Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions that we frequently get from our users regarding our Presentation Font Embedder for Mac app.

What versions of Microsoft PowerPoint does Presentation Font Embedder work with?

For embedding with the Universal method, Presentation Font Embedder requires an activated and up-to-date installation of Microsoft PowerPoint on your Mac. The app works with PowerPoint 2011, 2016, and 365, and is generally tested to work with the most recent versions of PowerPoint at the time of its last update.

For Embedding with the Editable method, Presentation Font Embedder requires no additional software and can perform the embedding even if no version of PowerPoint is installed on your Mac.

The presentation files generated by Presentation Font Embedder are compatible with PowerPoint versions 2007 and up.

Will my clients be able to edit embedded presentations that I share with them?

Yes. If you embed using our Editable method, your presentations will be editable on Windows computers, with two exceptions:

  • When embedded using the Editable method, PowerPoint will only open Truetype or OpenType–Truetype fonts. It does not support other formats such as OpenType-PostScript or Bitmap, and we therefore do not embed them (we do embed such fonts when you choose the Universal method).
  • Some fonts may be restricted by their creators from embedding or from post-embedding editing. In the latter case the text will display in the embedded fonts, but will turn to a system-default font upon editing.

Presentation Font Embedder will let you know when you are using fonts that are not suitable for embedding so you could replace them in your presentation.

What’s the difference between the Universal embedding method and the Editable one?

In short, the main difference between the two, is that Universal enables embedded fonts to display on any device, while Editable allows recipients to further edit the embedded presentation. Editable is the method that PowerPoint uses on Windows when it embeds fonts, and fonts embedded using this method display on Windows and Android devices, and on Macs if they have Office 365 installed.

For more information, please visit our info page about the Universal and Editable embedding methods.

Why can’t I have the benefits of both methods?

The main reason for this trade-off is that PowerPoint for macOS and for iOS do not have the necessary support for the Editable method, support which exists in the Windows and the Android versions, and enables the reading of document-included font files.

Can your app embed fonts into Keynote presentations?

At this point we support font embedding for Microsoft PowerPoint only. Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page, to get notified when we add support for Keynote.

What is the expected file size after embedding?

Naturally, embedding fonts increases your presentation file’s size. The amount of increase depends on the method that you choose to embed the fonts with.

With the Universal method, the increase is correlated to the number of slides and text shapes in them. The more text shapes your presentation has, the more the increase in file size will be. You can control this to a certain level by choosing a resolution level in the preferences menu. A higher resolution will lead to a larger increase. In general, with this method, an average 20-slides deck file’s size should increase by a few megabytes.

When using the Editable method, the file size increase is directly related to the size of the font files that you embed. The more unique fonts that you use, the larger the resulting presentation file will be. Slide or shape counts have no correlation to the file size whatsoever. An average typeface family can take between 50 kilobytes to 2 megabyte in size.

Why do my presentations say “The PowerPoint version you are using is unable to read this presentation’s embedded fonts. This may reduce readability of some texts”?

You can set Presentation Font Embedder to not insert this notice to the presentation if you created it. Whether you did or you didn’t, there’s more information here.

I have more than one version of PowerPoint installed, how do I make Presentation Font Embedder work with the version that I want?

If you want to use a different PowerPoint version than the one launched by default on your Mac, then all you need to do is to have that version already running before you start embedding.