Office Compatibility Issues

How to Fix PowerPoint Fonts Changing in Microsoft Teams Presentations

Camila Milosovich Oct 15, 2026 869 views

Question details

Custom branded fonts in PowerPoint change to default system fonts when presented through Microsoft Teams.

How to Fix PowerPoint Fonts Changing in Microsoft Teams Presentations

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Teams
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Sharing a branded presentation during a meeting using the 'Present in Teams' or 'PowerPoint Live' feature.
Observed behavior: Third-party fonts (such as Outfit or Playfair Display) are substituted with default system fonts, causing severe slide alignment and layout problems.

Before you start

Verify that your custom fonts are installed locally on your computer and that they are TrueType (.ttf) or OpenType (.otf) formats, which support embedding.

Solution 1Recommended

Embed Fonts in the PowerPoint File Before Presenting

Embedding the fonts directly into the presentation file helps PowerPoint Live render the custom text correctly during the Teams meeting.

PowerPoint Live uses a cloud rendering engine that does not have access to the custom fonts installed on your local hard drive. By embedding the fonts into the file, you package the font data with the presentation.

Open PowerPoint Options

Open your presentation in the PowerPoint desktop app. Click on the 'File' tab in the top left corner, then select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.

Access Save Settings

In the PowerPoint Options dialog box, select the 'Save' tab from the left-hand sidebar.

Enable Font Embedding

Scroll down to the section titled 'Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation'. Check the box for 'Embed fonts in the file'.

Choose Embedding Scope

Select 'Embed all characters (best for editing by other people)' to ensure all necessary font data is included, then click 'OK' and save the document before uploading it to Teams.

Embed Fonts in the PowerPoint File Before Presenting

Embedding Limitations: Not all fonts have licenses that permit embedding. If the font author restricted embedding, PowerPoint will not be able to package it, and Teams will still substitute the font.

Solution 2

Use Desktop Screen Sharing Instead of PowerPoint Live

Bypass the PowerPoint Live cloud rendering engine entirely by sharing your local screen or application window.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Seamless Presentation Formatting

If Microsoft Teams and PowerPoint Live continuously fail to render your branded fonts, WPS Presentation is a highly compatible, free alternative to Microsoft Office. It flawlessly handles PPTX formats, embeds local fonts easily, and works perfectly with standard desktop screen sharing, ensuring your audience sees your slides exactly as you designed them.

1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website, download the free version, and install it on your device.
2. Open Your Presentation: Launch WPS Presentation and open your existing PPTX file. WPS will recognize and apply your locally installed custom fonts automatically.
3. Present with Screen Sharing: Start your slideshow in WPS Presentation, then use the standard 'Share Screen' or 'Share Window' feature in your web conferencing app to maintain exact formatting.

Highly compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx) formatsReliable font embedding for seamless cross-device displayLightweight, fast, and completely free to useFamiliar user interface makes migration effortless

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my fonts look fine in PowerPoint but change in Microsoft Teams?

When you use the PowerPoint Live feature in Teams, the presentation is rendered in the cloud, not on your local device. The cloud server does not have access to custom, third-party fonts installed on your computer, so it replaces them with default system fonts like Calibri or Arial.

Can I force Microsoft Teams to use my company's branded font?

You cannot install custom fonts directly onto Microsoft Teams or PowerPoint Live servers. Your best options are to embed the fonts into the PowerPoint file before uploading it, or to bypass PowerPoint Live entirely by using the standard Desktop/Window screen-sharing feature in Teams.

Why did PowerPoint fail to embed my custom fonts?

Fonts are protected by digital licenses created by the font designer. If a font is marked as 'Restricted' or 'Print/Preview Only', PowerPoint will block embedding to comply with copyright rules. You can only embed fonts with 'Installable' or 'Editable' permissions.

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