What are the most useful PowerPoint shortcuts?

Start with these essentials: Ctrl+N (create a new presentation); Ctrl+O (open a presentation); Ctrl+S (save the presentation); Ctrl+P (print the presentation); Ctrl+M (add a new slide).

How do I start a PowerPoint presentation from the current slide?

Press Shift+F5. F5 on its own starts from the first slide.

How do I duplicate a shape or slide quickly?

Select it and press Ctrl+D. It's faster than copy and paste and keeps the copy neatly offset.

Do these PowerPoint shortcuts work on a Mac?

This list shows Windows shortcuts. On a Mac, Ctrl is usually replaced by Cmd and Alt by Option, though some shortcuts differ. On our homepage you can switch the keyboard layout to Mac to see the Mac versions.

Can I print this PowerPoint cheat sheet?

Yes. Use the Print cheat sheet button at the top of this page to print a compact version, or save it as a PDF. It's free to share with your team.

PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts: 50 Best Shortcuts + Printable Cheat Sheet

Basics

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`N`	Create a new presentation	Essential
`Ctrl`+`O`	Open a presentation	Essential
`Ctrl`+`S`	Save the presentation	Essential
`Ctrl`+`P`	Print the presentation	Essential

Slides

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Ctrl`+`M`	Add a new slide	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`D`	Duplicate the selected slide	Time-saver

Objects

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`D`	Duplicate the selected object	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`G`	Group selected objects	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`G`	Ungroup selected objects	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`J`	Regroup objects	Power user
`Ctrl`+`A`	Select all objects on the slide	Essential
`Tab`	Select the next object on the slide	Essential
`Shift`+`Tab`	Select the previous object on the slide	Essential
`Arrow keys`	Nudge the selected object	Time-saver
`Delete`	Delete the selected object	Essential

Present

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`F5`	Start the slide show from the beginning	Essential
`Shift`+`F5`	Start the slide show from the current slide	Time-saver
`Esc`	End the slide show or cancel a command	Essential
`Alt`+`F5`	Launch Presenter View	Power user
`B`	Turn the screen black during a slide show	Time-saver
`W`	Turn the screen white during a slide show	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`P`	Switch the pointer to a pen during a slide show	Power user
`E`	Erase on-screen annotations	Power user

Navigate

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Page Down`	Go to the next slide	Essential
`Page Up`	Go to the previous slide	Essential
`F6`	Move between panes in Normal view	Time-saver

Insert

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Ctrl`+`K`	Insert a hyperlink	Time-saver

Review

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`M`	Insert a new comment	Time-saver

Format

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`B`	Apply bold formatting	Essential
`Ctrl`+`I`	Apply italic formatting	Essential
`Ctrl`+`U`	Apply underline formatting	Essential
`Ctrl`+`E`	Center align text	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`L`	Left align text	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`R`	Right align text	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`>`	Increase the font size	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`<`	Decrease the font size	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`Spacebar`	Clear character formatting	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`T`	Open the Font dialog	Power user
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`C`	Copy formatting with the Format Painter	Power user

Outline

Shortcut	What it does	Level	Link
`Alt`+`Shift`+`Left arrow`	Promote a paragraph	Power user
`Alt`+`Shift`+`Right arrow`	Demote a paragraph	Power user

Slide show

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Home`	Go to the first slide during a slide show	Time-saver
`End`	Go to the last slide during a slide show	Time-saver
`Slide number`then`Enter`	Jump to a specific slide during a slide show	Time-saver
`Ctrl`+`H`	Hide the pointer and navigation buttons during a slide show	Power user

Edit

Shortcut	What it does	Level
`Ctrl`+`Z`	Undo the last action	Essential
`Ctrl`+`Y`	Redo the last action	Essential
`Ctrl`+`C`	Copy the selected object or text	Essential
`Ctrl`+`V`	Paste the copied object or text	Essential
`Ctrl`+`X`	Cut the selected object or text	Essential

Pro tip: During a slideshow, press B to black out the screen (or W for white) when you want the audience's full attention on you. Press it again to bring your slide back.

PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts

Start with these

Basics

Slides

Objects

Present

Navigate

Insert

Review

Format

Outline

Slide show

Edit

PowerPoint how-to guides

Frequently asked questions

Make them stick

More Microsoft 365 shortcuts

Basics

Slides

Objects

Present

Navigate

Insert

Review

Format

Outline

Slide show

Edit

Start with these

Basics

Slides

Objects

Present

Navigate

Insert

Review

Format

Outline

Slide show

Edit

PowerPoint how-to guides

Frequently asked questions

Make them stick

Shortcut of the Week

More Microsoft 365 shortcuts