Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations

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 delivering your presentation, go to Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations.

Notes: 

  • 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 you can use in PowerPoint for Windows when creating or editing presentations.

Notes: 

In this topic

Frequently used shortcuts

The following table itemizes the most frequently used shortcuts in PowerPoint.

To do this

Press

Create new presentation.

Ctrl+N

Add a new slide.

Ctrl+M

Apply bold formatting to the selected text.

Ctrl+B

Open the Font dialog box.

Ctrl+T

Cut selected text, object, or slide.

Ctrl+X

Copy selected text, object, or slide.

Ctrl+C

Paste cut or copied text, object, or slide.

Ctrl+V

Insert a hyperlink.

Ctrl+K

Insert a new comment.

Ctrl+Alt+M

Undo the last action.

Ctrl+Z

Redo the last action.

Ctrl+Y

Go to the next slide.

Page down

Go to the previous slide.

Page up

Start the slide show.

F5

End the slide show.

Esc

Print a presentation.

Ctrl+P

Save the presentation.

Ctrl+S

Close PowerPoint.

Ctrl+Q

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Work with presentations and slides

To do this

Press

Insert a new slide.

Ctrl+M

Go to the next slide.

Page down

Go to the previous slide.

Page up

Zoom out.

Ctrl+Minus sign (-)

Zoom in.

Ctrl+Plus sign (+)

Zoom to fit.

Ctrl+Alt+O

Make a copy of the selected slide.

Ctrl+Shift+D

Open a presentation.

Ctrl+O

Close a presentation.

Ctrl+D

Save a presentation with a different name, location, or file format.

Ctrl+Shift+S

Cancel a command, such as Save As.

Esc

Open a recent file.

Ctrl+O

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Work with objects and text

Copy objects and text

To do this

Press

Cut selected object or text.

Ctrl+X

Copy selected object or text.

Ctrl+C

Paste cut or copied object or text.

Ctrl+V

Duplicate selected objects.

Ctrl+D or Ctrl+Drag the mouse

Office 2010 and Office 2007: Not available

Copy the formatting of the selected object or text.

Ctrl+Shift+C

Paste copied formatting to the selected object or text.

Ctrl+Shift+V

Copy animation painter.

Alt+Shift+C

Office 2010 and Office 2007: Not available

Paste animation painter.

Alt+Shift+V

Office 2010 and Office 2007: Not available

Open the Paste Special dialog box.

Ctrl+Alt+V

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Work in objects and text

To do this

Press

Move the focus to the first floating shape, such as an image or a text box.

Ctrl+Alt+5

Select another object when one object is selected.

Tab key or Shift+Tab until the object you want is selected

Send object back one position.

Ctrl+Left bracket ([)

Office 2010 and Office 2007: Not available

Send object forward one position.

Ctrl+Right bracket (])

Office 2010 and Office 2007: Not available

Send object to back.

Ctrl+Shift+Left bracket ([)

Office 2010 and Office 2007: Not available

Send object to front.

Ctrl+Shift+Right bracket (])

Office 2010 and Office 2007: Not available

Select all objects on a slide.

Ctrl+A

Group the selected objects.

Ctrl+G

Ungroup the selected group.

Ctrl+Shift+G

Regroup the selected objects.

Ctrl+Shift+J

Rotate the selected object clockwise 15 degrees.

Alt+Right arrow key

Rotate the selected object counterclockwise 15 degrees.

Alt+Left arrow key

Play or pause media.

Ctrl+Spacebar

Insert a hyperlink.

Ctrl+K

Insert a new comment.

Ctrl+Alt+M

Insert equation.

Alt+Equal sign ( = )

Edit a linked or embedded object.

Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key (to open the context menu), then O, Enter, E

Tip: To select multiple objects with the keyboard, use the Selection Pane. For more information refer to Manage objects with the Selection Pane.

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Select text

To do this

Press

Select one character to the right.

Shift+Right arrow key

Select one character to the left.

Shift+Left arrow key

Select to the end of a word.

Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow key

Select to the beginning of a word.

Ctrl+Shift+Left arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the same point one line up.

Shift+Up arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the same point one line down.

Shift+Down arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the end of the paragraph.

Ctrl+Shift+Down  arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the paragraph.

Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key

Select text within an object (with an object selected).

Enter

Select an object when the text inside the object is selected.

Esc

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Delete text

To do this

Press

Delete one character to the left.

Backspace

Delete one word to the left.

Ctrl+Backspace

Delete one character to the right.

Delete

Delete one word to the right (with the cursor between the words).

Ctrl+Delete

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Move around in text

To do this

Press

Move one character to the left.

Left arrow key

Move one character to the right.

Right arrow key

Move one line up.

Up arrow key

Move one line down.

Down arrow key

Move one word to the left.

Ctrl+Left arrow key

Move one word to the right.

Ctrl+Right arrow key

Move to the end of a line.

End

Move to the beginning of a line.

Home

Move up one paragraph.

Ctrl+Up arrow key

Move down one paragraph.

Ctrl+Down arrow key

Move to the end of a text box.

Ctrl+End

Move to the beginning of a text box.

Ctrl+Home

Move to the next title or body text placeholder. If it is the last placeholder on a slide, this action inserts a new slide with the same slide layout as the original slide.

Ctrl+Enter

Promote a paragraph.

