Keyboard Shortcuts for PowerPoint 2010 for Windows

Here's the most comprehensive list of PowerPoint 2010 for Windows keyboard shortcuts that we know about, how many of these do you presently use? If you discover a shortcut key not listed here, please contact us through our feedback form.

The shortcuts listed on this page use the US English keyboard layout. If you are using a non-US or non-English keyboard layout, then the keyboard shortcuts may not correspond exactly in some cases. You can learn about this issue and other reasons why some shortcuts may not work in our PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working page.

Also explore our Keyboard Sequences in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows page.

For links to keyboard shortcuts in other versions of PowerPoint, scroll down this page a little.

PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts: 2010 for Windows

Ctrl Shortcuts

Ctrl
Modifier with the spin wheel on your mouse to zoom in or out from 400% to 10%

Ctrl + A
Select all slide objects (Normal view)
Select all slides (Slides tab and Slide Sorter view)
Select all text (in Outline tab)
Changes the pointer to an arrow (Slide Show view)

Ctrl + B
Bold selected text

Ctrl + C
Copy

Ctrl + Shift + C
Copy object attributes

Ctrl + D
Duplicate slide objects (Normal view)
Duplicate slides (Slide Sorter view, and in Slides pane within Normal view)
Duplicate selected Layout or selected Slide Master (Slide Master view)

Ctrl + Shift + D
Duplicates active slide

Ctrl + E
Center Align selected text (Normal view)
Change Pointer to Eraser (Slide Show view)

Ctrl + F
Opens Find dialog box (Normal and Slide Sorter views)

Ctrl + Shift + F
Ctrl + Shift + P
Opens Font dialog box, when text is selected

Ctrl + G
Group selected slide objects

Ctrl + Shift + G
Ungroup selected group

Ctrl + H
Opens Replace dialog box (Normal and Slide Sorter views)
Hides Pointer (cursor) and Navigation buttons (Slide Show view)

Ctrl + I
Italicize selected text

Ctrl + J
Justify selected text

Ctrl + Shift + J
Regroup previously grouped objects

Ctrl + K
Opens Insert hyperlink dialog box

Ctrl + L
Left align selected text

Ctrl + M
Insert New Slide (Normal and Slide Sorter views)
Inserts New Master (Slide Master view)
Hide or unhide all ink or annotations (Slide Show view)

Ctrl + N
Create a new presentation

Ctrl + Shift + N
Duplicates active presentation

Ctrl + O
Open presentation

Ctrl + P
Ctrl + F2
Ctrl + Shift + F12
Opens the Print pane in Backstage view for the active presentation
Changes Pointer to Pen (in Slide Show view Ctrl + P only)

Ctrl + Q
Exit PowerPoint

Ctrl + R
Right align selected text

Ctrl + S
Save (for presentations saved at least once)
Save As (for presentations never saved)
Opens All Slides dialog box (in Slide Show view)

Ctrl + T
Opens Font dialog box (select the text container first)
Display the Microsoft Windows taskbar (Slide Show view)

Ctrl + U
Underlines selected text
Hide the pointer and navigation button (Slide Show view)

Ctrl + V
Paste

Ctrl + Shift + V
Paste object attributes

Ctrl + Alt + V
Opens Paste Special dialog box

Ctrl + W
Close active presentation

Ctrl + X
Cut

Ctrl + Y
F4
Repeat or redo

Ctrl + Z
Undo

Ctrl + 1
Access formatting options for a selected chart element

Ctrl + F1
Hide or unhide Ribbon. Ribbon tabs are visible

Ctrl + F4
Close active presentation

Ctrl + F5
Broadcast Slideshow (Normal View)

Ctrl + F6
Switch between open PowerPoint presentations. Recently opened ones after previously opened ones

Ctrl + Shift + F6
Switch between open PowerPoint presentations. Previously opened ones after recently opened ones

Ctrl + Shift + F9
Turn off/on Snap to Grid option

Ctrl + Shift + F10 New for 2010
Arrange all open presentations. Minimized presentations are not arranged

Ctrl + F12
Open presentation

Ctrl + Tab
Switch between open PowerPoint presentations
Add a tab stop, if you are editing a table or a text container

Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Switches between the Slides tab, the Outline tab, and the Slides pane (all in Normal view).

