how to open presentation in powerpoint shortcut keys

Use keyboard shortcuts to create 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 delivering your presentation, go to Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver 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 you can use in PowerPoint for Windows when creating or editing presentations.

To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the 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 add it to the Quick Access Toolbar to create one. For instructions, refer to  Use a keyboard to customize the Quick Access Toolbar .

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, work with presentations and slides, work with objects and text, copy objects and text, work in objects and text, select text, delete text, move around in text, find and replace text, format text, work with tables, move a slide.

Work with views and panes

Work with the Selection pane

Work with the task pane, ribbon keyboard shortcuts, open the ribbon tabs, work in the ribbon with the keyboard, other useful ribbon keyboard shortcuts, custom keyboard shortcuts.

The following table itemizes the most frequently used shortcuts in PowerPoint.

Top of Page

Tip:  To select multiple objects with the keyboard, use the Selection Pane . For more information refer to  Manage objects with the Selection Pane .

Before using these keyboard shortcuts, select the text you want to format.

Create a bulleted list using different styles

Do one of the following:

To create a list that uses filled round bullets, press the Asterisk sign (*).

To create a list that uses hyphens, press the Minus sign (-).

To create a list that uses arrow bullets, press the Right angle bracket (>).

To create a list that uses diamonds, press Left angle bracket (<) + Right angle bracket (>).

To create a list that uses arrows, press two minus signs (-) + Right angle bracket (>).

To create a list that uses double arrows, press the Equal sign ( = ) + Right angle bracket (>).

Press Spacebar.

Type the list item, and then press Enter.

The ribbon groups related options on tabs. For example, on the Home tab, the Paragraph group includes the Bullets option. Press the Alt key to display the ribbon shortcuts, called Key Tips, as letters in small images next to the tabs and options.

You can combine the Key Tips letters with the Alt key to make shortcuts called Access Keys for the ribbon options. For example, press Alt+H to open the Home tab, and Alt+Q to move to the Tell me or Search field. Press Alt again to see KeyTips for the options on the selected tab.

In Office 2010, most of the old Alt key menu shortcuts still work, too. However, you need to know the full shortcut. For example, press Alt, and then press one of the old menu keys E (Edit), V (View), I (Insert), and so on. A notification pops up saying you're using an access key from an earlier version of Microsoft 365. If you know the entire key sequence, go ahead and use it. If you don't know the sequence, press Esc and use Key Tips instead.

To go directly to a tab on the ribbon, press one of the following access keys. Additional tabs might appear depending on your selection in the presentation.

Note:  Add-ins and other programs might add new tabs to the ribbon and might provide access keys for those tabs.

To assign custom keyboard shortcuts to menu items, recorded macros, and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code in PowerPoint, you must use a third-party add-in, such as Shortcut Manager for PowerPoint, which is available from OfficeOne .

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations

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

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate modern comments in PowerPoint

Use the keyboard to work with the ribbon

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts you can use in PowerPoint for macOS when creating or editing presentations.

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

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 on Mac. 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.

Work with tables

Other useful shortcut keys.

The following table itemizes the most frequently used shortcuts in PowerPoint for Mac.

Format text

Type the list item, and then press Return.

Work with views and panes

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint for iOS when creating or editing presentations.

If you're familiar with keyboard shortcuts on your macOS computer, the same key combinations work with PowerPoint for iOS using an external keyboard, too.

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

Frequently used shortcuts on iPad

Navigate in PowerPoint for iPad

Move the insertion point within placeholders and notes on iPad

Select content on ipad, edit and format presentations on iphone, navigate and select within a text box on iphone.

This table shows the most frequently used shortcuts for PowerPoint for iPad.

Navigate in PowerPoint for iPad

PowerPoint for iPad is a mobile application, so the keyboard shortcuts and navigation might be different from those in desktop versions of PowerPoint.

To move through the options, press Shift+Right arrow key until the focus is on the ribbon, and then press the Right or Left arrow key. To select an option, press ⌘+Option+Spacebar.

To move the focus to different areas in PowerPoint for iPad (from the ribbon to the thumbnail pane, for example), place the focus on a button, and then press Shift+Right arrow key to move forward or Shift+Left arrow key to move backward.

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint for Android when creating or editing presentations.

Note:  To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F and then type your search words.

Edit and format the presentation

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts you can use in PowerPoint for the web on Windows when creating or editing presentations.

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 .

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

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.

Work with objects and text

Work with comments

Navigate with only the keyboard, navigate the ribbon and panes.

The following table provides the shortcuts that you'll likely use often in PowerPoint for the web.

Tip:  To quickly create a new presentation in PowerPoint for the web, open your browser, type PowerPoint.new or ppt.new in the address bar, and then press Enter.

Except for the shortcut for adding a new comment, the keyboard shortcuts listed below work only when the Comments pane is open and in focus.

To move the focus to different parts and areas of PowerPoint for the web (from the ribbon to the thumbnail pane, for example) and in and out of the content of a slide, press Ctrl+F6 (forward) or press Ctrl+Shift+F6 (backward). To navigate options and controls in PowerPoint for the web, press the Tab key to move forward, press Shift+Tab to move backward, and press Enter to select.

Tip:  To quickly perform an action while in the Editing mode, press Alt+Q. The focus moves to the Search or  Tell Me search field. Then type the action or option you want. Press the Up arrow key or Down arrow key until you find the option, and then press Enter to select it.

The ribbon is the strip at the top of the PowerPoint for the web window. The ribbon is organized by tabs. Each tab displays a different set of tools and functions, made up of groups, and each group includes one or more options. To move the focus to the ribbon, press Alt+Period (.) or Alt+Windows logo key. You can also press Ctrl+F6 repeatedly until the ribbon has the focus.

Other shortcuts for using the ribbon include the following:

To move between tabs, use the Right and Left arrow keys.

To access the ribbon for the currently selected tab, press the Tab key once.

To move between options on the ribbon, use the Right and Left arrow keys.

Options are activated in different ways, depending on the type of the option:

If the selected option is a button or split button, press Spacebar or Enter to activate it.

If the selected option is a list (such as the Font list), to open the list, press Alt+Down arrow key. Then, to move between items, press the Up or Down arrow key. When the focus is on the item you want, press Enter to select it.

If the selected option is a gallery, press the Tab key to go to the More option for the gallery and then, to open the gallery, press Enter. Press the Tab key to move through the items, and then press Enter to select one.

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

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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Tips for Powerpoint by Regina Griffin

How To Open A Presentation In PowerPoint Shortcut Keys

Are you tired of wasting time navigating through menus in PowerPoint to open your presentations? Shortcut keys are here to save the day!

We discuss what shortcut keys are, how they work in PowerPoint, and why you should use them. We also guide you through the steps to open a presentation using shortcut keys and share some common shortcuts to make your workflow more efficient.

Stay tuned for tips and additional resources to help you master PowerPoint shortcut keys.

Key Takeaways:

• Shortcut keys in PowerPoint allow for a quicker and more efficient way to open presentations.
• Some common shortcut keys for opening presentations include Ctrl+O, Ctrl+F12, Alt+F4, Ctrl+Shift+O, and Ctrl+Shift+S.
• By using shortcut keys, presenters can save time and focus on delivering a seamless presentation.

What Are Shortcut Keys?

Shortcut keys , also known as keyboard shortcuts, are combinations of one or more keys that provide quick access to specific functions or commands in PowerPoint or other software applications.

These shortcut keys play a crucial role in increasing efficiency and productivity during presentations. By memorizing and utilizing these key combinations, users can perform various tasks without the need to navigate through menus or toolbars. For example, pressing Ctrl+S to save a presentation quickly or Ctrl+C to copy selected content can significantly speed up the workflow. These shortcuts are designed to simplify complex processes and reduce the time it takes to execute commands, ultimately aiding in the smooth running of a presentation.

How Do Shortcut Keys Work in PowerPoint?

In PowerPoint, shortcut keys work by allowing users to control various aspects of their presentations, such as moving objects, selecting text, changing views, and executing commands with speed and precision.