Alt+Shift+Left arrow key

Demote a paragraph.

Alt+Shift+Right arrow key

Move selected paragraphs up.

Alt+Shift+Up arrow key

Move selected paragraphs down.

Alt+Shift+Down arrow key

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Find and replace text

To do this

Press

Open the Find dialog box.

Ctrl+F

Open the Replace dialog box.

Ctrl+H

Repeat the last Find action.

Shift+F4

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Format text

Before using these keyboard shortcuts, select the text you want to format.

To do this

Press

Open the Font dialog box.

Ctrl+T or Ctrl+Shift+F

Increase the font size.

Ctrl+Shift+Right angle bracket (>)

Decrease the font size.

Ctrl+Shift+Left angle bracket (<)

Switch between sentence case, lowercase, or uppercase.

Shift+F3

Apply bold formatting.

Ctrl+B

Apply underline formatting.

Ctrl+U

Apply italic formatting.

Ctrl+I

Apply subscript formatting (automatic spacing).

Ctrl+Equal sign ( = )

Apply superscript formatting (automatic spacing).

Ctrl+Shift+Plus sign (+)

Remove manual character formatting, such as subscript and superscript.

Ctrl+Spacebar

Center a paragraph.

Ctrl+E

Justify a paragraph.

Ctrl+J

Left align a paragraph.

Ctrl+L

Right align a paragraph.

Ctrl+R

Create a bulleted list using different styles

  1. Do one of the following:

    • To create a list that uses filled round bullets, press the Asterisk sign (*).

    • To create a list that uses hyphens, press the Minus sign (-).

    • To create a list that uses arrow bullets, press the Right angle bracket (>).

    • To create a list that uses diamonds, press Left angle bracket (<) + Right angle bracket (>).

    • To create a list that uses arrows, press two minus signs (-) + Right angle bracket (>).

    • To create a list that uses double arrows, press the Equal sign ( = ) + Right angle bracket (>).

  2. Press Spacebar.

  3. Type the list item, and then press Enter.

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Work with tables

To do this

Press

Move to the next cell.

Tab key

Move to the preceding cell.

Shift+Tab

Move to the next row.

Down arrow key

Move to the preceding row.

Up arrow key

Insert a tab in a cell.

Ctrl+Tab

Start a new paragraph.

Enter

Add a new row at the bottom of the table with the cursor in the last cell of the last row.

Tab key

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Move a slide

To do this

Press

Move the selected slide or section up in order.

Ctrl+Up arrow key

Move the selected slide or section down in order.

Ctrl+Down arrow key

Move the selected slide or section to the beginning.

Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key

Move the selected slide or section to the end.

Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow key

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Work with views and panes

To do this

Press

Switch to Presenter view.

Alt+F5

Switch to Slide Show.

F5

Toggle between Outline and Thumbnail views.

Ctrl+Shift+Tab

Switch to full screen (hide menus).

Ctrl+F1

Show or hide guides.

Alt+F9

Show or hide the grid.

Shift+F9

Cycle clockwise through panes in the Normal view.

F6

Cycle counterclockwise through panes in the Normal view.

Shift+F6

Switch between the Thumbnail pane and the Outline View pane.

Ctrl+Shift+Tab

Show Outline View level 1 headings.

Alt+Shift+1

Expand Outline View text below a heading.

Alt+Shift+Plus sign (+)

Collapse Outline View text below a heading.

Alt+Shift+Minus sign (-)

Select all text in the Outline View.

Ctrl+A

Select all slides in the Slide Sorter view or the thumbnail pane.

Ctrl+A

Show the help menu.

F1

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Work with the Selection pane

To do this

Press

Open the Selection pane.

Alt+F10

Alt+H, S, L, P

Office 2007: Alt+J, D, A, P

Cycle the focus through the different panes.

F6

Display the context menu.

Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key

Move the focus to a single item or group.

Up or Down arrow key

Move the focus from an item in a group to its parent group.

Left arrow key

Move the focus from a group to the first item in that group.

Right arrow key

Expand a focused group and all its child groups.

Asterisk sign (*) (on numeric keypad only)

Expand a focused group.

Plus sign (+) (on numeric keypad only) or Right arrow key

Collapse a focused group.

Minus sign (-) (on numeric keypad only) or Left arrow key

Move the focus to an item and select it.

Shift+Up or Down arrow key

Select a focused item.

Spacebar or Enter

Cancel selection of a focused item.

Shift+Spacebar or Shift+Enter

Move a selected item forward.

Ctrl+Shift+F

Move a selected item backward.

Ctrl+Shift+B

Show or hide a focused item.

Ctrl+Shift+S

Rename a focused item.

F2

Switch the keyboard focus within the Selection pane between tree view and the Show All and Hide All buttons.

Tab key or Shift+Tab

Collapse all groups (with the focus in the tree view of the Selection pane).

Alt+Shift+1

Expand all groups.

Alt+Shift+9

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Work with the task pane

To do this

Press

Move to a task pane from another pane or area in the program window. (You might need to press F6 more than once.)

F6

When a task pane option has focus, move to the next or previous option in the task pane.

Tab key or Shift+Tab

Display the full set of commands on a task pane menu. You can access, for example, the Close, Move, or Size buttons of a task pane.

Ctrl+Spacebar

Office 2010: Ctrl+Down arrow key

Move to the next command on the task pane menu.