Ctrl + Space
Reset all text formatting to default (select all text in Outline pane, and use this shortcut key)

Ctrl + Backspace
Delete the entire word before the insertion point. If the insertion point is in the middle of a word, delete characters before the insertion point

Ctrl + Delete
Delete the entire word after the insertion point. If the insertion point is in the middle of a word, delete characters after the insertion point

Ctrl + Home
Cursor goes to the beginning of the first word in a text container while editing. If nothing on your slide is selected, goes to the first slide
Selects first slide (Slide Sorter view)

Ctrl + Shift + Home
Select or deselect all text from the cursor to the start of the paragraph (click within text container to establish the cursor location first)

Ctrl + End
Cursor goes to the end of the last word in a text container while editing. If nothing on your slide is selected, goes to the last slide
Selects last slide (Slide Sorter view)

Ctrl + Shift + End
Select or deselect all text from the cursor to the end of the paragraph (click within text container to establish the cursor location first)

Ctrl + Enter
Switches to the next text placeholder in the presentation
Adds new slides if no more text placeholders exist

Ctrl + Left Arrow
Cursor goes to the beginning of the previous word
Nudge selected slide object leftwards, in smaller increments if the Snap to Grid option is enabled

Ctrl + Shift + Left Arrow
Select or cancel selection for one word to the left (for text)
Size selected object(s) thinner in smaller increments than Shift + Left Arrow

Ctrl + Right Arrow
Cursor goes to the beginning of the next word
Nudge selected slide object rightwards, in smaller increments if the Snap to Grid option is enabled

Ctrl + Shift + Right Arrow
Select or cancel selection for one word to the right (for text)
Size selected object(s) thicker in smaller increments than Shift + Right Arrow

Ctrl + Up Arrow
Move cursor, to start of existing paragraph, or start of previous paragraph
Nudge selected slide object upwards, in smaller increments if the Snap to Grid option is enabled

Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow
Select or cancel selection for one paragraph above (for text)
Size selected object(s) taller in smaller increments than Shift + Up Arrow

Ctrl + Down Arrow
Cursor goes to the beginning of the next paragraph
Nudge selected slide object downwards, in smaller increments if the Snap to Grid option is enabled

Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow
Select or cancel selection for one paragraph below (for text)
Size selected object(s) shorter in smaller increments than Shift + Down Arrow

Ctrl + Click; then Arrow Keys (Left, Right, Up, Down)
Move/nudge chart in a direction

Ctrl + ]
Ctrl + Shift + >
Increase font size

Ctrl + [
Ctrl + Shift + <
Decrease font size

Ctrl + =
Subscript selected text, or change subscripted text to normal text

Ctrl + Shift + =
Superscript selected text, or change superscripted text to normal text

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + >
Superscript selected text. Press multiple times to offset existing superscript or subscript higher

Ctrl + Shift + Alt + <
Subscript selected text. Press multiple times to offset existing superscript or subscript lower

Function Key Shortcuts

F1
Opens PowerPoint Help Window (all views except Slide Show view)
Opens a list of Slide Show shortcut keys (Slide Show view)

F2
Activate text editing in a text object such as a placeholder, box, or shape. Press F2 again to deactivate text editing and select the entire text object
Rename Section (when a Section is selected in the Slides pane or in Slide Sorter view)
Rename Slide Object (when a slide object is selected in the Selection Task Pane)

F5
View the Slide Show from first slide

Shift + F5
View Slide Show from the current slide onwards

F6
Moves among various panes, the QAT, and the Ribbon (Normal view)
Cycles between the Zoom in button in Notes pane, Preview area, and Slides pane (Presenter view)

F7
Spellcheck

Shift + F7
Thesaurus (opens when some text is selected on slide)

F12
Opens Save as dialog box

Shift + F12
Save (for presentations saved at least once)
Opens Save as dialog box (for presentations never saved)