For instance, pressing Ctrl+C enables users to copy selected objects or text , while Ctrl + V pastes them to the desired location . Ctrl + D duplicates the selected object swiftly . Shortcuts like Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y provide immediate undo and redo capabilities, respectively, enhancing user control and productivity. Additionally, Shift+F5 initiates a presentation from the current slide, saving time during rehearsal. Whether adjusting alignment, font size, or color, mastering these shortcut keys in PowerPoint significantly streamlines the creation process.”

Why Should You Use Shortcut Keys in PowerPoint?

Utilizing shortcut keys in PowerPoint offers numerous benefits, including streamlining tasks, enhancing animation control, formatting efficiency, and facilitating seamless navigation through slides.

By incorporating shortcut keys into your PowerPoint workflow, you can significantly increase your efficiency and productivity. These keystrokes allow you to quickly execute commands without the need to manually navigate through various menus, saving you valuable time during presentations.

In addition, shortcut keys give you greater control over animations, enabling you to fine-tune the timing and effects with precision. This not only enhances the visual appeal of your slides but also helps you deliver a more polished and engaging presentation to your audience.

Utilizing shortcut keys can streamline the process of formatting your slides, making it easier to achieve a consistent and professional look throughout your presentation. Whether you need to adjust the font size, align objects, or apply styling options, these shortcuts allow you to make changes swiftly and seamlessly.

Shortcut keys simplify slide navigation by providing quick access to different sections of your presentation. Whether you need to jump to a specific slide, hide a slide temporarily, or switch between different views, these keystrokes enable you to navigate through your presentation effortlessly, keeping your audience focused on the content.

How to Open a Presentation in PowerPoint Using Shortcut Keys

Opening a presentation in PowerPoint using shortcut keys involves a series of commands that enable users to swiftly access their slides, transition between current, next, and previous slides, and commence the presentation seamlessly.

To initiate a PowerPoint presentation through shortcut keys, first ensure that the PowerPoint application is opened on your computer. Press Alt + F to access the file menu, followed by O to open a presentation file. You can navigate through slides by using the Up and Down Arrow keys . To begin the slideshow, press F5 . During the presentation, use the Space or Enter keys to advance to the next slide , or the Backspace key to go back to the previous one. Utilize Esc to exit the slideshow at any point .

Step 1: Open PowerPoint

To begin opening a presentation in PowerPoint using shortcut keys, launch the PowerPoint application on your device to access the software’s interface.

Once you have located the PowerPoint application, simply double-click on its icon or press the ‘Enter’ key to open the program. This action will prompt the PowerPoint window to appear on your screen, providing you with a blank canvas ready for your presentation creation journey.

If you prefer using keyboard shortcuts, you can also opt to press the ‘Windows key + S’ and type ‘PowerPoint’ to search and launch the application quickly. Familiarizing yourself with these efficient shortcuts can significantly enhance your workflow and save valuable time.

Step 2: Create a New Presentation

After opening PowerPoint, proceed to create a new presentation by selecting the appropriate options to begin crafting your slides and content.

In the ‘File’ menu, click on ‘New’ to open up a selection of templates or choose a blank presentation to start from scratch. You can then customize the layout and design based on your preferences.

Next, add slides by going to the ‘Home’ tab and selecting ‘New Slide’. Here, you can choose from different layouts for your content, such as title slides, bullet points, or images. Organizing your content effectively at this stage will make it easier to navigate and apply shortcut keys in the future.

Step 3: Save Your Presentation

Upon completing your presentation, remember to save your work by utilizing the save function in PowerPoint to preserve your content and changes.

When saving your PowerPoint presentation, it is crucial to select an appropriate file name that reflects the content and version, ensuring easy identification in the future.

Consider saving your work to multiple locations, such as your local drive, external storage devices, or cloud storage platforms, to safeguard against any unexpected technical issues or hardware failures that could lead to data loss.

Creating a regular backup routine, either manually or through automated tools, can provide an added layer of protection for your valuable presentation materials.

Remember, data backup is key to maintaining the integrity and accessibility of your files. Take the necessary steps to secure your work and enjoy peace of mind knowing that your efforts are safely stored and protected.

Step 4: Use Shortcut Keys to Open a Presentation

To access and open your saved presentation swiftly, employ the designated shortcut keys in PowerPoint to launch the slideshow and navigate through the slides with ease.

One of the most convenient ways to start your presentation quickly is by hitting the F5 key on your keyboard, which instantly launches the slideshow mode. Once in the presentation, use the arrow keys to move forward (Right arrow) or backward (Left arrow) through the slides effortlessly.

By mastering these shortcut keys, you can showcase your content seamlessly, focus on delivering a polished presentation, and engage your audience effectively without any interruptions. Utilizing these keyboard commands not only enhances your efficiency but also saves valuable time during your presentation, enabling you to make a lasting impact on your viewers.

Common Shortcut Keys for Opening Presentations in PowerPoint

Several common shortcut keys exist in PowerPoint for swiftly opening presentations, enabling users to access their slides, transition between slides, and control presentation settings efficiently.

One of the most frequently used shortcut keys in PowerPoint is Ctrl+O , used to quickly open a new presentation. This command saves time by allowing users to immediately start working on a new project without going through the conventional menu options.

Another essential shortcut key is F5, which initiates the slideshow view, enabling presenters to preview their slides in full screen before an audience.

To swiftly navigate between slides during a presentation, users can press Page Up to go to the previous slide or Page Down to move to the next one.

Pressing Ctrl + O in PowerPoint allows users to quickly open a new or existing presentation file, providing instant access to their slides and content.

When using the Ctrl+O shortcut, users can easily navigate to the location where their presentation files are stored either on their local device or a network drive. This command eliminates the need to go through multiple menus or options to locate and open a specific file, saving valuable time and effort. Users have the flexibility to select multiple files simultaneously through this shortcut, streamlining the process of opening multiple presentations at once.

The Ctrl+F12 shortcut key combination in PowerPoint is another option for opening presentation files swiftly, offering users an alternative method to access their slides and content.

By pressing Ctrl+F12 in PowerPoint, users can directly open a presentation file without having to navigate through multiple menus or windows. This shortcut key is designed to enhance efficiency and streamline the process of accessing and presenting slides. It proves particularly handy when you need to quickly refer to or work on a specific presentation without wasting time on unnecessary steps.

To employ this command effectively, simply hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and press F12 simultaneously. This action triggers the software to open up the designated presentation, saving you valuable time and effort in the process.

Using Alt+F4 in PowerPoint allows users to close the active window or presentation quickly, providing a convenient shortcut for managing multiple windows or slides.

Alt+F4 is a handy command that can help streamline your workflow by enabling you to exit out of PowerPoint efficiently. When working on a presentation, instead of manually clicking through menus to close the program or individual windows, simply pressing Alt+F4 can achieve the same result swiftly.

This shortcut is especially useful when you have several windows open simultaneously and need to close them promptly. By pressing Alt+F4, you can efficiently navigate between different slides or windows without unnecessary delays. Remember to save your work before using this shortcut to avoid losing any unsaved changes.

Ctrl+Shift+O

Ctrl+Shift+O in PowerPoint is a shortcut key that opens the outline pane in your presentation, providing a quick view of the slide structure and content organization.

When you activate this shortcut, the outline pane appears on the left side of your PowerPoint interface, displaying a concise list of all the slides in your deck along with their titles and hierarchies. This feature allows users to navigate through their presentation swiftly, making it easier to rearrange or edit content without constantly switching between slides. By clicking on a specific slide in the outline pane, you can quickly jump to that particular section within your presentation, enhancing both efficiency and productivity while working on your slides.

Ctrl+Shift+S

Ctrl+Shift+S is a shortcut key in PowerPoint used for saving a presentation with a new filename or location, offering users a quick method to create duplicate copies or save files in different formats.

When you press Ctrl+Shift+S in PowerPoint, you trigger the ‘Save As’ function, which allows you to specify a new file name, save location, or file format for your presentation. This feature is particularly handy when you want to keep the original file unchanged while creating a modified version. By using ‘Save As,’ you can easily manage multiple versions of your presentation without overwriting the existing one.

Tips for Using Shortcut Keys in PowerPoint

To maximize the effectiveness of shortcut keys in PowerPoint, consider customizing shortcuts, practicing frequently used commands, and exploring advanced shortcuts for enhanced control over objects and text.