Up and Down arrow keys

Select the highlighted option on the task pane menu.

Enter

Move or resize the task pane after the corresponding command has been selected.

Arrow keys

Close a task pane.

Ctrl+Spacebar, C

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Ribbon keyboard shortcuts

The ribbon groups related options on tabs. For example, on the Home tab, the Paragraph group includes the Bullets option. Press the Alt key to display the ribbon shortcuts, called Key Tips, as letters in small images next to the tabs and options.

Excel ribbon key tips.

You can combine the Key Tips letters with the Alt key to make shortcuts called Access Keys for the ribbon options. For example, press Alt+H to open the Home tab, and Alt+Q to move to the Tell me or Search field. Press Alt again to see KeyTips for the options on the selected tab.

In Office 2010, most of the old Alt key menu shortcuts still work, too. However, you need to know the full shortcut. For example, press Alt, and then press one of the old menu keys E (Edit), V (View), I (Insert), and so on. A notification pops up saying you're using an access key from an earlier version of Microsoft 365. If you know the entire key sequence, go ahead and use it. If you don't know the sequence, press Esc and use Key Tips instead.

Open the ribbon tabs

To go directly to a tab on the ribbon, press one of the following access keys. Additional tabs might appear depending on your selection in the presentation.

To do this

Press

Move to the Tell me or Search field on the ribbon and type a search term for assistance or Help content.

Alt+Q, then type the search term.

Open the File menu.

Alt+F

Open the Home tab and format slides, fonts, paragraphs, or drawings.

Alt+H

Open the Insert tab and insert slides, tables, images, illustrations, forms, links, text, symbols, or media.

Alt+N

Open the Draw tab and access the drawing tools.

Alt+J, I

Open the Design tab and apply themes and customize slides.

Alt+G

Open the Transitions tab and add transitions between slides.

Alt+K

Open the Animations tab and add animations to slides.

Alt+A

Open the Slide Show tab and set up and play the slide show.

Alt+S

Open the Review tab and check spelling and accessibility and add comments.

Alt+R

Open the View tab and preview presentation layouts, show and hide gridlines and guides, set zoom magnification, manage windows, and view macros.

Alt+W

Open the Recording tab and manage screen recordings, audio, and video in your presentation.

Alt+C

Open the Help tab and browse the PowerPoint, contact support, and leave feedback.

Alt+Y, 2

Note: Add-ins and other programs might add new tabs to the ribbon and might provide access keys for those tabs.

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Work in the ribbon with the keyboard

To do this

Press

Select the active tab on the ribbon, and activate the access keys.

Alt or F10. To move to a different tab, use access keys or the arrow keys.

Move the focus to commands on the ribbon.

Tab key or Shift+Tab

Move down, up, left, or right, respectively, among the items on the ribbon.

Arrow keys

Show the tooltip for the ribbon element currently in focus.

Ctrl+Shift+F10

Activate a selected button or control.

Spacebar or Enter

Open the list for a selected command.

Down arrow key

Open the menu for a selected button.

Alt+Down arrow key

When a menu or submenu is open, move to the next command.

Down arrow key

Expand or collapse the ribbon.

Ctrl+F1

Open a context menu.

Shift+F10 or the Windows Menu key

Move to the submenu when a main menu is open or selected.

Left arrow key

Get help on the currently selected command or control on the ribbon.

F1

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Other useful ribbon keyboard shortcuts

To do this

Press

Change the font size for selected text.

Alt+H, F, S

Open the Zoom dialog box.

Alt+W, Q

Print all slides in your presentation as full page slides using your default printer settings (when the Print dialog box is open).

Alt+P, P

Select a theme.

Alt+G, H

Select a slide layout.

Alt+H, L

Show or hide the Notes pane in the Normal view.

Alt+W, P, N

Open the clipboard.

Alt+H, F, O

Insert a text box.

Alt+N, X

Insert an embedded document or spreadsheet as an object.

Alt+N, J

Insert WordArt.

Alt+N, W

Insert a picture from your device. 

Alt+N, P, D

Insert a shape.

Alt+N, S, H

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Custom keyboard shortcuts

To assign custom keyboard shortcuts to menu items, recorded macros, and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code in PowerPoint, you must use a third-party add-in, such as Shortcut Manager for PowerPoint, which is available from OfficeOne.

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See also

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate modern comments in PowerPoint

Use the keyboard to work with the ribbon

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts you can use in PowerPoint for macOS when creating or editing presentations.

Notes: 

  • The settings in some versions of the Mac operating system (OS) and some utility applications can conflict with keyboard shortcuts and Fn key operations in Microsoft 365 for Mac. For information about changing the key assignment of a keyboard shortcut, refer to the Mac Help for your version of the macOS, your utility application, or refer to Change a conflicting keyboard shortcut on Mac.

  • If you don't find a keyboard shortcut here that meets your needs, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut. For instructions, go to Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Office for Mac.

  • Many of the shortcuts that use the Ctrl key on a Windows keyboard also work with the Control key in PowerPoint on Mac. However, not all do.

  • To quickly find a shortcut in this article, you can use the Search. Press Command+F, and then type your search words.

In this topic

Frequently used shortcuts

The following table itemizes the most frequently used shortcuts in PowerPoint for Mac.