Alt Shortcuts

Alt
Activate Access Keys on the Ribbon

Alt + A
Access Animations tab of the Ribbon

Alt + F
Alt + Shift + F
Opens Backstage view

Alt + G
Access Design tab of the Ribbon

Alt + H
Access Home tab of the Ribbon

Alt + J
Access contextual tabs of the Ribbon. The resultant tab depends on the type of slide object selected

Alt + K
Access Transitions tab of the Ribbon

Alt + L
Access Developer tab of the Ribbon (if enabled)

Alt + M
Access Slide Master tab of the Ribbon (Slide Master view)

Alt + N
Access Insert tab of the Ribbon

Alt + P
Toggle between Play and Pause buttons for media (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Q
Stops media playback (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + R
Access Review tab of the Ribbon

Alt + S
Access Slide Show tab of the Ribbon

Alt + U
Mute (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + W
Access View tab of the Ribbon

Alt + Esc
Switches to the next open application

Alt + F2
Opens Save As dialog box

Alt + F4
Close PowerPoint

Alt + F5
Restore Window

Alt + F8
Show Macro dialog box

Alt + F9
Show/Hide Guides

Alt + F10
Show or Hide Selection Task Pane

Alt + F11
Access Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications environment

Alt + Shift + F9 New for 2010
Show/Hide Rulers

Alt + Shift + A
Show all text or Headings (Outline pane)

Alt + Shift + C New for 2010
Pick up Animation attributes (activates the Animation Painter). You can then click on any slide object to paste the copied Animation attributes.

Alt + Shift + D
Show Header and Footer dialog box

Alt + Tab
Switch to the next application. This is essentially a Microsoft Windows shortcut key

Alt + Shift + Tab
Switch to the previous application. This is essentially a Microsoft Windows shortcut key

Alt + Down Arrow
Open a selected drop-down list (in dialog boxes)

Alt + Shift + Left Arrow
Promote, for selected text on the slide or in the Outline view. You can also place the cursor before the text
Rewind active media clip (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Shift + Right Arrow
Demote, for selected text on the slide or in the Outline view. You can also place the cursor before the text
Fast forward active media clip (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Shift + Up Arrow
Move up selected bulleted item or paragraph, on the slide, or in the Outline pane

Alt + Shift + Down Arrow
Move down selected bulleted item or paragraph, on the slide, or in the Outline pane

Alt + Shift + 1
Hide everything except titles within the Outline tab
Collapse all groups within the Selection Task Pane (first, press F6 to move focus through major interface elements, until it is on the Selection Pane)

Alt + Shift + 9
Show all content within the Outline tab
Expand all groups within the Selection Task Pane (first, press F6 to move focus through major interface elements, until it is on the Selection Pane)

Alt + Shift + +
Expand text for selected slide title within Outline tab

Alt + Shift + -
Collapse text for selected slide title within Outline tab

Alt + Shift + Page Down
Seek media ahead; like a Forward button (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Shift + Page Up
Seek media backwards; like a Rewind button (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + End
Go to the next Bookmark for active media clip (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Home
Go to the previous Bookmark for active media clip (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Up Arrow
Keep both keys pressed to increase the volume for selected or playing media (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Down Arrow
Keep both keys pressed to decrease the volume for selected or playing media (works in Normal and Slide Show views)

Alt + Left Arrow
Rotate slide object counter-clockwise by 15 degrees

Alt + Right Arrow
Rotate slide object clockwise by 15 degrees

Alt + -
Bring up Windows restore, view, move, and close options. This is essentially a Microsoft Windows shortcut key

Alt + = New for 2010
Insert an equation, as long as you have in text-editing mode (works in Normal view)

Shift Shortcuts

Shift
Modifier with the Rectangle or Oval shape tools to draw a square or a circle
Modifier with the Line tool to draw a straight line in 45 degree increments

Tab
Moves to the subsequent cell within a Table
Activates the next option or option group within Dialog box
Selects next slide object on Slide (when one object is selected)
Go to next hyperlink in Slide Show view (if hyperlinks exist)
Cycle through tools within the Preview area (Presenter view)
Promote, for selected text on the slide or in the Outline view. You can also place the cursor before the text

