Start Here — PPT-Maker

1) Install

Use the download link in your Lemon Squeezy order page (or order email). Then run the installer.

Steps

Download the installer from your order page.
Run the installer (Windows may ask for confirmation).
Open Excel → you should see a new PPT-Maker tab.

If the tab doesn’t show up

Close Excel completely and reopen it.
Check whether Excel disabled the add-in (Trust Center).
Reinstall using the latest download link.

2) Activate your license

In Excel → PPT-Maker tab → Manage License. Paste your Lemon Squeezy license key and click Activate.

Activation notes

No restart required after activation.
License data is stored locally (per Windows user).
Periodic re-checks are infrequent and include a grace period.

If activation fails

Confirm you copied the full license key (no extra spaces).
Allow access to api.lemonsqueezy.com on your network.
Try again on a different network (hotspot) as a quick test.

3) First success: generate a deck

Follow the recommended workflow: storyboard → template → generate → polish.

A

Create a Storyboard sheet

Excel → PPT-Maker → Create StoryBoard Sheet. Fill rows with No., Type, Title, Lead, Body.

B

Select your template

Excel → PPT-Maker → Select Slide Template. Choose the PowerPoint file you already use.

C

Generate slides

Excel → PPT-Maker → Generate Slides from StoryBoard. Choose where to save the output .pptx.

Tip: If you use a corporate template, run “Check Slide Template Compatibility” once.

Template setup: 5 slide types (minimum set)

PPT-Maker is deterministic: it places storyboard fields into the placeholders you tag with AltText in Slide Master. The fastest reliable setup is to prepare 5 layouts that represent the minimum set of roles in professional decks.

Why these 5 are the minimum

Cover and Divider enforce story structure (without body text).
Agenda requires a dedicated table area (BODY) to stay readable.
Main covers the default “explain & persuade” slide.
Bullet lets you allocate a dedicated bullet region (or fallback to BODY).

Why not more?

More types increase per-template setup time.
More types increase compatibility checks and support complexity.
Most corporate templates can represent 90%+ of decks with these 5 roles.

Slide Type	Required AltText	Where to set it (Slide Master)
Cover	PPTMAKER:TITLE	Set on the Title placeholder only.
Divider	PPTMAKER:TITLE	Set on the section title placeholder only.
Agenda	PPTMAKER:TITLE + PPTMAKER:BODY	BODY defines the area where the agenda table is placed.
Main	PPTMAKER:TITLE + PPTMAKER:LEAD + PPTMAKER:BODY	Title (top) → Lead (under title) → Body (main text area).
Bullet	PPTMAKER:TITLE + PPTMAKER:LEAD + PPTMAKER:BULLET	If BULLET is missing, PPT-Maker uses BODY as fallback.

Cover

Tag the title placeholder with PPTMAKER:TITLE.

Divider

Tag the section title placeholder with PPTMAKER:TITLE.

Agenda

Tag the title + body placeholders with TITLE and BODY.

Main

Tag title/lead/body placeholders with TITLE, LEAD, BODY.

Bullet

Tag the bullet region with PPTMAKER:BULLET (or rely on BODY fallback).

AltText tags to copy

PPTMAKER:TITLE
PPTMAKER:LEAD
PPTMAKER:BODY
PPTMAKER:BULLET

Troubleshooting

Most issues fall into one of these categories. Fixes are intentionally deterministic (no guesswork).

Generate button is disabled

Create a Storyboard sheet first. The Generate button is enabled when a Storyboard sheet exists.

Template compatibility check shows missing tags

Open PowerPoint → View → Slide Master → set AltText on placeholders (PPTMAKER:TITLE/LEAD/BODY). Then re-run the compatibility check.

Still stuck?

In Excel → PPT-Maker → Copy Diagnostic Report, then post it to GitHub Discussions.