To do this

Press

Create a new presentation.

⌘+N

Add a new slide.

⌘+Shift+N

Apply bold formatting to the selected text.

⌘+B

Open the Font dialog box.

⌘+T

Cut the selected text, object, or slide.

⌘+X

Copy the selected text, object, or slide.

⌘+C

Paste the cut or copied text, object, or slide.

⌘+V

Insert a hyperlink.

⌘+K

Insert a comment.

⌘+Shift+M

Undo the last action.

⌘+Z

Redo the last action.

⌘+Y

Go to the next slide.

Page down

Go to the previous slide.

Page up

Start the slide show.

⌘+Shift+Return

End the slide show.

Esc

Print a presentation.

⌘+P

Save the presentation.

⌘+S

Close PowerPoint.

⌘+Q

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Work with presentations and slides

To do this

Press

Create a new presentation with a template from the PowerPoint template gallery.

⌘+Shift+P

Insert a new slide.

⌘+Shift+N

Go to the next slide.

Page down

Go to the previous slide.

Page up

Format slide background.

⌘+Shift+2

Zoom out.

⌘+Minus sign (-)

Zoom in.

⌘+Plus sign (+)

Zoom to fit.

⌘+Option+O

Make a copy of the selected slide.

⌘+Shift+D

Open a presentation.

⌘+O

Close a presentation.

⌘+W

Print a presentation.

⌘+P

Save a presentation with a different name, location, or file format.

⌘+Shift+S

Cancel a command, such as Save As.

Esc

Move through multiple open presentations.

⌘+Tilde sign (~)

Open a recent file.

⌘+Shift+O

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Work with objects and text

Copy objects and text

To do this

Press

Cut selected object or text.

⌘+X

Copy selected object or text.

⌘+C

Paste cut or copied object or text.

⌘+V

Duplicate selected objects.

Control+D or Control+Drag the mouse

Copy the formatting of the selected object or text.

⌘+Shift+C

Paste copied formatting to the selected object or text.

⌘+Shift+V

Copy animation.

⌘+Option+Shift+C

Paste animation.

⌘+Option+Shift+V

Open the Paste Special dialog box.

⌘+Control+V

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Work in objects and text

To do this

Press

Select another object when one object is selected.

Tab key or Shift+Tab until the object you want is selected

Send object back one position.

⌘+Option+Shift+B

Send object forward one position.

⌘+Option+Shift+F

Send object to back.

⌘+Shift+B

Send object to front.

⌘+Shift+F

Select all objects on a slide.

⌘+A

Group the selected objects.

⌘+Option+G

Ungroup the selected objects.

⌘+Option+Shift+G

Regroup the selected objects.

⌘+Option+J

Rotate the selected object clockwise 15 degrees.

Option+Right arrow key

Rotate the selected object counterclockwise 15 degrees.

Option+Left arrow key

Play or pause media.

Spacebar

Insert a hyperlink.

⌘+K

Insert a comment.

⌘+Shift+M

Format the selected object.

⌘+Shift+1

Resize selected objects.

Shift+Arrow keys

Move the selected object in the direction of the arrow.

Arrow keys or ⌘+Arrow keys

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Select text

To do this

Press

Select one character to the right.

Shift+Right arrow key

Select one character to the left.

Shift+Left arrow key

Select to the end of a word.

Shift+Option+Right arrow key

Select to the beginning of a word.

Shift+Option+Left arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the same point one line up.

Shift+Up arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the same point one line down.

Shift+Down arrow key

Select all text to the start of the line.

⌘+Shift+Left arrow key

Select all text to the end of the line.

⌘+Shift+Right arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the end of the paragraph.

Shift+Option+Down arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the paragraph.

Shift+Option+Up arrow key

Select text within an object (with an object selected).

Return

Select an object when the text inside the object is selected.

Esc

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Delete text

To do this

Press

Delete one character to the left.

Delete

Delete one word to the left.

⌘+Delete

Delete one character to the right.

Fn+Delete

Delete one word to the right (with the cursor between the words).

Option+Fn+Delete

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Move around in text

To do this

Press

Move one character to the left.

Left arrow key

Move one character to the right.

Right arrow key

Move one line up.

Up arrow key

Move one line down.

Down arrow key

Move to the beginning of a word or one word to the left.

Option+Left arrow key

Move one word to the right.

Option+Right arrow key

Move to the end of a line.

End or Fn+Right arrow key

Move to the beginning of a line.

Home or Fn+Left arrow key

Move to the beginning of a paragraph or up one paragraph.

Option+Up arrow key

Move down one paragraph.

Option+Down arrow key

Move to the start or end of all the text in the object you are editing.

⌘+Up or Down arrow key

Promote a paragraph.

⌘+Left bracket ([)

Demote a paragraph.

⌘+Right bracket (])

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Find and replace text

To do this

Press

Open the Search in Presentation search field.

⌘+F

Open the Find and Replace pane.

⌘+Shift+H

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Format text

To do this

Press

Open the Font dialog box.

⌘+T

Increase the font size of the selected text.

⌘+Shift+Right angle bracket (>)

Decrease the font size of the selected text.

⌘+Shift+Left angle bracket (<)

Open the Paragraph dialog box.

Command+Option+M

Switch between sentence case, uppercase, or lowercase.

Shift+F3

Apply bold formatting to the selected text.

