powerpoint presentation short cut

Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations

Many users find that using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint helps them work more efficiently. For users with mobility or vision disabilities, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using the touchscreen and are an essential alternative to using a mouse.

For a separate list of shortcuts to use while creating your presentation, go to  Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations .

The shortcuts in this topic refer to the US keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a US keyboard.

A plus sign (+) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys at the same time.

A comma sign (,) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys in order.

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts and some other common shortcut keys that apply while you're delivering your presentation with PowerPoint for Windows.

To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use Search. Press Ctrl+F, and then type your search words.

If an action that you use often does not have a shortcut key, you can record a macro. For step-by-step instructions to record a macro, refer to the section “Record a macro” in Automate tasks with the Macro Recorder to create one.

During the presentation, to open a list of shortcuts, press F1. Use the arrow keys to move between the tabs in the Slide Show Help dialog box.

Get the PowerPoint 2016 keyboard shortcuts in a Word document at this link: PowerPoint 2016 for Windows keyboard shortcuts .

In this topic

Frequently used shortcuts, control the slide show, control media in the slide show, pointer and annotations in the slide show, rehearse the presentation, maneuver in presenter view.

This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in PowerPoint for Windows.

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You can use the following keyboard shortcuts while you’re delivering your presentation in Slide Show (full-screen) mode, with or without  Presenter View .

Control media in the slide show 

These keyboard shortcuts work with video files imported from your computer or other device. They don't work with online video files.

Use the following keyboard shortcuts to control the pointer and to use it to create annotations during your presentation.

You can use these keyboard shortcuts when you are rehearsing your presentation.

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts while you’re delivering your presentation using Presenter View  in PowerPoint 2013 and newer.  Presenter View lets you look at your presentation with your speaker notes on one screen (your laptop, for example), while the audience views the notes-free presentation on a different screen.

When you are connected to a second display, Presenter View is shown automatically when you start the slide show. To start a presentation in Presenter View even if you have only a single display, press Alt+F5.

Tip:  If Presenter View does not start automatically with two displays, go the Slide Show tab, select the Use Presenter View checkbox, and select the preferred monitor.

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts and some other common shortcut keys that apply while you're delivering your presentation with PowerPoint for macOS.

The settings in some versions of the Mac operating system (OS) and some utility applications might conflict with keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft 365 for Mac. For information about changing the key assignment for a keyboard shortcut, refer to Mac Help for your version of macOS or your utility application.

If you don't find a keyboard shortcut here that meets your needs, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut. For instructions, go to Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Office for Mac .

Many of the shortcuts that use the Ctrl key on a Windows keyboard also work with the Control key in PowerPoint for macOS. However, not all do.

To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the Search. Press Command+F, and then type your search words.

During the presentation, to open a list of shortcuts, press forward slash (/).

Pointer and annotations in the slide show

Navigate the presenter view on macos 10.15 (catalina) and later.

This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in PowerPoint for macOS.

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts while you’re delivering your presentation in Slide Show (full-screen) mode, with or without the Presenter View .

Use the following keyboard shortcuts to control media during a presentation.

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts while you’re delivering your presentation using the Presenter View on macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and later, and when the keyboard control navigation is turned on. For instructions, refer to Turn on the keyboard control navigation .

Use the shortcuts in the table below to move in the Presenter View in PowerPoint for macOS.

Skip ahead in your presentation

You can use your keyboard to skip ahead several slides without the audience seeing the slides as you transition to the new slide.

Press the Tab key until you reach the Slide Navigator control (filmstrip).

Press and hold down the Option key and press the Left or Right arrow key repeatedly until you find the slide you want to skip to.

Release the Option key to move to the slide you want to skip to.

Turn on the keyboard control navigation

To use your keyboard to move between and activate controls on your Mac, turn on the keyboard control navigation.

If you're not using VoiceOver, on your computer, select System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts , and select the Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls checkbox.

If you're using VoiceOver, the control navigation should be on by default. To check the setting, do the following:

On your computer, press Control+Option+M to access the Apple menu bar item. To open the Apple menu, press Control+Option+Spacebar.

Press Control+Option+Down arrow key until you hear "System preferences ellipses," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.

The System Preferences window opens. The focus is in the Search text box.

Type Keyboard , and then press Return. The Keyboard dialog box opens.

Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear "Shortcuts tab," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.

Press Control+Option+Right arrow key until you hear: "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls." VoiceOver also announces if the option is selected or unselected. To toggle the option on or off, press Control+Option+Spacebar.

To close the Keyboard dialog box, press Command+W.

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts that apply while you're delivering your presentation with PowerPoint for the web.

If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update .

When you use PowerPoint for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because PowerPoint for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not PowerPoint for the web.

This table lists the keyboard shortcuts you can use to control the slide show.

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk .

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How-To Geek

All the best microsoft powerpoint keyboard shortcuts.

Even if you’re familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint, you might be surprised by the number and variety of keyboard shortcuts you can use to speed up your work and generally make things more convenient.

Quick Links

General program shortcuts, selecting and navigating text, objects, and slides, formatting and editing, helpful slideshow shortcuts.

Now, does anyone expect you to memorize all these keyboard combos? Of course not! Everyone’s needs are different, so some will be more useful to you than others. And even if you pick up a few new tricks, it’s worth it. We’ve also tried to keep the list clean and simple, so go ahead and print it that helps!

Also, even though our list of shortcuts here is pretty long, it’s by no means a complete list of every keyboard combo available in PowerPoint. We’ve tried to keep it to the more generally useful shortcuts. And, you’ll be happy to know that almost all of these shortcuts have been around for a long time, so they should be helpful no matter what version of PowerPoint you’re using.

Note: We present keyboard combos using the following convention. A plus means you should press those keys together. A comma means you should press keys in sequence. So, for example, "Ctrl+N" means to hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the N key and then release both keys. On the other hand, "Alt+N,P" means you should hold the Alt key down, press the N key, release the N key, press the P key, and then release all keys.

First, let's review some general keyboard shortcuts for opening, closing, and switching between presentations, as well as navigating the Ribbon.

