PowerPoint Presentation Shortcut Keys

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

PowerPoint Shortcut Keys for Creating Presentations

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

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

Shortcut keys for editing text

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

Shortcut keys for formatting text

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

Shortcut Keys For Working With Objects 

Selecting objects on your slides

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

Working with Objects on your slides

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

Shortcut Keys for Slide Design

Formatting your Master slide

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

Changing your design

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

Shortcut Keys for Presenting

These shortcuts are great for using when you are presenting 

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

Pete