Unable to open .PPS attachments directly from Windows Mail in Windows Vista

Copyright © 2008 Ramesh Srinivasan
Error messages , Windows Mail

Symptom

When you open a .PPS file that came as a mail attachment in Windows Mail, you may see the Open / Cancel dialog box. When you select Open, the following error may be displayed:

This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Set Associations control panel.

This may happen even though you have PowerPoint Viewer 2003 or 2007 installed. However, the same file may open correctly when saved to disk, and then viewed. Note that this problem does not occur if you have Microsoft Office or PowerPoint installed.

This article is applicable for Windows Vista, with PowerPoint Viewer 2003 or PowerPoint Viewer 2007 installed. For a Windows XP version of this article, see article Unable to open .PPS attachments directly from Outlook Express?

Cause

This happens if the Open command is missing for .PPS and/or .PPT file types.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, follow these steps:

For .PPS files (Microsoft PowerPoint Slideshow)

Click Start, type regedit.exe and press ENTER
Navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.11\shell\Show

Right-click Show and click Rename
Type the word Open so that Show is replaced by Open command
If you have PowerPoint Viewer 2007 installed, repeat the above steps in this key, as well:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.12\shell\Show

After changing Show to Open, close Registry Editor window.

For .PPT files (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation)

Click Start, type regedit.exe and press ENTER
Navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.11\shell\Show

Right-click Show and click Rename
Type the word Open so that Show is replaced by Open command
If you have PowerPoint Viewer 2007 installed, repeat the above steps in this key, as well:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.12\shell\Show

After changing Show to Open, close Registry Editor window.

Screenshot

(Fig 1) Show is renamed as Open

Related Articles

Related Links

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ppsopen.htm

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107 Responses to "Unable to open .PPS attachments directly from Windows Mail in Windows Vista"

bertels Erik

said this on 28 Feb 2007 9:57:29 AM PST

Thanks, problem solved.

(Reply to this comment)

noel

said this on 03 Mar 2007 7:58:08 AM PST

problem solved.....very clear instructions......thanks

(Reply to this comment)

bruno

said this on 04 Mar 2007 5:38:04 AM PST

merci pb r

(Reply to this comment)

CorgieLover

said this on 05 Mar 2007 8:55:42 AM PST

Thank you, thank you.

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 12 Mar 2007 6:46:54 PM PST

excellent

(Reply to this comment)

an unknown user

said this on 13 Mar 2007 10:23:18 PM PST

Refreshing to find a solution that works perfectly and immediately.

(Reply to this comment)

W.J.C. Jackson

said this on 17 Mar 2007 12:31:16 PM PST

Have been looking for a solution for two weeks and finaly here it is thank you.

(Reply to this comment)

Willi

said this on 18 Mar 2007 5:50:47 PM PST

Problem solved. Thank you so much!

(Reply to this comment)

Denis Bolduc

said this on 18 Mar 2007 10:28:43 PM PST

this helped my parents new hp with vista, but now their hotmail cant open .pps files & gives them the same old this files does not have prog. associated......

(Reply to this comment)

Sabrina

said this on 20 Mar 2007 4:53:08 AM PST

Explication excellente probleme resolu tres facilement meme pour des debutants Merci

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 21 Mar 2007 2:58:15 PM PST

Worked great , and I have been all over community boards and tech boards , thank you again

(Reply to this comment)

Steve MacNamara

said this on 27 Mar 2007 4:29:57 PM PST

Worked like a charm. Thanks!

(Reply to this comment)

Jippy13

said this on 01 Apr 2007 1:21:32 PM PST

GREAT !!! You are a benefactor of Humanity

(Reply to this comment)

renee

said this on 09 Apr 2007 11:52:16 AM PST

Finally! and thanks so much!

(Reply to this comment)

Kurt

said this on 12 Apr 2007 2:11:21 AM PST

Worked great. Tried to resolve for 2 hours before finding this solution. Excellent work.

(Reply to this comment)

tracy

said this on 27 Apr 2007 9:21:15 AM PST

the info was great and easy to understand. but did not remedy the prob. i can open pics but not worded attachments. i give up not good with comps anyway.