• Ctrl+N: Create a new presentation
• Ctrl+O: Open an existing presentation
• Ctrl+S: Save a presentation
• F12 or Alt+F2: Open the Save As dialog box
• Ctrl+W or Ctrl+F4: Close a presentation
• Ctrl+Q: Save and close a presentation
• Ctrl+Z: Undo an action
• Ctrl+Y: Redo an action
• Ctrl+F2: Print Preview View
• F1: Open the Help pane
• Alt+Q: Go to the “Tell me what you want to do” box
• F7: Check spelling
• Alt or F10: Turn key tips on or off
• Ctrl+F1: Show or hide the ribbon
• Ctrl+F: Search in a presentation or use Find and Replace
• Alt+F: Open the File tab menu
• Alt+H: Go to the Home tab
• Alt+N: Open the Insert tab
• Alt+G: Open the Design tab
• Alt+K: Go to the Transitions tab
• Alt+A: Go to the Animations tab
• Alt+S: Go to the Slide Show tab
• Alt+R: Go to the Review tab
• Alt+W: Go to View tab
• Alt+X: Go to the Add-ins tab
• Alt+Y: Go to the Help tab
• Ctrl+Tab: Switch between open presentations

You can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate throughout your presentation easily. Try these shortcuts for quick and easy ways to select text within text boxes, objects on your slides, or slides in your presentation.

• Ctrl+A: Select all text in a text box, all objects on a slide, or all slides in a presentation (for the latter, click on a slide thumbnail first)
• Tab: Select or move to the next object on a slide
• Shift+Tab: Select or move to the previous object on a slide
• Home: Go to the first slide, or from within a text box, go to the beginning of the line
• End: Go to the last slide, or from within a text box, go to the end of the line
• PgDn: Go to the next slide
• PgUp: Go the previous slide
• Ctrl+Up/Down Arrow: Move a slide up or down in your presentation (click on a slide thumbnail first)
• Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down Arrow: Move a slide to the beginning or end of your presentation (click on a slide thumbnail first)

The following keyboard shortcuts will save you time so you can edit and format in a snap!

• Ctrl+X: Cut selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)
• Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert: Copy selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)
• Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert: Paste selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)
• Ctrl+Alt+V: Open the Paste Special dialog box
• Delete: Remove selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)
• Ctrl+B: Add or remove bold to selected text
• Ctrl+I: Add or remove italics to selected text
• Ctrl+U: Add or remove underline to selected text
• Ctrl+E: Center a paragraph
• Ctrl+J: Justify a paragraph
• Ctrl+L: Left align a paragraph
• Ctrl+R: Right align a paragraph
• Ctrl+T: Open the Font dialog box when text or object is selected
• Alt+W,Q: Open the Zoom dialog box to change the zoom for the slide
• Alt+N,P: Insert a picture
• Alt+H,S,H: Insert a shape
• Alt+H,L: Select a slide layout
• Ctrl+K: Insert a hyperlink
• Ctrl+M: Insert a new slide
• Ctrl+D: Duplicate the selected object or slide (for the latter, click on a slide thumbnail first)

When you're ready to start a presentation, the following keyboard combos should come in handy.

• F5: Start the presentation from the beginning
• Shift+F5: Start the presentation from the current slide (this one is great when you want to test out how the slide your currently working on will look in your presentation)
• Ctrl+P: Annotate with the Pen tool during a slideshow
• N or Page Down: Advance to the next slide during a slideshow
• P or Page Up:  Return to the previous slide during a slide show
• B: Change the screen to black during a slideshow; press B again to return to the slideshow
• Esc: End the slideshow

The more you use keyboard shortcuts, the easier they are to remember. And no one expects you to memorize all of them. Hopefully, you've found a few new ones you can use to make your life in Excel a little better.

Need more help with keyboard shortcuts? You can access Help anytime by pressing F1. This opens a Help pane and allows you to search for help on any topic. Search for "keyboard shortcuts" to learn more.

Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials Essential Shortcuts for PowerPoint Presentations

Essential Shortcuts for PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint is an indispensable tool for business professionals, aiding in creating impactful presentations that can make or break a deal. However, creating and delivering presentations can be time-consuming. To help you speed up your presentation slide design and delivery performance, here are 30 essential PowerPoint shortcuts every user should master.

Table of Contents

Reasons to Learn PowerPoint Shortcuts

Frequently used shortcuts, apply character formatting, ribbon navigation, select and edit text and objects, control slides during a presentation.

Time Efficiency and Productivity: Mastering PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts can significantly reduce the time spent creating and editing presentations, allowing users to focus on content and delivery.

Enhanced Focus: By eliminating the need to search for functions in menus, presenters can maintain their focus on the task at hand, leading to better quality work.

Professionalism: Quick and seamless operation during a presentation can make a user appear more professional and in control.

Ease of Use: Once mastered, keyboard shortcuts become second nature, making the software easier and more enjoyable.

Accessibility: For users with disabilities, PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts can provide an easier and more accessible way to use software.

This selection of shortcuts represents the most commonly used tools by PowerPoint users. Applying these shortcuts to our workflow will significantly speed up our performance.

• Insert a new slide: CTRL + M / CMD + M
• Duplicate a selected object or slide: CTRL + D / CMD + D
• Change the zoom for the slide: ALT + W + Q / OPTION + W + Q
• Cut selected object, text, or slide: CTRL + X / CMD + X
• Copy selected object, text, or slide: CTRL + C / CMD + C
• Paste selected object, text, or slide: CTRL + V / CMD + V
• Undo the last action: CTRL + Z / CMD + Z
• Start Slide Show: ALT + S + B / OPTION + S + B
• End Slide Show: Esc / Esc
• Insert a Picture: ALT + N + P / OPTION + N + P

This set of shortcuts will help us to edit our copy text in PowerPoint slides.

• Open the Font dialogue box: CTRL + T / CMD + T
• Apply bold formatting: CTRL + B / CMD + B
• Apply an underline: CTRL + U / CMD + U
• Apply italic formatting: CTRL + I / CMD + I
• Apply subscript formatting: CTRL + = / CMD + =
• Apply superscript formatting: CTRL + SHIFT + ‘+’ / CMD + SHIFT + ‘+’
• Insert a hyperlink: CTRL + K / CMD + K

Instead of manually switching between tabs in the Ribbon, we can do it via PowerPoint shortcuts.

