powerpoint presentation mode shortcut

Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In this topic

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

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

Top of Page

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

Control media in the slide show 

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

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

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

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

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

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

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations

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

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pointer and annotations in the slide show

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

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

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

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

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

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

Skip ahead in your presentation

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

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

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

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

Turn on the keyboard control navigation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Technical support for customers with disabilities

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

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

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Top PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts to Present Like a Pro!

From business consultants to sales reps and entrepreneurs, anyone who works with presentations can benefit from knowing some PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts. Today, I’ll show you 20+ handy commands to help you shine before and during your presentations.

But First, What Are PowerPoint Shortcuts?

PowerPoint shortcuts are keys or keyboard combinations that quickly allow you to perform an action in the program . Otherwise, you’d have to use your mouse or navigate through multiple menus and toolbars until finding the right command. In other words, PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts help you reduce steps and optimize your experience when working in a presentation.

Now, let’s see which are the top shortcut keys you should know:

Useful PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts for Last-minute Changes

Even the most experienced speakers find themselves making last-minute changes in their slides' appearance or presentation structure. It’s just part of the presenter’s life. But there’s no reason to panic, the following keyboard shortcuts will give you a hand in those moments.

PowerPoint Shortcuts for a Quick Formatting

1) use “alt+w+m” to enter slide master view.

For last-minute changes in the layout of your presentation, your slide master is the place to go.

Let’s say you want to replace the logo in your footer, change the color palette, or replace the font of your headlines. When you have only a few minutes available before presenting, this seems like an impossible task but here’s the secret: Anything that you put in your slide master will apply to all your slides so that you don’t need to go fixing them one by one.

If you’re not familiar with this type of slides, we’ve got a complete guide for you on how to create and use your master slides in PowerPoint .

2) Use “Shift” to keep objects in proportion

Have you ever resized a circle in PowerPoint and it ended up looking like an oval? When you resize by sight it’s hard to obtain perfect symmetry but the “Shift” key can help with that.

Simply press and hold “Shift” while resizing your elements. This comes in handy to make your objects bigger or smaller without losing their proportions. It works for shapes, images, and any other object in your slides.

3) Align your text

Alignment is essential to provide a clean and professional aspect to your documents. However, as formatting is one of the last steps in the making of a presentation, people tend to forget it. If this happens to you often, these are the PowerPoint shortcuts you need for a quick text alignment before starting your slide show:

• Use “Ctrl + J” to justify your text
• Press “Ctrl+E” to center the text
• Use “Ctrl+L” for left alignment
• Press “Ctrl+R” to right-align your text.

4) Use F7 to check your spelling

Most people don’t know this but you can actually check your presentation’s spelling in PowerPoint. It’s pretty simple: Once you enter the last words in your slides, press F7 . A new section will appear at the right of your screen showing misspelled words and giving you some options you can replace them with.

In some cases, you might need to try with “Fn + F7” to activate the check spelling shortcut.

5) Fix Up your Slides

Not exactly a PowerPoint keyboard shortcut but definitely a hack that will save you time and effort in the making of your slides.

If you work with presentations constantly, you’ll be happy to learn that you don’t need to design them yourself. You can have your deck quickly polished (or completely redesigned!) by professional PowerPoint designers . Check out some examples from the 24Slides team:

Want to get results like these? Learn more about the 24Slides’ presentation design services .

PowerPoint Keys To Edit Your Presentation Structure

1) use “ctrl + m” to insert a new slide.

Sometimes new information appears right before the big moment and you need to quickly update your presentation. Whenever you find yourself in this situation, select a slide and press “Ctrl+M'' to insert a new one. You’ll have a fresh title slide to keep adding content.

2) Use “Ctrl + D” to duplicate

But if you want to have similar slides, use “Ctrl + D” to duplicate them. This way, instead of working from a blank slide, you’ll be able to use one as your base and replace as much information as you want. This PowerPoint shortcut works for slides and objects alike.

3) Move slides

Arrange your presentation structure by using “Ctrl + Up arrow” to move a slide up or “Ctrl + Down arrow” to move it down.

I find this PowerPoint shortcut very useful especially when working with long presentations. Here’s why: Dragging slides one by one makes the thumbnails pass quickly and if you have 30+ slides, you’ll need more than a few seconds to land your slide in the spot that you want. Save yourself some time with this simple trick.

PowerPoint Shortcut Keys to Use During a Presentation

There are other PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts that only work in the slide show mode. We’ll go from my favorite basic commands to some advanced keyboard shortcuts to help you manage your presentation like a pro.

Basic PowerPoint Commands

1) use f5 to start a slideshow.

Done editing and ready to present? Press F5 to start your Slideshow from the first slide.

2) Use “Shift + F5” to start from the current slide

If you want to start from a specific slide, press “Shift+F5” . Let’s say you made a pause in your presentation to review some slides and want to pick up where you left off. Just select the last slide you were at and use this shortcut. It will save you tons of time because you won’t have to go through all your slides again.

3) Zoom in and Zoom out

Whenever you want to show an area of your slide in detail, press “+” to zoom in. You’ll be able to get a closer view of any element in your slide just by dragging the pointer. And when you’re finished zoom out with “-”

Advanced PowerPoint Shortcuts to Wow your Audience

1) annotate in your slides.

