Keyboard shortcuts

To print this topic, press TAB to select Show All, press ENTER, and then press CTRL+P.

Common Microsoft PowerPoint tasks

Move between panes

F6
Move clockwise among panes of normal view
SHIFT+F6
Move counterclockwise among panes of normal view
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Switch between Slides and Outline tabs of the Outline and Slides pane in normal view

Create and edit presentations

CTRL+N
Create a new presentation
CTRL+M
Insert a new slide
CTRL+D
Make a copy of the selected slide
CTRL+O
Open a presentation
CTRL+W
Close a presentation
CTRL+P
Print a presentation
CTRL+S
Save a presentation
F5
Run a presentation
ALT+F4
Quit PowerPoint
CTRL+F
Find text
CTRL+H
Replace text
CTRL+K
Insert a hyperlink
F7
Check spelling
ESC
Cancel a menu or dialog box action
CTRL+Z
Undo an action
CTRL+Y
Redo or repeat an action

Work in an outline

ALT+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
Promote a paragraph
ALT+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
Demote a paragraph
ALT+SHIFT+UP ARROW
Move selected paragraphs up
ALT+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
Move selected paragraphs down
ALT+SHIFT+1
Show heading level 1
ALT+SHIFT+PLUS SIGN
Expand text below a heading
ALT+SHIFT+MINUS SIGN
Collapse text below a heading
ALT+SHIFT+A
Show all or collapse all text or headings
SLASH (/) on the numeric keypad
Turn character formatting on or off

Work with shapes, pictures, and WordArt

Insert a shape

  1. Press ALT+U to choose AutoShape on the Drawing toolbar.
  2. Use the arrow keys to move through the categories of AutoShapes, and select the AutoShape you want.
  3. Press CTRL+ENTER.

Note   To edit the AutoShape, select the AutoShape, and then use the keyboard to choose AutoShape on the Format menu. Select the options you want on the available tabs.

Insert a text box

  1. Use the keyboard to choose Text Box on the Insert menu.
  2. Press CTRL+ENTER.
  3. Type the text you want in the text box.
  4. When you are finished typing and want to switch back to editing text in your slide, press SHIFT+F10, choose Exit Edit Text on the shortcut menu, and then press ESC.

Note   To format the text box (to add a fill color or change the size, for example) select the text box, choose Text Box on the Format menu, and then select the options you want on the available tabs.

Insert WordArt

  1. Use the keyboard to choose WordArt on the Insert menu, Picture submenu.
  2. Use the arrow keys to select the WordArt style you want, and then press ENTER.
  3. Type the text you want, and then use the TAB key to select other options in the dialog box.
  4. Press ENTER to insert the WordArt.

Note   To edit the WordArt, select the object, choose WordArt on the Format menu, and then select the options you want on the available tabs.

Select a shape

Note   If your insertion point is within text, press ESC.

Do one of the following:

Group or ungroup shapes, pictures, WordArt objects

Rotate a shape, picture, or WordArt

  1. Select the AutoShape, picture, or WordArt you want to rotate.
  2. On the Format menu, use the keyboard to choose the command for the type of object you selected ù for example, AutoShape or Text Box ù and then select the Size tab.
  3. Under Size and rotate, use the TAB key to select Rotation, and then type the amount of rotation you want.
  4. To preview the rotation, choose Preview.

    You might have to move the dialog box in order to preview.

Show or hide a grid or guides

SHIFT+F9

    Show or hide the grid

ALT+F9

    Show or hide guides

CTRL+G

    Change grid or guide settings

Change the position of a shape, picture, or WordArt on a slide

  1. Select the AutoShape, picture, or WordArt you want to change.
  2. On the Format menu, use the keyboard to choose the command for the type of object you selected ù for example, AutoShape or Text Box ù and then select the Position tab.
  3. Under Position on slide, select the options you want.
  4. To preview the change, choose Preview.

    You might have to move the dialog box in order to preview.

Change the size of a shape, picture, or WordArt

  1. Select the AutoShape, picture, or WordArt you want to change.
  2. On the Format menu, use the keyboard to choose the command for the type of object you selected ù for example, AutoShape or Text Box ù and then select the Size tab.
  3. Select the options you want.
  4. To preview the changes, choose Preview.

    You might have to move the dialog box in order to preview the drawing object.

