
Hi Richard, this is Kimberly. I'm glad to assist you today.
Since the issue occurs specifically when opening the font dropdown in the ribbon, it likely tries to preview installed fonts, if one is corrupt, it can crash.
Go to: C:\Windows\Fonts
Sort by "Date modified" to find any recently installed fonts.
Temporarily move suspect fonts to a different folder (right-click > Delete or move via CMD/Powershell if locked).
Restart PowerPoint and try again.
You can also use a tool like FontBase or NexusFont to manage and test font integrity.
If the issue is not with the fonts dropdown, Start PowerPoint in Safe Mode
This will rule out any add-in interference.
Press Win + R, type:
powerpnt /safe
Try reproducing the crash.
If it doesn't crash in Safe Mode, a third-party add-in is likely the cause.
To disable add-ins:
Go to File > Options > Add-ins
At the bottom, set "Manage" to COM Add-ins and click "Go..."
Disable all, restart PowerPoint, and re-enable one-by-one.
Should you have more questions, please let me know.
Best regards,
Kimberly