(Reply to this comment)

Harry

said this on 30 Apr 2007 3:45:02 PM PST

Took me a while but it worked. thanks a lot its been drivin me mad

(Reply to this comment)

Rick

said this on 01 May 2007 7:16:42 PM PST

Awesome....Thanks a bunch!

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 02 May 2007 4:00:48 PM PST

I am computer illiterate. You gave me what I needed-step by step directions. Thank you so much.

(Reply to this comment)

John Zavorotny

said this on 09 May 2007 9:38:05 PM PST

Thanks for the solution to this problem! Instructions were clear and precise! Worked great!!

(Reply to this comment)

Dale

said this on 09 May 2007 11:10:31 PM PST

I can't believe that after days and days of trying to make this work, your article helped me do it. I had been trying for days....Your directions were easy to use, even for someone that is learning as I go along. Windows Vista is a challenge but after this I will keep trying. Now if I could only make the mail work....

(Reply to this comment)

Gayel Davenport

said this on 24 May 2007 10:10:57 PM PST

Thanks! Vista has me on edge, but you came through for me. Works great now.

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 29 May 2007 3:26:47 PM PST

Thanks for the solution! Not being able to open pps files was driving me nuts. These things always happen to me, you see. Again, Thank you very much. You are great!

(Reply to this comment)

Jeff

said this on 30 May 2007 1:47:45 PM PST

I'm another satisfied user. Does exactly what it says on the tin. :-)

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 12 Jun 2007 10:24:40 AM PST

Thank you for helping me out. I've been trying to solve this problem for several days. I would have thought Microsoft Knowledge Base would have been a help, but once again I was disappointed with the MS support. Appreciate your help. Jim

(Reply to this comment)

Andre

said this on 13 Jun 2007 11:25:09 PM PST

After several hours of going from MS Help to MS online help, I finally found this link from Vista Community. 5 minutes and running good. Thanks

(Reply to this comment)

Jim

said this on 14 Jun 2007 8:14:33 AM PST

Thanks for this wonderfull help!

(Reply to this comment)

an unknown user

said this on 25 Jun 2007 5:07:21 PM PST

Great!! Had no problem with it. Instructions were very clear and easy to follow. Have been trying for over a year to find out how to make this work and you came through; had even called a Dell Tech. and didn't get anywhere with him. You're GREAT!!! Thanks a bunch for your help. If I have other questions or problems will surely contact you. Have a wonderful day!! Dab-o

(Reply to this comment)

christine torrie

said this on 06 Jul 2007 11:32:20 AM PST

I followed instructions but it wont let me change it to open help

(Reply to this comment)

barbara

said this on 07 Jul 2007 2:02:45 AM PST

followed your instructions but still does not open

(Reply to this comment)

Bud

said this on 13 Jul 2007 2:52:33 AM PST

Like stated several time before me, I followed the instructions and it worked like a champ! Thanks

(Reply to this comment)

bruno aussi

said this on 18 Jul 2007 4:03:11 PM PST

Thanks very much. It works perfectly now, even in france...

(Reply to this comment)

Rebecca Hewitt

said this on 23 Jul 2007 10:52:50 PM PST

5 STARS! Still searching, reading and learing from your site. Gives other websites too for reference. Great deal! You deserve a X & 0.

(Reply to this comment)

phillip terranella

said this on 27 Jul 2007 4:42:52 AM PST

many thanks for the .pps open in vista. changing show to open worked. phil the pc dummy

(Reply to this comment)

Salem

said this on 09 Aug 2007 5:25:08 PM PST

One of the best. Thanks & best Regards

(Reply to this comment)

steve

said this on 10 Aug 2007 11:33:20 PM PST

problem solved thank you guys

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 04 Sep 2007 6:56:20 AM PST

Thank you, thank you, problem solved UR the best. Thank you very much & best regards from holland

(Reply to this comment)

Gary

said this on 08 Sep 2007 12:13:29 PM PST

Thank YOU! As others have said, this has been very frustrating. Thanks to the clear, concise instructions, I can now open these attachments successfully!! I've searched all the help texts I can find. Thanks again!

