Unable to enable slide numbering in a presentation created from a PowerPoint template

Desktop editors
1

Contexte

  • OS : Ubuntu Noble, session Wayland
  • ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors installed via snap
  • Presentation file: .pptx, originally created in PowerPoint (custom template)

Hi everyone !

First of all, thanks so much for the amazing work you’re doing with OnlyOffice !

Issue

  • In this specific presentation, the command Insert > Slide Number > Slide Number + Apply to all does not display any numbers on the slides.
  • Even when editing the master slide (View > Slide Master) and attempting to add numbering, nothing appears.

Tests Performed

  1. Created a blank ONLYOFFICE presentation → numbering works correctly (numbers appear as expected).
  2. Applied significant zoom + changed theme → no numbers visible in the problematic presentation.
  3. Verified the master slide:
    • The original PowerPoint master did not contain a number field.
    • Adding a placeholder in the master and reapplying Insert > Slide Number had no effect.
  4. Saved under a new name, converted format (re-saved as .pptx) → no improvement.

Expected Behavior

  • The Insert > Slide Number > Apply to all command should work on presentations imported from a PowerPoint template,
    or

  • At minimum, ONLYOFFICE should be able to add a number field to the existing master after import.

File

  • I can provide an anonymized example file if needed (the problematic PPTX template).
2

Hello @nicolas.a.grandin

Is it possible to share your specific presentation for a test?

3

Hi @Constantine,

I just checked with PowerPoint and I have the same issue, so I think the template is corrupted.

In addition, I cannot share the presentation here since I have an error message during uploading (if you’re still interested)

4

Thanks for the additional check.

Was it created in Desktop Editors originally though?

I can take a look at it, but I cannot guarantee that a solution will be found if the file is indeed corrupted.

5

Hi @Constantine

No it was originally created on PowerPoint

Ok great thank you very much !
How could I send you the file ? Is there another channel to send it to you since I cannot directly upload it here ?

6

You cannot attach files due to the trust level of your account, please refer to my comment here on that: Community rules - #14 by Constantine

Before getting promoted to the next trust level according to the requirements in my comment you can use a workaround of uploading your file to a cloud storage and sharing a link here. If you feel like your file has any sensitive data in it, you can share the link via PM by clicking my avatar and starting a PM via Message button.

7

Hi @Constantine,

Thanks for your feedback.

I just sent you the link to download the file.

Thanks in advance !

9

I checked out the file, it does not seem to be corrupted, but it is definitely changed in the way footers do not exist in the document. You see, if you select any shape with text, place a cursor to any place, then insert slide number from the Insert tab, then just a number will be inserted right into the text.

However, opening the menu for inserting slide numbers “on each page” implies the presence of footers on the slide. Interestingly, none of the slides actually has a footer shape, which you can see in Slide Master. Even the preview does not show a box where the slide number will be positioned, because there is no footer shape.

Since the slides are already built, you cannot just add a footer shape on each slide, but, unfortunately, the only option is to rebuild slides and make sure that each of them has a footer.

I hope this information helps.

10

Hi @Constantine
Thank you very much for the time you spent on this

Ok great I’ll do that
Have a nice week
Regards

Nicolas

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