Use this article to understand why an exported PDF, PNG, or PowerPoint file can look different from your gamma in the editor, and how to fix the most common causes — including content scaling, chart sizing, and font substitution.
🔷 Note: Exports reflect Present Mode, not Edit Mode, so some visual differences are expected. This article covers the specific cases worth troubleshooting, beyond that baseline difference.
Why does my content scale differently when I export?
Gamma has a Zoom to fit setting that controls how your content scales when you export. To find it:
Click Share in the top-right corner of your gamma.
Select Export from the menu on the left-hand side.
Click the Zoom to fit toggle.
Zoom to fit scales your content to fill the page when exporting.
🔷 Note: PDF and PNG exports with fluid slides aren't affected by this setting — Zoom to fit only applies to fixed-format exports.
This setting is available on all plans.
Why do my charts or diagrams look small or shifted in my export?
Charts and diagrams render at their proper size in PDF, PPTX, and Google Slides exports. If you're seeing a chart or diagram that looks noticeably smaller than it appears in the editor, or shifted from its position, try the following:
Re-export the gamma. A fresh export resolves most one-off rendering issues.
Check the Zoom to fit setting above, since it affects how all content — including charts and diagrams — scales on export.
If the issue persists after a fresh export, reach out to our support team with the affected gamma link and export format.
Why do my fonts look different in my export?
Font handling differs slightly by export format. For a full explanation of how Gamma handles fonts in PDF, PNG, and PowerPoint exports — including embedding and the one case where fonts can still substitute — see the Export Limitations and Visual Differences section of What's the easiest way to export my Gamma?
🌀 Insight: The most common cause of an unexpected font substitution is opening an exported PPTX file in Google Slides. Google Slides ignores fonts embedded in an uploaded PowerPoint file and substitutes its own, regardless of what Gamma embedded.
Why can't I export my gamma at all?
1. You see a generic "Error exporting file" message with no specific reason.
This catch-all error appears when the export fails for a reason that doesn't have its own tailored message. The most common causes are:
Server-side rendering failure — the export service hit a problem on our end (a rendering or merge failure, a temporary server error, or the request being rejected). For standard PDF/PPTX/PNG downloads, most server-side failures — including backend timeouts and file-too-large failures — currently surface as this generic message rather than a more specific one. Try exporting again after a few minutes. If it keeps failing, send us the link to your gamma and a human member of our team can check it out.
Network problem on your side — a connection dropping mid-request, a restrictive firewall or proxy, or an ad-blocker interfering with the export. Try exporting from a different network or disabling browser extensions, then try again. Note: if an export takes longer than about a minute, you'll see a "we'll email you a link" message instead of this error — that's a separate path.
File generated but download failed — the file was created on our end but the download step failed. This can happen if your network blocks our file delivery service, or if the download link didn't come back correctly. Try again on a different network or browser.
Google Slides only — missing Drive permission — if you signed in to Google but unchecked the Drive permission during auth, Gamma never received access to create the file. Re-authenticate and make sure the Google Drive permission is granted.
2. Network issues.
A weak or unstable internet connection can interrupt an export mid-process.
Try switching networks, or wait a few minutes and export again.
3. The gamma is too long.
Extremely long gammas (typically 150+ slides) can fail to export.
Split the gamma into smaller sections, export each separately, and merge the files outside Gamma.
4. The gamma has heavy image content.
Large or numerous images can cause an export to fail, or to render incorrectly.
Compress your images, or replace some with lower-resolution screenshots, to reduce the overall file size.
FAQs
Why doesn't my export match the editing view?
Exports reflect Present Mode, so layout or styling may differ slightly from the edit view. This is expected and isn't an error.
Why do fonts look wrong when I open my exported PowerPoint file in Google Slides?
Google Slides ignores fonts embedded in an uploaded PowerPoint file and substitutes its own font, even though Gamma embeds fonts correctly on export. This is a Google Slides limitation, not a Gamma export issue.
What should I do if images are missing from my export?
Replace heavy images with compressed versions or lower-resolution screenshots, then re-export.