PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts
PowerPoint has two sets of shortcuts worth knowing: the editing ones you use while building slides, and the presenting ones (B, W, slide numbers) that save you when a live show goes sideways.
Most-used PowerPoint shortcuts
- New slideCtrlM
- Duplicate slide or objectCtrlD
- Group objectsCtrlG
- Ungroup objectsCtrlShiftG
- Center textCtrlE
- Increase font sizeCtrlShift.
Practise PowerPoint shortcuts
Read the action, press the real keys. Combos your browser reserves switch to multiple choice. Misses come back sooner in your daily review.
PowerPoint shortcut cheat sheet
15 shortcutsTap an action to copy its keys
Slides
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New slide | CtrlM | ⌘cmd⇧shiftN |
| Duplicate slide or object | CtrlD | ⌘cmdD |
| Start slideshow from beginning | F5 | ⌘cmd⇧shift↩return |
| Start slideshow from current slide | ShiftF5 | ⌘cmd↩return |
| End slideshow | Esc | esc |
| Black screen during show | B | B |
| White screen during show | W | W |
| Go to slide number during show | NumberEnter | Number↩return |
Objects
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Group objects | CtrlG | ⌘cmd⌥optionG |
| Ungroup objects | CtrlShiftG | ⌘cmd⌥option⇧shiftG |
| Bring forwardBrings to front on Windows | CtrlShift] | ⌘cmd⇧shift] |
| Nudge object | Arrow keys | Arrow keys |
Text
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Center text | CtrlE | ⌘cmdE |
| Increase font size | CtrlShift. | ⌘cmd⇧shift. |
| Insert hyperlink | CtrlK | ⌘cmdK |
Source: Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint; Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations. Defaults for the current version as documented by Microsoft; custom keymaps and non-US keyboard layouts can differ.
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PowerPoint shortcut questions
How do I start a PowerPoint slideshow from the current slide?
Shift+F5 on Windows or Cmd+Return on a Mac. F5 (Cmd+Shift+Return) starts from the first slide.