Did you know that you can mark up your slides during a live presentation? Yes, PowerPoint has some secret tools that help you grab and hold your audience’s attention while on a slideshow. And here are the shortcuts you need to activate them:

• Use “Ctrl + P” for a Pen Tool

You’ll be able to draw free lines and scribble across your slide. The PowerPoint pen tool comes in handy when you want to explain a process or show how to get from one point to another.

• Use “Ctrl + i” for a Highlighter

The PowerPoint highlighter pen uses a yellow color to help you annotate and draw attention to your slide’s key points.

• Use “Ctrl + L” for a Laser

A laser pointer is always useful to highlight specific aspects of your presentation. But don’t worry if you didn’t bring yours, PowerPoint lets you turn your cursor into a cool laser pointer.

• Extra: The PowerPoint Eraser tool

Now that you know how to annotate in your presentation, it’s fair that I share with you how to erase the marks you made in your slides. Use “Ctrl + E” to activate the Eraser tool. And if you want all the marks to vanish at once, just press the E key .

2) Show a black or white screen

Sometimes you’re elaborating on a concept and want people to focus all their attention on you and not your slides. In those moments, use the key “B” to change the screen to black during a slideshow or “W” to turn it white. You can go back to your slides by pressing the same key again.

3) Use “G” to display all the slides

You’ll open a nice visualization of all your slides so you can easily go back and forth through your presentation in a matter of seconds. Try it and check your audience’s reaction!

How to See Your Keyboard Shortcuts in PowerPoint?

I know. There are so many PowerPoint shortcuts that it’s impossible to remember them all. But that shouldn’t be a problem for presenters like you because PowerPoint offers some help.

A) In Presentation Mode

Whenever you need to check how to use keyboard shortcuts during your presentation, press F1 . A slide show help dialog box will display a list of your PowerPoint shortcuts available.

B) In Normal View

There are other types of shortcuts in PowerPoint called Key Tips or Access Keys which allow you to navigate through the ribbons and main menu. To activate them, press Alt or F10 .

C) Help Box

If you want to get the full list of PowerPoint shortcuts and further information about them, use the Help box. Just press F1 and search for “shortcuts”.

Note that this option only works when you’re connected to a WiFi network.

INFOGRAPHIC: Top PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts Every Presenter Should Know

The 24Slides team created this incredible infographic that summarizes all the PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts we’ve seen.

Save it, share it, and don’t forget to practice before your live presentation!

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How To Get Into Presentation Mode In PowerPoint

Are you looking to take your PowerPoint presentations to the next level?

Presentation Mode in PowerPoint is a powerful tool that can help you create engaging and professional presentations.

Explore the ins and outs of Presentation Mode in PowerPoint, brought to you by teacher Regina Griffin from Oregon, US. Enhance your presentation skills!

Key Takeaways:

What is presentation mode in powerpoint.

This mode is particularly useful during formal presentations, as it eliminates distractions and ensures that the audience’s focus remains on the content being discussed. In Presentation Mode , presenters can navigate through their slides smoothly, interact with their content, and make annotations in real time. One notable advantage of this mode is the Presenter view , where speakers can see upcoming slides, and speaker notes, and even manage time effectively without disrupting the flow of the presentation.

Why Use Presentation Mode in PowerPoint?

Using Presentation Mode in PowerPoint offers numerous advantages, such as creating a more engaging and professional presentation experience for both the presenter and the audience.

Allows for a more engaging and professional presentation

With Presentation Mode, presenters can seamlessly navigate through their slides, controlling the flow of information and keeping the audience’s attention focused. The ability to access advanced controls such as animations, transitions, and speaker notes enhances the overall delivery quality.

Helps the presenter stay on track and organized

Provides a better experience for the audience.

Engaging Presentation Mode in PowerPoint not only benefits the presenter but also enhances the audience’s experience by ensuring a seamless and visually appealing display of the content.

How to Enter Presentation Mode in PowerPoint?

Step 1: open your powerpoint presentation.

The first step to enter Presentation Mode in PowerPoint is to ensure that your presentation file is open and ready for display.

Step 2: Click on the ‘Slide Show’ tab in the top menu bar

Once you’re on the ‘Slide Show’ tab, you’ll find a variety of essential controls that aid in delivering a seamless presentation experience. Here, you can click on ‘From Beginning’ to start the slide show from the very first slide. You can choose ‘From Current Slide’ to begin from the slide you’re currently on.

You’ll notice the ‘Slide Show’ tab offers options to toggle various functionalities like accessing presenter view or setting up custom slide shows. This tab is a hub of useful tools that elevate your presentation delivery.

Step 3: Select ‘From Beginning’ or ‘From Current Slide’ to start the presentation

What are the features of presentation mode in powerpoint.

The features of Presentation Mode in PowerPoint are designed to enhance the presenter’s experience and engage the audience, offering functionalities such as Presenter view with notes, laser pointer integration, and slide previews.

Presenter view with notes allows speakers to refer to their talking points discreetly, ensuring a seamless delivery. The incorporated laser pointer feature permits highlighting key areas on slides, directing the audience’s focus effectively. Slide previews provide a comprehensive overview of the presentation flow, aiding in smoother transitions between topics. The option to hide or reveal slides as needed enhances the element of surprise and control during the presentation, captivating the audience’s attention. These combined features transform the presenter’s performance into a dynamic and engaging experience for all participants.

Full-screen display of slides

This feature eliminates distractions and directs attention to the key points of the presentation. By seamlessly transitioning between slides, the flow of information is maintained, keeping the audience engaged throughout the talk. The full-screen view enhances the visibility of multimedia elements, such as images and videos, making them more impactful.

