Whether you’re creating a presentation or giving one, you can do it more efficiently with the help of keyboard shortcuts in the Microsoft PowerPoint desktop app for Windows or macOS. Credit: Microsoft PowerPoint’s Ribbon interface is great for finding everything you might ever want to do in the presentation package — particularly things you don’t do frequently, like using the rehearse timing feature. But if you’re looking to do common tasks fast, you’ll find keyboard shortcuts far more useful. Why bother to lift your hands from the keyboard if you want to open or close a presentation, apply formatting, or start a presentation? There are keyboard shortcuts to accomplish a vast array of tasks in the PowerPoint desktop client, in both the Windows and Mac versions. (Fewer shortcuts are available for the Mac, but you can create your own custom keyboard shortcuts if you like.) We’ve listed the shortcuts we’ve found the most useful below. Most work whether you’re using a subscription (Microsoft 365/Office 365) or non-subscription version of PowerPoint. For even more shortcuts, see Microsoft’s Office site, which lists shortcuts for creating and delivering a presentation. Note: On Macs, the ⌘ key is the same as the Command or Cmd key. Useful PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts When creating a presentation ActionWindows key combinationMac key combinationCreate a new presentationCtrl-N⌘-NOpen a presentationCtrl-O or Ctrl-F12⌘-OSelect a themeAlt-G, H Select a slide layoutAlt-H, L Add a new slideCtrl-M⌘-Shift-NSaveCtrl-S or F12⌘-SFindCtrl-F⌘-FFind and replaceCtrl-H Insert a pictureAlt-N, P Insert a shapeAlt-H, S, H Insert a text boxAlt-N, X Change the font attributesCtrl-T⌘-TIncrease the font sizeCtrl-Shift->⌘-Shift->Decrease the font sizeCtrl-Shift-<⌘-Shift-<Move to the end of a text boxCtrl-End⌘-down arrowMove to the beginning of a text boxCtrl-Home⌘-up arrowMove to the next title or body text placeholder. (If this is the last placeholder on a slide, it will insert a new slide with the same slide layout as the original slide.)Ctrl-Enter Move clockwise among panes in Normal viewF6 Move counterclockwise among the panes in Normal viewShift-F6 Select the next object on the slideTabTabSelect the previous object on the slideShift-TabShift-TabSelect all objects on the slide (or select all slides in Slide Sorter view)Ctrl-A⌘-AGo to the next slidePage DownPage DownGo to the previous slidePage UpPage UpSwitch to the next PowerPoint window (when more than one PowerPoint window is open)Ctrl-F6⌘- `Switch to the previous PowerPoint window (when more than one PowerPoint window is open)Ctrl-Shift-F6 PrintCtrl-P⌘-PExit/Quit PowerPointCtrl-Q or Alt-F4⌘-Q When giving a presentation ActionWindows key combinationMac key combinationStart a presentation from the beginningF5⌘-Shift-ReturnStart a presentation from the current slideShift-F5⌘-ReturnStart a presentation in Presenter ViewAlt-F5Option-ReturnEnd a presentationEsc or – (hyphen)Esc or – (hyphen) or ⌘-. (period)Stop or restart an automatic presentationS Go to a specific slideSlide number-EnterSlide number-ReturnRun the next animation or go to the next slideN / Enter / Page Down / right arrow / down arrow / spacebarN / Page Down / right arrow / down arrow / spacebarRun the previous animation or return to the previous slideP / Page Up / left arrow / up arrow / BackspaceP / Page Up / left arrow / up arrow / DeleteReturn to the first slideHomeHome or fn-left arrowView the All Slides dialog boxCtrl-S Go to the next hotspot on the slide. (Hotspots include hyperlinks, animation triggers, audio objects, and video objects.)TabTabGo to the previous hyperlink on the slideShift-TabShift-TabStart the laser pointerCtrl-L⌘-LChange the pointer to a pen. (Press and hold the mouse to draw on the presentation.)Ctrl-P⌘-PChange the pen pointer to an eraser. (Click an on-screen annotation to erase it.)Ctrl-E Change the pointer to an arrowCtrl-A⌘-AHide the pointerCtrl-H⌘-IShow/hide on-screen annotationsCtrl-M Erase all on-screen annotationsEShift-EDisplay a blank black slide or return to the presentation from a blank black slideB or . (period)B or . (period)Display a blank white slide or return to the presentation from a blank white slideW or , (comma)W or , (comma)Stop media playbackAlt-Q Play/pause media (toggle)Alt-P or Ctrl-spacebar Increase the sound volumeAlt-up arrow Decrease the sound volumeAlt-down arrow Mute the soundAlt-U Source: Microsoft Looking for more help with PowerPoint for Windows? If you have Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription, see “PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 cheat sheet.” If you have a non-subscription version of Office, see “PowerPoint 2016 and 2019 cheat sheet.” We’ve also got cheat sheets for an array of other Microsoft products, including older versions of Office. 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