SlideFidelity Helper
An optional, free companion app for PowerPoint on Mac and Windows computers. With it, SlideFidelity can tell you exactly which fonts in a deck are missing on this computer.
SlideFidelity works fully without the helper. Without it, SlideFidelity checks fonts against your show-machine font list instead. The helper is not available for PowerPoint on the web, iPad, or phones.
Download
SlideFidelity Helper is for PowerPoint on Mac and Windows computers. Open this page on the computer that runs PowerPoint to download it.
For Mac
Download for Mac Download coming soon
- Version
- Not released yet
- SHA-256
Not released yet- Requires
To check the download, run shasum -a 256 on the file in Terminal and compare the result with the SHA-256 above.
For Windows
Download for Windows Download coming soon
- Version
- Not released yet
- SHA-256
Not released yet- Requires
To check the download, run Get-FileHash on the file in PowerShell and compare the result with the SHA-256 above.
Installing takes one administrator prompt: the installer's own. On Macs set up by Jamf or another MDM, you are asked once, when you first sign in, to approve the helper's certificate.
What it does
An add-in inside PowerPoint cannot see which fonts are installed on your computer. The helper runs quietly in the background and tells the SlideFidelity add-in the names of the fonts on this computer. SlideFidelity then marks each font in your deck that is missing on this computer, so you can fix it before the show.
When you install the helper, SlideFidelity shows "Exact font check: on" in the pane. When an update is available, SlideFidelity offers it in the pane. Nothing installs automatically: you download and run the new installer yourself.
What it installs
- The SlideFidelity Helper app.
- A login item that starts the helper when you sign in. On Mac this is
/Library/LaunchAgents/com.slidefidelity.helper.plist. On Windows it is a startup entry. - A certificate unique to this computer. It is valid only for
localhost,127.0.0.1, and::1, and it is trusted for website (SSL) use only, so it cannot be used to pretend to be any other website. The key that could sign other certificates is destroyed right after the certificate is created. The certificate lasts about two years; reinstalling the helper renews it.
What it reads and sends
- It reads the names of the fonts installed on this computer: system fonts, fonts you installed, and Microsoft Office's own and cloud fonts. It never opens your presentations.
- It answers only the SlideFidelity add-in on this computer (
https://app.slidefidelity.com), and only over this computer's own loopback address. - It sends nothing off this computer, except checking
https://app.slidefidelity.com/helper/latest.jsonfor updates. Administrators can turn that check off.
See the privacy policy.
How to uninstall
Mac: in Terminal, run:
sudo "/Library/Application Support/SlideFidelity/Helper/uninstall.sh"
This removes the app, the login item, the certificate and its trust, and the helper's files.
Windows: open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find SlideFidelity Helper, and select Uninstall.
SlideFidelity keeps working after you uninstall. It goes back to checking fonts against your show-machine font list.
For IT and MDM
The helper supports silent installs through Jamf (pkg) and Intune (MSI), and you can turn update checks off. See deployment notes for IT.