(Reply to this comment)

REBECCA HEWITT

said this on 20 Sep 2007 12:39:29 AM PST

Finally! Found a resource that actually responds to "HELP!" I'm NEW USER so I'll be back. Thanks for sharing your expertise. RH-MT

(Reply to this comment)

Kevin

said this on 20 Sep 2007 12:58:18 AM PST

Thankyou !:) and thankyou G%gle.

(Reply to this comment)

pb

said this on 01 Oct 2007 7:02:24 AM PST

absolutely fabulous for novices like me,thankyou

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 10 Nov 2007 12:20:40 AM PST

followed instructions. five minutes job done. thank you very much a great help

(Reply to this comment)

Helen

said this on 19 Nov 2007 11:59:25 AM PST

Thank you, your fix worked

(Reply to this comment)

Yves

said this on 24 Nov 2007 4:47:27 AM PST

Thanks for that great explanation. Simple and straight forward. Worked like a charm.

(Reply to this comment)

ian willcox

said this on 26 Nov 2007 3:43:59 PM PST

excellent - thanks!

(Reply to this comment)

Vic

said this on 29 Nov 2007 4:12:13 PM PST

I found that changing "Show" to "Open" fixed the problem in "Windows Mail"but then caused a problem opening these files from Explorer. My solution was to duplicate the full "Show" key as "Open" in each instance and this worked fine.

(Reply to this comment)

Al

said this on 17 Dec 2007 10:44:33 AM PST

no matter what i do I can not open emails with ppt attch. I did all the above. I have vista

(Reply to this comment)

Lee

said this on 17 Dec 2007 11:39:40 PM PST

i tried to rename show to open but it said "the registry editor cannot rename show.error while renaming key"HELP!!!!!!!!!

(Reply to this comment)

Joske

said this on 24 Dec 2007 3:49:15 PM PST

Bedankt! Het werkt! (Thanks. It works)

(Reply to this comment)

Matt

said this on 29 Dec 2007 8:44:07 PM PST

thank you so much dude yur the best

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 12 Jan 2008 12:15:10 AM PST

Finally....have been trying to figure this out for 3 months....and this worked right off !! Thank You....clear and concise instructions.

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 12 Jan 2008 2:02:55 AM PST

thank you soo much.

(Reply to this comment)

Scott

said this on 16 Jan 2008 4:45:58 PM PST

Fixed the glitch on my Mother's new computer with Vista. Made me look like I knew what I was doing !!

(Reply to this comment)

Sheri

said this on 30 Jan 2008 11:08:50 PM PST

Great step-by-step instructions and FIXED the problem!!! 8-) THANKS EVER SO MUCH !!!!!

(Reply to this comment)

JOHANN

said this on 04 Feb 2008 8:10:55 PM PST

THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH YOU FIX MY PROBLEM

(Reply to this comment)

mamie

said this on 18 Feb 2008 7:08:22 AM PST

Thank you very much for this information which was useful to me well thank you

(Reply to this comment)

Suzy

said this on 27 Feb 2008 11:47:44 AM PST

Just like magic....voila! Problem solved...clear and concise instructions! LOVE THIS SITE!!!!

(Reply to this comment)

Tom

said this on 29 Feb 2008 5:47:03 PM PST

As they say, worked like magic

(Reply to this comment)

busyone

said this on 29 Feb 2008 5:52:06 PM PST

i just installed powerpoint '97 and the problem was solved too, eheh...

(Reply to this comment)

Jean-C.Bernier

said this on 25 Mar 2008 11:48:16 PM PST

THANK, THANK, THANK. 3 weeks i have been searching for a solution for this problem and now it is solve . thank again

(Reply to this comment)

David

said this on 29 Mar 2008 4:59:20 AM PST

My heartfelt thanks. I had been having this trouble with Outlook Express (which I solved by saving the .pps attachments on my hard disk, then opening outside OE) for the last 2 years. With Windows Mail / WLM there is no "Save" option in the dialog box, so I was forced to look for your solution. Thank you again

(Reply to this comment)

Tal

said this on 06 Apr 2008 6:20:49 AM PST

Hi Ramesh Thank you so much for this. Worked perfectly. If this is a known fix for the issue why did Powerpoint Viewer 2007 SP1 not include a fix for this. You = Legend

(Reply to this comment)

Judy

said this on 06 Apr 2008 7:06:18 PM PST

Thank you so much - problem solved. Glad I found your site :)

(Reply to this comment)

Kathy

said this on 10 Apr 2008 7:35:53 AM PST

Ramesh - I have been working on this problem for over a month. Your solution worked perfectly. Thank you.