Shift + Tab
Moves to the preceding cell within a Table
Activates the previous option or option group within Dialog box
Selects previous slide object on Slide (when one object is selected)
Go to previous hyperlink in Slide Show view (if hyperlinks exist)
Demote, for selected text on the slide or in the Outline view. You can also place the cursor before the text

Shift + Space
Add a new line without extra paragraph spacing in a text box or any text container

Shift + F3
Cycle case of selected text (Sentence, Lowercase, and Uppercase). Won’t work for text set to All Caps in the Font dialog box. To bring up the Font dialog box, press the Ctrl + T shortcut key

Shift + F4
Repeat last Find action, after the Find dialog box is closed

Shift + F6
Move to a pane from another pane in the program window (works counter-clockwise)

Shift + F9
Show or hide the grid

Shift + F10
Display the right-click contextual menu for the selected object

Shift + Left Arrow
Select or deselect one character to the left (for text)
Size selected object(s) thinner

Shift + Right Arrow
Select or deselect one character to the right (for text)
Size selected object(s) thicker

Shift + Up Arrow
Select or deselect text one line up (for text)
Size selected object(s) taller

Shift + Down Arrow
Select or deselect text one line down (for text)
Size selected object(s) shorter

Shift + Home
Select or deselect text to the beginning of the line.

Shift + End
Select or deselect text to the end of the line

Other Shortcuts

Home
Moves cursor to beginning of current line of text
Selects first slide (Slide Sorter view)
Go to the first slide (Slide Show view)

End
Moves cursor to end of current line of text
Selects last slide (Slide Sorter view)
Go to the last slide (Slide Show view)

Page Up
Moves to previous slide (Normal and Slide Show views)
Scroll Notes upwards in Presenter view

Page Down
Moves to next slide (Normal and Slide Show views)
Scroll Notes upwards in Presenter view

Backspace
Delete one character to the left (when text within a text box, placeholder, or shape is active)

Backspace, P, or Left Arrow
Move to previous slide or previous animation (Slide Show view)

Spacebar, N, or Right Arrow
Move to next slide or next animation (Slide Show view)

Delete
Delete one character to the right (when text within a text box, placeholder, or shape is active)

<Number> + Enter
Goes to the slide of that number (Slide Show view)

B
Pauses the slide show and displays a black screen. Press B again to resume the show (Slide Show view)

E
Erase on-screen annotations (Slide Show view)

H
Go to next hidden slide (Slide Show view)

M
Use mouse-click to advance while rehearsing (Slide Show view)

O
Use original timings while rehearsing (Slide Show view)

S or Pause
Stops the show, and freezes the screen. Press S again to restart the show (Slide Show view)

T
Set new timings while rehearsing (Slide Show view)

W
Pauses the show and displays a white screen. Press W again to resume the show (Slide Show view)

Esc
Ends the slide show (Slide Show view)
Cancel a menu or dialog box action
Close the view (Presenter view)

Enter
Add text within selected object such as a shape or placeholder (Normal view)
Add a new, blank slide or a new, empty paragraph (Outline pane in Normal view)

Left Arrow
Move insertion point leftwards within text boxes and placeholders (Normal view)
Move insertion point leftwards, or to the immediate cell on the left in tables (Normal view)
Nudge selected slide object leftwards, in normal increments even if the Snap to Grid option is enabled (Normal view)
Selects previous slide (Slide Sorter view)

Right Arrow
Move insertion point rightwards within text boxes and placeholders (Normal view)
Move insertion point rightwards, or to the immediate cell on the right in tables (Normal view)
Nudge selected slide object rightwards, in normal increments even if the Snap to Grid option is enabled (Normal view)
Selects slide above (Slide Sorter view)

Up Arrow
Move insertion point upwards within text boxes and placeholders (Normal view)
Move insertion point upwards, or to the immediate cell above in tables (Normal view)
Nudge selected slide object upwards, in normal increments even if the Snap to Grid option is enabled (Normal view)
Selects slide above (Slide Sorter view)

Down Arrow
Move insertion point downwards within text boxes and placeholders (Normal view)
Move insertion point downwards, or to the immediate cell below in tables (Normal view)
Nudge selected slide object downwards, in normal increments even if the Snap to Grid option is enabled (Normal view)
Selects slide below (Slide Sorter view)