VBA & Macro Problems

How to Remove Cameo from All PowerPoint Slides Using VBA

Emma Brown Oct 10, 2026 871 views

Question details

The user needs to delete Cameo objects from all slides in a PowerPoint presentation simultaneously, as deleting them one by one is too time-consuming.

How to Remove Cameo from All PowerPoint Slides Using VBA

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: The user accidentally added Cameo objects to dozens of slides in Normal view and needs an efficient way to remove them all in bulk.
Observed behavior: PowerPoint does not provide a built-in command to bulk-remove Cameo objects inserted in Normal view, requiring the user to manually delete them from each slide.

Before you start

Before running the macro, it is highly recommended to save a separate backup copy of your presentation, as VBA macro actions typically clear the undo history and cannot be reversed.

Solution 1Recommended

Use a Custom VBA Macro to Delete All Cameo Shapes

This solution uses a simple VBA script to loop through every slide and automatically delete any shape recognized as a Cameo camera object.

Because the Cameo shapes were added in Normal view rather than via the Slide Master, they exist as individual objects on every slide. The following macro searches for any object with a name starting with 'Camera' and removes it instantly.

Open the VBA Editor

Press Alt + F11 on your keyboard while your PowerPoint presentation is open to launch the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.

Insert a New Module

In the top menu bar of the VBA editor, click on 'Insert' and select 'Module' to create a blank workspace for your script.

Paste the Macro Code

Copy the following VBA code and paste it into the new module window: Sub KillCameo() Dim osld As Slide Dim L As Long For Each osld In ActivePresentation.Slides For L = osld.Shapes.Count To 1 Step -1 If osld.Shapes(L).Name Like "Camera*" Then osld.Shapes(L).Delete End If Next L Next osld End Sub

Run the Macro

Press the F5 key on your keyboard or click the green 'Run' arrow in the toolbar. The macro will execute and strip the Cameo shapes from every slide in your presentation.

Use a Custom VBA Macro to Delete All Cameo Shapes

Audio Cleanup: This macro removes the Cameo camera shape but does not remove associated audio files. Any standalone audio added during recording will need to be deleted separately.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I delete the Cameo object from the Slide Master?

If you originally inserted the Cameo object in Normal view instead of the Slide Master view, the object is placed individually on each active slide. Because it does not exist on the master layout, modifying the Slide Master will not affect it.

Will this VBA macro delete my other pictures and text boxes?

No. The provided VBA script uses a specific condition (If osld.Shapes(L).Name Like "Camera*") to target only shapes whose underlying system names begin with 'Camera', ensuring your regular images, text, and other shapes are left untouched.

Do I need to save my presentation as a macro-enabled file afterward?

If you want to keep the macro to use it again in the future, you must save your file as a PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation (.pptm). If you just wanted to clean up the current slides and no longer need the macro, you can save it as a standard .pptx file, which will automatically remove the VBA code.

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