(Reply to this comment)

Norma

said this on 11 Apr 2008 9:54:11 AM PST

I got my first computer a couple months ago and it has vista on it. It was nice to finally find a solution to something online that actually worked the first time and the directions were easy. I wish all the glitches were this easy.

(Reply to this comment)

Joe

said this on 26 Apr 2008 9:15:26 AM PST

thank yooou. vista is a pain.

(Reply to this comment)

Bill

said this on 14 May 2008 7:55:15 PM PST

Superior. Thanks a bunch.

(Reply to this comment)

Gary

said this on 20 May 2008 7:04:02 AM PST

Worked great, problem solved!

(Reply to this comment)

Chris Jepsen

said this on 25 May 2008 12:31:58 AM PST

Thanks heaps! Confirmed my suspicions, very much appreciated.

(Reply to this comment)

Thomas Dender

said this on 28 Jun 2008 3:37:06 PM PST

Thank you! I've been trying to fix this for over a year. I found I could clik on the SAVE part of the attachment and then go to my documents and then it would open. Thank you, thank you verymuch !!!

(Reply to this comment)

LoneTXRanger

said this on 11 Jul 2008 3:31:35 PM PST

You guys rock! Vista doesn't! Would it kill 'em to patch this???

(Reply to this comment)

The Scourage

said this on 20 Jul 2008 8:57:44 AM PST

thanks a lot! it worked! clear instructions! bravo!

(Reply to this comment)

Preston

said this on 21 Jul 2008 1:54:28 AM PST

Thank You, Good Solution, very easy with your explanation

(Reply to this comment)

Paul

said this on 24 Jul 2008 7:50:53 PM PST

Thanks heaps. This worked perfectly and instructions were easy to follow. Just need to make sure you are logged on as Administrator, otherwise can't change "Show" to "Open".

(Reply to this comment)

Dan

said this on 26 Jul 2008 8:35:21 PM PST

Thank you at last no more saving to the Hard drive

(Reply to this comment)

djfritz

said this on 01 Aug 2008 8:48:44 AM PST

absolutely perfect, so easy, Thank you tremedously

(Reply to this comment)

bruno

said this on 14 Aug 2008 9:34:06 AM PST

absolut perfekt. danke

(Reply to this comment)

frenchy

said this on 18 Aug 2008 4:25:31 AM PST

Enfin ! Merci beaucoup

(Reply to this comment)

JAV-GON

said this on 22 Aug 2008 5:20:55 PM PST

Man ..... You are the best , I can't talk english very well m but your directions are easy and nice . Thanks

(Reply to this comment)

Jackie

said this on 06 Sep 2008 3:43:41 AM PST

I have followed you instructions. I cannot rename (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\PowerPointViewer.Show.11\shell\Show). I have windows vista, do you have any suggestions or am I doing something wrong? Please please help me as I am at my wits end not being able to open .PPS files in windows mail. Reards Jackie

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 14 Sep 2008 1:48:25 AM PST

Can u pls give similar solution for xls files too. I can open .doc and .pdf files but not .xls files.

(Reply to this comment)

Larry

said this on 14 Sep 2008 10:35:10 AM PST

Thank you very much.It work,everything is working very good now.

(Reply to this comment)

Wimal

said this on 16 Sep 2008 8:12:26 AM PST

Thanks for this solution. I am able to open pps file attachments in Windows Mail w/ Power Point now. What I don't understand is why Microsoft may have made their own software incompatible with their software ?

(Reply to this comment)

Joce

said this on 21 Sep 2008 10:23:35 PM PST

Merci beaucoup pour la solution

(Reply to this comment)

Mark

said this on 22 Sep 2008 2:38:32 AM PST

Puuuuuurfect thank you

(Reply to this comment)

Wayne M

said this on 28 Sep 2008 11:54:21 PM PST

I tried it and it still hasnt worked

(Reply to this comment)

Karel

said this on 03 Oct 2008 12:07:13 PM PST

Thanks for your assistance. Directions were easy to follow - even for someone as backward about computers as I am. Problem resolved.

