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Presenter 360: Audio Is Missing or Lost

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Presenter 360

The following scenarios can result in lost audio in Presenter 360. See each scenario for solutions.

You're Working on a Network Drive or a USB Drive

First, be sure your presentation is located on your local hard drive (this is typically your C: drive). Working on a network drive or a USB (external) drive can cause erratic behavior, such as lost audio, due to latency. See this article to learn more about managing Presenter project files.

If you were working on a network drive or USB drive when your audio went missing, it's likely an -old.ppta file was generated or your PowerPoint file may have become disconnected from its corresponding ppta file. Jump to the following sections for solutions:

The Articulate Add-in Is Disabled in PowerPoint

If the Articulate add-in is disabled in PowerPoint, your audio won't be saved. See this article to re-enable the add-in.

There's an -old.ppta File in the Same Folder Where Your Presentation Is Stored

What is the -old.ppta file, and how did it get there?

Each Presenter project has a PowerPoint file for your slide content and a corresponding PPTA file for your Articulate resources, such as audio. The PPTA file is automatically created for you when you use any Articulate features in PowerPoint. The PPTA file is located in the same folder as your PowerPoint file, and it has the same name as your PowerPoint file (but with a file extension of *.ppta).

As a safeguard, Presenter will add -old to the end of the PPTA file name if it becomes locked by another user or computer service, or if it becomes temporarily inaccessible for any reason. Some scenarios where this can occur are described below.

When -old is added to your PPTA file name, it's no longer linked to your PowerPoint file, which makes it appear that your audio is missing. The -old.ppta file should contain your missing audio; see the next section for recovery instructions.

  1. The PPTA file is locked by another service: If another computer service, such as a backup service, accesses the PPTA file while you're working with it, Presenter may not be able to update the file with new information. In this scenario, Presenter renames the PPTA file to <name of presentation>-old.ppta, and a new (empty) PPTA file is generated and linked to your PowerPoint presentation.
  2. You create a copy of an existing presentation: When you use the Save As command in PowerPoint to create a copy of a presentation, Presenter also copies the corresponding PPTA file. This can cause a conflict if there is already a PPTA file with the same name in the same folder. Rather than overwriting the existing PPTA file, Presenter renames the existing file as <name of presentation>-old.ppta.
  3. You have a *.ppt file and a *.pptx file in the same folder with the same name: If you have a *.ppt file and a *.pptx file in the same folder with the same name, the corresponding *.ppta files for both presentations will have the same name. If you switch back and forth between the two presentations, Presenter will change the name of the PPTA file to <name of presentation>-old.ppta and create a new (empty) PPTA file.
  4. You move the PowerPoint presentation to a folder where there is already a PPTA file with the same name: If Presenter detects that you've moved a PowerPoint presentation, it'll copy the corresponding PPTA file to the new location to keep your resources intact. If there's already a PPTA file in the new location with the same name, Presenter will change the name of the file to <name of presentation>-old.ppta and create a new (empty) PPTA file.

How do I restore audio from an -old.ppta file?

If you see an -old.ppta file, you can easily reconnect it with your PowerPoint file to restore the missing audio. Here’s how:

  1. Close PowerPoint.
  2. Rename or delete the new (empty) PPTA file to break its link with the PowerPoint file.
  3. Make sure the PowerPoint file and the -old.ppta file are in the same folder.
  4. Remove -old from the PPTA file name, so it has the same name as the PowerPoint file.
  5. Open your PowerPoint presentation and confirm that your audio has been restored.

As long as the PowerPoint file and the original PPTA file are in the same folder and have the same name, they'll re-link and your audio will be restored.

You Moved or Renamed Your PowerPoint File

Each Presenter project has a PowerPoint file for your slide content and a corresponding PPTA file for your Articulate resources, such as audio. The PPTA file is automatically created for you when you use any Articulate features in PowerPoint. The PPTA file is located in the same folder as your PowerPoint file, and it has the same name as your PowerPoint file (but with a file extension of *.ppta).

Moving or renaming the PowerPoint file can break the link between the PowerPoint file and its corresponding PPTA file, which will make it appear that your audio is missing. To restore your missing audio:

  1. Close PowerPoint.
  2. Go to the folder where your presentation is stored and locate the new (empty) PPTA file, which has the same name as the PowerPoint file.
  3. Rename or delete the new PPTA file to break its link with the PowerPoint file.
  4. Place the original PPTA file in the same folder as the PowerPoint file and make sure it has the same name as the PowerPoint file. (If you moved the PowerPoint file, you may need to check the original folder where it was stored to locate the original PPTA file.)

As long as the PowerPoint file and the original PPTA file are in the same folder and have the same name, they'll re-link and your audio will be restored.

If you need to move your project files, create an Articulate Package that contains a copy of all the project's resources, then transfer it to the new location and extract it.

Your PowerPoint File Is Stored in a Folder with the Same Name

We recommended that you don't save a PowerPoint file in a folder with the exact same name as the PowerPoint file.

Saving a PowerPoint file in a folder with the same name as the PowerPoint file doesn't cause loss of audio. However, if you also publish to the folder one level above the folder where your PowerPoint file is stored, you'll overwrite your PPTA file and lose your Articulate resources (including audio).

Your Project Files Are Hidden

If your project files are hidden, they won't work properly. When files are hidden, their icons usually look faded or grayed-out. Here's how to unhide your files:

  1. Close PowerPoint.
  2. Right-click the files and select Properties.
  3. Uncheck the Hidden box.
  4. Click OK.

If there's an -old.ppta file as a result of your files being hidden, follow the steps in the section above on restoring audio from an -old.ppta file.