PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts (Free Printable Cheat Sheet)
72 PowerPoint shortcuts on one page — running the show, editing slides, formatting text, aligning objects and driving animations and media — with the Windows keys and the Mac keys side by side, so one printout covers a mixed room. Keys are Microsoft's documented defaults for PowerPoint on Windows and PowerPoint for Mac. Hit Print or Download PDF; no signup. Copy, paste and undo work the same in every app and live on the general keyboard shortcuts sheet instead.
Prints on one US Letter page. Set margins to "None" for the sharpest result.
PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts
72 shortcuts — Windows and Mac keys side by side
Presentation Mode
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Start from the first slide | F5 | Cmd+Shift+Return |
| Start from the current slide | Shift+F5 | Cmd+Return |
| Presenter view | Alt+F5 | Option+Return |
| Next slide or animation | N, →, ↓ or Space | N, →, ↓ or Space |
| Previous slide or animation | P, ←, ↑ or Backspace | P, ←, ↑ or Delete |
| Go to a slide by number | Number, then Enter | Number, then Return |
| First / last slide | Home / End | Fn+← / Fn+→ |
| See the All Slides list | Ctrl+S | — |
| Black the screen / back | B or . | B or . |
| White the screen / back | W or , | W or , |
| Laser pointer | Ctrl+L | Cmd+L |
| Pen / arrow pointer | Ctrl+P / Ctrl+A | Cmd+P / Cmd+A |
| Eraser pointer | Ctrl+E | — |
| Erase every annotation | E | Shift+E |
| Hide the pointer | Ctrl+H | Cmd+I |
| End the show | Esc | Esc or Cmd+. |
Slide Editing
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| New presentation | Ctrl+N | Cmd+N |
| New slide | Ctrl+M | Cmd+Shift+N |
| Duplicate the slide | Ctrl+Shift+D | Cmd+Shift+D |
| Duplicate the object* | Ctrl+D or Ctrl+drag | Control+D |
| Move the slide up / down | Ctrl+↑ / ↓ | Cmd+↑ / ↓ |
| Move it to start / end | Ctrl+Shift+↑ / ↓ | Cmd+Shift+↑ / ↓ |
| Promote / demote a bullet | Alt+Shift+← / → | Cmd+[ / Cmd+] |
| Move the paragraph up / down | Alt+Shift+↑ / ↓ | — |
| Swap outline / thumbnails | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
| Next / previous object | Tab / Shift+Tab | Tab / Shift+Tab |
| Every object on the slide | Ctrl+A | Cmd+A |
| Type in the selected box | Enter | Return |
| Select the box, not the text | Esc | Esc |
| Next title or body placeholder | Ctrl+Enter | — |
| Insert a text box | Alt, N, X † | — |
| New comment | Ctrl+Alt+M | Cmd+Shift+M |
| Zoom to fit the slide | Ctrl+Alt+O | Cmd+Option+O |
| Normal / sorter / notes / outline | View tab: Alt+W † | Cmd+1 / 2 / 3 / 4 |
Formatting
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bold / italic / underline | Ctrl+B / I / U | Cmd+B / I / U |
| Font dialog | Ctrl+T or Ctrl+Shift+F | Cmd+T |
| Grow / shrink the font | Ctrl+Shift+> / < | Cmd+Shift+> / < |
| Cycle UPPER / lower / Title | Shift+F3 | Shift+F3 |
| Subscript | Ctrl+= | Cmd+Control+= |
| Superscript | Ctrl+Shift++ | Cmd+Control+Shift+= |
| Strip manual formatting‡ | Ctrl+Spacebar | Control+Spacebar |
| Copy / paste formatting | Ctrl+Shift+C / V | Cmd+Shift+C / V |
| Paragraph dialog | — | Cmd+Option+M |
| Format the selected shape | — | Cmd+Shift+1 |
| Format the slide background | — | Cmd+Shift+2 |
| Hyperlink | Ctrl+K | Cmd+K |
| Find / replace | Ctrl+F / Ctrl+H | Cmd+F / Cmd+Shift+H |
| Paste Special | Ctrl+Alt+V | Cmd+Control+V |
Alignment & Arrange