Ability to use a laser pointer or pen tool

Presentation Mode enables presenters to use a laser pointer or a pen tool to highlight key points on slides, enhancing the clarity and impact of their presentation.

The laser pointer, a staple in traditional presentations, offers a precise way to direct attention to specific details, aiding in engaging the audience. On the other hand, the pen tool, usually found in digital platforms like smartphone apps or presentation software, allows for more creativity and flexibility in drawing emphasis without the need for physical devices like remote controls. This versatility caters to different presenter preferences and presentation styles, ensuring a dynamic and interactive delivery of content.

Presenter view with notes and slide previews

Option to hide the presentation controls.

By opting to hide presentation controls, presenters can focus on delivering their content without any distractions or overlays obstructing their view. This is especially beneficial when engaging in live demonstrations, showcasing visual content, or utilizing mirror displays for a seamless and professional presentation.

In scenarios where presenters are utilizing a two-monitor setup for advanced display configurations, such as showing notes on one screen while presenting on the other, hiding presentation controls on the main display ensures that only the essential content is visible to the audience, maintaining a neat and streamlined appearance.

How to Navigate Through Slides in Presentation Mode?

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard, click on the arrows in the bottom left corner of the screen.

For a more interactive navigation experience, users can click on the directional arrows located in the bottom left corner of the screen to progress through their presentation while having access to speaker notes and animations.

Users can enhance their presentation experience by utilizing the fullscreen mode . By entering fullscreen, viewers can keep the focus solely on the presentation content, removing any distractions from the surrounding interface elements. This feature is particularly useful when showcasing detailed slides or when presenting to a larger audience, allowing for a more immersive and engaging delivery.

Use the scroll wheel on your mouse

This feature is particularly handy when presenting slides with high resolution , allowing for a seamless display of detailed content in a visually appealing manner.

How to Exit Presentation Mode in PowerPoint?

To exit Fullscreen mode in PowerPoint, you can simply press the ‘Esc’ key, the keyboard shortcut that is universally used to escape full-screen views across various applications. This action will promptly take you out of the immersive mode and back to the regular interface.

Step 1: Press the Esc key on your keyboard

Exiting Presentation Mode using the ‘Esc’ key is a simple maneuver that can swiftly transition you back to your familiar workspace. Once you press the ‘Esc’ key, the fullscreen effect will dissolve, and any Speaker Notes you might have been glancing over will no longer dominate your screen, ensuring a seamless flow as you exit the presentation. This action provides an effortless way to shift the focus back to the general view of your PowerPoint, facilitating a smooth continuation of your usual workflow.

Step 2: Click on the ‘End Show’ button on the top left corner of the screen

Step 3: select ‘end show’ from the drop-down menu.

For a more detailed exit process, users can select ‘ End Show ‘ from the drop-down menu within PowerPoint, ensuring a controlled and comprehensive conclusion to their presentation.

Upon choosing ‘End Show’, users can review their content, make final adjustments, and conclude their presentation with confidence, maintaining professionalism throughout the process. This method ensures a polished and professional exit from Presentation Mode, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i enter presentation mode in powerpoint, can i customize the way i enter presentation mode in powerpoint.

Yes, you can customize the way you enter presentation mode by going to the Slideshow tab and selecting “Set Up Slide Show.” From there, you can choose options such as looping, presenter view, and more.

Is there a shortcut to enter presentation mode in PowerPoint?

Can i use a different display for presentation mode in powerpoint, how do i exit presentation mode in powerpoint.

To exit presentation mode in PowerPoint, press the Escape key on your keyboard or right-click and select “End Show.” You can also press the B key to go back to the previous slide.

Can I add speaker notes while in presentation mode in PowerPoint?

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How-To Geek

All the best microsoft powerpoint keyboard shortcuts.

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

Quick Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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• Presentations

How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow With Presenter View (+ Video)

• Bahasa Indonesia

Giving a presentation can be intimidating, even to seasoned speakers. Learn how to use PPT Presenter View , which is your private cockpit view.

This is a view that you'll see on your own screen while giving a presentation using PowerPoint. While the audience will see the presentation on the projector or big screen, you'll have your own private view on a second monitor.

This feature is like a cockpit for giving presentations. You'll keep all the most important controls front and center while presenting.

PowerPoint Presenter View gives you at least four essential tools that make presenting your slideshow more comfortable:

• In Presenter View , this display keeps your  speaker notes  in view to reference while speaking.
• You'll see a thumbnail for the next slide to begin preparing for your next key point, and you can jump to other slides quickly.
• A timekeeping tool helps you track how long you've been speaking to ensure you don't overrun any time limits.
• Drawing tools allow you to add illustrations on screen while presenting to draw attention to specific parts of your slides.

You need every advantage you can get when it's time to give a presentation. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to make the most out of Presenter View in PowerPoint.

In this tutorial, I'm going to focus on an underused feature of PowerPoint: Presenter View. 

How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow With Presenter View (Video)

In this video, I'll teach you how to get started with Presenter View in PowerPoint. You'll learn how to enable Presenter View and then use the tools inside of it. I'll teach you to use the special Presenter View features to keep your notes and tools close, that way you can present more confidently. 

Keep reading to find out more about using Presenter View in PowerPoint and the best features to try out.