Copy the attributes of a shape

  1. Select the AutoShape with the attributes you want to copy.

    If you select an AutoShape with attached text, you copy the look and style of the text as well as the attributes of the AutoShape.

  2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+C to copy the object attributes.
  3. Press the TAB key or SHIFT+TAB to select the object you want to copy the attributes to.
  4. Press CTRL+SHIFT+V.
 

Select text and objects

SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
One character to the right
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
One character to the left
CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
To the end of a word
CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
To the beginning of a word
SHIFT+UP ARROW
One line up
SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
One line down
ESC
An object (with text selected inside the object)
TAB or SHIFT+TAB until the object you want is selected
An object (with an object selected)
ENTER
Text within an object (with an object selected)
CTRL+A (on the Slides tab)
All objects
CTRL+A (in slide sorter view)
All slides
CTRL+A (on the Outline tab)
All text

Delete and copy text and objects

BACKSPACE
Delete one character to the left
CTRL+BACKSPACE
Delete one word to the left
DELETE
Delete one character to the right
CTRL+DELETE
Delete one word to the right
CTRL+X
Cut selected object
CTRL+C
Copy selected object
CTRL+V
Paste cut or copied object
CTRL+Z
Undo the last action

Move around in text

LEFT ARROW
One character to the left
RIGHT ARROW
One character to the right
UP ARROW
One line up
DOWN ARROW
One line down
CTRL+LEFT ARROW
One word to the left
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
One word to the right
END
To the end of a line
HOME
To the beginning of a line
CTRL+UP ARROW
Up one paragraph
CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Down one paragraph
CTRL+END
To the end of a text box
CTRL+HOME
To the beginning of a text box
CTRL+ENTER
To the next title or body text placeholder. If it is the last placeholder on a slide, this will insert a new slide with the same slide layout as the original slide.
SHIFT+F4
To repeat the last Find action

Move around in and work on tables

TAB
Move to the next cell
SHIFT+TAB
Move to the preceding cell
DOWN ARROW
Move to the next row
UP ARROW
Move to the preceding row
CTRL+TAB
Insert a tab in a cell
ENTER
Start a new paragraph
TAB at the end of the last row
Add a new row at the bottom of the table

Format and align characters and paragraphs

Change or resize the font

CTRL+SHIFT+F
Change the font
CTRL+SHIFT+P
Change the font size
CTRL+SHIFT+>
Increase the font size
CTRL+SHIFT+<
Decrease the font size

Apply character formats

CTRL+T
Change the formatting of characters (Font command, Format menu) between sentence, lowercase, or uppercase
SHIFT+F3
Change the case of letters
CTRL+B
Apply bold formatting
CTRL+U
Apply an underline
CTRL+I
Apply italic formatting
CTRL+EQUAL SIGN
Apply subscript formatting (automatic spacing)
CTRL+SHIFT+PLUS SIGN
Apply superscript formatting (automatic spacing)
CTRL+SPACEBAR
Remove manual character formatting, such as subscript and superscript

Copy text formats

CTRL+SHIFT+C
Copy formats
CTRL+SHIFT+V
Paste formats

Align paragraphs

CTRL+E
Center a paragraph
CTRL+J
Justify a paragraph
CTRL+L
Left align a paragraph
CTRL+R
Right align a paragraph

Run a slide show presentation

You can use the following shortcut keys while running your slide show presentation in full-screen mode.

N, ENTER, PAGE DOWN, RIGHT ARROW, DOWN ARROW, or the SPACEBAR (or click the mouse)
Perform the next animation or advance to the next slide
P, PAGE UP, LEFT ARROW, UP ARROW, or BACKSPACE
Perform the previous animation or return to the previous slide
number+ENTER
Go to slide number
B or PERIOD
Display a black screen, or return to the slide show from a black screen
W or COMMA
Display a white screen, or return to the slide show from a white screen
S or PLUS SIGN
Stop or restart an automatic slide show
ESC, CTRL+BREAK, or HYPHEN
End a slide show
E
Erase on-screen annotations
H
Go to the next hidden slide
T
Set new timings while rehearsing
O
Use original timings while rehearsing
M
Use mouse-click to advance while rehearsing
1+ENTER (or press both mouse buttons for 2 seconds)
Return to the first slide
CTRL+P
Redisplay hidden pointer and/or change the pointer to a pen
CTRL+A
Redisplay hidden pointer and/or change the pointer to an arrow
CTRL+H
Hide the pointer and navigation button immediately
CTRL+U
Hide the pointer and navigation button in 15 seconds
SHIFT+F10 (or right-click)
Display the shortcut menu
TAB
Go to the first or next hyperlink on a slide
SHIFT+TAB
Go to the last or previous hyperlink on a slide
ENTER while a hyperlink is selected
Perform the "mouse click" behavior of the selected hyperlink
SHIFT+ENTER while a hyperlink is selected
Perform the "mouse over" behavior of the selected hyperlink

Tip   You can press F1 during a slide show to see a list of controls.

