Office Settings & Configuration

How to Fix a Misplaced ActiveX Control Button in PowerPoint

John Wilson Oct 14, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an issue where ActiveX control buttons appear in the incorrect location while running a slide show in PowerPoint.

How to Fix a Misplaced ActiveX Control Button in PowerPoint

Product: PowerPoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Presenting a slide show that contains interactive ActiveX controls.
Observed behavior: ActiveX control buttons unexpectedly shift or appear in the wrong location on the slide during the presentation.

Before you start

Ensure your presentation is saved and closed before modifying system drivers or advanced display settings to prevent any accidental data loss.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Slide Show Hardware Graphics Acceleration

Turn off hardware graphics acceleration within PowerPoint to resolve display conflicts without altering system-wide settings.

Hardware graphics acceleration offloads graphics rendering from your CPU to your graphics card. While this typically improves performance, compatibility issues with certain video cards can cause ActiveX elements to render in the wrong positions during a slide show.

Open PowerPoint Options

Launch Microsoft PowerPoint, click on the 'File' tab in the top-left corner, and select 'Options' from the bottom of the menu.

Navigate to Advanced Settings

In the PowerPoint Options dialog box, click on the 'Advanced' tab in the left-hand pane.

Disable Graphics Acceleration

Scroll down to the 'Display' section. Check the box next to 'Disable Slide Show hardware graphics acceleration'.

Apply and Test

Click 'OK' to save your changes. Start your slide show again to verify that the ActiveX control button remains in the correct location.

Disable Slide Show Hardware Graphics Acceleration

Immediate Effect: This setting takes effect immediately for your slide shows and often resolves the issue without requiring a computer restart.

Solution 2

Update Your Video Driver

Install the latest video driver from your computer manufacturer to fix underlying graphics bugs.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Avoid Display Glitches with WPS Presentation

If you are tired of dealing with hardware acceleration bugs and misplaced elements in Microsoft PowerPoint, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a lightweight, highly compatible, and free alternative designed to display your slides flawlessly.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free WPS Office suite for your operating system.
2. Open Your Presentation: Launch WPS Presentation and open your existing PowerPoint file directly without needing to convert it.
3. Run Your Slide Show: Click the 'Play' button to start your slide show smoothly, free from ActiveX displacement issues.

Seamless compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint formats (.ppt and .pptx)Lightweight architecture that minimizes graphics rendering issuesFamiliar, intuitive user interface for a smooth transitionFree to use for creating, editing, and playing professional slide shows

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do ActiveX controls shift positions during a PowerPoint slide show?

ActiveX controls may shift or misplace themselves due to conflicts between PowerPoint's hardware graphics acceleration feature and your computer's video driver. This causes the graphics card to render interactive elements incorrectly on the screen.

Will disabling hardware graphics acceleration affect my computer's performance?

Disabling hardware graphics acceleration in PowerPoint only affects how PowerPoint renders presentations. It will not impact your computer's overall graphics performance, though very media-heavy slides might use more CPU resources to play.

Can I use ActiveX controls in PowerPoint on a Mac?

No, ActiveX is a Microsoft Windows-specific technology. ActiveX controls will not function or display correctly if you open the presentation in PowerPoint for Mac or PowerPoint for the Web.

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