PowerPoint lag on Mac after Tahoe update, images/videos

Question

linogalo Author

Level 1

6 points

PowerPoint lag on Mac after Tahoe update, images/videos

Hi everyone,

I’m having a very specific issue on one Mac after upgrading to macOS Tahoe:

Problem

Microsoft PowerPoint on my Mac becomes extremely laggy/unresponsive as soon as I copy an image to the clipboard and try to insert/paste it into a slide.
Inserting online videos (e.g., YouTube links) also “loads and loads” and often ends in a failure.
PowerPoint works normally on another Mac (same Microsoft account, same files) that is still on macOS Sequoia.
Other general troubleshooting (clearing cache, etc.) did not help, and by elimination it seems tied to the OS/version on the Tahoe Mac.
Besides this, PPT works normal. If the image is in the Slideshow I can edit it, paste it to other slides as well. Just adding new stuff is lagging to no end

What I’m trying to achieve

Before doing a clean install/downgrade to Sequoia, I’d like to try any realistic fixes (e.g., system reinstall over the top, known clipboard issues, permissions, graphics acceleration, etc.).

What I’ve tried

Restarting PowerPoint/Mac, trying different presentations and a new blank deck
clearing Office/PowerPoint cache and basic Office updates - de/reinstalling PowerPoint
Problem persists

System details

Mac model: MB Air M1, 2020
CPU: Apple Silicon M1
macOS version: Tahoe 26.2 (25C56)
PowerPoint version: 16.105.3

Thanks a lot for any ideas — I’m trying to avoid a full reset if possible.

MacBook Air 13″

Posted on Feb 4, 2026 2:43 PM

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Answer 1

linogalo Author

Level 1

6 points

Feb 7, 2026 4:14 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Yes Powerpoint is up to date. The only solution for me was to downgrade back to Sequioa. Now everything works flawlessly again.

I have to identical Macbooks and the one with Taohe was the issue.

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Answer 2

linogalo Author

Level 1

6 points

Feb 7, 2026 4:15 AM in response to linogalo

My solution was to downgrade again to Sequioa. Now everything works flawlessly again.

If you have a time machine backup I can only recommend it.

Wiped my Mac, reinstalled all data from my second mac and after 5 hours of work - basically waiting next to the laptop doing its thing - everything works again flawlessly

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Answer 3

Owl-53

Level 10

107,263 points

Feb 7, 2026 5:20 AM in response to linogalo

linogalo wrote:

My solution was to downgrade again to Sequioa. Now everything works flawlessly again.

If you have a time machine backup I can only recommend it.

Wiped my Mac, reinstalled all data from my second mac and after 5 hours of work - basically waiting next to the laptop doing its thing - everything works again flawlessly

Certain misconceptions that persist regarding the relationship between Apple Computer and Applications like MS Powerpoint

These misconceptions often arise when third-party applications fail to function or meet user expectations.

Apple is responsible for addressing issues with its applications, and operating systems

However, Apple cannot rectify user choices of third-party applications installed and used on their computers.

This responsibility lies solely with the Third Party Developor to evaluate the performance of their application when used on an Apple Computer running the intended version of macOS.

How to contact an app developer

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Answer 4

Feb 7, 2026 3:51 AM in response to polanalyst

The most obvious question is: is Powerpoint itself up to date?

And since this is a Microsoft application, you may want to ask about it in Microsoft forums.

You may also want to run Etrecheck and post its report here. Maybe we can find something. Perhaps some system extension that is causing trouble (antivirus are notable for causing trouble).

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Answer 5

Mar 11, 2026 8:03 PM in response to linogalo

Just want to throw in my two cents here. Microsoft PowerPoint has been laggy in general on Tahoe, both on my iMac and my MacBook Air, both running M4 processors. I actually downgraded my Air back to Sequoia because I just wanted my presentations to look smooth while presenting. The transitions and animations are sluggish using PowerPoint on Tahoe. At this point, I'm assuming the problem is Microsoft, but I just wish it would be fixed since I still haven't updated my Air back to Tahoe and yet I would very much like to.

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Answer 6

Feb 6, 2026 2:20 PM in response to linogalo

Related issues here since December - PowerPoint lags as soon as I add a new slide (with an image) and slows down dragging and repositioning slides to an almost unusable level. Exactly the same problem on both my desktop mac and macbook using latest operating system with all updates.

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Answer 7

ucikvs

Level 1

8 points

Apr 3, 2026 1:44 AM in response to linogalo

I've just updated to Tahoe 26.4 several days ago and I encountered similar problem with my PowerPoint. It lags a lot and even typing in the app becomes so laggy, eventhough i'm just typing simple content without inserting any images/videos

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