Browse hyperlinks in a slide show presentation

TAB
Go to the first or next hyperlink per slide
SHIFT+TAB
Go to the last or previous hyperlink per slide
ENTER while a hyperlink is selected
Perform the "mouse click" behavior of the selected hyperlink
SHIFT+ENTER while a hyperlink is selected
Perform the "mouse over" behavior of the selected hyperlink

Browse Web presentations

The following keys are for viewing your Web presentation in Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later.

TAB
Move forward through the hyperlinks in a Web presentation, the Address bar, and the Links bar
SHIFT+TAB
Move back through the hyperlinks in a Web presentation, the Address bar, and the Links bar
ENTER
Perform the "mouse click" behavior of the selected hyperlink
SPACEBAR
Go to the next slide
BACKSPACE
Go to the previous slide

Send a presentation in an e-mail

Use the following keys (if you are sending the presentation as the body of the message) when the e-mail header is active. To activate the e-mail header, press SHIFT+TAB as many times as necessary. (If text within a text box is selected, you must first press F2 to select the text box before pressing SHIFT+TAB.)

ALT+S
Send the current presentation as an e-mail message
CTRL+SHIFT+B
Open the Address Book
ALT+K
Check the names on the To, Cc, and Bcc lines against the Address Book
TAB
Select the next box in the e-mail header or the body of the message when the last box in the e-mail header is active
SHIFT+TAB
Select the previous field or button in the e-mail header

Online Help and the Microsoft Office Assistant

Display and use the Office Assistant

To perform the following actions, the Microsoft Office Assistant must be turned on and visible. To turn on or show the Office Assistant, press ALT+H to open the Help menu, and then press O. With the Assistant visible, press F1 to display the Assistant balloon.

F1
Display the Assistant balloon (if the Assistant is turned off, F1 opens the Help window) 

In the Assistant balloon

ALT+number 
Select a Help topic from the list the Assistant displays. ALT+1 is the first topic, ALT+2 is the second, and so on.
ALT+DOWN ARROW
Display more Help topics in the Assistant list
ALT+UP ARROW
Display previous Help topics in the Assistant list
ESC
Close an Assistant message or a tip 

In some wizards or dialog boxes

TAB
Move to the Help button in the wizard
SPACEBAR, with the Help button selected 
Show the Assistant in a wizard or dialog box. To hide the Assistant, press SPACEBAR again. Note that not all wizards or dialog boxes have Help provided by the Assistant.

Note   If you use a screen review utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.

Display and use the Help window

To use the Help window, the Microsoft Office Assistant must be turned off. To turn off the Assistant, press F1 to display the Assistant. Press ALT+O to open the Options tab in the Office Assistant dialog box. Press ALT+U to clear the Use the Office Assistant check box, and then press ENTER. Press F1 to display the Help window.

F1
Display the Help window if the Assistant is turned off (if the Assistant is turned on, F1 displays the Assistant balloon).

In the Help window

F6
Switch between the Help topic and the Contents, Answer Wizard,  Index pane
TAB
Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, or Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic
SHIFT+TAB
Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink, or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article 
ENTER
Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink
ALT+O
Display the Options menu to access any Help toolbar command
ALT+O, and then press T
Hide or show the pane with the Contents, Answer Wizard, and Index tabs 
ALT+O, and then press B
Display the previously viewed topic
ALT+O, and then press F
Display the next topic in a previously displayed sequence of topics 
ALT+O, and then press H
Return to the specified home page
ALT+O, and then press S
Stop the Help window from opening a Help topic (useful if you want to stop a Web page from downloading)
ALT+O, and then press I 
Open the Internet Options dialog box for Microsoft Internet Explorer, where you can change accessibility settings
ALT+O, and then press R
Refresh the topic (useful if you have linked to a Web page)
ALT+O, and then press P
Print all topics in a book or a selected topic only
ALT+F4
Close the Help window

Note   If you use a screen review utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.