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Align text left / center / right | Ctrl+L / E / R | Cmd+L / E / R |
| Justify the text | Ctrl+J | Cmd+J |
| Group / ungroup | Ctrl+G / Ctrl+Shift+G | Cmd+Opt+G / Cmd+Opt+Shift+G |
| Regroup | Ctrl+Shift+J | Cmd+Option+J |
| Forward / back one layer | Ctrl+Shift+] / [ | Cmd+Opt+Shift+F / B |
| Bring to front / send to back | — | Cmd+Shift+F / Cmd+Shift+B |
| Move the selected object | Arrow keys | Arrows or Cmd+Arrows |
| Resize the selected object | — | Shift+Arrow keys |
| Rotate 15° right / left | Alt+→ / Alt+← | Option+→ / Option+← |
| Ignore snapping while dragging | Hold Alt | Hold Cmd |
| Drag on one axis | Hold Shift | Hold Shift |
| Show / hide the guides | Alt+F9 | Cmd+Option+Control+G |
| Show / hide the grid | Shift+F9 | Shift+F9 |
| Selection pane | Alt+F10 | — |
Animation, Transitions & Media
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Animations tab | Alt+A † | — |
| Transitions tab | Alt+K † | — |
| Slide Show tab | Alt+S † | — |
| Copy an animation | Alt+Shift+C | Cmd+Opt+Shift+C |
| Paste that animation | Alt+Shift+V | Cmd+Opt+Shift+V |
| Play / pause the media | Ctrl+Spacebar | Spacebar |
| Play / pause it in the show | Alt+P | — |
| Stop it in the show | Alt+Q | — |
| Volume up / down | Alt+↑ / Alt+↓ | — |
| Mute the media | Alt+U | — |
* PowerPoint for Mac duplicates a shape with Control+D, not Cmd+D — Cmd+Shift+D duplicates the whole slide on both platforms. † "Alt, N, X" means press and release each key in turn — Windows ribbon key tips; PowerPoint for Mac has no equivalent, so its ribbon is reached with the mouse or the menu bar. ‡ Control+Spacebar on a Mac collides with the macOS input-source switcher; free it in System Settings ▸ Keyboard ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts. A dash means Microsoft documents no key for that platform — Align, for one, lives on the Shape Format ▸ Arrange menu everywhere. On a Mac where the F-keys run brightness and volume, hold Fn as well. · printablepolly.com/powerpoint-shortcuts
The Shortcuts Worth Learning First
1. F5, Shift + F5, Alt + F5 — three different ways in
F5 runs the deck from slide one. Shift+F5 runs it from the slide you are looking at, which is what you want when you are rehearsing one build twenty times. Alt+F5 opens Presenter view on your own screen — notes, a timer and the next slide — without needing a second monitor plugged in to try it. On a Mac the three are Cmd+Shift+Return, Cmd+Return and Option+Return.
2. B, W and "number then Enter" — running the room
B blacks the screen and W whites it, and the same key brings the slide straight back — the polite way to take a question without the deck competing for attention. Typing a slide number and pressing Enter jumps there instantly, so "can you go back to the revenue chart?" costs you one keystroke instead of thirty seconds of scrubbing. Print the sheet, and write your key slide numbers in the margin before you present.
3. Ctrl + Shift + D and Ctrl + ↑ / ↓ — build the deck out of itself
Ctrl+M makes a new slide, but Ctrl+Shift+D duplicates the one you are on, layout and formatting included, which is nearly always the faster start. Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+↓ move the selected slide through the running order and Ctrl+Shift+↑ / ↓ send it to the beginning or the end, so the whole reorder happens in the thumbnail pane without a drag. In a text placeholder, Alt+Shift+← and Alt+Shift+→ promote and demote a bullet (Cmd+[ and Cmd+] on a Mac).