• Open the File page: ALT + F / OPTION + F
• Open the Home tab: ALT + H / OPTION + H
• Open the Insert tab: ALT + N / OPTION + N
• Open the Design tab: ALT + G / OPTION + G
• Open the Transitions tab: ALT + T / OPTION + T
• Open the Animations tab: ALT + A / OPTION + A
• Open the Slide Show tab: ALT + S / OPTION + S
• Open the Review tab: ALT + R / OPTION + R
• Open the View tab: ALT + W / OPTION + W

Most of these shortcuts are handled with the arrow keys of your keyboard in combination with CTRL/CMD and SHIFT/OPTION. We will list a few other shortcuts, but you can find the full list in the infographic shown at the end of this guide.

• Send object back one position: CTRL + [ / CMD + [
• Send object forward one position: CTRL + ] / CMD + ]
• Select another object (when one is selected): TAB or SHIFT + TAB / OPTION + TAB
• Send an object to the back: CTRL + SHIFT + [ / CMD + OPTION + [
• Bring an object to the front: CTRL + SHIFT + ] / CMD + OPTION + ]

Ideally, these shortcuts are handled by the person in charge of the slides during the presentation rather than the speaker. Still, since both roles sometimes are done by the same presenter, it’s best to familiarize ourselves with these shortcuts.

• Stop or restart an automatic presentation: S
• End a presentation: ESC
• Erase on-screen annotations: E
• Display a blank slide or return to the presentation: W
• Hide the pointer and navigation button immediately: CTRL + H

Mastering PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts is not just about saving time; it’s about transforming your work process to be more efficient, professional, and focused. The benefits are clear, from increased productivity and ease of use to enhanced professionalism during presentations.

We invite you to take the time to learn and practice these shortcuts. Incorporate them into your daily work routine and watch as they become second nature, significantly improving your presentation design and delivery. Remember, the small investment of time and effort you put into mastering these shortcuts will pay off in the long run, giving you a valuable skill that will serve you well throughout your professional journey. So, start today and unlock the full potential of your presentations with the power of keyboard shortcuts!

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The 48 best PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts for making great presentations quickly and easily

• There are many PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts that you can use to work faster and more efficiently on the platform.
• You can use a long list of keyboard shortcuts for common tasks, along with PowerPoint's Access Key shortcuts.
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories .

Microsoft PowerPoint is a complex program with a vast number of features, so it's worth your time to learn all its secrets. Some of these secrets include keyboard shortcuts, which can seriously speed up your workflow.

Not only can keyboard shortcuts save you a lot of time, but knowing important shortcuts when delivering a presentation can help everything run more smoothly. 

Here's a guide to the most useful keyboard shortcuts in the Windows 10 version of Microsoft PowerPoint .

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Windows 10 (from $139.99 at best buy), acer chromebook 15 (from $179.99 at walmart), microsoft office (from $149.99 at best buy), how to use powerpoint's access key shortcuts.

The ribbon at the top of PowerPoint gives you access to virtually all the program's countless features, and you don't need to use your mouse to use it – every ribbon command has its own keyboard shortcut. 

To use the ribbon entirely using your keyboard, do this:

1. Press and release Alt. You should see an overlay called Access Keys appear. 

2. Press the Access Key indicated to switch to the Ribbon tab you want to use.  

3. Press the Access Key for the command you want to use. Some Access Keys are more than one key press – just press the keys in sequence. If there is yet another layer of choices, continue to press the appropriate keys. For example, if you wanted to rehearse the timing of a presentation, you would press Alt and release it, then press S, and then press T. 

Every PowerPoint keyboard shortcut you need to know

You can use the ribbon shortcuts to perform virtually any task in PowerPoint, but you might often find the more traditional keyboard shortcuts more convenient to use. 

Here are the most important keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint.

Delivering a presentation

Start a presentation from the beginning: Press F5 to start playing a presentation from the first slide. 

Start a presentation from the current slide: Press Shift + F5 to start playing a presentation from whatever slide is currently on screen.

Start a presentation in Presenter View: Press Alt + F5 to start a presentation in Presenter View, which lets you see your notes on the main computer screen while the audience sees only the slides on a separate screen. 

Go to the next slide or start the next animation: To advance to the next slide, you have several options. You can press any of these keys: N, Enter, Spacebar, Right Arrow, or Down Arrow.

Go back to the previous slide or animation: To go back to the previous slide, you also have several options. You can press any of these keys: P, Page Up, Left Arrow, or Up Arrow.

Go to the first slide: Press Home to restart the presentation at the first slide.

Go to the last slide: Press End to go directly to the final slide. 

Stop or start an automatic presentation: Press S to toggle an automatic, timed presentation between start and stop. 

Go to a specific slide: To go to a specific slide within the presentation, enter the slide number followed by Enter, such as 15 + Enter to go to slide number 15. 

Open the All Slides dialog box: To see a list of all the slides in your presentation, press Ctrl + S.

End a presentation: Press Esc to exit a presentation. 

Toggle between presentation and a blank screen: To temporarily display a blank screen in the middle of a presentation, press B to see a black screen or W to see a white screen. 

Start the laser pointer: Press Ctrl + L to change the pointer into a virtual laser dot. 

Draw on the presentation with a pen: Press Ctrl + P to change the pointer into a pen that you can use to annotate the screen. 

Hide the pointer and navigation controls: Press Ctrl + H to hide the pointer (or laser dot or pen) and the navigation controls. 

Erase annotations: Press E to erase any annotations you've made with the pen.

Creating a presentation

Open a presentation: Press Ctrl + O to open an existing PowerPoint presentation. 

Create a new presentation: Press Ctrl + N to create a new presentation. 

Add a new slide: Press Ctrl + M to add a new slide to a presentation in progress. 

Save the presentation: Press Ctrl + S to immediately save a presentation with its current file name. 

Save a presentation with a new filename: Press F12 to open the Save As dialog box and save your presentation. 

Close a presentation: Press Ctrl + W to close the current presentation. If it hasn't been saved, PowerPoint will give you the opportunity to save it first. 

Editing slides

Copy a slide, text, or other object: Press Ctrl + C to copy the selected item, which can be text, a graphic, or even an entire slide. 

Cut a slide, text, or other object: Press Ctrl + X to cut the selected item, which can be text, a graphic, or even an entire slide. 

Paste a slide, text, or other object: Press Ctrl + V to paste the content of the clipboard at the cursor location. 

Delete a selected slide, text, or other object: Select the item you want to remove and then press Delete.

Insert a hyperlink: Select text or object in a slide and then press Ctrl + K to open the Insert Hyperlink dialog box to turn it into a link. If you press Ctrl + K without selecting anything first, then you will need to specify the link text as well. 

