You can press keys on your keyboard or use menu commands to navigate in your presentation. Here are some things you can do:
Move to the next or previous line: With the insertion point in a word or paragraph, press the Down Arrow or Up Arrow key.
Move to the next or previous slide: With the insertion point in a word or paragraph, press the Page Down or Page Up key. If your keyboard doesn’t have these keys, press Fn-Down Arrow or Fn-Up Arrow.
Move to a specific slide: Press Control-Command-G, type the slide number, then press Return or click Go to Slide. You can also choose Slide > Go To > Slide (from the View menu at the top of your screen).
To see all the keyboard shortcuts you can use in Keynote, see Keyboard shortcuts.
Try These Useful PowerPoint Shortcuts to Start a Slide Show
by Avantix Learning Team | October 16, 2021
Applies to: Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)
You can start a slide show in PowerPoint using several keyboard shortcuts. In this article, we'll review shortcuts to start a show using function keys or by using key tips.
Recommended article: How to Strikethrough or Cross Out Text in PowerPoint (4 Ways with Shortcuts)
If the function key shortcuts don't work, you may need to press the Fn key on your keyboard at the same time.
Typically, you would start a slide show from Normal View or Slide Sorter View. To exit a slide show, press ESC.
If Presenter View is selected on the Slide Show tab in the Ribbon, the show will start in Presenter View. If you have two monitors and Automatic is selected as the Monitor setting on the Slide Show tab, the show will display as a standard slide show on the second monitor and will display Presenter View on the presenter's screen by default.
1. Start a presentation from the beginning using a function key
Press F5.
2. Start a presentation from the current slide using a function key
Press Shift+F5.
3. Start the presentation in Presenter View using a function key
Press Alt + F5.
4. Start a presentation from the beginning using key tips
Press Alt > S > B (press Alt, then S, then B).
5. Start a presentation from the current slide using key tips
Press Alt > S > C (Alt, then S, then C).
There are many shortcuts you can use during a PowerPoint slide show as well. Check out the article PowerPoint Slide Show Shortcuts (50+ Keyboard Shortcuts).
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Using the keyboard to utilize PowerPoint functions efficiently
What are PowerPoint Shortcut Keys
PowerPoint shortcut keys help users to use the functions of PowerPoint with more efficiency. Much like Excel shortcut keys, they allow users to keep hands on the keyboard and do tasks faster. For example, Ctrl + D let users duplicate slides without having to use their mouse.
Making slides shortcuts
Insert a new slide:
CTRL + SHIFT + M
Duplicate the current slide:
CTRL + SHIFT + D
Content shortcuts
The following section shows a variety of shortcut keys that enables users to alter the text in PowerPoint. To use the shortcuts, first select the texts.
Select text:
CTRL + A
Center text within a box:
CTRL + E
Right align text within a box:
CTRL + R
Left align text within a box:
CTRL + L
Make text smaller:
CTRL + SHIFT + <
Make text bigger:
CTRL + SHIFT >
Copy the formatting:
This shortcut allows the user to copy the color, size, or font of a text and apply it to another text. This can also be used for shapes.
CTRL + SHIFT + C
Paste the formatting:
CTRL + SHIFT + V
Shape shortcuts
The following shortcuts allow users to alter, copy, and paste shapes with greater efficiency. To use the shortcuts, first select the shape(s).
Copy and paste shape(s):
This shortcut helps combine CTRL C, CTRL V into one step. Select the shape that you want to copy, press CTRL + SHIFT, and then click on the item and drag it into position.
CTRL + SHIFT + Drag
Copy and paste shape(s) multiple times:
This is similar to the shortcut above but is more useful when pasting the shape multiple times. After selecting the item and pressing CTRL + D, drag the copied item into position. PowerPoint will utilize the distance between the duplicate and the original item. Press CTRL + D again to duplicate the item, this time the duplicate will be spaced out the same way.
CTRL + D
Group items together:
Grouping items allows users to move multiple items at once while keeping the spacing between the items.
CTRL + G
Ungroup items:
This shortcut allows users to ungroup items so individual shapes can be moved. The ungrouping function also applies to the PowerPoint icons. By ungrouping the icons, users can take apart icons and redesign them.
CTRL + SHIFT + G
Presentation shortcuts
Start presentation mode from the first slide:
F5
Start presentation mode from the current slide:
SHIFT + F5
Jump to slide in presentation mode:
During the presentation, the user can jump to a specific slide without having to exit the presentation or use the up and down key by using the PowerPoint shortcut keys. This is useful if the slide is far from the current slide and if the user knows the slide number.
Slide number + ENTER
Aligning Shapes
Making sure items are spaced out equally across a slide can be a time-consuming process. Users can use the align function that PowerPoint provides by clicking into the ribbon. A faster solution is to set the align function as a hotkey, so users can access it with a few taps on the keyboard.
To make the align function into a hotkey:
- Go to the home tab
- Click into the arrange dropdown, which is on the right side of the screen
- Right-click on the alignment tool and add it to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)
- Click into the QAT, which is on the top of the screen near the save button and shaped like a downward arrow, and select More Commands
- In the dialogue box that pops up, click on the align objects tool, which can be found on the right slide of the box
- Click on the up arrow to move the Align Object tool to the very top
To access the hotkey, press ALT + 1
After pressing the ALT + 1, a box will appear on the side of the screen. Press the letter that associate with the alignment of choice.
Additional Resources
Thank you for reading CFI’s article on PowerPoint shortcut keys. To keep learning and advancing your career, we recommend these other CFI resources:
- Excel Crash Course
- Basic Excel Formulas
- Excel Shortcuts Overview
- PowerPoint and Pitchbook Course
- See all Excel resources