Use the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane

Press F6 to switch from the Help topic to the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane.

CTRL+TAB
Switch to the next tab
ALT+C
Switch to the Contents tab
ALT+A
Switch to the Answer Wizard tab
ALT+I
Switch to the Index tab
ENTER
Open a selected book or Help topic
DOWN ARROW
Select the next book or Help topic
UP ARROW
Select the previous book or Help topic
SHIFT+F10
Display a shortcut menu

Note   If you use a screen review utility or other accessibility aid, you'll get the best results with Help if you enter questions in the Answer Wizard tab in the Help window rather than in the Microsoft Office Assistant balloon or in the Ask a Question box.

Use the topic pane

Press F6 to switch from the Contents, Answer Wizard, Index pane to the open Help topic.

ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Go to the next Help topic
ALT+LEFT ARROW
Go to the previous Help topic
TAB
Select the next hidden text or hyperlink, or Show All or Hide All at the top of a topic
SHIFT+TAB
Select the previous hidden text or hyperlink, or the Browser View button at the top of a Microsoft Office Web site article
ENTER
Perform the action for the selected Show All, Hide All, hidden text, or hyperlink
UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW
Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic
PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
Scroll toward the beginning or end of a Help topic in large increments
HOME or END
Go to the beginning or end of a Help topic
CTRL+P
Print the current Help topic
CTRL+A
Select the entire Help topic
CTRL+C
Copy the selected items to the Clipboard
SHIFT+F10
Display a shortcut menu
 

Microsoft Office basics

Display and use windows

ALT+TAB
Switch to the next window
ALT+SHIFT+TAB
Switch to the previous window
CTRL+W or CTRL+F4
Close the active window
CTRL+F5
Restore the size of the active window after you've maximized it
F6
Move to a task pane from another pane in the program window (clockwise direction). You may need to press F6 more than once.
Note   If pressing F6 doesn't display the task pane you want, try pressing ALT to place focus on the menu bar, and then pressing CTRL+TAB to move to the task pane.
SHIFT+F6
Move to a pane from another pane in the program window (counterclockwise direction)
CTRL+F6
When more than one window is open, switch to the next window
CTRL+SHIFT+F6
Switch to the previous window
CTRL+F7
When a document window is not maximized, performs the Move command (on the Control menu for the window). Use the arrow keys to move the window, and, when finished, press ESC.
CTRL+F8
When a document window is not maximized, performs the Size command (on the Control menu for the window). Use the arrow keys to resize the window, and, when finished, press ESC.
CTRL+F9
Minimize a window to an icon (works only for some Microsoft Office programs)
CTRL+F10
Maximize or restore a selected window
PRINT SCREEN
Copy a picture of the screen to the Clipboard
ALT+PRINT SCREEN
Copy a picture of the selected window to the Clipboard
 

Access and use smart tags

ALT+SHIFT+F10
Display the menu or message for a smart tag. If more than one smart tag is present, switch to the next smart tag and display its menu or message.
DOWN ARROW
Select the next item in a smart tag menu.
UP ARROW
Select the previous item in a smart tag menu.
ENTER
Perform the action for the selected item in a smart tag menu.
ESC
Close the smart tag menu or message.

Tip

You can ask to be notified by a sound whenever a smart tag appears. To hear audio cues, you must have a sound card. You must also have Microsoft Office Sounds installed on your computer.

If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can download Microsoft Office Sounds from the Microsoft Office Web site. On the Help menu, click Office on the Web and search for "Microsoft Office Sounds." After you've installed the sound files, you need to select the Provide feedback with sound check box on the General tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu). When you select (or clear) this check box, the setting affects all Office programs that support sound.

Note   The hyperlink in this topic goes to the Web. You can switch back to Help at any time.