⌘+B

Apply an underline to the selected text.

⌘+U

Apply italic formatting to the selected text.

⌘+I

Apply subscript formatting (automatic spacing).

⌘+Control+Equal sign (=)  

Apply superscript formatting (automatic spacing).

⌘+Control+Shift+Equal sign (=)

Remove manual character formatting, such as subscript and superscript.

Control+Spacebar

Center a paragraph.

⌘+E

Justify a paragraph.

⌘+J

Left align a paragraph.

⌘+L

Right align a paragraph.

⌘+R

Create a bulleted list using different styles

  1. Do one of the following:

    • To create a list that uses filled round bullets, press the Asterisk sign (*).

    • To create a list that uses hyphens, press the Minus sign (-).

    • To create a list that uses arrow bullets, press the Right angle bracket (>).

    • To create a list that uses diamonds, press Left angle bracket (<) + Right angle bracket (>).

    • To create a list that uses arrows, press two minus signs (-) + Right angle bracket (>).

    • To create a list that uses double arrows, press the Equal sign ( = ) + Right angle bracket (>).

  2. Press Spacebar.

  3. Type the list item, and then press Return.

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Work with tables

To do this

Press

Move to the next cell.

Tab key

Move to the preceding cell.

Shift+Tab

Move to the next line or row.

Down arrow key

Move to the preceding line or row.

Up arrow key

Insert a tab in a cell.

Option+Shift+Tab

Start a new paragraph in a cell.

Return

Add a new row at the bottom of the table (with the cursor in the last cell of the last row).

Tab key

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Move a slide

To do this

Press

Move the selected slide or section up in order.

⌘+Up arrow key

Move the selected slide or section down in order.

⌘+Down arrow key

Move the selected slide or section to the beginning.

⌘+Shift+Up arrow key

Move the selected slide or section to the end.

⌘+Shift+Down arrow key

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Work with views and panes

To do this

Press

Switch to Normal view.

⌘+1

Switch to Slide Sorter view.

⌘+2

Switch to Notes Page view.

⌘+3

Switch to Outline View

⌘+4

Switch to Slide Master view.

⌘+Option+1

Switch to Handout Master view.

⌘+Option+2

Switch to Notes Master view.

⌘+Option+3

Switch to Presenter view.

Option+Return

Switch to slide show.

⌘+Shift+Return

Toggle between Outline View and thumbnail pane.

Control+Shift+Tab

Switch to full screen (hide menus).

⌘+Control+F

Show or hide guides.

⌘+Option+Control+G

Show or hide the grid.

Shift+F9

Cycle clockwise through panes in the Normal view.

F6

Cycle counterclockwise through panes in the Normal view.

Shift+F6

Select all text in the Outline View.

⌘+A

Select all slides in the Slide Sorter view or the thumbnail pane.

⌘+A

Show the help menu.

F1

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Other useful shortcut keys

To do this

Press

Switch Drawing mode on and off.

⌘+Control+Z

Show Thesaurus entry for a selected word.

⌘+Option+Control+R

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See also

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate modern comments in PowerPoint

Use the keyboard to work with the ribbon

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint for iOS when creating or editing presentations.

Notes: 

  • If you're familiar with keyboard shortcuts on your macOS computer, the same key combinations work with PowerPoint for iOS using an external keyboard, too.

  • To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Command+F and then type your search words.

In this topic

Frequently used shortcuts on iPad

This table shows the most frequently used shortcuts for PowerPoint for iPad.

To do this

Press

Insert a new slide.

⌘+Shift+N

Delete selected text, object, or slide.

Delete

Cut selected content and copy it to the clipboard.

⌘+X

Undo the last action.

⌘+Z

Copy the selected content to the clipboard.

⌘+C

Paste copied or cut content.

⌘+V

Select all text.

⌘+A

Apply bold formatting to the selected content.

⌘+B

Apply italic formatting to the selected content.

⌘+I

Underline selected content.

⌘+U

Select one word to the left.

Shift+Option+Left arrow key

Select one word to the right.

Shift+Option+Right arrow key

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Navigate in PowerPoint for iPad

PowerPoint for iPad is a mobile application, so the keyboard shortcuts and navigation might be different from those in desktop versions of PowerPoint.

To move through the options, press Shift+Right arrow key until the focus is on the ribbon, and then press the Right or Left arrow key. To select an option, press ⌘+Option+Spacebar.

To move the focus to different areas in PowerPoint for iPad (from the ribbon to the thumbnail pane, for example), place the focus on a button, and then press Shift+Right arrow key to move forward or Shift+Left arrow key to move backward.

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Move the insertion point within placeholders and notes on iPad

To do this

Press

Move one character to the right.

Right arrow key

Move one character to the left.

Left arrow key

Move one word to the right.

Option+Right arrow key

Move one word to the left.

Option+Left arrow key

Move up one line.

Up arrow key

Move down one line.

Down arrow key

Move to the beginning of the line.

⌘+Left arrow key

Move to the end of the line.

⌘+Right arrow key

Move to the beginning of the placeholder or notes.

⌘+Up arrow key

Move to the end of the placeholder or notes.

⌘+End

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Select content on iPad

To do this

Press

Select one character to the right.

Shift+Right arrow key

Select one character to the left.

Shift+Left arrow key

Select one word to the right.