Customizing shortcuts can significantly boost your efficiency by tailoring commands to your workflow and preferences. Practice commonly used commands to cement them into your muscle memory, allowing for quicker execution during presentations. Delve into the world of advanced shortcuts to streamline intricate tasks and achieve a seamless flow while navigating your slides.

Additional Resources for Learning PowerPoint Shortcut Keys

For individuals seeking to expand their knowledge of PowerPoint shortcut keys, various online resources, tutorials, and guides are available to facilitate learning and mastery of keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint.

These resources provide step-by-step instructions, tips, and practice exercises to help users become more efficient and productive in creating presentations.

• Online tutorials by platforms such as Microsoft Office support the development of essential skills, including navigating the interface, customizing shortcuts, and improving workflow.
• Specialized guides dedicated to PowerPoint shortcuts can offer comprehensive insights into advanced key combinations and efficient ways to accomplish tasks.
• Users can also explore interactive tools and applications designed to reinforce shortcut proficiency through practical exercises and virtual simulations.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what are the shortcut keys to open a presentation in powerpoint.

The shortcut keys to open a presentation in PowerPoint are Ctrl+O (Windows) or Command+O (Mac).

2. Can I customize the shortcut keys for opening a presentation in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can customize the shortcut keys by going to File > Options > Customize Ribbon. From there, click on “Customize…” next to “Keyboard shortcuts” and assign a new shortcut for opening a presentation.

3. Are there any other ways to open a presentation in PowerPoint besides using shortcut keys?

Yes, you can also open a presentation by double-clicking on the file in your file explorer or by going to File > Open in PowerPoint.

4. How do I know if a presentation is already open in PowerPoint?

If a presentation is already open in PowerPoint, you will see its name in the title bar at the top of the program. You can also check by going to the “Recent” tab in the File menu to see if the presentation is listed there.

5. Can I use the Ctrl+O shortcut to open multiple presentations at once?

Yes, you can use the Ctrl+O shortcut to open multiple presentations at once. Simply hold down the Ctrl key and click on the presentations you want to open, then click “Open”.

6. What do I do if the Ctrl+O shortcut is not working to open a presentation in PowerPoint?

If the shortcut is not working, you can try restarting Powerpoint or using a different shortcut key combination. You can also check your keyboard settings to make sure the shortcut is not disabled.

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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."

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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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• Main content

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.

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Microsoft Office PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts and Cheat Sheet

Save your time and Boost Your Productivity

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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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..

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.

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Preston Gralla is a contributing editor for Computerworld , a blogger for ITworld, and the author of more than 45 books, including NOOK Tablet: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly 2012) and How the Internet Works (Que, 2006).

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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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Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Speed up PowerPoint Presentations

Help to put together a slideshow quickly

• Brock University

In This Article

Jump to a Section

• Using a Keyboard Shortcut

General Keyboard Shortcuts

• Using the CTRL Key
• Quick Navigation
• Using the Arrow Keys
• Using the Shift Key
• Using Function Keys
• While Running a Slideshow

When you want to quickly create a PowerPoint presentation and minimize the amount of time you spend with your mouse, learn to use keyboard shortcuts to speed up PowerPoint presentations and make your job easier.

These instructions apply to PowerPoint versions 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365.

How to Use the Keyboard Shortcut List

When the instructions show the keystroke combination Ctrl + C , for example, it means to hold down the Ctrl key and then press the letter C , holding both at the same time. The plus sign (+) indicates that you need both of these two keys. You do not press the + key on the keyboard.

Certain key combinations are specific to PowerPoint, such as the F5 key to play a slide show. Many other shortcut combinations, such as Ctrl + C and Ctrl + Z, are common to a number of programs. Once you know these common ones, you will be surprised at how often you can use them.

Keyboard Shortcuts Using the CTRL Key

Here is an alphabetical list of all the letter keys that can be used with the Ctrl key as a keyboard shortcut to common tasks in PowerPoint as well as some other shortcuts using the Ctrl key.

• Ctrl + A : Selects all items on the page or the active text box.
• Ctrl + B : Applies bold formatting to the selected text.
• Ctrl + C : Copies the selected text or object to the Clipboard .
• Ctrl + D : Duplicates the selected object.
• Ctrl + F : Opens the Find dialog box.
• Ctrl + G : Opens the Grids and Guides dialog box.
• Ctrl + H : Opens the Replace dialog box.
• Ctrl + I : Applies italic formatting to the selected text.
• Ctrl + M : Inserts a new slide .
• Ctrl + N : Opens a new blank presentation.
• Ctrl + O : Displays the Open dialog box.
• Ctrl + P : Opens the Print dialog box.
• Ctrl + S : Saves the presentation.
• Ctrl + T : Opens the Font dialog box.
• Ctrl + U : Underlines the selected text.
• Ctrl + V : Pastes text and objects from the Clipboard into the presentation.
• Ctrl + W : Closes the presentation.
• Ctrl + X : Deletes the text or object from the presentation and places it in the Clipboard.
• Ctrl + Y : Repeats the last command entered.
• Ctrl + Z : Undoes the last change.
• Ctrl + F6 : Switches from one open PowerPoint presentation to another.
• Ctrl + Delete : Removes the word to the right of the cursor.
• Ctrl + Backspace : Removes the word to the left of the cursor.
• Ctrl + Home : Moves cursor to the beginning of the presentation.
• Ctrl + End : Moves cursor to the end of the presentation.
• Ctrl + Arrow keys: Move from word to word or from object to object on a slide.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Quick Navigation

To quickly navigate around your presentation use these single keyboard shortcuts or shortcut key combinations. Using the mouse can slow you down. These shortcut keys are located to the left of the number keypad on your keyboard.

• Home : Moves cursor to the beginning of the current line of text.
• End : Moves cursor to the end of the current line of text.
• Ctrl + Home : Moves cursor to the beginning of the presentation.
• Ctrl + End : Moves cursor to the end of the presentation.
• Page Up : Moves to the previous slide.
• Page Down : Moves to the next slide.

Keyboard Shortcuts Using the Arrow Keys

Keyboard shortcuts often use the arrow keys on the keyboard. Using the Ctrl key with the four arrow keys makes it easy to move to the beginning or end of a word or paragraph. These arrow keys are located to the left of the number keypad on your keyboard.

• Ctrl + left arrow : Moves cursor to the beginning of the previous word.
• Ctrl + right arrow : Moves cursor to the beginning of the next word.
• Ctrl + up arrow : Moves cursor to start of the previous paragraph.
• Ctrl + down arrow : Moves cursor to start of the next paragraph.

Keyboard Shortcuts Using Shift Key

• Shift + Enter : Creates a soft return to force a line break inside a paragraph. In a bulleted list, this creates a new line without a bullet.
• Shift + another key: Selects a single letter, a whole word, or a line of text.
• Ctrl + Shift + Home or Ctrl + Shift + End : Selects text from the cursor to the beginning or end of the document.
• Shift + F5 : Starts a slideshow that begins with the current slide.
• Shift + left arrow : Selects the previous letter.
• Shift + right arrow : Selects the next letter.
• Shift + Home : Selects text from the cursor to start of the current line.
• Shift + End : Selects text from the cursor to the end of the current line.
• Shift + Ctrl + Home : Selects all text from the cursor to the beginning of the active text box.
• Shift + Ctrl + End : Selects all text from the cursor to the end of the active text box.

Using Function Keys as Keyboard Shortcuts

The function keys or F keys as they are more commonly known are located above the number keys on the regular keyboard.

• F1 : Opens the Help pane.
• F5 : Starts the slideshow at the first slide and displays it in full-screen mode.
• Shift + F5 : Starts the slideshow at the current slide.
• F7 : Runs spellcheck.
• F12 : Opens the Save As dialog box.

Keyboard Shortcuts While Running a Slideshow

While the slideshow is running, you may need to pause to answer questions from the audience, and it is helpful to insert a simple black or white slide while you are talking. This gives you the complete attention of the audience.

Here is a list of several useful keyboard shortcuts to use during a slideshow. As an alternative choice to keyboard shortcuts, simply right-clicking on the screen will show a shortcut menu of options.

Spacebar or click the mouse: Move to next slide or next animation

Number+ Enter : Goes to the slide of that number (for example 6 + Enter goes to slide 6).

B (for black): Pauses the slideshow and displays a black screen. Press B again to resume the show.

