Many users find that using an external keyboard with keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint helps them work more efficiently. For users with mobility or vision disabilities, keyboard shortcuts can be easier than using the touchscreen and are an essential alternative to using a mouse.
For a separate list of shortcuts to use while creating your presentation, go to Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations.
Note
- The shortcuts in this topic refer to the US keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a US keyboard.
- A plus sign (+) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys at the same time.
- A comma sign (,) in a shortcut means that you need to press multiple keys in order.
This article describes the keyboard shortcuts and some other common shortcut keys that apply while you're delivering your presentation with PowerPoint for Windows.
Note
- To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use Search. Press Ctrl+F, and then type your search words.
- If an action that you use often does not have a shortcut key, you can record a macro. For step-by-step instructions to record a macro, refer to the section "Record a macro" in Automate tasks with the Macro Recorder to create one.
- During the presentation, to open a list of shortcuts, press F1. Use the arrow keys to move between the tabs in the Slide Show Help dialog box.
- Get the PowerPoint 2016 keyboard shortcuts in a Word document at this link: PowerPoint 2016 for Windows keyboard shortcuts.
In this topic
- Frequently used shortcuts
- Control the slide show
- Control media in the slide show
- Pointer and annotations in the slide show
- Rehearse the presentation
- Maneuver in Presenter View
Frequently used shortcuts
This table lists the most frequently used shortcuts in PowerPoint for Windows.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Start a presentation from the beginning. | F5 |
| Start a presentation from the current slide. | Shift+F5 |
| Start the presentation in Presenter View. | Alt+F5 |
| Perform the next animation or advance to the next slide. | N Enter Page down Right arrow key Down arrow key Spacebar |
| Perform the previous animation or return to the previous slide. | P Page up Left arrow key Up arrow key Backspace |
| Hide the pointer and navigation buttons. | Ctrl+H |
| Display a blank black slide, or return to the presentation from a blank black slide. | B Period (.) |
| Display a blank white slide, or return to the presentation from a blank white slide. | W Comma (,) |
| End the presentation. | Esc |
Control the slide show
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts while you're delivering your presentation in Slide Show (full-screen) mode, with or without Presenter View.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Go to a specific slide. | Type the slide number, then press Enter |
| Go to the next slide, if the next slide is hidden. | H (not available in Presenter View) |
| View the All Slides dialog box. | Ctrl+S |
| Return to the first slide. | Home Press and hold the Right and Left mouse buttons for two seconds |
| Go to the last slide. | End |
| View the computer taskbar. | Ctrl+T |
| Display the context menu. | Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key |
| Display the shortcuts menu. | F1 |
| Go to the next hotspot on the current slide. (Hotspots include hyperlinks, animation triggers, audio objects, and video objects.) |
Tab key |
| Go to the previous hyperlink on the current slide. | Shift+Tab |
| Open the selected hyperlink. | Enter while a hyperlink is selected |
Control media in the slide show
These keyboard shortcuts work with video files imported from your computer or other device. They don't work with online video files.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Change the camera source for cameo (PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 only) |
Alt+X |
| Play or pause media. | Alt+P Ctrl+Spacebar |
| Stop media playback. | Alt+Q |
| Go to the next bookmark. | Alt+End |
| Go to the previous bookmark. | Alt+Home |
| Increase the sound volume. | Alt+Up |
| Decrease the sound volume. | Alt+Down |
| Mute the sound. | Alt+U |
| Move forward three seconds. | Alt+Shift+Page down |
| Move backward three seconds. | Alt+Shift+Page up |
| Move forward 0.25 seconds, then pause. | Alt+Shift+Right arrow key |
| Move backward 0.25 seconds, then pause. | Alt+Shift+Left arrow key |
| Show or hide the audio and subtitles menu. (For videos that have multiple audio tracks and/or subtitle tracks in supported formats.) |
Alt+J |
Pointer and annotations in the slide show
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to control the pointer and to use it to create annotations during your presentation.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Start the laser pointer. | Ctrl+L |
| Change the pointer to a pen. | Ctrl+P |
| Change the pointer to an arrow. | Ctrl+A |
| Change the pen pointer to an eraser. | Ctrl+E |
| Hide the arrow pointer. | Ctrl+H |
| Show or hide ink markup. | Ctrl+M |
| Erase on-screen annotations. | E |
Rehearse the presentation
You can use these keyboard shortcuts when you are rehearsing your presentation.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Set new timings while rehearsing. | T |
| Use original timings while rehearsing. | O |
| Use mouse click to advance while rehearsing. | M |
| Re-record slide narration and timing. | R |
Maneuver in Presenter View
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts while you're delivering your presentation using Presenter View in newer versions of PowerPoint. Presenter View lets you look at your presentation with your speaker notes on one screen (your laptop, for example), while the audience views the notes-free presentation on a different screen.
When you are connected to a second display, Presenter View is shown automatically when you start the slide show. To start a presentation in Presenter View even if you have only a single display, press Alt+F5.
Tip
If Presenter View does not start automatically with two displays, go the Slide Show tab, select the Use Presenter View checkbox, and select the preferred monitor.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Cycle between Presenter View regions. (Buttons above the slide, buttons on the upper-right corner, and the Notes pane) |
F6 |
| Cycle through tools within a Presenter View region. | Tab key |
| Scroll down one line in the Notes pane. | Ctrl+Down arrow key |
| Scroll up one line in the Notes pane. | Ctrl+Up arrow key |
| Scroll down one screenful in the Notes pane. | Ctrl+Page down |
| Scroll up one screenful in the Notes pane. | Ctrl+Page up |
| Read the next line in the Notes pane. | Alt+A |
| Read the previous line in the Notes pane. | Alt+Z |
| Read the elapsed time. (The timer starts running as soon as you start Presenter View.) |
Alt+W |
| Read the next step (for example, the next slide, next animation, or end of slide show). | Alt+Q |
| Close Presenter View. | Esc |
See also
Screen reader support for PowerPoint
Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.