Shift+⌘+Right arrow key

Select one word to the left.

Shift+⌘+Left arrow key

Select one line up.

Shift+Up arrow key

Select one line down.

Shift+Down arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the paragraph.

Shift+Option+Up arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the end of the paragraph.

Shift+Option+Down arrow key

Select all within the placeholder or notes.

⌘+A

Select from the current position to the beginning of the line.

Shift+⌘+Left arrow key

Select from the current position to the end of the line.

Shift+⌘+Right arrow key

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Edit and format presentations on iPhone

To do this

Press

Undo the last action.

⌘+Z

Repeat the last action.

Shift+Y

Cut selected content.

⌘+X

Copy selected content.

⌘+C

Paste copied or cut content.

⌘+V

Select all.

⌘+A

Apply bold formatting to selected content.

⌘+B

Apply italic formatting to the selected content.

⌘+I

Underline selected content.

⌘+U

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Navigate and select within a text box on iPhone

To do this

Press

Select text.

Shift+Left or Right arrow key, or Shift+Up or Down arrow key

Move cursor by one word to the right.

Option+Right arrow key

Move cursor by one word to the left.

Option+Left arrow key

Move cursor to the beginning of the text box.

⌘+Up arrow key

Move cursor to the end of the text box.

⌘+Down arrow key

Move cursor to the beginning of the current line.

⌘+Left arrow key

Move cursor to the end of the current line.

⌘+Right arrow key

Select one word to the left.

Shift+Option+Left arrow key

Select one word to the right.

Shift+Option+Right arrow key

Select from current position to beginning of the placeholder or notes.

Shift+⌘+Up arrow key

Select from current position to the end of the placeholder or notes.

Shift+⌘+Down arrow key

Select from current position to beginning of the line.

Shift+⌘+Left arrow key

Select from current position to end of the line.

Shift+⌘+Right arrow key

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See also

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate modern comments in PowerPoint

Use the keyboard to work with the ribbon

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint for Android when creating or editing presentations.

Note: To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F and then type your search words.

Edit and format the presentation

To do this

Press

Undo the last action.

Ctrl+Z

Repeat the last action.

Ctrl+Y

Cut the selected content (and copy to the clipboard).

Ctrl+X

Copy the selected content to the clipboard.

Ctrl+C

Paste the copied or cut content.

Ctrl+V

Select all.

Ctrl+A

Apply bold formatting to the selected content.

Ctrl+B

Apply italic formatting to the selected content.

Ctrl+I

Underline the selected content.

Ctrl+U

Save or sync the presentation.

Ctrl+S

Copy formatting.

Ctrl+Shift+C

Select text.

Shift+Left or Right arrow key, or Shift+Up or Down arrow key

See also

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate modern comments in PowerPoint

Use the keyboard to work with the ribbon

This article describes the keyboard shortcuts you can use in PowerPoint for the web on Windows when creating or editing presentations.

Notes: 

  • If you use Narrator with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you have to turn off scan mode in order to edit documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Microsoft 365 for the web. For more information, refer to Turn off virtual or browse mode in screen readers in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

  • To quickly find a shortcut, you can use the Search. Press Ctrl+F and then type your search words.

  • When you use PowerPoint for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because PowerPoint for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you’ll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not PowerPoint for the web.

In this topic

Frequently used shortcuts

The following table provides the shortcuts that you'll likely use often in PowerPoint for the web.

Tip: To quickly create a new presentation in PowerPoint for the web, open your browser, type PowerPoint.new or ppt.new in the address bar, and then press Enter.

To do this

Windows

Mac

Insert a new slide (with the focus in the thumbnail pane, slide pane, or Notes pane). 

Ctrl+M

No shortcut

Apply bold formatting to the selected text.

Ctrl+B

⌘+B

Cut selected text, object, or slide.

Ctrl+X

⌘+X

Copy selected text, object, or slide.

Ctrl+C

⌘+C

Paste cut or copied text, object, or slide.

Ctrl+V

⌘+V

Insert a hyperlink.

Ctrl+K

⌘+K

Undo the last action.

Ctrl+Z

⌘+Z

Redo the last action.

Ctrl+Y

⌘+Y

Delete selected text, object, or slide.

Delete

Delete

Open the Find dialog box.

Ctrl+F

⌘+F

Move a shape.

Arrow keys

Arrow keys

Go to the next slide (with the focus in the thumbnail pane or the slide pane).

Page down

Fn+Down arrow key

Go to the previous slide (with the focus in the thumbnail pane or the slide pane).

Page up

Fn+Up arrow key

When a task pane option has focus, move to the next or previous option in the task pane.

Tab key or Shift+Tab

Tab key or Shift+Tab

Exit the slide show.

Esc

Esc

Print a presentation

Ctrl+P

⌘+P

Save the presentation.

PowerPoint for the web saves changes automatically.

PowerPoint for the web saves changes automatically.

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Work with presentations and slides

To do this

Windows

Mac

Create a new slide after the currently selected slide.

Ctrl+M

No shortcut

Go to the next slide (with the focus in the thumbnail pane or the slide pane).

Page down

Fn+Down arrow key

Go to the previous slide (with the focus in the thumbnail pane or the slide pane).

Page up

Fn+Up arrow key

Go to the next slide in the Slide Show view.