Go to the next or previous slide: Press Page Down to advance to the next slide; press Page Up to go back to the previous slide. 

Change the order of a slide: Press Ctrl + Up Arrow to move the selected slide one position earlier in the presentation; press Ctrl + Down Arrow to move it one later in the presentation. 

Move a slide to the start of the presentation: Press Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow to move the selected slide to the start of the presentation. 

Move a slide to the end of the presentation: Press Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow to move the selected slide to the end of the presentation.

Editing text

Bold: Press Ctrl + B to bold the selected text.

Italics: Press Ctrl + I to italics the selected text.

Underline: Press Ctrl + U to underline the selected text.

Make the font bigger: Press Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow to increase the size of the selected text a little at a time. 

Make the font smaller: Press Ctrl  + Shift + Left Arrow to decrease the size of the selected text a little at a time.

Center text: Press Ctrl + E to center the selected paragraph.

Left align text: Press Ctrl + L to left-align the selected paragraph.

Right align text: Press Ctrl + R to right-align the selected paragraph.

Justify text: Press Ctrl + J to justify the selected paragraph. This causes the text to auto-fit to the left and right margins of the slide. 

Superscript: Press Ctrl and the Plus sign to turn the selected text into superscript.

Subscript: Press Ctrl + = to turn the selected text into subscript. 

Check spelling: Press F7 to run PowerPoint's built-in spell checker.

General tasks

Search within a presentation: Press Ctrl + F to open the Find dialog box, where you can search for specific text within the presentation. You can also search and replace text using this dialog box. 

Undo: Press Ctrl + Z to undo your last action. 

Redo: Press Ctrl + Y to redo the last action, if possible. If it's not possible for PowerPoint to redo the action, nothing will happen. 

Help: Press F1 to open the Help and Support pane. 

Cancel: Press Esc to abort any task you don't want to complete. In some cases, you may also need to click "Cancel."

Related coverage from  Tech Reference :

How to do a voiceover on a powerpoint presentation and add pre-recorded audio to your slides, how to add a border to slides in powerpoint, and give your slideshow a sleek design, how to change and format the background of your powerpoint slides to custom designs, how to change your language settings in microsoft powerpoint in 3 different ways, how to copy or duplicate a powerpoint slide and put it anywhere in your slideshow.

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Handy PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac

Whether you’re creating a presentation or giving one, you can do it more efficiently with the help of keyboard shortcuts in the microsoft powerpoint desktop app for windows or macos..

Contributing Editor, Computerworld |

Microsoft Office Keyboard Shortcuts

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PowerPoint’s Ribbon interface is great for finding everything you might ever want to do in the presentation package — particularly things you don’t do frequently, like using the rehearse timing feature.

But if you’re looking to do common tasks fast, you’ll find keyboard shortcuts far more useful. Why bother to lift your hands from the keyboard if you want to open or close a presentation, apply formatting, or start a presentation?

There are keyboard shortcuts to accomplish a vast array of tasks in the PowerPoint desktop client, in both the Windows and Mac versions. (Fewer shortcuts are available for the Mac, but you can create your own custom keyboard shortcuts if you like.)

We've listed the shortcuts we've found the most useful below. Most work whether you’re using a subscription (Microsoft 365/Office 365) or non-subscription version of PowerPoint. For even more shortcuts, see Microsoft's Office site, which lists shortcuts for creating and delivering a presentation.

Note: On Macs, the ⌘ key is the same as the Command or Cmd key.

Useful PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts

Looking for more help with PowerPoint for Windows? If you have Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, see " PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 cheat sheet ." If you have a non-subscription version of Office, see " PowerPoint 2016 and 2019 cheat sheet ." We've also got cheat sheets for an array of other Microsoft products , including older versions of Office.

• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft 365
• Office Suites
• Productivity Software

Preston Gralla is a contributing editor for Computerworld and the author of more than 45 books, including Windows 8 Hacks (O'Reilly, 2012) and How the Internet Works (Que, 2006).

Copyright © 2022 IDG Communications, Inc.

Every Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcut for Windows Worth Knowing

Become a Microsoft PowerPoint master with this free downloadable PDF of all the best keyboard shortcuts.

There's a reason that PowerPoint is a household name: it's the best software for creating presentations for work and home.

If you find yourself creating lots of presentations, you might be wondering if there's something you can do to speed up the process. The answer is yes, you just need to make use of all the handy shortcuts that PowerPoint offers.

We've put together a list of all the best PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts so that you can navigate, create, and present your presentations with ease.

FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download the Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Cheat Sheet .

Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

Present powerpoint like a professional.

Now you know all the shortcuts for creating and navigating in PowerPoint, it's time to make your presentation as professional as possible. That's why we've collated all the tips you need for keeping your audience engaged when using PowerPoint.

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21 Best PowerPoint Shortcuts for Editing and Presenting

Sara Wanasek

Love to find little ways to save yourself time? Well, try these PowerPoint shortcuts! There is always so much work to be done, so might as well utilize some savvy time savers. In the grand scheme of things, the little old Ctrl + P to paste really can save a chunk of time.  

Here is a list of the best PowerPoint shortcuts when creating, editing, and presenting your presentation. These will help you move through your presentation more efficiently by not having to take your hands off the keyboard or navigating through a multitude of menus and settings.  

Unless your only job is to make PowerPoints, you may not want or need, to spend your time trying to memorize every single one of these shortcuts (which will lead to making your editing process longer, not shorter!) But scroll through the list and find which ones might work for you, and try them out to save you time! 

