Available Content
Hotkey Summary
Introduction
Below you will find the keyboard commands you can use to accomplish many of the popular tasks you may undertake in PowerPoint 365 Classic Desktop Edition. You can also click here to download this page as a Word document.
Enhance PowerPoint with sounds
You can enhance your experience using PowerPoint by enabling sounds. When enabled, sounds will reinforce many of the common actions you perform such as deleting, cutting, pasting, and actions like autocorrection, opening task pane, and closing task pane.
When enabled, the sound effects are used in all Microsoft Office apps irrespective of the app you chose to turn them on.
To enable sounds:
- Open Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Word.
- Open the "File" menu and select "Options" (ALT + F, T).
- Select the "Accessibility" category.
- Select "Provide feedback with sound" check box (ALT + S).
- TAB to and select a sound scheme. You can choose between two different sound schemes: Modern and Classic.
- Select the "OK" button.
Hotkey conflicts
You may experience a hotkey conflict with some of the stated keyboard commands. If you are unfamiliar with resolving hotkey conflicts, please visit Resolving Hotkey Conflicts with Apps (opens in new tab).
| Command | Desktop - Numpad Set | Laptop - Universal Set |
|---|---|---|
| Pass next key to application | LEFT CONTROL + 7 | CAPS LOCK + 3 |
| Toggle hotkeys on / off | LEFT CONTROL + 8 | LEFT SHIFT + CAPS LOCK + 3 |
Open, saving, printing, and closing slideshows
| Command | Hotkey |
|---|---|
| Create a new slideshow | CONTROL + N |
| Open the "Open" dialog box | CONTROL + F12 |
| Open the "Save As" dialog box | F12 |
| Save changes to the current slideshow | CONTROL + S |
| Open the "Print" options | CONTROL + P |
| Switch to next open file | CONTROL + F6 |
| Close the current file | CONTROL + F4 or CONTROL + W |
| Close PowerPoint | ALT + F4 or CONTROL + Q |
Navigating UI elements including Ribbon, Task Pane, and Status Bar
| Command | Hotkey |
|---|---|
| Move focus to next main element | F6 |
| Move focus to previous main element | SHIFT + 6 |
| Move focus to the Ribbon tab | ALT or F10 |
| Move focus to a specific Ribbon tab | ALT + Ribbon tab key (for example ALT + H to move to the Home tab) |
| Open the context menu | SHIFT + F10 or APPLICATION KEY |
| Move focus to the previous group in the Ribbon | CONTROL + LEFT ARROW |
| Move focus to the next group in the Ribbon | CONTROL + RIGHT ARROW |
| Explore commands | Arrow Keys or TAB / SHIFT + TAB |
| Move focus to the Quick Search box to enable searching for Ribbon commands | ALT + Q |
| Close Task Pane | Press F6 to move focus to the Task Pane, then CONTROL + SPACEBAR to open the task pane menu, and select "Close" |
Useful SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader commands when navigating the Ribbon, Task Pane, and Status Bar
| Command | Desktop - Numpad Set | Laptop - Universal Set |
|---|---|---|
| Speak focus | NUMPAD 0 | CAPS LOCK + UP ARROW |
| Speak additional focus information, describes help text and shortcut key for current Ribbon command | LEFT SHIFT + NUMPAD 0 | LEFT CONTROL + CAPS LOCK + UP ARROW |
| Speak shortcut key | LEFT SHIFT + NUMPAD PERIOD | LEFT CONTROL + CAPS LOCK + LEFT ARROW |
| Speak status bar information | NUMPAD 2 | CAPS LOCK + PAGE DOWN |
| List commands in the Quick Access Toolbar | CAPS LOCK + Q | CAPS LOCK + Q |
Tip: The shortcut key for a Ribbon tab, and the descriptive text for Ribbon commands, are automatically announced when using a High Verbosity Scheme. You can adjust your Speech Verbosity Scheme by pressing CAPS LOCK + EQUALS or, if you are using the Laptop Universal hotkey set, press CAPS LOCK + V.
To change your Braille Verbosity Scheme, press LEFT SHIFT + CAPS LOCK + EQUALS or, if you are using the Laptop universal Hotkey Set, press LEFT CONTROL + CAPS LOCK + V.