(Reply to this comment)

Karel

said this on 03 Oct 2008 12:17:24 PM PST

Jackie - when you scrolled down to the powerpointviewer.slideshow11 did you highlite it & click to see shell then click on sheel to see SHOW. Then hi-lite SHOW, then right click aand select rename. Enter OPEN. Repeat for the other one (slideshow12 as well if you are using powerpointviewer 2007. Hope this helps

(Reply to this comment)

Marge

said this on 08 Oct 2008 8:30:18 PM PST

Thank you it work on the first time

(Reply to this comment)

JIMMY

said this on 15 Oct 2008 3:57:55 AM PST

NO help. I still cannot open pps attachments that come with an email. I have PP & PPV installed.

(Reply to this comment)

Donald

said this on 15 Oct 2008 10:29:05 PM PST

Thank you. You are brilliant. Your simple instructions allowed three Microsoft products to work together.

(Reply to this comment)

bart

said this on 21 Oct 2008 1:30:09 PM PST

heel erg goede tip

(Reply to this comment)

Herb

said this on 24 Oct 2008 9:49:06 PM PST

Great instructions!! Fixed problem

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 05 Nov 2008 7:23:40 PM PST

Thank youuuuuuuuuu you are a master it works for me.

(Reply to this comment)

Alan

said this on 18 Nov 2008 6:45:48 AM PST

and days of trying to make this work, your article helped me do it. I had been trying for days....Your directions were easy to use, even for someone that is learning as I go along. Windows Vista is a challenge but after this I will keep trying. Now if I could only make the mail work....

(Reply to this comment)

Charlie

said this on 23 Dec 2008 4:03:14 PM PST

Just in case others might have the same issue that I did, mentioned in my previous reply, MY problem was that I had never used PP 2007 after installing it. Only after the first use will the "PowerPointViewer" headings appear.

(Reply to this comment)

big ed

said this on 25 Dec 2008 7:51:19 AM PST

very cool, thx very much!! Nice, little solution - works fine!

(Reply to this comment)

Bill 57

said this on 28 Dec 2008 4:58:21 PM PST

This is a great fix. I have been viewing PPS items after saving to documents. Now I can view them in windows mail also. Note if trying to view PPS items in other fikles right click and then click show to open. Thanks for the great info.

(Reply to this comment)

Pamela

said this on 21 Jan 2009 3:17:38 AM PST

Well done I appreciated your very much valued help an advice. Was simply an eye opener. Thanks all

(Reply to this comment)

Pete Obeney

said this on 12 Feb 2009 9:48:36 PM PST

Many Thanks. I had trouble with *.PPS attachments in MAIL, but with the simple advice, all is now sorted!

(Reply to this comment)

Deb

said this on 22 Feb 2009 8:24:41 AM PST

Thank you so much for the expert advice. Your instructions were easy to follow and you helped me with a problem that I have been struggline with for a long time. Thanks again.!

(Reply to this comment)

Jim

said this on 25 Feb 2009 6:05:57 AM PST

Wow! That certainly was easy. Thanks for the help in fixing this vexing problem.

(Reply to this comment)

Marilyn

said this on 23 Mar 2009 10:54:48 PM PST

I tried other solutions - and this was the answer. THANK YOU!

(Reply to this comment)

Franz

said this on 07 Apr 2009 11:39:57 AM PST

I was searching for a solution a few hours. Thank you for your perfect instructions. Real great.

(Reply to this comment)

said this on 17 Apr 2009 3:24:58 AM PST

Thank you so much. I was finally able to help my mother enjoy the numerous inspirational slideshows she receives.

(Reply to this comment)

willie

said this on 04 May 2009 3:47:46 PM PST

Wouu!! so much headache trying to fix this..and this was the solution..Thank you, Very much

(Reply to this comment)

G

said this on 09 May 2009 11:52:57 PM PST

This didn't work by itself. We actually had to do what the error message recommends..."Create an association in the Set Associations control panel." Now it's all good In the past the windows xp version of this tweak has always worked to open pps in outlook express.

(Reply to this comment)

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