Screen resolution is not restored when you switch to another program from a slide show in PowerPoint

When you view a Microsoft PowerPoint slide show with a resolution setting that is less than your current screen resolution, and then press ALT+TAB to switch to another program, the display is not restored to the correct screen resolution as expected.

Additionally, portions of the document window are not visible when you switch to the other program.

This behavior occurs because when you run a slide show, PowerPoint changes the screen resolution to match the setting of the slide show resolution. If this setting is lower than the current resolution, PowerPoint temporarily changes the resolution in Microsoft Windows. This modification is effective throughout the duration of the slide show.

Method 1

To work around this behavior, press ESC to return to PowerPoint from the slide show before using ALT+TAB to switch to another program.

Method 2

Change the setting to match the current resolution. To do so, follow these steps:

1. On the Slide Show menu, click Set Up Show.
   
   Note If you use PowerPoint 2007, click Set Up Slide Show on the Slide Show tab.
2. Change the Slide show resolution setting to [Use Current Resolution].
3. Click OK.