Microsoft PowerPoint Complete A–Z Shortcut Reference

Microsoft PowerPoint Complete A–Z Shortcut Reference

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + A	Select All objects on the current slide, or all slides in the Slide Sorter view.
Ctrl + B	Apply or remove Bold formatting to selected text.
Ctrl + C	Copy the selected object or text.
Ctrl + D	Duplicate the selected object or slide (faster than Copy/Paste).
Ctrl + E	Center align the selected paragraph.
Ctrl + F	Open the Find dialog box.
Ctrl + G	Group selected objects together.
Ctrl + H	Open the Replace dialog box.
Ctrl + I	Apply or remove Italic formatting to selected text.
Ctrl + J	Justify align the selected paragraph.
Ctrl + K	Insert a Hyperlink.
Ctrl + L	Left align the selected paragraph.
Ctrl + M	Insert a New Slide immediately after the current one.
Ctrl + N	Create a New blank presentation.
Ctrl + O	Open an existing presentation.
Ctrl + P	Open the Print menu.
Ctrl + Q	Quit/Close PowerPoint.
Ctrl + R	Right align the selected paragraph.
Ctrl + S	Save the current presentation.
Ctrl + T	Open the Font dialog box (when text is selected).
Ctrl + U	Apply or remove Underline formatting.
Ctrl + V	Paste the contents of the clipboard.
Ctrl + W	Close the current presentation (but keep PowerPoint open).
Ctrl + X	Cut the selected object or text.
Ctrl + Y	Redo the last undone action.
Ctrl + Z	Undo the last action.

The Functional A–Z (ALT Key Navigation)

When you press Alt, key tips appear over the Ribbon tabs. Pressing the corresponding letter navigates to that tab.

Shortcut	Action (Navigates to...)
Alt + A	Animations Tab
Alt + G	Design Tab
Alt + H	Home Tab
Alt + J	Draw Tab
Alt + K	Transitions Tab
Alt + N	Insert Tab
Alt + P	Page Setup (Legacy, often opens Layout)
Alt + Q	Tell Me / Search box
Alt + R	Review Tab
Alt + S	Slide Show Tab
Alt + W	View Tab
Alt + Y	Help Tab
Alt + F10	Show or hide the Selection Pane.
Alt + F	Open the File menu (Backstage view).
Alt + F4	Close PowerPoint.

Shortcuts by Function (Categorized)

These categorized lists capture the non-alphabetic shortcuts that are vital for workflow.

1. Managing Slides and Views

Command	Shortcut
New Slide	Ctrl + M
Duplicate Slide	Ctrl + D (or Ctrl + Shift + D)
Move slide up in order	Ctrl + ↑
Move slide down in order	Ctrl + ↓
Move slide to beginning	Ctrl + Shift + ↑
Move slide to end	Ctrl + Shift + ↓
Delete Slide	Delete
Switch to Normal View	Ctrl + Alt + N
Switch to Slide Sorter View	Ctrl + Alt + S
Zoom In	Ctrl + + (or Ctrl + Mouse Wheel Up)
Zoom Out	Ctrl + - (or Ctrl + Mouse Wheel Down)
Fit Slide to Window	Ctrl + 0 (zero)

2. Formatting Text and Objects

Command	Shortcut
Increase Font Size	Ctrl + Shift + > (or Ctrl + ])
Decrease Font Size	Ctrl + Shift + < (or Ctrl + [)
Change Case (Sentence, lower, UPPER)	Shift + F3
Copy Formatting only	Ctrl + Shift + C
Paste Formatting only	Ctrl + Shift + V
Group Objects	Ctrl + G
Ungroup Objects	Ctrl + Shift + G
Regroup Objects	Ctrl + Shift + J
Bring to Front	Ctrl + Shift + ]
Send to Back	Ctrl + Shift + [

3. Working with Shapes and Objects

Command	Shortcut
Constrain aspect ratio (Perfect Circle/Square)	Hold Shift while drawing
Draw from center outward	Hold Ctrl while drawing
Nudge object slightly	Arrow Keys
Nudge object precisely (Grid)	Ctrl + Arrow Keys
Rotate object 15 degrees	Alt + ← or →
Select multiple objects	Hold Ctrl and click each object
Toggle Selection Pane	Alt + F10

4. Navigating and Editing

Command	Shortcut
Move one word Left/Right	Ctrl + ← / →
Move one paragraph Up/Down	Ctrl + ↑ / ↓
Select one word Left/Right	Ctrl + Shift + ← / →
Select to start/end of line	Shift + Home / End
Select to start/end of text box	Ctrl + Shift + Home / End
Delete word to the left	Ctrl + Backspace
Delete word to the right	Ctrl + Delete
Insert Line Break (Soft Return)	Shift + Enter

Key Shortcuts for Delivering a Slideshow

These shortcuts only function during an active presentation.

