Microsoft PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

Microsoft PowerPoint — one of the most popular tools for creating presentations. Using keyboard shortcuts allows you to significantly speed up the work process and make it more convenient, reduces time spent on routine operations. And ultimately, increases productivity when preparing and presenting slides. Mastering these shortcuts is particularly effective when combined with proper typing skills development through a typing trainer for adults or an online trainer for fast typing, which helps build the muscle memory needed for efficient keyboard navigation.

General Presentation Commands

Creating, opening, and saving:

Ctrl + N — create a new presentation.
Ctrl + O — open an existing presentation.
Ctrl + S — save presentation.
F12 or Ctrl + Shift + S — «Save As…».

Printing: Ctrl + P — print dialog.

Closing:

Ctrl + W — close presentation.
Alt + F4 — exit PowerPoint.

Navigation Through Slides and Objects

Page Up / Page Down — go to previous/next slide.
Ctrl + ↑/↓ — move selected slide in the list.
Tab / Shift + Tab — switch between objects on slide.
Ctrl + M — add new slide.

Text Editing and Formatting

Ctrl + C — copy.
Ctrl + X — cut.
Ctrl + V — paste.
Ctrl + Z — undo action.
Ctrl + Y — repeat action.
Ctrl + B — bold.
Ctrl + I — italic.
Ctrl + U — underline.
Ctrl + E — center alignment.
Ctrl + L — left alignment.
Ctrl + R — right alignment.

Working with Objects and Shapes

Ctrl + G — group objects.
Ctrl + Shift + G — ungroup.
Ctrl + D — duplicate object or slide.
Delete — delete selected.
Ctrl + K — add hyperlink.

Working with Display Modes

F5 — start slideshow from first slide.
Shift + F5 — start slideshow from current slide.
Esc — exit slideshow mode.
Ctrl + Shift + F5 — custom slideshow settings.

Keyboard Shortcuts During Presentation

N / Spacebar / → / ↓ — next slide.
P / ← / ↑ — previous slide.
B — black screen.
W — white screen.
Esc — end slideshow.
Ctrl + P — enable pen.
Ctrl + A — enable arrow.
E — erase handwritten annotations.

Working with Tables and Charts

Tab / Shift + Tab — move through table cells.
Ctrl + Enter — finish input in cell.
Alt + N, Q — insert chart.

Find and Replace

Ctrl + F — find.
Ctrl + H — replace.

How to Automate Using PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts

Start with basic commands: copy, paste, save, start slideshow. Gradually add presentation-specific combinations — F5, B, W, Ctrl + M. Keep a cheat sheet handy and use the shortcuts every day.