W (for white): Pauses the show and displays a white screen. Press W again to resume the show.

N : Moves to the next slide or next animation.

P : Moves to previous slide or animation.

S : Stops the show. Press S again to restart the show.

Esc : Ends the slideshow.

Tab : Goes to the next hyperlink in a slideshow.

Shift + Tab : Goes to the previous hyperlink in a slideshow.

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How to Open a PowerPoint Presentation? [Complete Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

Knowing how to master the PowerPoint application starts with the basics. If you are just starting out with Microsoft PowerPoint, the first thing you need to know is really how to open a PowerPoint presentation!

To open or view an existing PowerPoint file, double-click on the file from the folder. Alternatively, open the PowerPoint application. Then, click on “File>Open>Browse”, and locate the file on your computer to open it. To open a new presentation file, simply click on “File>New>Blank Presentation”.

The process of opening a PowerPoint presentation is actually quite simple and it only takes a few seconds. So, in this article, first we will take you through the process of opening a presentation step-by-step in a visual manner. Then, I will provide answers to all questions related to opening a PowerPoint presentation!

So, let’s get started!

[A Quick Note Before We Begin – for this article, I will be using one of the presentation templates from Envato Elements . With Envato Elements, you get access to thousands of presentation designs with unlimited downloads so you never run out of options again. Plus, you get free previews so you know exactly what you’re getting before buying! It is also very affordable. Check out their pricing here ]

1. How to Open a PowerPoint Presentation? 

There are a couple of different methods in which you can open a PowerPoint file. Both the methods are actually quite easy.

The first method requires the least number of steps. To open or view a PowerPoint presentation simply locate the PowerPoint file on your computer, and double-click on it. You can also right-click on the file, and from the dropdown menu, click on “Open”.

The second method requires you to start the PowerPoint application first.

If you do not see the PowerPoint icon on your desktop or taskbar, just go to the search bar and type ‘PowerPoint’ using your keyboard to find it. After opening the PowerPoint application, all you have to do is select your presentation file to open it. Just follow the steps below:

1a. How to Open a New PowerPoint Presentation?

Follow the steps below to open/create a new PowerPoint Presentation:

Step-1: Click on the “File” Menu button

At the top left side of your Microsoft PowerPoint application, you will find the ‘File’ menu option. The first step is to click on it.

Step-2: Click on “New”, and select the “Blank Presentation” button

Then, from the PowerPoint Backend view, you need to click on “ New “.

Now on your screen, you will find an option that says ‘Blank Presentation’ for you to click on. A new PowerPoint presentation with a blank slide will be created once you click on it.

You can also choose to click on any of the templates below to go with a pre-made design theme.

1b. How to Open an Existing PowerPoint Presentation?

It is common to have PowerPoint presentation files saved in different folders of your computer. There are two very easy ways to open these existing PowerPoint presentation files.

You can either open an existing PowerPoint file by browsing to the folder it is stored in and double-clicking on the file. Or you can open it from the Microsoft PowerPoint application itself. I’ll discuss both of the ways below:

Opening an existing PowerPoint Presentation file from the file location

Step:-1: Go to the folder your PowerPoint Presentation file is stored in

Open the folder where you had saved your PowerPoint presentation file. It could be on any of your local drives, or if you have recently downloaded the file, it could be on the ‘Downloads’ folder.

Step-2: Double-click on the PowerPoint Presentation file.

‘ Left click’ on the file twice using your mouse to open it. You can also ‘Right click’ on the file once and from the dropdown menu click on the ‘Open’ option to open the file on your Microsoft PowerPoint application.

Opening an existing PowerPoint Presentation from the Microsoft PowerPoint Application

Step-1: Open the Microsoft PowerPoint application and go to the “File” menu

The first thing you have to do is open the Microsoft PowerPoint application and click on the “ File ” menu option on the top-left corner of the screen.

Step-2: Click on ‘Open’, and then ‘Browse’

Clicking on the File option will open the background view of PowerPoint. Then, click on “ Open “

In the ‘Open’ tab, you will find all the Presentation files you have used/viewed recently under the ‘Recent’ section. If the file you want to open is not present here, simply click on ‘Browse.’

Step-3: Go to the file location click on it to select it.

After that, a window will pop up using which you can use to choose the file you want to open. Go to the folder containing the PowerPoint presentation file and select it by ‘Left-clicking’ on its name.

Step-4: Click on ‘Open.’

After selecting the file, click on ‘Open’ to get the job done. You can also edit the slides by clicking on ‘Enable Editing.’

You can follow any of the two methods mentioned above to open an existing PowerPoint Presentation file.

1c. Shortcut Key to Open a Presentation in PowerPoint 

You can open both a new PowerPoint Presentation as well as an existing PowerPoint file using shortcut keys.

Here are the shortcut keys to open a PowerPoint presentation –

• To open a new PowerPoint presentation – Press “Ctrl+N” (Cmd+N on Mac)
• To open an existing PowerPoint presentation – Press “Ctrl+O” (Cmd+O on Mac)

Remember, in order to use the above shortcut keys, you need to open the PowerPoint application first on your computer.

2. How to Open a PowerPoint Online? (Using OneDrive)

Microsoft PowerPoint can also be saved online. Microsoft actually has integration with its own cloud service called OneDrive. In fact, if you are using Microsoft Office 365 , you also get free cloud storage of up to 1 TB with your account!

When you try to open an online version of a PowerPoint file, you will need to do so using OneDrive. In the following steps, I will show you how to open a PowerPoint Presentation file online using OneDrive:

Step-1: Click on the “File” menu

The first step, as usual, is to click on the “ File ” menu option. This will open the backend view of PowerPoint.

Step-2: Click on “Open” and choose “OneDrive”

From the backend view, click on the “ Open ” option. Then, click on “ OneDrive “. You may need to login into your OneDrive account. Then, navigate to the respective folder containing the PowerPoint file.

Step-3: Select the File and Click “Open”

Navigate to the designated folder on OneDrive that contains the PowerPoint file. Select it and then click “Open”.

PowerPoint will then download the file for you. Once it opens the online file, you will notice that the “ Autosave ” feature in PowerPoint will be turned on.

This basically means, every time you make a change to the file, it will automatically reflect in the file saved online in OneDrive!

How to Open and View a PowerPoint file in OneDrive?

You can also view the same PowerPoint file using your internet browser. All you need to do open the OneDrive login page and log in to your OneDrive account using your email address and password.

Once you are logged in into your OneDrive account, follow the below mentioned steps –

Step-1: Locate your PowerPoint file and Click on it

If you already have the file uploaded, then simply navigate to the respective folder, locate the file and click on it.

Step-2: Start Editing the File

Your file will be opened in a new tab on your browser. You can directly start editing the PowerPoint file online!

The best part is, you don’t even need to have the PowerPoint application installed to edit, open or view a PowerPoint presentation online file!

3. How to Open a PowerPoint Presentation in Google Slides? 

Google Slides in one of the most popular online tools out there for creating and opening presentations. You can also use Google Slides to open you PowerPoint Presentation file with just a few clicks. Follow the steps below:

Step-1: Go to Google Slides and click on ‘Open File Picker’ option

To open a PowerPoint Presentation in Google Slides, the first step is to log in to your Google account and go to Google Slides. Then, click on the “ Open File Picker ” option – the icon that looks like a file folder (see the image above).

Step-2: Go to the ‘upload’ section for uploading the presentation file

Since Google Slides is cloud-based, the next step is to upload the Presentation file. To do that, from the pop-up window, go to the ‘Upload’ section. Now click on ‘Select a file from your device.’

Step-3: Locate your PowerPoint Presentation file and click on ‘Open.’

From the pop-up window, go to the folder containing the Presentation file and select it. Then click on ‘Open’ to upload the file from your computer. It might take a few seconds to upload and load the Presentation file on Google Slides. That’s it!

4. How to Open a PowerPoint Presentation in Keynote on Mac? 

To open a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation on Apple’s Keynote application, just follow the steps below:

Step-1: Open ‘Keynote’ and locate your PowerPoint Presentation file

On your Mac Computer open the ‘Keynote’ application. From the window, navigate to the folder containing the PowerPoint Presentation file.

Step-2: Select your Presentation file and click on ‘Open.’