Turn On PowerPoint Presenter View

In PowerPoint for macOS, simply click on  Presenter View  on the  Slide Show  tab to kick off the presentation in Presenter view .

You'll see the Presenter View interface on one screen. The other display will show the "audience version" of the presentation. In other words, it shows what they'll see on a projector screen, or even their own display. 

How to Make the Most of Presenter View

Let's dive into some of my favorite features that Presenter View brings to the table. Using even one of these is reason enough to try out Presenter View in PowerPoint. But when you combine them together, it's a no-brainer.

This is how to use Presenter View on PowerPoint. But the real question is why to use presenter mode PowerPoint. The reason is twofold:

• It helps your slides look better.
• It keeps you organized.

You can share neat, uncluttered slides that aren’t packed with content. That’s because you can keep your supporting content to yourself.

For this Presenter View in PowerPoint tutorial, we’ll be using the beautiful Tezia - Corporate PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements. Tezia has 40 stunning slide layouts. Each one works great in PowerPoint Presenter View . Download it today and follow along.

Now, let’s learn how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint fast!

1. Speaker Notes

Speaker Notes is a top feature that works best with Presenter View in PowerPoint. Many presenters will spend time filling out cards or scribbling ideas onto paper. But it's much easier to add them directly into your PowerPoint file.

To add Speaker Notes to a presentation, start off by working in Normal view on PowerPoint's View tab. At the bottom of your screen, you can click on Notes to open up the Speaker Notes section and add your own text.

Speaker Notes and Presenter View go hand in hand. When you're in Presenter View , your speaker notes will show up on the right side of your screen. You can adjust the text size with the icons near the lower right corner. 

Speaker Notes show how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint to your advantage. They help keep you on track as you present on your key topics.

Speaker Notes are important because they avoid the potential of you reading off your slides. Why? Because you don’t have to commit every key detail to memory! You can engage with your audience, all while referring to pre-built notes that they’ll never see.

2. Slide Previews

Let’s face it: you might be sharing a presentation with dozens of different slides inside. When you know how to put PowerPoint in presentation mode, you can get a sneak preview as you present. It’s easy to forget exactly how you sequenced slides together.

With Presenter View , you can stop guessing. That’s because you’ll always have a preview of the next slide in your deck.

As you work in Presenter View in PowerPoint, notice the slide thumbnail in the upper right corner. It’s labeled Next Slide , and that’s exactly what you’re seeing. This helps you transition smoothly from slide to slide. Often, you may set up some closing narration on one slide to help introduce the next. Guesswork and delays are gone, thanks to using Presenter View in PowerPoint.

Knowing how to present on PowerPoint involves keeping slides in a logical order. That means that on occasion, your next slide should no longer be the next one in line. Presenter View helps you handle this situation. 

Across the bottom of the view is a filmstrip of every slide’s thumbnail. You can scroll through it and click on any slide to jump directly to it.

This way, you can jump around in your slide deck without your audience ever knowing it! This helps you drive the flow of your slide deck in real time, with no interruptions or distractions. 

3. Drawing Tools

Like sports commentators do during a broadcast, you can use drawing tools to draw on top of your slides. This is perfect if you've got a tablet for example, but the feature works well for computer users with a mouse too.

To enter the drawing tools, you can click on the icon shown in the PowerPoint screenshot below. This turns on the tools you need to add highlights and annotations to the selected slide.

Annotations are great if you want to call out key details in real time. You can highlight, mark up, or circle any element on a slide. This is how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint in a live environment. You can use it to capture audience attention and focus on details as your narrative flows. 

Choose from tools like the Laser Pointer, Pen, and Highlighter to add annotations to a slide. A laser pointer is a digital version of the popular tool used to draw attention to parts of a slide.

The Pen and Highlighter tools will actually add new marks on top of the slide that your audience will see. 

4. Timekeeping

This feature is straightforward to use, but I can't stress enough how helpful it is. Nothing is worse than giving a presentation and realizing that you used only half of the time. Or that you went far over the time limit.

In Presenter View , you'll see a feature that keeps time above the current slide thumbnail. You can pause this feature with the Pause button or reset the counter with the icon on the far right. But often, it's best to leave it running. This keeps you on pace, on track, and focused on your message. 

Plus, this is how to put PowerPoint in presentation mode to work for you. At a glance, you can see how much time you have left. This may encourage you to speed up your dialogue. Or it may afford you extra time to expound on a key point or new supporting detail. 

I can think of many times when this feature would have been a big help during presentations in college. When you're graded or judged based upon your runtime, it's a great idea to keep that time total in view.

5. Navigate Effortlessly with Keyboard Shortcuts

Presenter mode PowerPoint presentations are easy to navigate. That’s because they work well with a variety of keyboard shortcuts. By using these shortcuts, you can see how to present on PowerPoint efficiently.

Presenter View offers an array of keyboard and mouse shortcuts that you can use as you present. Again, your audience won’t notice this. 

For a look at them, click on the Tips button in the upper left corner of Presenter View . You’ll see a complete cheat sheet of shortcuts listed. Refer to it often and use these tips to navigate through your slides.

The Best Source for Stunning PowerPoint Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)

Envato Elements is the best place to find stunning PowerPoint templates in 2022 . For a flat, monthly rate, you can download as many PowerPoint templates as you want. Plus, Elements offers an array of other creative content. This includes stock photos, music, fonts, and more.

