick on the PDF format since it's vector image and compatible with LaTeX. Can you figure out why is this happening and how to fix it? Thanks!!
Office.js preview features release
Office.js for PowerPoint has had a couple of preview features (getImageAsBase64, getSlideAsBase64) in preview now for nearly a year. I've done my best to search for any updates from the office.js on release timeline for these features with no luck. These two API calls are super convenient and enable features in the add-ins for PowerPoint which is near impossible to create using alternative solutions. Anyone out there with any knowledge on when we can expect these beta/preview features to be production ready?
Copilot in PowerPoint + personal account: Status of Word-from-OneDrive option
I’m trying to get a clear answer on whether a specific Copilot feature in PowerPoint is currently working for personal Microsoft accounts. The feature I’m referring to is the ability to start a new presentation from a Word file stored in OneDrive. Microsoft’s guidance says that Copilot Pro users on personal (non-work) accounts should be able to do this by either clicking a paperclip icon or typing “/” in the Create a presentation box to select the file. However, here’s what I’m seeing: - Neither the paperclip icon nor the “/” shortcut is showing me any OneDrive files in desktop or web PowerPoint. - In Word online, I can reference a file, but this doesn’t seem to appear in the desktop version. - I’ve come across mixed reports: some say the option works for them, others say it’s limited to Insider builds or specific locations. I’d like to know: 1. Is this feature fully rolled out for personal accounts with Copilot Pro? 2. Are there version, channel, or region restrictions? 3. Are there specific requirements (e.g., file must be saved in OneDrive, AutoSave on, certain privacy settings) for the feature to appear? Any confirmation from someone with official insight or firsthand experience would help clarify if this is a rollout issue or something else.Powerpoint for Mac - placeholder lines are VERY THICK after version 16.100.2
Dear MS team, After update 16.100.2 of PowerPoint for Mac, the lines of the placeholders are VERY thick. It looks terrible and under LAYOUT, you can even see the layouts design after this update. Below are some screenshots, from our corporate template and from MS standard blank template. I have reported this as well under GIVE FEEDBACK, but I also take the opportunity to post it here as well. Please fix this, thanks :)
PowerPoint JS API: Can't Create Lines with Negative Slope Using addLine
We are encountering a technical issue with the PowerPoint JavaScript API when attempting to create lines with negative slope (lines that go upward from left to right). Despite various approaches, we can only create lines with a positive slope (going downward from left to right). Reproduction Steps: Using the ShapeCollection.addLine method to create lines Attempting to create a line that goes upward (with a negative slope) Regardless of the parameters passed, the lines always render with a positive slope Code Examples and Results Example 1: Attempt to create an upward sloping line const upLine = shapes.addLine(PowerPoint.ConnectorType.straight, { left: 250, top: 300, width: 100, height: -200 // Negative height should create upward slope }); Result: Line appears to go downward with a positive slope despite the negative height value Example 2: Attempt to create two connecting lines (a V shape) // First line - downward const leftLine = shapes.addLine(PowerPoint.ConnectorType.straight, { left: 150, top: 100, width: 100, height: 200 }); // Second line - intended to go upward const rightLine = shapes.addLine(PowerPoint.ConnectorType.straight, { left: 250, top: 300, width: 100, height: -200 }); Logged Coordinates: Left line: start(150,100), end(250,300) Right line: start(250,300), end(350,100) Result: While the coordinates look correct, the actual line rendering doesn't match these coordinates. Both lines appear to have positive slopes. Expected Behavior: We expect to be able to create lines with negative slopes (going upward from left to right) by specifying a negative height value, which should represent a decrease in the Y coordinate as X increases. Actual Behavior: The API seems to normalize or ignore the negative height value, resulting in lines that always have a positive slope regardless of the height parameter's sign. Technical Environment: PowerPoint Add-in Using PowerPoint JavaScript API Impact: This limitation prevents us from creating basic geometric shapes like V, triangles, or other shapes that require lines with different slopes in our add-in. Additional Information: We've ruled out simple parameter errors by logging the actual coordinates of the lines. The coordinates appear correct in the logs but don't match what's rendered on screen. Thank you for your assistance in resolving this issue. Let me know if you'd like to include your version/platform info or tweak any part before posting!Reuse Slides Button in the Ribbon: Unavailable by Design😟
𝓝𝓸𝓸𝓸𝓸𝓸! 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 Microsoft has officially announced that the Reuse Slides Button will be deprecated on July 31, 2025 (Message Id MC 1111178). Just so you know, only a short notice was provided. It was announced on July 7, 2025 in the Admin Message Center. —𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰👇🏾 Details in this blog: POWERPOINT REUSE SLIDES MISSING TRACCreations4E #traccreations4e-p25 7/11/2025