Command	Shortcut
Start presentation from beginning	F5
Start presentation from current slide	Shift + F5
Advance to next slide	Enter, N, Spacebar, or →
Return to previous slide	Backspace, P, or ←
Go to a specific slide number	[Slide Number] + Enter (e.g., 5 + Enter)
End Slideshow	Esc
Black out the screen (Pause)	B (press again to resume)
White out the screen (Pause)	W (press again to resume)
Change pointer to Pen tool	Ctrl + P
Change pointer to Laser Pointer	Ctrl + L (or hold Ctrl + Left Mouse Button)
Change pointer to Eraser	Ctrl + E
Clear all on-screen annotations	E
Hide pointer and navigation buttons	Ctrl + H
View the Presenter View (hidden from audience)	Alt + F5
Cycle forward/backward through hyperlinks	Tab / Shift + Tab
Show/Hide the Taskbar (if playing)	Ctrl + T

Shortcut	Action
Alt	Show Ribbon KeyTips
Alt + F	File Menu
Alt + H	Home Tab
Alt + N	Insert Tab
Alt + G	Design Tab
Alt + K	Transitions Tab
Alt + A	Animations Tab
Alt + S	Slide Show Tab
Alt + R	Review Tab
Alt + W	View Tab
Alt + Q	Search (Tell Me)
Alt + Shift + Left Arrow	Promote Bullet
Alt + Shift + Right Arrow	Demote Bullet
Alt + Shift + Up Arrow	Move Paragraph Up
Alt + Shift + Down Arrow	Move Paragraph Down
Alt + F10	Selection Pane
Ctrl + A	Select All
Ctrl + B	Bold
Ctrl + C	Copy
Ctrl + D	Duplicate Object/Slide
Ctrl + E	Center Align
Ctrl + F	Find
Ctrl + G	Group Objects
Ctrl + H	Replace
Ctrl + I	Italic
Ctrl + J	Justify
Ctrl + K	Insert Hyperlink
Ctrl + L	Left Align
Ctrl + M	New Slide
Ctrl + N	New Presentation
Ctrl + O	Open Presentation
Ctrl + P	Print
Ctrl + Q	Clear Paragraph Formatting
Ctrl + R	Right Align
Ctrl + S	Save
Ctrl + T	Font Dialog
Ctrl + U	Underline
Ctrl + V	Paste
Ctrl + W	Close Presentation
Ctrl + X	Cut
Ctrl + Y	Redo
Ctrl + Z	Undo
Ctrl + Shift + C	Copy Formatting
Ctrl + Shift + V	Paste Formatting
Ctrl + Shift + G	Ungroup
Ctrl + Shift + >	Increase Font Size
Ctrl + Shift + <	Decrease Font Size
Ctrl + Shift + D	Duplicate Slide
Ctrl + Enter	Next Placeholder
Ctrl + Home	First Slide
Ctrl + End	Last Slide
Ctrl + Mouse Wheel	Zoom In/Out
Delete	Delete Selected Object
Backspace	Delete Previous Character
Enter	New Paragraph
Shift + Enter	Line Break
Esc	Cancel / Exit Slide Show
F1	Help
F2	Edit Text
F4	Repeat Last Action
F5	Start Slide Show
F6	Move Between Panes
F7	Spell Check
F9	Minimize Ribbon
F12	Save As
Shift + F3	Change Text Case
Shift + F5	Start Slide Show from Current Slide
Shift + Arrow Keys	Select Multiple Objects
Tab	Next Object
Shift + Tab	Previous Object
Home	Beginning of Line
End	End of Line
Page Up	Previous Slide
Page Down	Next Slide
Arrow Keys	Move Selection
Shift + Arrow Keys	Move Object Precisely
Ctrl + Arrow Keys	Jump Word by Word
Ctrl + Backspace	Delete Previous Word
Ctrl + Delete	Delete Next Word
Space	Next Slide (Slide Show)
N	Next Slide
P	Previous Slide
B	Black Screen During Slide Show
W	White Screen During Slide Show
Number + Enter	Jump to Specific Slide
+	Zoom In
-	Zoom Out

       A–Z Quick Index

• A → Ctrl+A, Alt+A
• B → Ctrl+B, B
• C → Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Shift+C
• D → Ctrl+D
• E → Ctrl+E
• F → Ctrl+F, F1, F2, F4, F5, F6, F7, F9, F12
• G → Ctrl+G
• H → Ctrl+H
• I → Ctrl+I
• J → Ctrl+J
• K → Ctrl+K
• L → Ctrl+L
• M → Ctrl+M
• N → Ctrl+N, N
• O → Ctrl+O
• P → Ctrl+P, P
• Q → Ctrl+Q
• R → Ctrl+R
• S → Ctrl+S
• T → Ctrl+T
• U → Ctrl+U
• V → Ctrl+V
• W → Ctrl+W, W
• X → Ctrl+X
• Y → Ctrl+Y
• Z → Ctrl+Z

This list contains the most commonly used Microsoft PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts and works with recent versions of Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, 2019, and 2016.