When you’re using Presenter View in PowerPoint, you need templates that look their best. It’s tempting to turn to free options. But premium templates from Envato Elements are always your best bet.

Why? They’re designed by creative experts with you in mind. You simply fill in the blanks to add your own content. You don’t have to spend time and effort designing slides from scratch. This gives you even more time to craft a compelling narrative to wow any audience.

With premium Envato Elements templates, you’ll unlock an array of features. Each of these helps you shine when you use presenter mode PowerPoint features:

• easy-to-edit text placeholders
• photos and illustrations throughout
• charts and infographics
• pre-built animations

As you learn how to put PowerPoint in presentation mode, you’ll see how all these benefit you.  

Learn More Powerful PowerPoint Tools

We can use tools like Presenter View to reduce the anxiety that comes along with giving presentations. It may still take time to prepare and feel confident about your presentation. But Presenter View keeps those key features in easy view so that you aren't scrambling for written notes.

Check out these tutorials to learn more about giving presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint :

Download Our eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free PDF)

We have the perfect complement to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully. 

Download our  eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's available for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. 

Start Using Presenter View Today

You just learned how to use Presenter View in PowerPoint. You're the pilot, and now you're in the cockpit of your presentation plane! The features you saw in this tutorial will keep everything you need in view while you give a presentation.

Don't forget to launch your presentation in presenter mode PowerPoint mode. That means you'll always have your slide cues, notes, and more while you speak to an audience.

Editorial Note:  This post has been updated with contributions and a video from Andrew Childress . Andrew is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.

Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials Essential Shortcuts for PowerPoint Presentations

Essential Shortcuts for PowerPoint Presentations

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

Table of Contents

Reasons to Learn PowerPoint Shortcuts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Every PowerPoint keyboard shortcut you need to know

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

Here are the most important keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint.

Delivering a presentation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

End a presentation: Press Esc to exit a presentation. 

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

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

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

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

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

Creating a presentation

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editing slides

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editing text

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

General tasks

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

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

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

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

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

Related coverage from  Tech Reference :

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

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6 Power Point Shortcuts To Present Better

Home > All Tutorials >  PowerPoint Tips >  Power Point Shortcuts

Engage your audience better in your next presentation, by learning these 6 Power Point shortcuts to present your slides. Learn when to use these shortcut keys in your presentation. These features of PowerPoint can take your presentation delivery to the next level.

Leverage value of PowerPoint Slideshow mode:

1. Use ‘B’ key to shift the audience attention to you:

When you want the attention of your audience on you instead of on your slide, press ‘B’ on your keyboard. The slide blanks out and your audience attention shifts to you.

When to use this shortcut?

• Before you present a complex idea, it is always helpful to prime your audience on the concept, so they know what to expect. Use B to blank the screen. Take them through the concept verbally and press ‘Enter’ to show the slides
• Use ‘B’ while answering your audience questions . This conveys the level of importance you give to your audience’s views and concerns.

2. Use ‘W’ key to get blank white screen:

Pressing W on your keyboard gives a blank white screen.

When to use this shortcut key?

• These days most conference rooms use the whiteboard to project slides as well.  We use ‘W’ to light up the screen while writing on the board. This makes the writing clearly visible for everyone. This is especially helpful when we can’t use charts due to dim lights in the conference rooms.
• We also use this method to display and demonstrate objects of a small size. When we illuminate the object by pressing W, the light is sufficient to help everyone look at the object clearly.

You may like: Tutorial to create projector graphic

More Power Point shortcuts below…

3. Use ‘Ctrl + S’ shortcut for All slides dialog:

• If in the middle of your sales presentation if your prospect wants to know the next steps, you use ‘Ctrl+S’ to jump directly to the ‘Next steps’ slide instead of taking your audience through the entire set of slides.
• If your audience wants to refer to the information you shared a few slides back, you use ‘All slides dialog’ to locate the specific slide without having to scroll through all your previous slides.

4. Use ‘H’ to access next slide if hidden:

By pressing ‘H’ on your keyboard, you can access the Hidden slides.

• You can use this feature to customize your presentation as per the understanding level of your audience. For example, we create a slide that shows additional worked example of a calculation and keep it hidden. We show it by pressing H only if we find that the audience needs more explanation.

5. Use ‘Ctrl+P’ shortcut to draw on the screen:

When to use these Power Point Shortcuts?

• We use this quite extensively for conducting quick audience polls during the presentation.
• We also use this to show the relationship of one object to another. The spontaneity of drawing on screen gives life to boring presentations.

Note about the PowerPoint pen and highlighter:

Your annotations remain on the slide even when you move to next slides. This helps you to refer back to your annotations without losing them. If you want to save these annotations in your presentations, you can do so when you exit the slideshow view.

A dialog box will prompt you with – “Do you want to keep your ink annotations?” Select ‘Keep’ or ‘Discard’ as per your preference.

If you want to erase all the annotations on the slide, press E. To erase only a few annotations on the slide, press ‘Ctrl+E’. This will change the pointer to eraser.

By using right click in slideshow mode you can access dialog to change your pointer to Ballpoint pen, Felt tip pen or Highlighter as follows. You can even choose the color of your pen:

6. Use ‘Ctrl+T’ to view Task bar:

When you press ‘Ctrl+T’ a task bar will appear in the bottom of the screen. This will help you access the other files that are open on your computer.

When to use this feature?