 

Access and use task panes

F6
Move to a task pane from another pane in the program window. (You may need to press F6 more than once.)
Note   If pressing F6 doesn't display the task pane you want, try pressing ALT to place focus on the menu bar, and then pressing CTRL+TAB to move to the task pane.
CTRL+TAB
When a menu or toolbar is active, move to a task pane. (You may need to press CTRL+TAB more than once.)
TAB or SHIFT+TAB 
When a task pane is active, select the next or previous option in the task pane
CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Display the full set of commands on the task pane menu
DOWN ARROW or UP ARROW
Move among choices in a selected submenu; move among certain options in a group of options
SPACEBAR or ENTER
Open the selected menu, or perform the action assigned to the selected button
SHIFT+F10
Open a shortcut menu; open a drop-down menu for the selected gallery item
HOME or END 
When a menu or submenu is visible, select the first or last command on the menu or submenu
PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN
Scroll up or down in the selected gallery list
CTRL+HOME or CTRL+END
Move to the top or bottom of the selected gallery list
 

Resize and move toolbars, menus, and task panes

  1. Press ALT to select the menu bar.
  2. Press CTRL+TAB repeatedly to select the toolbar or task pane you want.
  3. Do one of the following:

    Resize a toolbar

    1. In the toolbar, press CTRL+SPACE to display the Toolbar Options menu.
    2. Select the Size command, and then press ENTER.
    3. Use the arrow keys to resize the toolbar. Press CTRL+ the arrow keys to resize one pixel at a time.

    Move a toolbar

    1. In the toolbar, press CTRL+SPACE to display the Toolbar Options menu.
    2. Select the Move command, and then press ENTER.
    3. Use the arrow keys to position the toolbar. Press CTRL+ the arrow keys to move one pixel at a time. To undock the toolbar, press DOWN ARROW repeatedly. To dock the toolbar vertically on the left or right side, press LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW respectively when the toolbar is all the way to the left or right side.

    Resize a task pane

    1. In the task pane, press CTRL+SPACE to display a menu of additional commands.
    2. Use the DOWN ARROW key to select the Size command, and then press ENTER.
    3. Use the arrow keys to resize the task pane. Use CTRL+ the arrow keys to resize by one pixel at a time.

    Move a task pane

    1. In the task pane, press CTRL+SPACE to display a menu of additional commands.
    2. Use the DOWN ARROW key to select the Move command, and then press ENTER.
    3. Use the arrow keys to position the task pane. Use CTRL+ the arrow keys to move one pixel at a time.
  4. When you are finished moving or resizing, press ESC.
 

Use dialog boxes

TAB
Move to the next option or option group
SHIFT+TAB
Move to the previous option or option group
CTRL+TAB
Switch to the next tab in a dialog box 
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Switch to the previous tab in a dialog box 
Arrow keys
Move between options in an open drop-down list, or between options in a group of options
SPACEBAR
Perform the action assigned to the selected button; check or clear the selected check box
First letter of an option in a drop-down list
Open the list if it is closed and move to that option in the list
ALT+ the letter underlined in an option
Select an option; select or clear a check box
ALT+DOWN ARROW
Open a selected drop-down list
ESC
Close a selected drop-down list; cancel a command and close a dialog box
ENTER
Perform the action assigned to a default button in a dialog box
 

Use edit boxes within dialog boxes

An edit box is a blank in which you type or paste an entry, such as your user name or the path to a folder.

HOME
Move to the beginning of the entry
END
Move to the end of the entry
LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW
Move one character to the left or right
CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Move one word to the left
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Move one word to the right
SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
Select or unselect one character to the left
SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
Select or unselect one character to the right
CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
Select or unselect one word to the left
CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
Select or unselect one word to the right
SHIFT+HOME
Select from the insertion point to the beginning of the entry
SHIFT+END
Select from the insertion point to the end of the entry
 

Use the Open and Save As dialog boxes

The Open, Insert Picture, and Save As dialog boxes support standard dialog box keyboard shortcuts. (To view standard shortcuts for dialog boxes, refer to the Use Dialog Boxes and Use Edit Boxes Within Dialog Boxes sections in the main Keyboard Shortcuts topic.) These dialog boxes also support the shortcuts below.

ALT+1
Go to the previous folder
ALT+2
Up One Level button: open the folder up one level above the open folder
ALT+3
Search the Web button: close the dialog box and open your Web search page
ALT+4
Delete button: delete the selected folder or file
ALT+5
Create New Folder button: create a new folder
ALT+6
Views button: switch among available folder views
ALT+7 or ALT+L
Tools button: show the Tools menu 
SHIFT+F10
Display a shortcut menu for a selected item such as a folder or file
TAB
Move between options or areas in the dialog box 
F4 or ALT+I
Open the Look in list
F5
Refresh the file list