Office Settings & Configuration

How to Fix Highlighted PowerPoint Notes When Presenting in Teams

Amos Gikunda Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users experience highlighted or unreadable speaker notes when presenting PowerPoint slides in Microsoft Teams.

How to Fix Highlighted PowerPoint Notes When Presenting in Teams

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Presenting a PowerPoint slideshow in Microsoft Teams using PowerPoint Live or Presenter View.
Observed behavior: Speaker notes appear highlighted or with distorted formatting, causing them to be unreadable during the presentation.

Before you start

Ensure you have the PowerPoint desktop application installed, as the web version may have limited capabilities for clearing complex text formatting in the Notes pane.

Solution 1Recommended

Clear Formatting from Speaker Notes in PowerPoint Desktop

Removing the underlying text highlighting and formatting from the speaker notes usually resolves readability issues in Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft Teams sometimes misinterprets background colors or text highlighting applied to speaker notes in PowerPoint. Resetting the text to plain formatting prevents this visual glitch during your presentation.

Open Presentation in Desktop App

Launch the PowerPoint desktop application and open the presentation file that has the highlighted notes.

Switch to Normal View

Navigate to the 'View' tab on the top ribbon menu and select 'Normal' to ensure you can see both your slides and the notes.

Access the Notes Pane

Click the 'Notes' button on the bottom status bar to display the Notes pane below your active slide.

Clear Text Formatting

Select all the text inside the Notes pane. Go to the 'Home' tab and click the 'Clear All Formatting' button (the letter A with an eraser), or manually remove the text highlight color.

Clear Formatting from Speaker Notes in PowerPoint Desktop

Check Formatting across Slides: If you have multiple slides with affected notes, you will need to clear the formatting in the Notes pane for each individual slide.

Solution 2

Test a New Presentation and Verify App Versions

If clearing the formatting does not work, the issue may be related to a corrupted file or outdated software versions.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Presentation for Seamless Slideshows

If Microsoft PowerPoint formatting bugs disrupt your presentations in Teams, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative for creating and presenting slides without unexpected formatting glitches.

1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office for free from the official website.
2. Open Your Presentation: Launch WPS Presentation and open your existing .pptx file.
3. Present in Teams: Click 'Play' to start your slideshow, then use the 'Share Window' feature in Microsoft Teams to present flawlessly.

Fully compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) file formats.Clean, intuitive Presenter View for easily reading speaker notes.Free to use with a lightweight installation that won't slow down your device.Seamlessly share your WPS presentation window in Microsoft Teams.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my speaker notes look completely black or highlighted in Microsoft Teams?

This usually happens due to conflicting text formatting, such as dark highlight colors or copied text styles applied in the PowerPoint file, which Teams' PowerPoint Live misinterprets. Clearing the notes' formatting in the desktop app resolves it.

Can I fix the speaker notes formatting using the PowerPoint web version?

The web version of PowerPoint has limited options for modifying the formatting of the Notes pane. It is recommended to open the file in the PowerPoint desktop application to fully access the 'Clear All Formatting' tool.

Does sharing my screen instead of using PowerPoint Live fix the notes issue?

Yes. If you share your entire screen or the specific PowerPoint window rather than using PowerPoint Live, Teams will not process the presenter view itself. You can run Presenter View locally on your machine, bypassing the Teams formatting bug.

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