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Why PowerPoint 2021 Is Missing the Design Ideas Feature
Question details
The user is unable to locate the Design Ideas or Designer pane in their PowerPoint application.
- Product
- Microsoft PowerPoint 2021
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to automatically format slides using the Design Ideas tool while working on a presentation in a perpetual-license version of Office.
- Observed behavior
- The Design Ideas button and the Designer pane are completely absent from the PowerPoint ribbon and menus.
Verify your exact Microsoft Office license type by navigating to File > Account in PowerPoint, as the Designer feature's availability depends entirely on whether you have a subscription or a perpetual license.
Use PowerPoint for the Web to Access Designer
Because the Designer feature requires a Microsoft 365 subscription on desktop, you can use the free web version of PowerPoint as a workaround to access basic design generation.
Microsoft restricts the premium Designer feature to Microsoft 365 subscribers for desktop apps. However, users with a free Microsoft account can often access a lightweight version of Designer via the browser.
Open your preferred web browser, go to office.com, and sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
Upload your existing PowerPoint file to OneDrive and open it using PowerPoint for the web.
Navigate to the Design tab on the ribbon and click on the 'Designer' button to generate automatic slide layouts.
Manually Apply Layouts and Themes in PowerPoint 2021
If you need to work offline or strictly within the PowerPoint 2021 desktop app, you can manually design your slides using built-in themes and formatting tools.
Design Professional Presentations for Free with WPS Office
Don't want to pay for an expensive Microsoft 365 subscription just to access better slide designs? WPS Office is a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative that offers thousands of premium presentation templates and easy-to-use formatting tools out of the box.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free WPS Office suite.
- 2. Explore the template library: Open WPS Presentation, click on 'New', and browse thousands of professional templates to instantly elevate your slides.
- 3. Edit seamlessly: Import your existing PowerPoint files and continue editing with full formatting preservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy the Design Ideas feature as an add-on for PowerPoint 2021?
No, the Designer feature is exclusive to Microsoft 365 subscriptions. It cannot be purchased as a separate add-on or module for perpetual-license products like PowerPoint 2021 or 2019.
Why did Design Ideas suddenly disappear from my Microsoft 365 PowerPoint?
If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription but Designer is missing, you may be disconnected from the internet, your subscription might have expired, or connected experiences might be disabled in your privacy settings (File > Account > Account Privacy).
Does PowerPoint 2019 have the Design Ideas feature?
Just like PowerPoint 2021, PowerPoint 2019 is a one-time purchase (perpetual license) and does not natively include the Design Ideas feature.