• If you have your back up excel sheet open, you can access it quickly by using ‘Ctrl+T’ in slideshow mode itself. Once you are through using excel sheet, press F5 and you are back to the slideshow.
• Use these Power Point shortcuts to access heavy video files quickly, instead of embedding them in your PowerPoint file.

Summary of Power Point shortcuts to present better:

• Use B to shift the audience attention to you by blanking out the screen
• Use W to get blank white screen
• Use Ctrl+S for All slides dialog
• Use H to access next slide if hidden
• Use Ctrl+P to draw on the screen
• Use Ctrl+T to view task bar

Use these shortcut keys to make your next presentation more engaging and memorable.

Related: Shortcut to PowerPoint Circle Diagram

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How to Use the Presentation Modes and the Screen Recording Features in PowerPoint

After designing all the slides for your presentation, the next and last step is presenting in front of your audience. In this new Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll see how the presenter view works and how you can record your presentation .

Presentation Modes

Presentation modes — set up slide show, presentation modes — record slide show.

• There are different presentation modes in PowerPoint, besides the one you can find at the bottom of the screen.
• To access the presentation modes, go to the Slide Show tab.
• The first two options allow you to start the presentation from the beginning or from the currently selected slide.

• If you choose Present Online, an URL will be generated, which you can then share with your potential online viewers. After clicking this button, a new window will open, displaying info about the Microsoft Office online presentation service and a checkbox to enable remote download for your online audience. To enjoy this service, you need an Office 365 account. When you’re ready, click Connect to generate the URL.
• If you choose Custom Slide Show, you can select which slides to display in your presentation.  First, create a new custom slide show and select the slides that you want to display. Then, click Add, enter the name of the presentation and click OK. This new custom presentation will appear on the list. Select it and click Show to begin the presentation.
• In the Set Up group you’ll find options to set up the presentation, hide slides, rehearse your presentation and even record it.
• Click Set Up Slide Show to adjust several settings regarding your presentation. You’ll find more information in the next section of this tutorial .
• If you click Hide Slide, the selected slide won’t show up during your presentation. Hidden slides will appear faded out on the list and their numbers will be crossed out.
• If you click Record Slide Show, you’ll be able to record your presentation from the beginning or from the current slide. We’ll go into detail in the last section of this tutorial.
• There are several checkboxes regarding whether to play narrations, use timings and show media controls.

• In the Monitors group you can choose which screen to display your presentation.
• The last group, Captions & Subtitles, is only available in Office 365. You’ll find options to enable subtitles, which will be generated out of your speech (so you’ll need to have a mic). There are settings to change the language and the position of the subtitles.
• Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
• Go to the Slide Show tab.
• In the Set Up group, click Set Up Slide Show. A new window will open, where you’ll find several options.
• In the top-left corner, under “Show type”, you can choose whether the presentation will be in fullscreen with speaker notes, windowed, or in fullscreen without speaker notes or the menu bar.

• Under “Show options” you can choose whether to show the presentation without narration or animations, or disable the hardware graphics acceleration (for better performance). You can also set the pen and laser pointer color.

• Under “Show slides”, you can choose which slides to show in your presentation. You can select all of them, a specific range or a custom slideshow.
• There are other settings to determine how to advance slides (manually or using timings), what the resolution will be and whether to use the presenter view.
• Click Record Slide Show. From the drop-down menu, select From the Current Slide or From the Beginning.
• A new window will open, along with the presentation in fullscreen mode. At the top-left you’ll find a button to start recording.

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Google Slides, like PowerPoint, has different presentation modes that can come in handy when you’re presenting and you want your slideshow to look smooth. Whether you’re looking for slides only, speaker notes or the Q&A feature, in this new Google Slides tutorial, you’ll learn about these and their respective settings. Ready? Then let’s explore the presenter view! 

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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

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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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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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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

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

1. Slide Master Jump Shortcut

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

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

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

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

2. Align and Copy shortcut

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

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

3. Duplicate Shortcut

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

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

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

4. The Eyedropper Shortcut

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

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

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

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

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

5. The Group Shortcut

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

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

6. The Ungroup Shortcut

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

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

7. New Slide Shortcut

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

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

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

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

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

8. Start Slideshow From Beginning

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

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

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

9. Start Slideshow From Current Slide

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

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

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

10. Pick Up Style - Copy Formatting

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

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

11. Apply Style - Paste Formatting

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

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

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

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

12. Selection Pane Shortcut

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

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

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

13. Bring Object Forward

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

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

14. Send Object Back

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

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

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

15. Animation Painter Shortcut

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

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

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

16. Straight Line Shortcut

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

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

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

17. Increase Font Size

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

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

This shortcut works in Microsoft Excel too!

18. Decrease Font Size

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

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

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

19. Format Chart Element

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

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

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

20. Notes Pane Shortcut

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

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

21. Create Section

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

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

22. Move Slides (Up and Down)

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

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

23. Insert Symbol

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

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

24. Date and Footer Shortcut

This is actually a double-dipper keyboard shortcut.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

25. Align Objects Shortcut

This single most important PowerPoint shortcut for any serious user.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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5 PowerPoint Shortcuts Every Presenter Should Know

• By: Camille Holden

We all know there’s no easy button for becoming a successful public speaker. It takes hard work, lots of practice, and a unique blend of science and artistry.