PowerPoint Shortcuts for Editing Your Presentation 

Ctrl + M – Add a new slide  

PowerPoint Shortcuts for Shapes & Slides 

Ctrl + D – Duplicate your slide or any items on your slide

Ctrl + Drag – Hold down the Ctrl button and click to drag the selected item to move it to the correct location

Ctrl + Shift + Drag – Duplicate an item and keep it aligned with the original as you move it to the correct location

Ctrl+Shift+C (or + V) – Copies (or pastes) the formatting of a shape  

Ctrl+G – Groups the selected shapes together  

Ctrl+Shift+G – Ungroup selected shapes

Ctrl + Shift + ] – Brings a selected object forward 

Ctrl + Shift + [ – Brings selected object backwards 

Ctrl + A – Select all items on the current slide. This can be used to move, delete, or copy all items on a slide

PowerPoint Classic Shortcuts

Ctrl + C, V, X  – Copy, Paste, Cut 

Ctrl + Z, Y – Undo & Redo 

Ctrl + B, U, or I – Bold, Underline, Italicize 

F7 – Check for spelling 

Ctrl + S – Save Presentation 

PowerPoint Shortcuts for Presenting Your Presentation 

F5 – Enter Presentation  

Shift F5 – Enter your Presentation from the current slide 

W or B – Pause Presentation with a blank white or black screen 

Ctrl + E – Eraser 

Esc – Exit Presentation 

Ctrl + P – Activate Pen 

I hope some of these have inspired you to try it out and see if it helps expedite your PowerPoint creating, editing, and presenting process! These little efficient time savers can add up! If you are looking for more PowerPoint productivity read these 10 tips . Let us know in the comments your favorite PowerPoint shortcut or any that we missed!  

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[Infographic] 80 Essential PowerPoint Shortcuts Every Professional Should Know

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Fun fact: Workers waste eight days per year  by not using keyboard shortcuts. 

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Download our print-ready shortcut cheatsheet for PowerPoint.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, keyboard shortcuts are a combination of two or more keys that trigger a specific action. You probably use your mouse for a lot of these actions, which is time-consuming when compared to the alternative. 

So why don't more of us utilize keyboard shortcuts then? The answer is simple: It can be difficult to memorize all of them, especially when shortcuts vary from program to program. 

To help facilitate your shortcuts' knowledge, we're curating the most useful keyboard shortcuts for the most popular office tools, including Microsoft  Excel , Word and PowerPoint . In this post, we focus exclusively on PowerPoint shortcuts.

Don't forget to tell us any PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts we missed along with your favorites.

Want a more comprehensive list (or a downloadable PDF cheatsheet? ) Check out our massive, interactive list of PowerPoint shortcuts here

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Lauren Holliday is a full stack marketer, serial learner, and writer. Her work has been featured in Business Insider, The Economist, TIME, and more.

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Microsoft Office PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts and Cheat Sheet

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Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most popular tools for creating and delivering presentations, but a lot of people are still unaware of how to use it as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If you’re a frequent user of Microsoft Office PowerPoint, you know that there are a lot of different features and functions to master. One way to make your workflow more efficient is by using keyboard shortcuts.

Here are some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint:

Ctrl + N: Create a new presentation.\ Ctrl + O: Open an existing presentation.\ Ctrl + S: Save your presentation.\ Ctrl + P: Print your presentation.\ Ctrl + Z: Undo your last action.\ Ctrl + Y: Redo your last action.\ Ctrl + C: Copy selected text or object.\ Ctrl + X: Cut selected text or object.\ Ctrl + V: Paste copied or cut text or object.\ Ctrl + A: Select all objects on a slide.\ Ctrl + F: Find and replace text.\ Ctrl + B: Apply or remove bold formatting.\ Ctrl + I: Apply or remove italic formatting.\ Ctrl + U: Apply or remove underline formatting.\ Ctrl + E: Center align text.\ Ctrl + L: Left align text.\ Ctrl + R: Right align text.\ Ctrl + M: Insert a new slide.\ Ctrl + D: Duplicate currently selected slide.\ Ctrl + H: Show or hide the Ribbon.

These shortcuts can save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you’re working on a large presentation. To view a full list of keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint, you can access the “Keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint” help article on the Microsoft website. In addition to keyboard shortcuts, you can also create your own custom shortcuts by assigning a keyboard shortcut to a specific command or function. To do this, select “Options” from the “File” tab, then select “Customize Ribbon” and “Keyboard Shortcuts.” From there, you can select the command you want to assign a shortcut to and create your custom shortcut.

By utilizing keyboard shortcuts and custom shortcuts, you can streamline your PowerPoint workflow and become a more efficient presenter.

Microsoft Office PowerPoint – Keyboard Shortcuts and Cheat Sheet

Shortcuts are a quick and easy way to elevate your design skills and improve your overall presentation. Take the time to memorize them I promise it’s worth it.

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The Best Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

Improve the efficiency of your workflow

Microsoft Office PowerPoint is still commonly used for creating graphic presentations in corporate and education all over the world. Millions of people use it on a daily basis. Although it’s fairly software, creating a presentation takes time. So why not speed up the process and use Powerpoint keyboard shortcuts to improve your workflow?

The list of shortcuts presented here is only a small portion of all the shortcuts available. In this article, we try to keep only to the most frequently used keyboard PowerPoint shortcuts. Other shortcuts might be more task-specific and useful in only a handful of situations, so we won’t bother with them.

Keep in mind that these shortcuts will work in all PowerPoint versions. You don’t have to install the latest version in order to use them.

That said, make sure to also check out our articles on the best Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts and the best Microsoft Excel keyboard shortcuts to become a Microsoft Office power user.

1. General PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

These PowerPoint shortcut keys will help you navigate the ribbon, open and close presentations, or switch between multiple presentations. You might already be familiar with some of them as they are the same as the shortcuts used in other apps or web browsers.

2. Selecting and Navigating through PowerPoint Presentation

This group of shortcut keys will help you quickly move through the whole presentation and select the text, boxes, slides, or only certain objects within the slides. Instead of using your mouse, opt for keyboard shortcuts, it will save you a lot of time.

3. Formatting and Editing the PowerPoint Presentation

After you are done creating a presentation, you can concentrate on making it look good. Format your PowerPoint presentation or edit it quickly with these keyboard shortcuts. Also, remember you can always get started with a professional PowerPoint template to save even more time.

4. Delivering Your Presentation

Once you’re satisfied with how your PowerPoint presentation turned out, it’s time to deliver it to your coworkers, boss, or teacher. These keyboard shortcuts will help you look professional.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Keep in mind the PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts above are primarily for Windows machines. However, most of them are similar on the Mac as well. While on Windows you need to press Ctrl for most shortcuts, on Mac you will press the Cmd (Command) key instead.

PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts are essential for improving the efficiency of your workflow and you should learn at least the basic ones. However, you will, in time, remember the ones you use the most.

If you find it helpful, you can even print out this list of Powerpoint keyboard shortcuts, and keep it handy next to your workstation. That way you can cast a glance and use the appropriate shortcut at any time.