4. Alt + Shift + C and Alt + Shift + V — the Animation Painter
Animations are where PowerPoint runs out of keys, with one exception worth the price of the sheet: Alt+Shift+C copies the whole animation off an object — effect, timing, delay — and Alt+Shift+V paints it onto the next one. Six inconsistent builds become six identical ones in a dozen keystrokes. If your slides are carrying numbers from a spreadsheet, the Excel keyboard shortcuts sheet and the Word shortcuts sheet cover the other two thirds of the Office day.
Printable PDF
The chart above is the whole thing — one US Letter page, black-and-white friendly, with both platforms in every row. Print as many copies as you need for a class, a team or a training room. No signup, no watermark.
More Printable Tech Cheat Sheets
FAQ
What is the shortcut to start a PowerPoint slide show?
F5 starts from the first slide and Shift+F5 starts from the slide you are on — the one you want when you are mid-edit and just checking a build. On a Mac they are Cmd+Shift+Return and Cmd+Return. Presenter view, with your notes and the next slide on your screen, is Alt+F5 on Windows and Option+Return on a Mac. Esc ends the show on both.
How do I jump to a specific slide during a presentation?
Type the slide number and press Enter — no menu, no mouse, and the audience never sees you scrub through the deck. It works on both platforms, which is why presenters print the slide numbers on their notes. Home returns to the first slide and End goes to the last (Fn+← and Fn+→ on a Mac), and on Windows Ctrl+S opens the All Slides list to pick one by title instead.
How do I black out the screen in the middle of a presentation?
Press B, or the period key, to black the screen and the same key again to bring the slide back. W or the comma key does the same in white. It is the shortcut worth knowing before any other: it drops the projector out of the conversation while you take a question, without stopping the show or exposing your desktop.
What is the keyboard shortcut for a new slide in PowerPoint?
Ctrl+M on Windows, Cmd+Shift+N on a Mac. Ctrl+Shift+D (Cmd+Shift+D) duplicates the slide you are on, which is usually the faster way to build a deck — copy the slide that already has the right layout and swap the content. In the thumbnail pane, Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+↓ move the selected slide up and down the running order.
Why doesn't Cmd+D duplicate an object in PowerPoint for Mac?
Because PowerPoint for Mac maps duplicate to Control+D, not Cmd+D — one of the few places Office for Mac uses the Control key where the rest of macOS uses Command. Control+drag does the same thing with the mouse. Cmd+Shift+D is the one that behaves the way you expect, and it duplicates the whole slide rather than the selected shape.
How do I align objects on a slide with the keyboard?
PowerPoint gives the Align commands no default keys on either platform — they live in Shape Format ▸ Arrange. What the keyboard does give you is everything around them: Alt+F9 shows the guides and Shift+F9 the grid, arrow keys nudge the selected shape, holding Alt (Cmd on a Mac) while you drag turns snapping off for fine placement, and Ctrl+Shift+] and Ctrl+Shift+[ move a shape forward and back through the stack. PowerPoint for Mac adds Cmd+Shift+F and Cmd+Shift+B to jump straight to the front or the back.
Are there keyboard shortcuts for animations in PowerPoint?
Two that matter: Alt+Shift+C copies the animation on the selected object and Alt+Shift+V pastes it onto another — the Animation Painter, and the fastest way to make a deck's builds consistent. On a Mac they are Cmd+Option+Shift+C and Cmd+Option+Shift+V. Everything else in the Animations and Transitions galleries is reached through the ribbon: Alt+A opens the Animations tab, Alt+K the Transitions tab, and the arrow keys walk the gallery from there.
Is this PowerPoint cheat sheet free to print?
Yes. Click Print or Download PDF and all 72 shortcuts come out on one US Letter page with the Windows and Mac keys side by side — no signup, no watermark, and no limit on copies for a class, an office or a training session.