After locating your PowerPoint Presentation file on Keynote, simply click on it to select it. Then click on ‘Open’ to access it. A window might appear stating that some changes were made while importing the file, which is quite normal for highly customized PowerPoint files.

Step-3: View or Edit the PowerPoint file in Keynote

Once the file is opened in Keynote, you can now view or edit the file directly in Keynote just as you would on any other presentation design application!

5. How to Open a PowerPoint Presentation Without PowerPoint? 

Incase you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer or do not have access to PowerPoint, you can still open a PowerPoint presentation file through various means. I’ll be discussing some of the ways to open a PowerPoint Presentation without PowerPoint below:

Method 1 – Using Online Tools

If you don’t have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can still view a PPT or PPTX file. One of the best ways to view it is using online tools.

Two of the most commonly used FREE online tools are ‘Google Slides’ and ‘One-Drive’ . Both these methods have been discussed previously in this article. Thus, I would recommend going through them once again if you need some help on that.

Method 2 – Using Aspose Slides Viewer

Another method is using the “Aspose Slides Viewer”. Using this online tool, you can open your Presentation files. It supports PPT, PPTX, PPS, and ODT files that are amongst the most common PowerPoint Presentation formats.

Here’s how to use Aspose Slides Viewer tool to open PowerPoint Presentations –

Step-1: Go to Aspose Slides Viewer using an Internet Browser

The first step is to open your Internet Brower and go to: https://products.aspose.app/slides/viewer

Step-2: Click on ‘Drop or upload your file’

Once the webpage is done loading on your browser, click on ‘ Drop or upload your file.’

Step-3: Locate your file and click on ‘Open’

From the pop-up window, go to the folder containing the PowerPoint Presentation file and select it. Then click on ‘Open’ to upload the file from your computer to Aspose Slides Viewer. Once the upload is finished, you will be able to view the PowerPoint Presentation on your screen.

The good part about Aspose Slides Viewer is that it is completely FREE. When viewing the ppt file, it shows a surprisingly accurate representation of the presentation. You can also edit the PPT file. However, the options are quite limited. So, it can be used for basic text editing at the very best!

Method 3 – Using Third-Party Applications

There are a few Third-Party Applications out there, which you can use to Open PowerPoint Presentation files. Two of the most common among them are ‘LibreOffice Impress’ and ‘Kingsoft Presentation Professional.’

LibreOffice supports almost all types of PowerPoint files including PPT, PPTXS, PPTX, PPTS. It allows you to not only open PowerPoint presentations but also make necessary customizations. You can download it for free from here .

Kingsoft Presentation Professional is another standard presentation tool with lots of in-built features. It is quite similar to Microsoft PowerPoint and supports PPT and PPTX files. Download Kingsoft Presentation Professional from here .

6. How to Open PowerPoint in Presentation Mode? 

You can directly open your PowerPoint Presentation file in Presentation Mode, instead of having to normally opening it first and then changing the view mode. This might be time saving for some, as you will be able to start your presentation with just a few clicks. Follow the step-by-step guide below to find out the process:

Step-1: Go to the folder which contains your PowerPoint Presentation file

Go to the folder on your computer where you have saved your PowerPoint Presentation file. ‘Right Click’ on the file to open a dropdown menu.

Step-2: Click on ‘Show’

From the dropdown menu, click on the fourth option that says ‘Show.’ This will directly open the PowerPoint file in Presentation Mode.

If you have a “.pps” or “.ppsx” file, you don’t need to right-click on it. These files are designed to be directly open as slideshow!

7. How to Open PowerPoint in Safe Mode? 

Opening Microsoft PowerPoint in Safe Mode means opening the application without any add-ons, extensions, or other forms of customizations you might’ve made.

AutoCorrect and a few other features will also not work while in Safe Mode. You can both open the Microsoft PowerPoint application in safe mode or a particular PowerPoint Presentation file.

I’ll be discussing both of them below:

Opening the Microsoft PowerPoint Application in Safe Mode

Step-1: Press ‘Ctrl’ while opening the Microsoft PowerPoint Application

To open the Microsoft PowerPoint application in Safe Mode, hold the ‘Ctrl’ button of your keyboard and ‘Left Click’ on the Microsoft PowerPoint Icon on your taskbar, start-menu, or desktop.

Step-2: Click on ‘Yes’ to enable Safe Mode.

A dialogue box will appear where you will be asked if you want to start Microsoft PowerPoint in Safe Mode or not. Click on ‘Yes’ to open the PowerPoint in Safe Mode.

Opening a specific PowerPoint Presentation on Safe Mode:

To open a specific PowerPoint Presentation file on Safe Mode, follow the steps below:

Step-1: Hold the ‘Ctrl’ Key and click on the PowerPoint file

Browse to the folder on your computer where you have you have saved your presentation file. Now, while holding the ‘Ctrl’ button on your keyboard, ‘Left-click’ on the file to open it on Safe Mode. A dialogue box will appear on your screen.

Step-2: Click on ‘Yes’ in the Prompt that opens up

You will now be asked if you want to open this PowerPoint file in Safe Mode. Click on ‘Yes’ to get the job done!

8. How to Open a PowerPoint Presentation on Zoom?

Zoom meetings has now become an integral part of our lives, both in terms of work and education. The global pandemic has forcefully replaced on-stage presentations with virtual ones and Zoom is one of the most popular choices for it.

Related Article – How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Complete Step-by-Step Guide!]

If you want to open a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom, follow the steps mentioned below –

Step-1: Open the PowerPoint presentation on your device

The first step is to open the PowerPoint Presentation file on your computer using Microsoft PowerPoint. You can do that by either ‘ Left-Clicking’ on the file from its location or going to the ‘Open’ tab on Microsoft PowerPoint and selecting the file from the ‘Browse’ option.

I have discussed this in detail on the points above.

Step-2: Open Zoom meeting and click on ‘Share Screen’.

Join or launch a Zoom meeting where you will be sharing your PowerPoint presentation. Click on the option that says ‘Share Screen’ at the bottom.

Step-3: Click on ‘Share’ option

A new window will pop-up where you will find all the applications opened on your computer. Hover your cursor over the ‘ PowerPoint Slide Show’ window and click on it. Now click on the option that says ‘Share’ at the bottom right corner of your screen.

Step-4: Open the PowerPoint presentation in Zoom

Once you click on ‘Share’ , the PowerPoint presentation file will be opened in Zoom and all the participants in the meeting will be able to view your screen. You can stop sharing your screen by clicking on the option that says ‘Stop Share.’

More PowerPoint Related Topics

• How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint? [Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial!]
• What is a Presentation Clicker? [And How to Use it!]
• How to Convert a PowerPoint to PDF? [A Simple Guide!]
• PowerPoint vs Google Slides: Which is Better? [ULTIMATE Test!]
• How to Change Bullet Style in PowerPoint? A Complete Guide

Credit to drobotdean (via Freepik) for the featured image of this article

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.

5 PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Start a Slide Show

Try These Useful PowerPoint Shortcuts to Start a Slide Show

by Avantix Learning Team | October 16, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can start a slide show in PowerPoint using several keyboard shortcuts. In this article, we'll review shortcuts to start a show using function keys or by using key tips.

Recommended article: How to Strikethrough or Cross Out Text in PowerPoint (4 Ways with Shortcuts)

If the function key shortcuts don't work, you may need to press the Fn key on your keyboard at the same time.

Typically, you would start a slide show from Normal View or Slide Sorter View. To exit a slide show, press ESC.

If Presenter View is selected on the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon, the show will start in Presenter View. If you have two monitors and Automatic is selected as the Monitor setting on the Slide Show tab, the show will display as a standard slide show on the second monitor and will display Presenter View on the presenter's screen by default.

1. Start a presentation from the beginning using a function key

2. start a presentation from the current slide using a function key.

Press Shift+F5.

3. Start the presentation in Presenter View using a function key

Press Alt + F5.

4. Start a presentation from the beginning using key tips

Press Alt > S > B (press Alt, then S, then B).

5. Start a presentation from the current slide using key tips

Press Alt > S > C (Alt, then S, then C).

There are many shortcuts you can use during a PowerPoint slide show as well. Check out the article PowerPoint Slide Show Shortcuts (50+ Keyboard Shortcuts).