Nicolae is a Jack of all trades technology writer with a focus on hardware, programming languages, and AI image-processing software. Over the last five years, he has ghostwritten numerous tech how-to guides and books on a variety of topics ranging from Linux to C# programming and game development. Nicolae loves everything that has to do with technology and his goal is to share his knowledge and experience with others. Read Nicolae's Full Bio

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Top 25 PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts That Save Time

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• October 31, 2018

You just found a treasure trove of PowerPoint shortcuts that are going to save you a ton of time! Shortcuts are the secret to being wicked fast and efficient in PowerPoint. That is because they magically turn long and boring chores into quick and easy to accomplish tasks.

When I first started working in PowerPoint, like most people, I did not know any keyboard shortcuts. That is one of the main reasons too, why doing anything in PowerPoint took me forever. So, I cannot overemphasize the value of being able to quickly crank through client deliverables, pitch books, presentations, or wherever else you are building in PowerPoint like a pro, as opposed to slaving away all night at the office like a newbie, struggling to get basic things done in the program.

If you already know lots of PowerPoint shortcuts, then you are doing things right, and hopefully you learn a few new ones from our list. If you are brand new to PowerPoint, the list below is a fantastic way to start upscaling your skills, so you too can use PowerPoint like a pro.

To generate the below list of PowerPoint shortcuts, we surveyed our 30,000+ PowerPoint community of professionals from a wide variety of fields and industries, asking them what their favorite keyboard shortcuts are that save them the most time on a daily basis.

NOTE: If your PowerPoint shortcuts are not working, or you hear a pinging noise when you hit one of the combinations of keys, see our shortcuts troubleshooting guide here .

[Watch] The Top 25 PowerPoint Shortcuts in Action

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To see examples of all these PPT shortcuts (and some hidden tricks for using them), watch the video above.  Below I’ve broken out these shortcuts with a brief description of each for your convenience.

1. Slide Master Jump Shortcut

This is my favorite way to jump to the Slide Master View in PowerPoint (and hardly anyone knows about it).

To use it, simply hold the  Shift   key on your keyboard, then click on the Normal  icon at the bottom of your PowerPoint workspace.

The first time you use the Shift + Normal icon , you jump to the child slide layout of your slide on the Slide Master. If you immediately use it a second time, you will jump to the Parent Slide on your Slide Master.

To expand your knowledge about the Slide Master view in PowerPoint and how to use it to build a PowerPoint template, read our guide here .

2. Align and Copy shortcut

This shortcut is one of the top shortcuts from our survey because it allows you to select an object (or group of objects) and in just a couple of heartbeats, create a perfectly aligned copy of object(s) on your slide.

NOTE: Charts can be difficult to align and copy using the Ctrl + Shift + Drag shortcut. If you are having trouble getting this to work, try first clicking and dragging your chart to a new location on your slide, then hold down the Shift and Control keys to pull off the maneuver.

3. Duplicate Shortcut

The duplicate command is twice as fast as the normal Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste shortcuts as it’s half the number of keys.

On top of that, it also has a hidden jump feature whereas each new duplicated object will jump the same distance and same direction as your last manual placement.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about the duplicate shortcut in PowerPoint, read our guide here .

4. The Eyedropper Shortcut

In PowerPoint 2016 and later (the latest version is Office 365 ), Microsoft added an Eyedropper command that has a hidden shortcut allowing you to eyedrop any color on your computer screen. This works even outside of your PowerPoint window.

To use this hidden eyedropper shortcut to change a shape fill (for example), simply:

• Select your object
• Navigate to the  Drawing Tools Format  tab
• Open the  Shape Fill  drop down
• Select the  Eyedropper  command
• Click and drag  with your mouse on your screen (anywhere) to pick up the color

What’s cool about this shortcut is you can get any color from anywhere.

For example, you would want to get the color from another website, all you need to do is to get the Eyedropper, then click down with your mouse and drag it to the website. When you’ve found your desired color, simply let go of the mouse and the shape will be filled with the color you chose.

5. The Group Shortcut

Selecting a set of objects on your slide and hitting Ctrl + G will group those objects together so that you can move them around as a single object on your slide (unless you have a table selected).

This makes organizing your slides significantly easier. learn all of the ins and outs of the grouping shortcuts,  see our ultimate guide here .

6. The Ungroup Shortcut

To ungroup a set of objects that have already been grouped (so you can format and edit the individual pieces), simply select the group of objects and hit  Ctrl + Shift +G  on your keyboard.

You can see these shortcuts in action below, plus some uncommon things you might not have ever realized that you can ungroup like icons.

7. New Slide Shortcut

As you build your presentation, you will be constantly adding new slides. Using the Ctrl+M shortcut will save you some time as you don’t need to constantly go to the Home tab in between typing the content of your slides.

When you add a new slide, PowerPoint automatically inserts a new slide based on the layout of the slide you are currently on. The only exception is if you are on a title slide.

When you are in the title slide and you click  Ctrl+M , instead of generating another title slide, it will give you the next type of slide in your template (usually a content slide).

Another thing that’s cool about this shortcut is that every time you use it, your cursor jumps to the title placeholder of the new slide, so you can immediately type text in.

To expand your knowledge and learn all about how to save time using the New Slide shortcut (Ctrl+M), read our guide here .

8. Start Slideshow From Beginning

To start your presentation (regardless of which slide you are on within your presentation), simply hit  F5  on your keyboard. Hitting F5 will start your presentation from the beginning of your slide deck.

No more hunting around in your PowerPoint Ribbon to kick off your slide show.

To expand your knowledge and learn some of the most effective ways to start a presentation, read our guide here .

9. Start Slideshow From Current Slide

Instead of starting your presentation from the first slide in your presentation, you can also start it from the current slide you are on by hitting  Shift + F5 .

This allows you to quickly jump back and forth between the presentation mode of a slide (so you can spot-check it for errors) and the normal editing view of your slide by hitting the Esc key.

To see all of the different ways you can start a slideshow in PowerPoint (including the presenter view and slide show settings dialog box),  see our guide here .

10. Pick Up Style - Copy Formatting

Select an object in PowerPoint and hit Ctrl + Shift + C on your keyboard to copy the object’s formatting.

This shortcut copies your object’s Font Style, Font Size, Shape Fill, Shape Outline color etc., allowing you to apply it to other objects in your presentation. The one thing to be aware of is, PowerPoint and Word can only copy and hold one style of text formatting at a time. You cannot copy two or more styles of text using this shortcut.