N, Page down, Down arrow key, Enter, or Space

N, Page down, Right arrow key, Down arrow key, Return, or Space

Go to the previous slide in the Slide Show view.

P, Page up, Left arrow key, Up arrow key, or Backspace

P, Page up, Left arrow key, Up arrow key, or Delete

Go to a specific slide in the Slide Show view.

G, then the Right or Left arrow key until on the slide, and then Enter

G, then the Right or Left arrow key until on the slide, and then Return

Turn captions or subtitles on or off in the Slide Show view.

J

J

Exit the Slide Show view.

Esc

Esc

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Work with objects and text

Copy objects and text

To do this

Windows

Mac

Cut selected object or text.

Ctrl+X

⌘+X

Copy selected object or text.

Ctrl+C

⌘+C

Paste cut or copied object or text.

Ctrl+V

⌘+V

Duplicate selected objects.

Ctrl+D

⌘+D

Paste text, unformatted.

Ctrl+Shift+V

⌘+Shift+V

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Work in objects and text

To do this

Windows

Mac

Move left to right through placeholders on a slide.

Tab key

Tab key

Select or edit the current placeholder.

Enter or F2

Return or F2

End editing text in a placeholder.

F2

F2

Select multiple single objects.

Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click

⌘+Click or Shift+Click

Select multiple objects.

Click+Drag the mouse or Shift+Drag the mouse, or Ctrl+Drag the mouse

Click+Drag the mouse or Shift+Drag the mouse

Select all objects on the page.

Ctrl+A

⌘+A

Select all text in the active text box.

Ctrl+A

⌘+A

Insert a hyperlink.

Ctrl+K

⌘+K

Send the object to the back.

Ctrl+Shift+Left bracket ([)

⌘+Shift+Option+Left bracket ([)

Send the object back one position.

Ctrl+Left bracket ([)

⌘+Shift+Option+B

Send the object to the front.

Ctrl+Shift+Right bracket (])

⌘+Shift+F

Send the object forward one position.

Ctrl+Right bracket (])

⌘+Shift+Option+F

Rotate the selected object by 15 degrees increments clockwise.

Alt+Right arrow key

Option+Right arrow key

Rotate the selected object by 15 degrees increments counterclockwise.

Alt+Left arrow key

Option+Left arrow key

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Select text

To do this

Windows

Mac

Select one character to the right.

Shift+Right arrow key

Shift+Right arrow key

Select one character to the left.

Shift+Left arrow key

Shift+Left arrow key

Select one word to the right.

Shift+Ctrl+Right arrow key

Shift+Option+Right arrow key

Select one word to the left.

Shift+Ctrl+Left arrow key

Shift+Option+Left arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the same point one line up.

Shift+Up arrow key

Shift+Up arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the same point one line down.

Shift+Down arrow key

Shift+Down arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the paragraph.

Shift+Ctrl+Up arrow key

⌘+Shift+Up arrow key

Select from the insertion point to the end of the paragraph.

Shift+Ctrl+Down arrow key

⌘+Shift+Down arrow key

Select to the beginning of a line.

Shift+Home

⌘+Shift+Left arrow key

Select to the end of a line.

Shift+End

⌘+Shift+Right arrow key

Select to the beginning of a placeholder or notes.

Shift+Ctrl+Home

⌘+Shift+Fn+Left arrow key

Select to the end of a placeholder or notes.

Shift+Ctrl+End

⌘+Shift+Fn+Right arrow key

Select all within the placeholder or notes.

Ctrl+A

⌘+A

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Delete text

To do this

Windows

Mac

Delete one character to the left.

Backspace

Delete

Delete one word to the left.

Ctrl+Backspace

⌘+Delete

Delete one character to the right.

Delete

Fn+Delete

Delete one word to the right (with the cursor between the words).

Ctrl+Delete

⌘+Fn+Delete

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Move around in text

To do this

Windows

Mac

Move one character to the right.

Right arrow key

Right arrow key

Move one character to the left.

Left arrow key

Left arrow key

Move one word to the right.

Ctrl+Right arrow key

Option+Right arrow key

Move one word to the left.

Ctrl+Left arrow key

Option+Left arrow key

Move one line up.

Up arrow key

Up arrow key

Move one line down.

Down arrow key

Down arrow key

Move to the end of a line.

End

End or Fn+Right arrow key

Move to the beginning of a line.

Home

Home or Fn+Left arrow key

Move up one paragraph.

Ctrl+Up arrow key

⌘+Up arrow key

Move down one paragraph.

Ctrl+Down arrow key

⌘+Down arrow key

Move to the end of a text box.

Ctrl+End

⌘+Fn+Right arrow key

Move to the beginning of a text box.

Ctrl+Home

⌘+Fn+Left arrow key

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Format text

To do this

Windows

Mac

Increase the font size.

Ctrl+Right bracket (]) or Ctrl+Shift+Right angle bracket (>)

⌘+Shift+Right angle bracket (>)

Decrease the font size.

Ctrl+Left bracket ([) or Ctrl+Shift+Left angle bracket (<)

⌘+Shift+Left angle bracket (<)

Apply bold formatting.

Ctrl+B

⌘+B

Apply italic formatting.

Ctrl+I

⌘+I

Apply underline formatting.

Ctrl+U

⌘+U

Remove manual character formatting, such as subscript and superscript.