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More resources

How to Insert Slide Numbers in PowerPoint

How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint (4 Ways)

How to Change the Background of Your PowerPoint Slides

How to Remove the Background of a Picture in PowerPoint (2 Ways)

How to Add Animation in PowerPoint (Animate Images, Text or Other Objects)

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How to Insert or Type E with an Accent Mark in PowerPoint (È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë)

You can insert or type e with an accent mark in PowerPoint using built-in tools or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The letter e can be inserted with an accent in both upper or lower case in text boxes or placeholders on slides, the slide master or layouts. The following are common accents in upper or lower case – È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë.

How to Fade a Picture or Part of a Picture in PowerPoint (Using a Gradient)

You can fade a picture in PowerPoint by drawing a rectangle shape on top of the picture and then filling the rectangle with a gradient from opaque to transparent. This technique is often used to fade an image into the background of a slide. Since the rectangle is placed on top of the image and then text may be placed on top of the rectangle, you may need to reorder the objects.

How to Lock an Image, Shape or Other Object in PowerPoint

You can now lock an image, shape or other object in PowerPoint. Objects can be locked in Normal View or Slide Master View. Only PowerPoint 365 users can lock objects to prevent moving and resizing. This is helpful if you want to select and move other objects on the slide or prevent others from moving or resizing an object. You can lock items using the context menu or the Selection Pane.

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PowerPoint Presentation Shortcut Keys

Do you have a list of the best Microsoft PowerPoint Shortcut keys? I didn’t think so, most people that use PowerPoint only use a few of it’s functions and many people don’t know about the fantastic time saving range of shortcut keys that are built into all Microsoft Office tools. These shortcuts are particularly useful with PowerPoint In this guide, I will list the best PowerPoint shortcut keys to help you work more efficiently, whether you’re a novice or an experienced user. There are literally 1’000s but these are my favorites and the ones I find the most useful.

PowerPoint Shortcut Keys for Creating Presentations

There are a range of general shortcuts that can be used across most Microsoft Office tools

• Ctrl + N: Create a new presentation.
• Ctrl + O: Open an existing presentation – this will open a screen with a list of all your recent presentations
• Ctrl + S: Save the current presentation.
• Ctrl + P: Print the current presentation.
• Ctrl + Z: Undo the last action – This is my favourite
• Ctrl + Y: Redo the last action.
• Ctrl + F: Find text within your presentation.
• Ctrl + H: Replace text in your presentation

Shortcut keys for editing text

• Ctrl + X: Cut selected text.
• Ctrl + C: Copy selected text.
• Ctrl + V: Paste copied/cut text.
• Ctrl + B: Bold text.
• Ctrl + I: Italicize text.
• Ctrl + U: Underline text.
• Ctrl + E: Center align text.
• Ctrl + L: Left align text.
• F7: Start spell check
• Ctrl + R: Right align text.

Shortcut keys for formatting text

• Ctrl + Shift + >: Increase font size.
• Ctrl + Shift + <: Decrease font size.
• Ctrl + ]: Increase font size by 1 point.
• Ctrl + [: Decrease font size by 1 point.
• Shift + F3: Toggle between Upper case, Lower case or Sentence case
• Ctrl + Shift + K: Insert a hyperlink.
• Ctrl + M: Insert a new slide.
• Alt + Shift + Arrow Up/Arrow Down: Move selected text or object up/down in the order.

Shortcut Keys For Working With Objects 

Selecting objects on your slides

• Tab: Cycle through objects on a slide.
• Shift + Tab: Cycle backward through objects.
• Ctrl + A: Select all objects on a slide.

Working with Objects on your slides

• Ctrl + D: Duplicate selected object(s).
• Ctrl + T: Open the Format Text dialog box.
• Ctrl + G: Group selected objects.
• Ctrl + Shift + G: Ungroup selected objects.
• Ctrl + ]: Bring selected object forward.
• Ctrl + [: Send selected object backward.

Shortcut Keys for Slide Design

Formatting your Master slide

• Shift + Slide Sorter View button: Access Slide Master view.
• Ctrl + Shift + C: Copy formatting from one object to another.
• Ctrl + Shift + V: Paste formatting to another object.

Changing your design

• Alt + Shift + Left Arrow/Right Arrow: Navigate between design elements.
• Alt + A: Open the Animations tab
• Alt + G: Open the Design tab
• Alt + H: Open the Home tab
• Alt + K: Open the Transitions tab
• Alt + N: Open the Insert tab
• Alt + R: Open the Review tab
• Alt + S: Open the Slide Show tab
• Alt + W: Open the View tab
• Alt + Shift + T: Open the Header & Footer screen

Shortcut Keys for Presenting

These shortcuts are great for using when you are presenting 

• F5: Start the slideshow from the beginning.
• Shift + F5: Start the slideshow from the current slide.
• Space bar or Enter: Advance to the next slide.
• Backspace or P: Go back to the previous slide.
• B: Turn the screen black (press any key to return to the slide).
• W: Turn the screen white (press any key to return to the slide).
• Ctrl + L: Turn your mouse into a laser pointer – only works in presentation mode. Pressing it again turns the laser pointer off

As mentioned there are 1’000s of different shortcuts and some of them only work on older or newer versions of PowerPoint so don’t get frustrated if one doesn’t work on your PC, you can even create your own shortcuts by using the Alt function and following the letters that appear. For example if you press “Alt” the letters will all appear over the functions, if you type the relevant number or letter it will open that function and will then display letters over each function there. you can keep doing this to select what you need simply using your keyboard. So pressing “Alt”, “H” & “U” would open the bullet point function. If at anytime you want to escape simply press “Alt” again

If you don’t create or use PowerPoint very often I find the biggest issue is remembering the shortcuts, I used to use a printed page that went everywhere with me in my laptop bag but then I discovered these fantastic desk mats that have loads of my favourite shortcuts for PowerPoint, Word, Excel and general Windows too. I find these are a great tool for referring to whenever I need to remember a shortcut. 

Mastering these PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts will significantly enhance your productivity and efficiency when creating presentations. Whether you’re a student, business professional, educator or just creating a presentation at home these shortcuts will help you navigate PowerPoint with ease.They are not difficult and just require a little practice, the desk mats are a fantastic way to have them in front of you at all times and the ALT method is a really easy way to navigate quickly through almost any function. So, start practicing today, and take your PowerPoint skills to the next level.

I really enjoy learning new tips and tricks so if you have any you would like to share please let me know in the comments below what your favourite PowerPoint tips are

4 thoughts on “PowerPoint Presentation Shortcut Keys”

Currently, I am in college studying to be a paralegal. I always have to make a lot of PowerPoint Presentations. I was looking for ways to make this easier. Your blog post really helped with that! I am definitely going to use the PWP Shortcut Keys for creating presentations, I am so happy I can now save time while working on school projects! 

    Really glad that the post helped, I was always looking for PowerPoint shortcuts as I knew they existed but could never find them when I needed them.I initially just pulled them together for my own work but was convinced there must be other people in the same boat so just figured I should share it too. Thanks for the feedback and feel free to let me know if you find any that I haven’t included

Hi,that’s crazy there is 1000s of shortcut keys. I would have thought 20 or 30. Max 50.

it just shows how customizable these presentations can be. 

but it makes sense because technology is getting so good so fast. Maybe when there is quantum computers there will be millions of shortcuts. Just imagine trying to memorize those for your upcoming speech. 

But you did a great job of listing these so I can just bookmark this.

Thanks for your feedback, I put my list together initially as I could never find them when I needed them but I have to admit that I never thought to just bookmark it. That is why I ended up buying the desk mat with the shortcuts shown as I find it really useful. It is perfect for people like me with a bad memory 🙂

Thanks again Jake

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91 PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

Download PowerPoint Shortcut Keys PDF

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Most Used PowerPoint Shortcuts
• 1.2 Edit Text Shortcuts
• 1.3 Tab Selection Shortcuts
• 1.4 Navigation Shortcuts
• 1.5 Outlining Views Shortcuts
• 1.6 Presentation Windows Shortcuts

Learn PowerPoint Shortcuts for Windows

Most Used PowerPoint Shortcuts

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Edit Text Shortcuts

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Tab Selection Shortcuts

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Navigation Shortcuts

Similar Programs: Apple Keynote Keyboard Shortcuts

Outlining Views Shortcuts

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Presentation Windows Shortcuts

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10 Keyboard Shortcuts to Use When Presenting PowerPoint Slideshows

In business meetings, you can use Microsoft PowerPoint slideshows to highlight important information and capture audiences’ attention. During a slideshow , clicking through various options with the mouse can throw off your timing. Plus, the audience can see you perform these actions.

