Top Menu has Disappeared

[Markalice]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

My menu is gone. The "File", "edit", "view" pull down menus across the top are gone. I can't get them back even if I close the file and open a new one.

How do i get them back with no access to the view drop down menu anymore?

 

[CyberTaz]

Try this first: Control/Right-Click one of the Toolbars & select Customize
Toolbars & Menus. On the Toolbars page of the Customize dialog click the
name of the Menu Bar then click the Reset button.

Also, make sure you have Office fully updated (12.1.5) & run disk Utility -
Repair Disk Permissions. If the problem continues try running PPt in a
new/different User Account & see if the Menu shows up.

Reply with your results either way.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Markalice]

The Control/Right Click does not bring up the Toolbars & Menus selection. it only brings up Help, Paste, New Slide, Slide Layout, Ruler, etc. No access to any Toolbars menu.

I am running 12.1.5 and have run Disk Utility to repair the disk permissions. No luck.

How do I run PPT in a new user account? i'll try that approach, but can't find out how.

Thanks

 

[CyberTaz]

That's because you're not right-clicking a *toolbar* - you're right-clicking
in the document itself. You need to right-click in the gray area above the
Elements Gallery buttons.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Markalice]

I did that as well. Nothing comes up when i right click in any area other than the document.

In the Menu area, i currently only have the Apple Icon, Powerpoint, Line Style, Dashed Style, Arrow Style and a little icon that when pressed says "about this menu".

no where can i get to a toolbar menu item.

Thanks

 

[CyberTaz]

Then I have a feeling you may not be telling the whole story Can you not
see *any* docked toolbars at all??? If that's the case...

In the document window's Title Bar [where the name of the file is displayed]
do you not even see the Standard Toolbar [New Document, Open, Save, Print
buttons, etc.] between the file name & the Elements Gallery? If not, click
the oblong button at the right end of the Title Bar to expand the toolbar
area. That will expose the Standard Toolbar & you should then be able to
effectively right-click the Standard Toolbar in order to get the contextual
menu that will give you access to the Customize Toolbars & Menus... command.

Just keep in mind that you *must* have a file open in order to do this. If
you still have trouble reply with an exact description - row by row - of
what you see at the top of the document window when you first launch PPt.

What concerns me is the stuff you describe as being in the main Menu - all
you mention after "Apple Icon" & "PowerPoint" should not be there. The only
way I know of for that to occur is if someone reconstructed the Menu Bar via
the same Customize... dialog we're trying to get you into. It isn't unheard
of for items to "disappear" from the Menu Bar of their own accord from time
to time - or even for the entire Menu t just not show up - but I've *never*
heard of individual commands & features arbitrarily appearing there.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Markalice]

OK
I hit the oblong button, it turns blue, but i don't get any toolbar to show.

So here's what i have.

Top Row going left to right
Apple Icon, Powerpoint, Line Style, Dashed Style, Arrow Style, squiggly icon. (when i highlight line, dashed or arrow, I just get gray menu items that don't work. Under Powerpoint, i get About PPT, Preferences, Quit, etc.)
Next row only has the name of the file ZZZ.pptx
Next row has Slide Themes, Slide Layouts, Transitions, Table Styles, Charts, SmartArt Graphics, WordArt
Next row has the ruler.
Next row has the ppt page itself.

That's it.

thanks

 

[CyberTaz]

You have a unique situation - How it happened I can only guess, but we'll see
if we can't get it put right

First, log out from the Apple Menu, then hold the Shift key while you log
in. Reply with what happens when you launch PPt. That will suggest how to
proceed.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
MVP Office:Mac

 

[Markalice]

Sorry but I've been out on vacation away from my Mac. I did as you suggested. I logged out and then logged back in (typed in password, held down the shift key and then hit the log in button). I then opened powerpoint. it asked me to select a ppt file from a list. i opened the most recent one. the menu was the same as it has always been per the above issue.

 

[CyberTaz]

Were you ever able to run PPt from a new User Account?

Set one up via Apple Menu> System Preferences> Accounts. Check Mac Help if
you need further clarification.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Markalice]

I set up a new account and then opened ppt. it worked perfectly. the menus were all back to normal. i then tried to open back under my existing account and it was the same old issue with the menu.

thanks

 

[CyberTaz]

OK - the problem is restricted to the misbehaving user account. It could be
either/both of 2 files that have somehow become unusually corrupt.

While PPt is *not* running go to: User/Library/Preferences/Microsoft &
remove the file com.microsoft.PowerPoint.prefs.plist, then launch the
program to see if that corrects it.

If not, Quit the program & go one level deeper into the same folder
..../Office 2008 to remove the file named PowerPoint Toolbars (12).

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Markalice]

The second one did it (removing the PowerPoint toolbars (12) file).

thanks for all of your help.

Mark

 

[CyberTaz]

You're most welcome - thanks for the confirmation!

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[GreenThump]

Hi, I had the same problem and used this thread to fix it. THanks.