Ctrl+Spacebar

Control+Spacebar

Left align a paragraph.

Ctrl+L

⌘+Shift+L

Center a paragraph.

Ctrl+E

⌘+E

Right align a paragraph.

Ctrl+R

⌘+Shift+R

Justify a paragraph.

Ctrl+J

⌘+J

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Work with tables

To do this

Windows

Mac

Move to the next cell.

Tab key

Tab key

Move to the preceding cell.

Shift+Tab

Shift+Tab

Move to the next row.

Down arrow key

Down arrow key

Move to the preceding row.

Up arrow key

Up arrow key

Start a new paragraph.

Enter

Return

Add a new row at the bottom of the table with the cursor in the last cell of the last row.

Tab key

Tab key

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Work with comments

Except for the shortcut for adding a new comment, the keyboard shortcuts listed below work only when the Comments pane is open and in focus.

To do this

Windows

Mac

Add a new comment.

Ctrl+Alt+M

⌘+Shift+M

Go to the next comment thread.

Down arrow key

Down arrow key

Go to the previous comment thread.

Up arrow key

Up arrow key

Expand a comment thread when the focus is on it.

Right arrow key

Right arrow key

Collapse a comment thread.

Left arrow key

Left arrow key

Go to the next reply in a comment thread.

Down arrow key

Down arrow key

Go to the previous reply in a thread or the parent comment.

Up arrow key

Up arrow key

Move the focus to the reply box.

Tab key

Tab key

Edit a parent comment or reply (when the focus is on the parent comment or reply).

Tab key to More thread actions, Enter, and Down arrow key to Edit comment.

Tab key to More thread actions, Return, and Down arrow key to Edit comment.

Post a comment or a reply or save an edit.

Ctrl+Enter

⌘+Return

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Move a slide

To do this

Windows

Mac

Move the selected slide up one position in the thumbnail pane.

Ctrl+Up arrow key

⌘+Up arrow key

Move the selected slide down one position in the thumbnail pane.

Ctrl+Down arrow key

⌘+Down arrow key

Move the selected slide to the beginning in the thumbnail pane.

Ctrl+Shift+Up arrow key

⌘+Shift+Up arrow key

Move the selected slide to the end in the thumbnail pane.

Ctrl+Shift+Down arrow key

⌘+Shift+Down arrow key

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Navigate with only the keyboard

To move the focus to different parts and areas of PowerPoint for the web (from the ribbon to the thumbnail pane, for example) and in and out of the content of a slide, press Ctrl+F6 (forward) or press Ctrl+Shift+F6 (backward). To navigate options and controls in PowerPoint for the web, press the Tab key to move forward, press Shift+Tab to move backward, and press Enter to select.

Tip: To quickly perform an action while in the Editing mode, press Alt+Q. The focus moves to the Search or Tell Me search field. Then type the action or option you want. Press the Up arrow key or Down arrow key until you find the option, and then press Enter to select it.

The ribbon is the strip at the top of the PowerPoint for the web window. The ribbon is organized by tabs. Each tab displays a different set of tools and functions, made up of groups, and each group includes one or more options. To move the focus to the ribbon, press Alt+Period (.) or Alt+Windows logo key. You can also press Ctrl+F6 repeatedly until the ribbon has the focus.

Other shortcuts for using the ribbon include the following:

  • To move between tabs, use the Right and Left arrow keys.

  • To access the ribbon for the currently selected tab, press the Tab key once.

  • To move between options on the ribbon, use the Right and Left arrow keys.

Options are activated in different ways, depending on the type of the option:

  • If the selected option is a button or split button, press Spacebar or Enter to activate it.

  • If the selected option is a list (such as the Font list), to open the list, press Alt+Down arrow key. Then, to move between items, press the Up or Down arrow key. When the focus is on the item you want, press Enter to select it.

  • If the selected option is a gallery, press the Tab key to go to the More option for the gallery and then, to open the gallery, press Enter. Press the Tab key to move through the items, and then press Enter to select one.

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Navigate the ribbon and panes

To do this

Windows

Mac

Move forward between the following regions:

  • Slide pane

  • Notes pane

  • Status bar

  • Title bar

  • Ribbon

  • Thumbnail pane

Ctrl+F6

⌘+F6

Move backward between the following regions:

  • Slide pane

  • Thumbnail pane

  • Ribbon

  • Title bar

  • Status bar

  • Notes pane

Shift+Ctrl+F6

Shift+⌘+F6

Go to a different ribbon tab.

Right and Left arrow keys

Right and Left arrow keys

Carry out the currently selected ribbon option.

Enter

Return

Move between ribbon options or controls.

Right and Left arrow keys

Right and Left arrow keys

Move between groups of features in the Single Line Ribbon.

Ctrl+Left arrow key or Right arrow key

No shortcut

Switch between the simplified and classic ribbons.

Alt+Period (.), Z, or R 

Ctrl+Period (.), Z, or R

Display the access keys (ribbon commands) on the ribbon.

Alt+Period (.) 

Ctrl+Period (.)

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See also

PowerPoint help & learning

Screen reader support for PowerPoint

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations

Basic tasks to create a presentation in PowerPoint with a screen reader

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate PowerPoint

Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate modern comments in PowerPoint

Use the keyboard to work with the ribbon

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.

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