That’s why it’s all the more heartbreaking when you see a good presenter get derailed by their technology. There’s nothing more embarrassing than having to apologize for your missed cues and misfires.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Presentation technology can be a blessing, rather than a curse, as long as you know how to use it to your benefit. And while there is no easy button for that either, there are certain buttons that can make your presentations more seamless and make your delivery a lot smoother.

To make sure you’re not letting technology get in your way, here are the 5 PowerPoint shortcuts* every presenter needs to know.

*I’m omitting the truly basic ones that work across all of your applications, like copy/paste and save.

Key PowerPoint Shortcut #1 – Blacking / White-ing the Screen Sometimes you may need to pause the presentation for a lunch break or to answer a question unrelated to the presentation. In these situations, you can use shortcut keys to display a blank screen and keep your audience’s attention focused on you.

Here are the shortcuts you need to know: W or comma (while in Slide Show Mode) will turn the screen completely white. Hit either shortcut once more, and you will return to your slide.

B or period (while in Slide Show Mode) will turn the screen completely black. Hit either shortcut once more, and you will return to your slide.

Key PowerPoint Shortcut #2 – Activating the Laser Pointer When giving your talk, you may have specific elements on your slide that you want to point out to your audience. One great way to do that is to use a laser pointer – and PowerPoint provides one directly within the software.

While in Slide Show Mode, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard and click and drag with your mouse. Doing so turns on the laser pointer, allowing you to point out things on your slide and focus your audience’s attention.

Here are the shortcuts you need to know: Hold the Ctrl key and click with your mouse (in Slide Show Mode).

Key PowerPoint Shortcut #3 – Inking Your Slides Some of the best tools native to PowerPoint when presenting in front of an audience – whether on a webinar or in a room – are the inking tools.

You can use these tools to highlight parts of the slide, add notes, diagram elements in, etc.

The inking tools include the pen and the highlighter.

Here are the shortcuts you need to know: Ctrl + P (while in Slide Show Mode) will activate the pen, allowing you to write / draw on your slides. Hitting CTRL + P a second time will turn the Pen off.

Ctrl + I (while in Slide Show Mode) will activate the highlighter, allowing you to highlight / draw on your slides.

Ctrl + M (while in Slide Show Mode) will hide all the ink on your slide. If you use the shortcut a second time, you will make the ink re-appear.

E (while in Slide Show Mode) will erase all the ink on your slide.

Pro Tip: Be careful when erasing the Ink on screen as there is no way to un-erase that ink. If you typically want to save the ink on yours, memorize the CTRL + M shortcut instead as it merely hides the ink.

Key PowerPoint Shortcut #4 – Launching Presenter View Presenter View is a great alternative to Slide Show Mode, allowing you to play your presentation for an audience.

I love using Presenter View, because it allows you to do several things: 1. See the slide that your audience is viewing so that you can address that slide, 2. See the notes you have for that slide, 3. Preview the next slide to prepare you for what’s to come, 4. View the time and duration of your presentation, and 5. Use the laser pointer and ink features to mark up your presentation.

Knowing how to jump straight to Presenter View from a shortcut allows you to launch it on the fly and be ready to start your talk at any point.

Here are the shortcuts you need to know: Alt + F5 to launch Presenter View from the first slide.

Additional Pro Tips: 1. This is a great view for reviewing your slides before a presentation to spot check them for errors. 2. Best practice is not to overly rely on this view, as you want to be looking at your audience – not looking at your screen, which is just as bad as reading your slides.

Key PowerPoint Shortcut #5 – Jumping to a Slide in Your Presentation When you give a presentation, your talk doesn’t always end up going according to plan. And you want to be prepared in case that happens.

There are some situations when you will need to jump around in your presentation. For instance, say you are on slide 50, and your audience puts a question that requires you to jump back to slide 20.

Pressing Page Up 30 times is time-consuming and looks unprofessional. That’s why PowerPoint has two handy methods for doing so efficiently.

The first method is to simply type the slide number in, and then hit Enter (Ex. “20 Enter”).

The second method is to use the All Slides dialog box. This feature allows you to visually see all the slides within your presentation so you can immediately jump to the correct one. This is handy when you want to move forward or backward quickly within your presentation and you don’t know what the slide number is.

Here are the shortcuts you need to know: Slide number + Enter (while in Slide Show Mode) will jump you to that slide.

Ctrl + S (while in Slide Show Mode) will launch the All Slide dialog box.

Why Shortcuts Matter Creating a PowerPoint presentation is no small task! It requires juggling all sorts of PowerPoint stuff like charts, tables, pictures, object formatting, text, and shapes, and then there is the delivery of the presentation itself. On top of that, you’re expected to have it all done yesterday!

It’s all about trying to get more done in less time. And that’s where PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts come in handy.

With a little bit of practice, PowerPoint shortcuts will seriously cut down your build time, make your slides look more polished and professional, and get you to Happy Hour faster.

For more of the top PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts, check out my in-depth Favorite 80 PowerPoint Shortcuts article.

About the Author: Camille Holden is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nuts & Bolts Speed Training , where she helps busy professionals save PowerPoint hours and gain peace of mind. As an expert trainer and coach, she is passionate about empowering people who are short on time but big on ideas with the tools to truly master PowerPoint and create presentations that work.

