What to do right now
- Check the Recycle Bin, OneDrive and copies you sent by email or messenger.
- If there is none, stop using that drive and scan for PPTX files.
- If the recovered PPTX will not open, repair it with damaged file repair.
Step by step
Find copies you sent
Presentations are often shared by email, messenger or a shared drive. Check your sent mail and the shared files in chats first.
Check the bin and OneDrive
Check the Windows Recycle Bin and the OneDrive bin on the web. If the file was in OneDrive, version history can also bring back an earlier state.
Stop saving to the drive
If you found nothing, stop saving to that drive. Run the recovery tool as a portable app from a USB stick.
Scan for PPTX
Scan the drive with FileFix Ultimate's deleted file recovery and filter for PPTX and PPT, or search by file name. Surviving file records bring back the original name and folder.
Save and open it
Save to another disk and open it in PowerPoint. If it says the file is damaged, run it through damaged file repair to rebuild the package. Repairs are saved as new files.
Why a PPTX sometimes comes back only in part
A PPTX holds slide content, pictures and videos in one compressed package. The larger the file, the more likely it is stored in several pieces on the disk, and if one of them is overwritten PowerPoint rejects the whole file.
Repair rebuilds the package from the parts that remain so it opens again. Missing pictures leave gaps, but slide text and the surviving pictures often come back. The result is honestly labelled as partial.
If you closed it without saving
If the presentation was closed without saving rather than deleted, recovering unsaved presentations comes before deleted file recovery. See the guide on recovering an unsaved PowerPoint.
When recovery will not work
- Time has passed since deletion on an SSD with TRIM.
- Most of the file has been overwritten by other data.
- Repair cannot bring back pictures or videos that were overwritten.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Restores deleted PPTX and PPT files with their names and folders, or finds them by signature.
- Checks whether recovered PPTX files open.
- Rebuilds damaged PPTX packages into new files that open.
- The unsaved file finder also finds PowerPoint AutoRecover files.
FileFix Ultimate is free, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a PowerPoint file be recovered after emptying the Recycle Bin?
On a hard drive or USB stick, often yes, until it is overwritten. Start scanning right away.
The recovered PPT asks to be repaired when I open it.
Part of it is damaged. Try PowerPoint's own repair first; if that fails, use damaged file repair.
I deleted a presentation from a USB stick.
USB sticks do not use TRIM, so chances are good. Save nothing to the stick and scan it now.