A better approach is to use keyboard shortcuts . Besides being faster, you will look like a more experienced presenter. Here are 10 keyboard shortcuts that you can use when presenting slideshows using PowerPoint 2016, 2013, 2010, or 2007. You can also Google some other keyboard shortcuts!

Keyboard Shortcuts For PowerPoint

Pressing the F5 key begins the slideshow from the first slide.

2. Shift+F5

To begin the slideshow from the current slide , press Shift+F5. In other words, press the Shift and F5 keys at the same time.

3. Spacebar, N, or Right Arrow

When you are ready to advance to the next slide or perform the next animation, you can press any of the following: the Spacebar , the N key, or the right arrow key.

4. Backspace, P, or Left Arrow

If you need to backtrack , press the Backspace, P, or left arrow key to go back to the previous slide or animation.

Pressing Ctrl+P changes the mouse pointer from an arrow to a pen. You can then use the pen to add a note to a slide or call attention to an item.

6. W or Comma

During a presentation , you might want to pause the slideshow so that you can discuss a certain point. Pressing the W or comma key pauses it and displays a white screen. Pressing the W or comma key again resumes the slideshow. When the slideshow is paused, you can use the pen to write on the white screen. If you do not already have the pen activated, though, you will need to do so with the mouse (Pressing Ctrl+P to activate the pen does not work – it simply prompts the slideshow to resume.) Anything you write on the white screen will not be saved when you resume the slideshow .

7. B or Period

Pressing the B key or period key pauses the slideshow and displays a black screen, which you can write on. Press the B or period key again to resume the slideshow.

8. Ctrl+E or E

If you need to erase a mark you made with a pen on a slide, you can change the pointer to an eraser by pressing Ctrl+E. You can erase all the marks you made to a slide at once by pressing the E key. (The pointer will not change in the latter case.) You cannot use Ctrl+E or E to erase marks on a white or black screen created when pausing a slideshow.

Pressing Ctrl+A changes the pointer to the default arrow.

Another way to change the pointer to the default arrow is pressing the Esc key. If the pointer is already an arrow, pressing Esc exits the slideshow.

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Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Claim Your FREE Training Module and Get Your Time Back!

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

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Youtube . To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

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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A simple guide to slideshows

Learn what slideshows are, how they’re used, common features, and how to choose a slideshow maker. Get started creating your own slideshows today with Microsoft PowerPoint.

What is a slideshow?

What are slideshows used for.

Meetings and presentations

Slideshows are most frequently used to create professional presentations for business meetings, conferences, and educational purposes. A  slideshow program  allows people to organize content, include visuals, and enhance the overall impact of their message.

Visual storytelling

Because slideshows sequentially display engaging visuals, text, and other multimedia, they’re a strong way to tell a cohesive and compelling narrative from start to finish.

Content creation

Slideshows give content creators a versatile and efficient way to organize information, increase visual appeal, and communicate effectively across different contexts.

Photo and video sharing

Slideshow makers are popular for creating photo and video presentations, especially for events like weddings, birthdays, and vacations. People can add transitions, music, and captions to fully bring the photo-sharing experience to life.

Training and tutorials

Slideshows help break down complex information into digestible chunks with the support of visuals and text, making them ideal for instructional materials, tutorials, and training modules.

Collaborative projects

In collaborative settings, teams use slideshow makers to create joint presentations or reports. The best slideshow makers enable multiple contributors to add their content simultaneously, which helps ensure a cohesive and unified presentation.

What are the features of a slideshow creator?

Slideshow creators vary in what they offer but ideally include:

A library of templates, themes, and images.

If you’re not a designer, this feature is huge. Simply browse the options available in your slideshow maker library to create a polished, professionally designed presentation in a flash. Be sure to confirm that access to the library is free and the images are approved for unrestricted usage.

Audio and video compatibility.

Keeping your audience engaged is key to any successful slideshow presentation. To mix things up, being able to add a multimedia element—like a song or a video clip—will help people stay focused and interested.

Presentation tools.

Handy presenter tools go a long way toward making your slideshow experience seamless. For example, straightforward slide navigation, slideshow keyboard shortcuts, pen and highlighter markup, and adjustable resolution settings.

AI assistance.

With AI revolutionizing content creation, using a slideshow maker that has AI capabilities will enhance efficiency and innovation. Depending on the slideshow app you have, creating an entire slideshow could be as easy as a quick prompt, like “Make a presentation about the benefits of sustainable fashion that has 15 slides.” 

Animations.

Like audio and video, animations give your audience a bit of sensory surprise that can capture their attention. 

Slide transitions.

Add some pizzazz to how you change slides with visual effects like fading, wiping, and zooming. 

Screen recording.

Being able to record your screen in a slideshow maker is helpful when giving an instructional talk, software demonstration, and other types of presentations that require visual aids.

A place to put speaker notes.

Having somewhere to jot a few notes down will help remind you of everything you want to cover as you present.

Different viewing options.

Looking at different views—for example, a presenter view, an audience view, and a high-level view of slide order—is useful when organizing your slideshow’s structure and understanding and preparing for what you’ll see versus what your audience will see.

How do I choose the right slideshow maker?

When choosing a slideshow maker, keep the following questions in mind to make sure you get the most for your money:

Is it scalable with your business?

As your organization grows and changes, it’s important to have flexible technology that adapts to new needs. Having certain features—such as cloud-based collaboration, compatibility with other work apps, and a mobile app—will help ensure that no matter how your business changes, the slideshow maker is up to the task. This also applies to pricing plans. Consider choosing a slideshow app that has a subscription plan (so the software is always up to date), volume-based pricing, or enterprise-level pricing.

Does it have a variety of visual elements?

It’s pretty much a given that a slideshow maker will allow you to add images, but think outside the JPEG box—what other visual elements are available to you? Features like preset themes, free templates, SmartArt, a built-in clip art library, shape tools, background styles, 3D models, and charts and graphs provide diverse ways to switch up how a slideshow looks without relying solely on adding your own images.

Is it easy to use?

You could have the most feature-rich slideshow maker on the market, but if it isn’t easy to use, you probably won’t use it. Or you will, but you’ll be frustrated, waste valuable time, and have difficulty convincing people you work with to use it. As you research slideshow makers, look for videos that show the apps’ interfaces in action to help you decide if they’re intuitive and will have a shorter learning curve.

Does it have collaboration and sharing options?

Because making a slideshow is often a collaborative effort, it’s worthwhile to find a slideshow creator that was designed with this in mind. Pick one that offers editing controls and commenting, as well as the ability to work on a slideshow at the same time as someone else. Having a cloud-based slideshow maker will be key here. You’ll not only save yourself time but also keep things simple by not having multiple versions of the same slideshow.

Explore more about slideshows and slideshow makers

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Frequently asked questions

How do i make a good slideshow.

Making a good slideshow in PowerPoint is easy:

Plan what you’d like to include in your slideshow.

Launch your slideshow creator.

Choose the theme you’d like.

Import media.

Add text, music, and transitions.

Record, save, and share your slideshow.

Learn more about how to make a slideshow .

How do I add music to a slideshow?

To add music to a slideshow, first make sure that you’re using a slideshow maker with music compatibility. In PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add music.

Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon menu.

Click on the Audio button and select Audio on My PC.

Browse to the folder on your computer where the audio file is located and select it.

Click on the Insert button.

How do I record a slideshow?

The steps for recording a slideshow in PowerPoint will vary depending on the version that you own. Get help with slideshow recording based on your version. 

What types of files can I add to a slideshow?

File compatibility in PowerPoint includes the use of JPEGs, PNGs, TIFFs, GIFs, PDFs, MP3s, WAVs, MIDIs, MPEG-4 Videos, and Windows Media Videos.  

How do I share my slideshow?

To share your PowerPoint slideshow, follow these steps:

Open your presentation and click Share at the top right of your screen.

