Bingo Creator FAQ & fixes
How is this different from other bingo card programs?
Section titled “How is this different from other bingo card programs?”Bingo Creator is fully integrated into PowerPoint. That means you design your cards with whatever font, image, text, or shape you want, using PowerPoint’s own tools instead of being limited to a generic online bingo generator’s templates.
Can I make a 5x5 bingo card set?
Section titled “Can I make a 5x5 bingo card set?”Yes. When you insert a bingo template you can choose any size, such as 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, or even 7x5, and Bingo Creator generates card sets from it. See getting started for the steps.
Can I mix images and text in the same cell?
Section titled “Can I mix images and text in the same cell?”Yes. Whatever you put into a cell is used as one bingo card item. If a cell has an image in the center and a line of text at the bottom, that whole combination travels together as a single item when the cards are shuffled.
Can I add extra items that aren’t in the main grid?
Section titled “Can I add extra items that aren’t in the main grid?”Yes. Alongside your main bingo table you can insert an additional table and fill it with more items. Those extra items get shuffled into the mix, but the additional table itself isn’t shown on the final cards. Use this when you want more variety than the grid has cells, for example a 5x5 card fed from a pool of 40 items. The steps are on the getting started page.
How is this different from Power Pack’s shuffle feature?
Section titled “How is this different from Power Pack’s shuffle feature?”Power Pack’s shuffle is a general-purpose shuffle of any items in PowerPoint. Bingo Creator is made specifically for bingo cards: it creates the slides for you, shuffles text and images together inside a table, and lets you widen the pool with extra items. If bingo cards are what you’re after, Bingo Creator does the whole job in one click.
My set takes a very long time to generate. How do I speed it up?
Section titled “My set takes a very long time to generate. How do I speed it up?”When you click Generate Bingo Cards, open Advanced Options and make sure The text in each cell in the table is uniquely formatted and should keep its style is unchecked. With it off, the text is copied into each card but the per-cell formatting (font, color, and so on) isn’t, which speeds generation up dramatically.
Cards come out with empty cells, or items don’t shuffle. How do I fix it?
Section titled “Cards come out with empty cells, or items don’t shuffle. How do I fix it?”A few things cause this, so work through them in order:
- Uncheck the formatting option. In Generate Bingo Cards → Advanced, uncheck The text in each cell in the table is uniquely formatted and should keep its style, then regenerate. Some versions of PowerPoint don’t detect a cell fast enough to move its contents; turning this off forces PowerPoint to copy and move the text correctly.
- Keep images fully inside their cells. Check that every picture, including its transparent bounds, sits entirely within its cell. An image that overhangs the cell edge can produce empty or misplaced cells.
- Type into a textbox on top of the cell. Instead of typing directly into a cell, place a textbox over the cell and type into that. Text in a textbox shuffles reliably.
- Give every source object a unique name. Open PowerPoint’s Selection Pane, give each source object a unique name, delete the generated slides, and regenerate.
The add-in won’t load. PowerPoint blocks it or says macros are disabled.
Section titled “The add-in won’t load. PowerPoint blocks it or says macros are disabled.”First make sure you’re on the latest version. Then, on Windows, right-click the downloaded .ppam file, choose Properties, and tick Unblock before installing. Windows blocks downloaded add-ins by default. The full steps are on the install page, and more block-specific fixes are in PowerPoint blocked the add-in.
Does Bingo Creator work with Keynote on Mac?
Section titled “Does Bingo Creator work with Keynote on Mac?”No. Bingo Creator requires Microsoft PowerPoint and doesn’t run in Keynote. On Mac it needs PowerPoint 2016 or newer.
Can I sell the bingo cards I make?
Section titled “Can I sell the bingo cards I make?”Yes. The cards you generate can be used for personal or commercial use, so they’re fine to sell as classroom resources. For the details of what your license covers, see commercial use licensing.
I’m getting exact duplicate cards. Is this a known bug?
Section titled “I’m getting exact duplicate cards. Is this a known bug?”This shouldn’t happen. If you see exact duplicates, it’s worth reporting with your source file attached so it can be reproduced and fixed directly. Use the contact link at the end of this page.
Where is the billing policy?
Section titled “Where is the billing policy?”See refunds and billing for the current policy.
Something not covered here? See contact support.