PowerPoint found a problem with content

In order to resolve this, you need to disable protected views settings from the application.

• Open PowerPoint and click on File from the ribbon at the top left of your screen.
• From the File menu, select Options at the bottom of the vertical menu.
• In the PowerPoint Options menu, select Trust Center.
• In the Trust Center menu, click to open Trust Center Settings.

• From the Trust Center dialog, select Protected Views and uncheck the following options
  • Enable Protected View For Files Originating From The Internet. – controls documents opened from a website.
  • Enable Protected View For Files Located In Potentially Unsafe Locations. – controls files opened from folders considered unsafe, such as Temporary Internet Files, etc.
  • Enable Protected View For Outlook Attachments. – controls email attachments.

• Click Ok to save the changes.

Now, restart your PowerPoint application and open the PPT file that was previously triggering the “PowerPoint found a problem with content cannot repair” error.

If the PPT file was obtained from an external source like email, downloaded from the internet, or USB drive which is not considered as a secure location then it will not open. In order to resolve this, you need to add the folder to the Trusted locations in the application.

• Open PowerPoint and click on File.
• From the File menu, select Options.
• In the PowerPoint Options menu, select Trust Center.
• In the Trust Center menu, click to open Trust Center Settings.
• From the Trust Center dialog, select Trusted Locations and click on Add new location.
•  From the Microsoft Office Trusted Location window, click on Browse and navigate to the location of the file. Then, click Ok to add the new trusted location.

• Restart your PowerPoint application and see if the issue has been resolved.

Now, restart your PowerPoint application and check if “PowerPoint found a problem with content” error has been resolved.

It is best to move the file to a local folder that is not affected by synchronized Software like OneDrive, DropBox, etc.

• Go to the synchronized directory where you have the problematic file.
• Select the file and press Ctrl + C to copy Or Right-click on the file and select Cut.
• Navigate to a local directory and press Ctrl + V to paste the file. Or right-click on the empty space and select Paste.
•  Open the file and check if it works.

If you are accessing the file from a network location, please follow the below-mentioned steps to make the file available offline:

• Make a copy of the file.
• Right-click on the filename.
• Select Properties.
• Click on the Offline Files tab.
• Click box for “Always available offline“
• Click OK

Use this method to make files available offline to avoid the Error “PowerPoint found a problem with content cannot repair”.

If the file you’re encountering the issue with was downloaded from the internet then your Microsoft Office, Security Software, or Antivirus can block the file for security reasons. Unblock the file to fix the error “PowerPoint found a problem with content cannot repair”.

• Right-click on the problematic .pptx file and choose Properties.
• In the Properties dialog, go to the General tab and click on the Unblock button.
• Click Apply to save the changes.
• Open the .pptx file and check if the issue has been resolved.

Use this method to unlock your PPT file to fix the Error “PowerPoint found a problem with content cannot repair”.

Powerpoint offer reuse slides feature to allows you to specify if you want to keep the original formatting or apply the formatting used in your new presentation. If you are still encountering the same issue, we can try to create a new file by reusing the slides of the problematic file.

• Start PowerPoint.
• On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click New Slide, and then click Reuse Slides.
• In the Reuse Slides pane, click Open a PowerPoint File.
• In the Browse dialog box, locate and then click the presentation file that contains the slide that you want, and then click Open.

We’ve compiled all the resolutions and workarounds verified by the experts to fix the mentioned error. These resolutions and workarounds helped the users to fix the error on their system. Try implementing these resolutions on your computer and if the preceding suggestions fail to solve the error, please feel free to Ask an Expert.