11. Apply Style - Paste Formatting

After copying an object’s formatting, you can apply it to other objects by hitting Ctrl + Shift + V . Simply select another similar object and hit Ctrl  + Shift + V to apply all the object formatting you have copied.

The copy and paste formatting shortcuts work the same way in Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint (wink wink).

NOTE:  This shortcut only works AFTER you have copied an object’s formatting. If you forget to first copy an object’s formatting, you will immediately know because PowerPoint will apply something bizarre. If that happens to you, just hit Ctrl + Z to undo, then go back and start over.

To learn more about copying and pasting formatting (including inside Microsoft Excel),  read our guide here .

12. Selection Pane Shortcut

Hitting the keys  Alt + F10  once will open the Selection Pane. Hitting them again will close it.

The Selection Pane is a great tool for seeing all the objects and groups of objects you have on your slide, allowing you to edit them, change their layering, and even hide them.

The Selection Pane also allows you to more easily select objects that may be hidden on your slide beneath another layer.

13. Bring Object Forward

All of the objects on in your PowerPoint slides exist on a layer, based on when the object was added to your slide.

Hitting  Ctrl + Shift + ]  will bring a selected object (or group of objects) up one layer at a time on your PowerPoint slide

14. Send Object Back

Hitting  Ctrl + Shift + [  will walk a selected object down one layer at a time on your PowerPoint slide.

Very few people know these shortcuts exist, and it’s a shame because allow you to manage the layering of objects on your slide.

This means that you can adjust what objects are above / beneath each other.

15. Animation Painter Shortcut

Select an object with PowerPoint animations and hit Ctrl + Alt + C t o copy the sequence of animations. This copies all the animations applied to a specific object, allowing you then to paste them onto another object.

If you use lots of PowerPoint animations in your presentations, this shortcut will save you a ton of time in the future. That’s because animations can take forever to properly set up.

NOTE: This shortcut only works if the object you select has animations applied to it (obviously). In other words, using this shortcut on an object that does not have any animations on it, will not do anything.

16. Straight Line Shortcut

One thing you want to avoid inserting into your slides is crooked lines. But how do you make sure all your lines are straight?

Simply hold the Shift key while you draw your line, and it ensures your line is perfectly straight. You can use this shortcut to draw perfectly straight horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines.

NOTE:  This also works for drawing other shapes. For example, if you want to draw in a perfect square, just hold the shift key as you draw in a rectangle. The same goes for a perfect circle.

17. Increase Font Size

The next time you need to increase the size of your text, simply select your text and hit Ctrl + Shift + >  on your keyboard to increase it.

Each time you hit this shortcut, your Font Size will increase by one standard size. This saves you from having to constantly go back and forth to the Home tab to find the right font size. 

This shortcut works in Microsoft Excel too!

18. Decrease Font Size

One thing you will constantly do as you build your slides in PowerPoint is change your font sizes

These shortcut keys are better than using the font size drop own because you can increase or decrease the font size whatever mode or tab you are in. For example, if you are in the Slide Show tab, you can make the font size bigger or smaller without having to go to the Home tab.

What’s great about this shortcut is that it also works in Microsoft Word and other Office programs.

19. Format Chart Element

Charts are the most complicated object class in PowerPoint because they have the most individual pieces that you can format.

A fast way to format the individual elements of your chart is to either double-click them with your mouse or hit Ctrl + 1 on your keyboard.

Hitting Ctrl + 1 opens the formatting options for whatever you have selected in your PowerPoint chart. This also works in Microsoft Excel too (so it is a double-dipping shortcut).

20. Notes Pane Shortcut

Hitting Ctrl + Shift + H will open or close your notes pane.

This is a fast and easy way to review (or edit) your notes while building your presentation. On top of that, the Notes Pane will open to your last manual adjustment. This makes it easy to review your speaker notes in full screen.

21. Create Section

Adding sections to your presentation is an easy way to organize and review your PowerPoint slides.

To create a section, simply select a slide in the Thumbnail View and hit Ctrl + < . Name your sections and you can then print the individual sections of your presentation too.

22. Move Slides (Up and Down)

Another common thing you will do as you build your slides is to move your slides around within your presentation.

To do this quickly, simply select a slide in the Thumbnail View and hit the Ctrl plus up or down arrow key to move it around in your deck.

23. Insert Symbol

The fastest way to insert PowerPoint symbols is the Alt + = shortcut. This inserts an Equation, allowing you to select from the different mathematical symbols.

On top of that, if you then select a symbol in an Equation and hit the shortcut again, you will convert it into normal text. In this way, you can quickly use the Equation options to find your symbol, and then convert the equation symbols back to normal text.

24. Date and Footer Shortcut

This is actually a double-dipper keyboard shortcut.

That’s because you can use it to launch both the  Header and Footer  dialog box and the  Date and Time  dialog box depending on how you use it.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have not clicked into any of the object’s on your slide. You can hit the Esc key a few times to make sure you have not clicked into anything before you use this shortcut.

Then hit Alt + Shift + D on your keyboard and the Header and Footer dialogue box will open. This is where you can add headers, footers, slide numbers and the date and time on your slides.

NOTE:  Ticking the slide number checkbox does not mean the slide number will automatically show up in your presentation. To get your slide numbers to appear correctly,  see our guide here .

Another way to use this shortcut is to add a date on the title slide of your presentation for today’s date.

To do that, simply hit the shortcut to open the date and time dialogue box. Then choose the date format you want and click OK. This will add today’s date (based on your computer’s settings) to your slide as a text box.

You can also select Update Automatically from the dialogue box so that your date updates automatically whenever you open your presentation.

25. Align Objects Shortcut

This single most important PowerPoint shortcut for any serious user.

The trick is, to make it work, you first have to set it up properly (turning all of the alignment tool commands into easy to use shortcuts).

For help setting this shortcut up, see the shortcut in the video at the top of this page.

To set this up, go to the  Home  tab, navigate to the Arrange dropdown, and then right-click the Alignment tool at the group level. Notice that the Alignment Tool is added to the Quick Access Toolbar.

The next step is to click on the downward-facing arrow in the QAT and choose More Commands. In the dialogue box, find the Align Objects tool and click it all the way to the top and then select OK.

Once it’s properly set up, all you have to do is select an object and hit Alt, 1 on your keyboard, and you’ll get all the possible alignment options.