Camille Holden

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21 Best PowerPoint Shortcuts for Editing and Presenting

Sara Wanasek

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

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

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

PowerPoint Shortcuts for Editing Your Presentation 

Ctrl + M – Add a new slide  

PowerPoint Shortcuts for Shapes & Slides 

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

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

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

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

Ctrl+G – Groups the selected shapes together  

Ctrl+Shift+G – Ungroup selected shapes

Ctrl + Shift + ] – Brings a selected object forward 

Ctrl + Shift + [ – Brings selected object backwards 

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

PowerPoint Classic Shortcuts

Ctrl + C, V, X  – Copy, Paste, Cut 

Ctrl + Z, Y – Undo & Redo 

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

F7 – Check for spelling 

Ctrl + S – Save Presentation 

PowerPoint Shortcuts for Presenting Your Presentation 

F5 – Enter Presentation  

Shift F5 – Enter your Presentation from the current slide 

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

Ctrl + E – Eraser 

Esc – Exit Presentation 

Ctrl + P – Activate Pen 

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

About Sara Wanasek

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91 PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

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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

Similar Programs: LibreOffice Impress Keyboard Shortcuts

Edit Text Shortcuts

Similar Programs: Google Slides Keyboard Shortcuts

Tab Selection Shortcuts

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Navigation Shortcuts

Similar Programs: Apple Keynote Keyboard Shortcuts

Outlining Views Shortcuts

Similar Programs: Microsoft Sway Keyboard Shortcuts

Presentation Windows Shortcuts

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Top 7 Fixes for Microsoft PowerPoint Not Playing Audio on Windows

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he's a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Integrating audio into a PowerPoint presentation can make it more dynamic and engaging. Whether it’s for narration, background music, or subtle sound effects, there are many good reasons to add audio to your PowerPoint presentations. But what if Microsoft PowerPoint stops playing audio on your Windows 10 or 11 computer?

Fixing this issue can be as simple as using a compatible file format or as tiresome as identifying the problematic add-in. This guide will walk you through all the possible solutions for fixing audio playback issues in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows.

1. Check the Volume Level in PowerPoint and Windows

Your first step is double-checking the volume level in PowerPoint and on your Windows computer. If the volume is too low or muted, it may give the impression that sound is not working in PowerPoint.

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and select any audio or video file.

Step 2: Switch to the Playback tab, click on Volume, and select the Medium or High option.

Step 3: Right-click on the speaker icon on the taskbar and select Open volume mixer.

Step 4: Move the slider for PowerPoint to your right to increase the volume.

Return to PowerPoint and check if the audio plays fine.

2. Make Sure Audio File Is Compatible With PowerPoint

Although Microsoft PowerPoint supports a variety of popular audio file formats , such as AIFF, AU, MP3, WAV, WMA, and others, it doesn’t support all of them. If your audio file is in an unsupported format, PowerPoint may show the ‘Cannot Play Media’ error. In that case, you will need to convert the file into a supported format using an online audio converter tool.

3. Use Optimize Media Compatibility Option

Another thing you can do to fix the no sound issue in presentation mode is to optimize the media files in PowerPoint for compatibility. This is especially useful if you plan to share or use the presentation on another device.

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and click the File menu at the top-left corner.

Step 2: Switch to the Info tab and click the Optimize Compatibility button.

Step 3: Wait for PowerPoint to optimize all the audio and video files in your presentation and click Close.

4. Embed the Audio File Instead of Linking It

Are you experiencing audio playback issues with linked audio files in your presentation? While linking audio files can make your presentation file size smaller , it can occasionally cause problems as PowerPoint has to rely on the external file to play audio.

To avoid any issues, it’s best to embed your audio files in the presentation rather than link them. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open your PowerPoint presentation and switch to the Insert tab. Click on Media, select Audio, and select ‘Audio on my PC.’

Step 2: Select your audio file and select Insert. After this, check if it plays fine.

5. Clear Temporary Files

Sometimes, temporary files on your Windows computer can cause Office apps like PowerPoint to slow down and malfunction. Try clearing the temporary files from your PC to see if that solves the problem.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type %temp% in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: In the File Explorer window, select all the files and folders and click the trash icon at the top.

6. Open PowerPoint in Safe Mode

The PowerPoint may not play audio automatically due to a faulty third-party add-in. To check for this possibility, you can open PowerPoint in safe mode. Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type powerpnt /safe in the Open field and press Enter.

When PowerPoint opens in safe mode, check if it can play audio. It means one of your add-ins is causing the problem if it can. To identify the one causing the issue, you will need to disable all add-ins and re-enable them one at a time. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open PowerPoint and click the File menu at the top-left corner.

Step 2: Select Options from the left pane.

Step 3: In the PowerPoint Options window, switch to the Add-ins tab. Click the drop-down menu next to Manage and select COM Add-ins. Then, click the Go button next to it.

Step 4: Uncheck all the boxes to disable your add-ins and click OK.

Restart PowerPoint after this and enable your add-ins one at a time. You will need to check for audio issues after enabling each add-in. Once you find the problematic add-in, it’s best to remove it to avoid such issues in the future.

7. Run the Office Repair Tool

If nothing else works, consider running the Office repair tool. This tool can help you troubleshoot all issues with Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and others. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type appwiz.cpl in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Programs and Features window, select the Office suite and click the Change button at the top.

Step 3: Select the Online Repair option and click Repair.

Unmute Your Presentations

Visual and auditory elements in your presentation may fail to capture anyone’s attention if PowerPoint does not play audio on your Windows computer. Applying the above tips should help you solve the problem and bring life to your PowerPoint presentations.

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Last updated on 14 December, 2023

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

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Pankil Shah

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