PowerPoint Shortcuts: The Keys Worth Learning (Windows and Mac)

You don't need a hundred shortcuts. A dozen that you use every day will save more time than memorising Microsoft's whole list. I've grouped the ones from Microsoft's official reference into building a deck, working with objects and presenting, with the Mac versions where they differ. Pick three from each table, use them for a week, and they'll stick.

Everyday shortcuts for building slides

What it does	Windows	Mac
New presentation	Ctrl+N	Command+N
New slide	Ctrl+M	Command+Shift+N
Duplicate the selected slide	Ctrl+Shift+D	Check Microsoft's Mac list
Bold	Ctrl+B	Command+B
Insert a hyperlink	Ctrl+K	Command+K
Insert a comment	Ctrl+Alt+M	Command+Shift+M
Undo / redo	Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y	Command+Z / Command+Y
Save	Ctrl+S	Command+S
Save with a different name	Ctrl+Shift+S	Check Microsoft's Mac list
Zoom to fit	Ctrl+Alt+O	Check Microsoft's Mac list

The one I'd learn first is Ctrl+M. Building a deck becomes type, Ctrl+M, type, Ctrl+M, without ever reaching for the mouse.

Shortcuts for shapes, pictures and text boxes

What it does	Windows
Duplicate selected objects	Ctrl+D, or Ctrl+drag
Copy formatting	Ctrl+Shift+C
Paste formatting	Ctrl+Shift+V
Copy / paste animation	Alt+Shift+C / Alt+Shift+V
Select all objects on a slide	Ctrl+A
Group / ungroup / regroup	Ctrl+G / Ctrl+Shift+G / Ctrl+Shift+J
Bring forward / send back one position	Ctrl+Shift+] / Ctrl+Shift+[
Rotate 15 degrees clockwise / anticlockwise	Alt+Right arrow / Alt+Left arrow
Paste Special	Ctrl+Alt+V

Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V are the hidden gems. Copy the formatting from one text box and paste it onto another, and fonts, colours and sizes all match in one go. The animation painter pair, Alt+Shift+C and Alt+Shift+V, does the same for animations.

Shortcuts for presenting

What it does	Key
Start from the beginning	F5
Start from the current slide	Shift+F5
Start in Presenter View	Alt+F5
Next animation or slide	N, Enter, Spacebar, Page down, Right or Down arrow
Previous animation or slide	P, Backspace, Page up, Left or Up arrow
Blank black screen (and back)	B or full stop
Blank white screen (and back)	W or comma
Laser pointer	Ctrl+L
Hide pointer and navigation buttons	Ctrl+H
End the show	Esc

On a Mac, Microsoft lists Command+Shift+Return to start the slide show and Esc to end it.

The presenting shortcut nobody uses: B

Press B during a slide show and the screen goes black. Press it again and your slide comes back. Microsoft lists full stop as an alternative, and W or comma for a white screen. It's the best way to pull attention back to you during a discussion, a question or a story, instead of leaving people reading the slide behind you. It's a tiny trick, and it makes you look far more practised than you might feel.

Shift+F5 is the other one to learn. If you're checking a slide halfway through, it starts the show from that slide instead of slide 1.

Moving around while you edit

A few navigation keys make editing a long deck far less tiring. Page down and Page up move to the next and previous slide. Ctrl+Plus and Ctrl+Minus zoom in and out on the slide you're working on, which helps when you're lining up small shapes, and Ctrl+Alt+O zooms back to fit the window. Ctrl+O opens a presentation and Ctrl+D closes one, while Ctrl+Q closes PowerPoint altogether.

Microsoft also lists Ctrl+Alt+5 to move the focus to the first floating shape on a slide, such as an image or text box, and Tab or Shift+Tab to move between objects. That's useful when objects are stacked on top of each other and you can't click the one underneath.

Laser pointer and hiding the cursor

When you're presenting on a big screen, Ctrl+L turns your mouse pointer into a laser pointer so people can follow what you're pointing at. Ctrl+H hides the pointer and navigation buttons when you'd rather the slide looked clean. Both work during the slide show, so test them once before the day.

Mac shortcuts are different, not just swapped

Most Mac shortcuts swap Ctrl for Command, but not all. A new slide is Command+Shift+N on a Mac, not Command+M, and a comment is Command+Shift+M. Starting the slide show is Command+Shift+Return rather than F5. If a shortcut from a Windows guide doesn't work on your Mac, check the Mac section of Microsoft's reference page, which you can search with Command+F.

Building the habit

• Pick three shortcuts and stick a note on your screen for a week.
• Start with the ones you do most: new slide, duplicate, undo.
• Add the presenting set, F5, Shift+F5, B and Esc, before your next talk.
• Once those stick, add Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V for formatting.

Shortcuts are only half of a smooth presentation. My guide on how to present in PowerPoint covers Presenter View and pacing, and it's worth knowing how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint so your prompts are ready when you press Alt+F5.

My take

Learn Ctrl+M, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+G and the formatting pair for building; F5, Shift+F5, B and Esc for presenting. That's under a dozen keys, and they'll cover most of what you do in PowerPoint. On a Mac, check the Mac list rather than guessing.

Frequently asked questions

What's the shortcut for a new slide in PowerPoint?

Ctrl+M on Windows. On a Mac, Microsoft lists Command+Shift+N.

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

Press Shift+F5. F5 starts from the beginning and Alt+F5 starts in Presenter View.

How do I black out the screen during a presentation?

Press B or full stop. Press it again to return to the slide. W or comma gives a white screen.

Is there a shortcut to copy formatting in PowerPoint?

Yes. Ctrl+Shift+C copies formatting and Ctrl+Shift+V pastes it.

How do I start a slide show on a Mac?

Microsoft lists Command+Shift+Return to start the slide show and Esc to end it.