Then you can hit on the next available letter to choose the alignment you want.

So for example, if you want to align two objects to their tops, simply select both objects and hit Alt, 1, T for Align to Top. And that’s it!

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Microsoft PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts

Below is a listing of common shortcut keys in Microsoft PowerPoint . See the computer shortcuts page if you're looking for a list of shortcut keys used in other programs. Please be aware that some shortcuts may not work in all versions of Microsoft PowerPoint.

If the device you are using does not have function keys (F1-F12) on its keyboard, like a Chromebook , certain shortcuts are unavailable to you.

Some Microsoft PowerPoint shortcut keys listed below may not work in PowerPoint 365.

Also utilize the mouse to perform some common actions. The following section contains examples of mouse shortcuts.

Related information

• Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts.
• Microsoft Excel keyboard shortcuts.
• Top 10 keyboard shortcuts everyone should know.
• Microsoft PowerPoint help and support.

Top PowerPoint Shortcuts for efficient work

Today everyone is familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint, some more than others. As you read this you might be thinking that you are on the top tier when it comes to fully exploiting PowerPoint capabilities.

We don’t doubt you are proficient, but you might be surprised by the wide array of keyboard combinations that you can use to work more efficiently. Much like Excel shortcuts keys, these shortcuts allow users to work uniquely with their keyboard and therefore achieve tasks faster.

Now, the idea is not that you memorize each keyboard combo : that seems a bit difficult ! Each user has individual needs and when it comes to creating your sales collateral maybe some shortcuts will seem more useful to you than others. Even if you end up picking up just one or two shortcuts, it will make a difference.

Moreover, if keyboard shortcuts are not your thing, this article still has a trick for you : create your own custom toolbar for PowerPoint, to keep the features you use the most just a click away.

Related articles How to create a video on PowerPoint in 4 steps? PowerPoint vs Google Slides: which one is the right fit for your company? How to convert your InDesign file into PowerPoint

PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

General shortcuts.

Let’s get started with a few basic keyboard shortcuts that will help you opening, closing and navigating PowerPoint.

• Ctrl+Tab : Switch between different open presentations
• Ctrl+N : Create a new presentation
• Ctrl+O : Open an existing presentation
• Ctrl+Q : Save and close a presentation
• Ctrl+S : Save a presentation
• Ctrl+Y : Repeat last action
• Ctrl+W : Close a presentation
• Ctrl+Z : Undo an action
• Ctrl+F : Search in a presentation or use Find and Replace
• Ctrl+F1 : Show or hide the ribbon
• Ctrl+F2 : Print Preview View
• Alt+F2 : Open the Save As dialog box
• Alt+F : Open the File tab menu
• Alt+A : Go to the Animations tab
• Alt+G : Open the Design tab
• Alt+H : Go to the Home tab
• Alt+K : Go to the Transitions tab
• Alt+N : Open the Insert tab
• Alt+Q : Go to the “Tell me what you want to do” box
• Alt+R : Go to the Review tab
• Alt+S : Go to the Slide Show tab
• Alt+W : Go to View tab
• Alt+X : Go to the Add-ins tab
• Alt+Y : Go to the Help tab

Selection and navigation shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can also be of great help when it comes to quickly navigating throughout your presentation. The following shortcuts will enable you to select multiple objects on your slides, or move the slides inside the presentation.

• Ctrl+A : Select all text in a textbox, all slides in a presentation or all objects on a slide
• Tab : Select and/or switch to the next object on a slide
• Shift+Tab : Select or move to the previous object on a slide
• Home : Go to the first slide, or from within a text box, go to the beginning of the line
• End : Go to the last slide, or from within a text box, go to the end of the line
• Page Down : Go to the next slide
• Page Up : Go the previous slide
• Ctrl+Down Arrow : Move a slide down in the presentation (click on a slide thumbnail first)
• Ctrl+Up Arrow : Move a slide up in the presentation
• Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow : Move a slide to the beginning of the presentation (click on a slide thumbnail first)
• Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow : Move a slide to the end of the presentation

Format and edition shortcuts

Editing and formatting your presentation has never been easier ! These shortcuts will make you a quick editing pro for PowerPoint.

• Ctrl+B : Add or remove bold to selected text
• Ctrl+C : Copy selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)
• Ctrl+D : Duplicate the selected object or slide (for the latter, click on a slide thumbnail first)
• Ctrl+E : Center a paragraph
• Ctrl+I : Add or remove italics to selected text
• Ctrl+J : Justify a paragraph
• Ctrl+K : Insert a hyperlink
• Ctrl+L : Left align a paragraph
• Ctrl+M : Insert a new slide
• Ctrl+R : Right align a paragraph
• Ctrl+T : Open the Font dialog box when text or object is selected
• Ctrl+U : Add or remove underline to selected text
• Ctrl+V : Paste selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)
• Ctrl+X : Cut selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)
• Ctrl+Alt+V : Open the Paste Special dialog box
• Delete : Remove selected text, selected object(s), or selected slide(s)

InDesign vs PowerPoint for content creation How to integrate a PDF into a Word document? How to reduce your PowerPoint file size?

How to build a custom PowerPoint toolbar ?

The quick access toolbar.

The Quick Access toolbar enables users to customize what should be displayed on PowerPoint’s toolbar. In other words, it can include your frequently used commands and make them available to you with a single click.

The process to build your QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) is actually very simple, and it can definitely help you build your sales collateral quicker.

Right-click on the command you want to add to your QAT Select “ Add to Quick Access Toolbar” If your QAT is hidden, you can make it visible by right clicking in the upper side of the window (above the ribbon) and select “Show Quick Access Toolbar”

Our top PowerPoint commands for Sales Collateral creation

You might be wondering which commands you should add to your QAT. Here are our 4 personal favorites, that make content creation and working with your sales collateral easier :

• Align commands : These commands allow you to align to objects on the left, the right, the upper or the lower side.
• Send object to front/back : These commands are very useful when working in layers and allow you to make more or less visible objects that are stacked on top of each other.
• Group/Ungroup : The commands enable fast editing for multiple objects at the same time (for example when you want to stretch or shrink different shapes in the same proportion). Moreover grouping is also helpful when you wish to make one single object out of several layered shapes for example.
• Distribute horizontally/vertically : These commands allow you to distribute objects at an equal distance from each other to create a neater appearance.

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