Better, faster, slicker PowerPoint presentations with keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard image from Office.comBy learning just a few keyboard shortcuts, you can stop sweating the mechanics of presenting - and give more of your attention to your audience and your message.

Here's a quick selection of presentation boons that will save you time and make you look super pro, starting with the basics:

 

 

 

 

Action

Keyboard shortcut

 

Start a presentation in Slide Show view from the current slide (more about Slide Show view here for 2010, here for 2007, and here for 2003)

Shift+F5

Run the next animation or advance to the next slide

Enter, or Spacebar

Jump to a particular slide

Type the slide number and press Enter

Return to the previous slide

Backspace

Jump to the first (or last) slide

Home, or End

End a slide show

Esc, or - (hyphen)

 

And onto some fancier moves:

Action

Keyboard shortcut

 

Move the active window from the primary display to the secondary display

Depending on your keyboard, either

  • Fn (Function)+Spacebar, or
  • F+Spacebar

Render screen white or black

W, or B

Go to the next hidden slide (read more about hidden slides in PowerPoint 2010 and 2007)

H

Display a pen cursor

Ctrl+P

Display an arrow cursor

Ctrl+A

Hide the cursor

Ctrl+H

 

Tip: If you get stuck, you can always press F1 in Slide Show view to access keyboard shortcuts, like so: 

We have extensive topics for shortcuts you can use while delivering your presentation (whether you're using PowerPoint 2010, PowerPoint 2007, or PowerPoint 2003.)

Want shortcuts you can use when creating your presentation? We have those, too (for PowerPoint 2010, PowerPoint 2007, and PowerPoint 2003).

If there's a shortcut you can't live without, let us know!

-- Kristin Beck, for the PowerPoint blog team

 

Office Blogs Comments

Comments: (4) Collapse

  • "If there's a shortcut you can't live without, let us know!"

    Why is it that in Word 2007+ a user is allowed to create their own keyboard shortcuts but not in PowerPoint?  

    If shortcuts are so useful that "you can stop sweating the mechanics of presenting", why was the ability to customize shortcuts actively removed from  PowerPoint 2007 (it was present in 2003)

  • Thanks for the tips. I've learned a lot from you.

  • Hello, how do you turn off shortcuts? For example I am using hyperlink navigation through out and I want to turn off the enter and mouse click to advance the slide. Thanks

  • @Arnie, take a look at this site and let me know if it still doesn't help: technet.microsoft.com/.../cc179143.aspx

    Best,

    -Erik

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