Adding your favorite macros to PowerPoint’s Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) can save you time by putting commonly used actions right at your fingertips. However, you may run into issues getting those macros to properly show up when customizing the QAT. This comprehensive guide explains why macros may not display as expected and how to troubleshoot missing or unresponsive macros in PowerPoint.
Why Macros May Not Show Up Alphabetically in the QAT Customization
When customizing what commands show up in the QAT, you might expect macros to be listed alphabetically as they are when editing the ribbon. However, that’s not always the case.
Unlike commands on the ribbon, macros added to the QAT seem to display rather randomly. There does not appear to be any option to reorder them alphabetically when picking macros from the customization menu. So if you have a macro called “A_Macro” and another called “Z_Macro”, they may show up out of order when added to the QAT.
This behavior appears to be normal for QAT customization and cannot be changed to an alphabetical listing. You simply have to scroll through the list of macros and locate the one you want to add. Just because a macro is not showing up where expected in the list does not mean it is missing or unavailable.
How to Add Macros to the Quick Access Toolbar
To add macros to the QAT:
- Click on the drop-down arrow at the end of the Quick Access Toolbar
- Select “More Commands”
- Under “Choose commands from:” select “Macros”
- Locate and select the macro you want to add in the list
- Click “Add” to add it to the toolbar
Remember the macros may not be in alphabetical order, so keep scrolling until you find the one you want.
Troubleshooting Unresponsive or Missing Macros
If you cannot find a macro listed for the QAT customization or find that added macros are not working correctly, there are a few things to check:
- Check macro security settings:
- Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings
- Make sure all macros are enabled or set to enable with notification
- Disabling macros can prevent them from working when clicked on the QAT
- Quit and restart PowerPoint:
- If macros are enabled but still not working, try quitting PowerPoint entirely and restarting the application.
- Remove and re-add problematic add-ins:
- If macros from a particular add-in are causing issues, remove that add-in, restart PowerPoint, and then re-add the add-in.
- Make sure the add-in is installed:
- Check that the add-in containing the macro is properly installed and showing as active under File > Options > Add-ins.
Following these troubleshooting tips should help get unresponsive macros working again from the QAT.
Adding Macro Buttons Directly to the Quick Access Toolbar
Instead of adding macros through the “More Commands” menu, you can add buttons tied directly to macros using these steps:
- Go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar
- Under “Choose commands from:” select “Macros”
- Select the macro you want to add
- Click “Add”
This will insert a button for triggering that macro. This approach avoids any alphabetical listing issues since you add macros individually.
Limitations on Mac
When customizing the QAT in PowerPoint for Mac, there is one major limitation to note. Although you can add add-in command buttons to the toolbar, they may not save properly when applying the customization. So changes made to the QAT on Mac may not persist after closing and reopening the PowerPoint application.
It’s unclear if Microsoft plans to address this issue for Mac users. For now, customizing the QAT works best in the Windows version.
Conclusion
I hope this guide gives you a better understanding of how to add macros to the Quick Access Toolbar in PowerPoint. While the alphabetical listing quirk can be confusing, now you know it’s completely normal. Follow the troubleshooting tips above if macros ever stop working properly or fail to display at all when customizing the toolbar. And reach out with any other QAT or macro-related questions!