Navigating slides, text and selecting text commands
| Command | Hotkey |
|---|---|
| Insert new slide based on current template | CONTROL + M or, if editing text, press CONTROL + ENTER |
| Insert duplicate slide when in Outline (Thumbnails) Pane | CONTROL + D |
| Navigate to next slide when in Slide View Pane | PAGE DOWN |
| Navigate to previous slide when in Slide View Pane | PAGE UP |
| Navigate to next object place-holder when using Slide View Pane | TAB or, if editing text, CONTROL + ENTER (if on last object, CONTROL + ENTER will insert a new slide) |
| Navigate to previous object place-holder when using Slide View Pane | SHIFT + TAB |
| Edit text in object place-holder when using Slide View Pane | ENTER |
| Remove all text from object place-holder when using Slide View Pane |
TAB to object place-holder and press DELETE |
| Remove object place-holder from slide when using Slide View Pane | TAB to object place-holder and press DELETE twice |
| Move focus to previous / next character when editng text | LEFT / RIGHT ARROW |
| Move focus to previous / next word when editing text | CONTROL + LEFT / RIGHT ARROW |
| Move focus to previous / next line when editing text | UP / DOWN ARROW |
| Move focus to previous / next paragraph when editing text | CONTROL + UP / DOWN ARROW |
| Move focus to start of line when editing text | HOME |
| Move focus to end of line when editing text | END |
| Select a character when editing text | Position the focus to the left of the character and press SHIFT + RIGHT ARROW |
| Select a word when editing text | Position the focus to the left of the word and press CONTROL + RIGHT ARROW |
| Select a line when editing text | Position the focus at the start of the line and press SHIFT + DOWN ARROW |
| Select a paragraph when editing text | Position the focus at the start of the paragraph and press SHIFT + CONTROL + DOWN ARROW |
| Select all when editing text | CONTROL + A |
Useful SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader commands when editing, navigating, and selecting text
| Command | Desktop - Numpad Set | Laptop - Universal Set |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle typing modes | CAPS LOCK + SEMI COLON | CAPS LOCK + 2 |
| Speak character | NUMPAD 4 | CAPS LOCK + LEFT ARROW |
| Speak word | NUMPAD 5 | CAPS LOCK + RIGHT ARROW |
| Speak line | NUMPAD 6 | CAPS LOCK + UP ARROW |
| Speak line to cursor | LEFT SHIFT + NUMPAD 1 | CAPS LOCK + HOME |
| Speak line from cursor | LEFT SHIFT + NUMPAD 2 | CAPS LOCK + END |
| Speak selection | NUMPAD 1 | LEFT SHIFT + CAPS LOCK + DOWN ARROW |
Tip: Speak keys provide additional output when pressed multiple times, for example, pressing the Speak character hotkey twice means the character is spelt phonetically, a third press describes the character’s font attributes, and a fourth press states the character’s Unicode value.
Working with text
PowerPoint includes keyboard commands that make working with text a productive experience when using the keyboard. In most cases, the stated hotkeys require you to make a selection prior to applying the hotkey.
| Command | Hotkey |
|---|---|
| Change the case of text | SHIFT + F3. Repeated presses of this hot key will cycle through the separate ways the capital letter style can be applied including uppercase, lowercase, and initial case |
| Insert the current date and / or time | SHIFT + ALT + T |
| Open the "Font" options | CONTROL + T or CONTROL + SHIFT + F |
| Copy text | CONTROL + C |
| Cut text | CONTROL + X |
| Paste text | CONTROL + V |
| Copy text formatting | CONTROL + SHIFT + C |
| Paste text formatting | CONTROL + SHIFT + V |
| Undo | CONTROL + Z |
| Redo | CONTROL + Y |
| Move paragraph up | SHIFT + ALT + UP ARROW |
| Move paragraph down | SHIFT + ALT + DOWN ARROW |
| Demote bullet or numbered list | TAB |
| Promote bullet or numbered list | SHIFT + TAB |
Formatting text and paragraphs
PowerPoint includes keyboard commands that enable you to change the formatting of text quickly and easily from the keyboard.
| Command | Hotkey |
|---|---|
| Make text bold | CONTROL + B |
| Make text italic | CONTROL + I |
| Make text underlined | CONTROL + U |
| Make text subscript | CONTROL + EQUALS |
| Make text superscript | CONTROL + SHIFT + EQUALS |
| Left align a paragraph | CONTROL + L |
| Centre a paragraph | CONTROL + E |
| Justify a paragraph | CONTROL + J |
| Right align a paragraph | CONTROL + R |
| Reset character style back to default values | CONTROL + SPACEBAR |
Useful SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader commands for reviewing text formats
| Command | Desktop - Numpad Set | Laptop - Universal Set |
|---|---|---|
| Speak character attributes | NUMPAD 4 (on third press) | CAPS LOCK + LEFT ARROW (on third press) |
Tip: You can automate the announcement of style changes through the "Text Style Announcements" dialog box in the SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader Control Panel. You may find this useful when proof-reading slides for formatting changes.
Slideshow keyboard commands
| Command | Hotkey |
|---|---|
| Switch to Presenter View | ALT + F5 |
| Start slideshow from beginning | F5 |
| Start slideshow from current slide | SHIFT + F5 |
| Go to next slide in slideshow | N, ENTER, PAGE DOWN, RIGHT ARROW, DOWN ARROW or SPACEBAR |
| Go to previous slide in slideshow | P, PAGE UP, LEFT ARROW, UP ARROW or BACKSPACE |
| Go to first slide in slideshow | 1 + ENTER |
| Go to a slide number in a slideshowr | n + ENTER (where n is the number of the slide) |
| Go to speaker notes in a slideshow | Toggle on the Dolphin Cursor and press N |
| Go back to slide from speaker notes in slideshow | With Dolphin Cursor on, press S |
| Start / stop an automatic slideshow | S or SHIFT + EQUALS |
| Display a black screen in a slideshow | B or FULLSTOP |
| Display a white screen in a slideshow | W or COMMA |
| Exit a slideshow | ESCAPE |
Other useful SuperNova, Dolphin ScreenReader, and PowerPoint keyboard commands
Here is a list of assorted commands you may find helpful when working in PowerPoint.
| Command | Hotkey |
|---|---|
| Show / hide the Notes Pane | ALT + W, P, N |
| Move slide up when in Outline (Thumbnails) Pane | CONTROL + UP ARROW |
| Move slide down when in Outline (Thumbnails) Pane | CONTROL + DOWN ARROW |
| Move slide to top when in Outline (Thumbnails) Pane | CONTROL + SHIFT + UP ARROW |
| Move slide to bottom when in Outline (Thumbnails) Pane | CONTROL + SHIFT + DOWN ARROW |
| Spell check presentation | F7 |
| Look up current word in Thesaurus | SHIFT + F7 |
| Insert hyperlink | CONTROL + K |
| Open the "Find" option | CONTROL + F |
| Open the "Replace" option | CONTROL + H |
| Continue your search | SHIFT +F4 |