If your presentation isn't already stored on OneDrive, select where to save your presentation to the cloud.

Choose a permission level, like Anyone with a link , or maybe just people in your company. You can also control if people can edit or just view the doc. 

Select Apply.

Enter names and a message.

Select Send.

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How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation?

Table of Contents

PowerPoint presentations are a go-to for clear and informative content delivery. But what if you want your presentation to run on repeat, like at a kiosk or digital sign? The good news is, that PowerPoint has a built-in feature to loop your slideshow, ensuring your message stays on display without interruption. 

This blog post will guide you through the simple steps to set your presentation on a loop, keeping your audience engaged and informed around the clock.

What is PowerPoint Looping?

Normally, in a PowerPoint presentation, you have to manually move from one slide to the next by pressing keys on the keyboard or clicking buttons on a mouse or presentation remote.

However, when you enable looping in PowerPoint, the presentation progresses automatically from one slide to the next without requiring manual input. This eliminates the need for the presenter to interact with the computer or mouse during the presentation.

With PowerPoint looping, you can also set each slide to display automatically for a specified duration, determined by you. Once the preset time elapses, the next slide seamlessly appears. Additionally, upon reaching the final slide, the slideshow automatically starts over from the beginning.

Why Do You Need to Loop Your Slideshow in PowerPoint? 

There are several reasons why you might want to loop your slideshow in PowerPoint:

• Unattended Presentations: Looping is ideal for situations where the presentation runs without a presenter. This could be at a kiosk, trade show booth, or in a waiting room. Looping ensures the information is continuously displayed for viewers to come and go as they please.
• Automated Playback: Looping allows for a hands-off presentation experience. Once started, the presentation progresses automatically, freeing you up to greet attendees or answer questions.
• Self-Paced Learning: Looping can be useful for self-paced learning environments. Viewers can revisit slides or take breaks without needing someone to control the flow.
• Continuous Engagement: Looping keeps the audience engaged with a constant stream of information. This can be beneficial for displaying menus, directions, or other ongoing updates.

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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation loop?

Ready to loop your presentation? Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1:  Open your PowerPoint and head over to the “Slide Show” tab.

Step 2:  Click the button that says “Set Up Slide Show.” A new window will pop up.

Step 3:  Under “Show options,” find the magic checkbox that says “Loop continuously until ‘Esc’.” Check that box to make your presentation run on repeat.

Step 4:  Want to control how long each slide shows? Look for the option “Automatically advance slides” and check it. Then, use the up and down arrows to set the display time for each slide.

Step 5:  Once you’re happy with the settings, click “OK” to save them.

Step 6: Time to loop! Go back to the “Slide Show” tab and click “From Beginning” (or “From Start”). Your presentation will start playing and keep going until you press the “Esc” key.

How To Loop a PowerPoint SlideShow from Selected Slides?

PowerPoint lets you loop a customized selection of slides, creating engaging presentations that run unattended. This eliminates the need for manual slide changes while maintaining audience interest. Here’s how to loop specific slides:

Step 1:  Select Slides: In the Slide Sorter view, hold “Shift” and click the first and last slides you want to loop.

Step 2:  Enable Looping: Go to the “Slide Show” tab and click “Set Up Show.” Check the box for “Loop continuously until ‘Esc'” and choose “Show slides” from the dropdown menu. Select “From” and enter the slide number where your loop should begin.

Step 3:  Create Custom Show (Optional): For easier access, name your looped sequence as a “Custom Show” within the “Set Up Show” dialog.

Step 4:  Start Looping: Navigate back to the “Slide Show” tab and choose “Custom Slide Show” to launch your looped presentation.

Closing Thoughts

Looping your PowerPoint presentation is a simple yet powerful technique that unlocks a variety of use cases. By following these steps, you can ensure your message runs continuously, keeping your audience informed and engaged, whether it’s at a kiosk, trade show booth, waiting room, or any other scenario that demands unattended playback. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

My presentation has animations and transitions. will they loop as well.

Absolutely! When you loop your presentation, animations and transitions will also repeat continuously, regardless of the looping method you choose.

Does looping affect animation timing?

There’s a possibility. Looping might affect how your animations play out, especially if they have specific timings set. To avoid any hiccups, be sure to thoroughly test your looped presentation. This will ensure your animations sync smoothly with the slide transitions.

Can I loop specific slides in my PowerPoint presentation?

Yes! PowerPoint gives you the flexibility to loop a selected group of slides, creating engaging presentations that run unattended.

How do I stop or pause a looped slideshow in PowerPoint?

Need a break? Simply press the “Esc” key on your keyboard to interrupt the looped slideshow at any time.

Can I customize the duration of each slide in a looped PowerPoint presentation?

Yes, you can! PowerPoint allows you to adjust the slide transition settings for each slide. This lets you control how long each slide displays, creating a tailored and dynamic looping experience.

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Shortcut commands on Powerpoint web not working (on chromebook)

I am using the Microsoft 365 version of PowerPoint on the web but special key commands like ctrl + G and shift to make a perfect shape doesn't work on my Chromebook. It also doesn't have specific functions compared to the normal PowerPoint app.

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• Microsoft Agent |

Hi, NGUYEN VAN TAI THIEN

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

I realize that you've encountered a problem when using Powerpoint web and you are unable to use the shortcut "Ctrl + Shift + G" to jump to the previous result on a page successfully.

In order to help you further, I need you to share with me more details about this issue:

Please tell me if you can use the shortcut "Ctrl + Shift + G" to access other pages in your browser.

This would rule out a problem caused by the PPT or a problem with the shortcut itself.

Looking forward to your early reply!

Best Regards,

Cece | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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Thanks for your feedback.

I meant that when I make a shape, the shift key doesn't make the shape perfect.

Dear NGUYEN VAN TAI THIEN,

Thank you for your reply.

We saw that you indicated that you were wanting to use the shift key to help make your graphic perfect.

There is something that needs to be explained to you regarding the running of the web side and the PowerPoint program:

Since the web side and the application run differently, the functions of the web side and the application are different, sometimes some functions of the preview or early release may also be displayed through the web side, but the specific release channel still needs to be confirmed according to the actual situation.

Meanwhile, we have tested that in PowerPoint Web, you can use the corresponding brush to draw under the “Drawing” function, but modifying your graphic information by using the Shift key can only help to correct your lines to be displayed vertically or horizontally when you use the shift key, if you use the brush to draw more shapes or the “Drawing” function, it will only help to correct your lines to be displayed vertically or horizontally .

If you use the brush to draw more shapes or insert shapes under the Insert ribbon, you will not be able to use the shift key directly to modify your drawing.

You can check to see if what you need to accomplish is to display your line correction as vertical or horizontal, but you cannot do so.

If you are unable to display your line corrections vertically or horizontally, you can try this because the web page may be related to the browser or the corresponding information:

Change your browser or use browser privacy mode :

You can try logging back into your PowerPoint Web using Microsoft edge or another browser to see if it works.

Also, you can try to use your browser's privacy mode to help confirm if the web page is not displaying due to other web pages in your browser.

Clear your browser cache :

You can also try clearing your browser's cache information to help you detect your browser's information to a clean mode, and then reopen the page to confirm to see if you can log in and use the shift key successfully.

Disclaimer: Your browser automatically saves temporary internet files to help pages load faster. Clearing this cache will sometimes fix website issues.  Please back up all your personal files first, such as Favorites, to ensure you do not lose data. 

If you use the brush to draw more shapes or insert shapes under the “Insert” ribbon, you will not be able to use the shift key directly to modify your shapes.

This feature may not be able to modify the complete shape that you need for the time being. This is also due to the fact that different users need to draw different shapes according to their own needs, so as not to affect the details of the graphic after the automatic modification.

Thank you for your careful observation, your ideas and suggestions are vital to improving Microsoft products, but this forum is mainly a technical communication platform, Microsoft development team will not pay attention to this forum.

We will ask you to take notes and provide feedback, and we also suggest that you post your ideas on the dedicated feedback platform Microsoft 365 - Microsoft Q&A (English only), where a dedicated developer will look at your feedback and comment on it.

We hope that this will help you to confirm the information about your problem.

If there are any updates or questions, you can always reply to us and we will further help you to identify the problem.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

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