MS PowerPoint
🔒 Log in to trackSlideshow and editing shortcuts
🔒 Log in to trackDuring a show: F5 = start from slide 1; Shift+F5 = start from the current slide; N / Enter / Space / PageDown / Right-arrow = next; P / Backspace / PageUp / Left-arrow = previous; B = black screen; W = white screen; number+Enter = jump to that slide; Home/End = first/last slide; Ctrl+P = pen; Esc = end the show. F1 lists all controls.
While editing: Ctrl+M new slide; Ctrl+D duplicate slide/object; Ctrl+K hyperlink; Shift+F3 change case; Ctrl+T font dialog; F7 spell check; Tab/Shift+Tab cycle through objects; arrow keys nudge a selected object; Ctrl+Shift+> / < change font size; F12 Save As; Alt+F5 presenter view (Office 365).
| Key | In slideshow |
|---|---|
| F5 / Shift+F5 | Show from beginning / from current slide |
| Esc | End show |
| B / W | Black / white screen (press again to resume) |
| N / P | Next / previous |
| number+Enter | Go to that slide number |
| Home / End | First / last slide |
Detailed notes
Starting and stopping the show
| Key | Job |
|---|---|
| F5 | run the show from slide 1 |
| Shift+F5 | run the show from the current slide |
| Esc | end the show |
The exam trap pair: F5 starts, Esc stops — never the reverse. Shift+F5 saves you from clicking through slide 1 every rehearsal.
Moving inside a running show
| Key | Job |
|---|---|
| N, Enter, Space, Page Down, Right/Down arrow | next slide or effect |
| P, Backspace, Page Up, Left/Up arrow | previous slide |
| number + Enter | jump to that slide number |
| B | black screen (spotlight pause) |
| W | white screen |
N = next, P = previous. B blacks and W whites the screen — used when the speaker wants the audience to look at him, not the slide. B is NOT "back"; P is the back key. These during-show keys are a very common one-mark question.
Editing and building shortcuts
- Ctrl+M new slide, Ctrl+D duplicate slide, Ctrl+N new presentation, Ctrl+K insert hyperlink.
- The copy-move family is shared with every Office program: Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+X cut, Ctrl+V paste, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+S save.
- Duplicate (Ctrl+D) places an exact copy on top of the original — handy for matching shapes; Copy-paste instead lets you choose where the copy lands.
Delivery aids the exams name
- Presenter View — during the show, the presenter's screen shows the current slide, next slide, speaker notes and a timer, while the projector shows only the slide. The audience never sees the notes.
- Rehearse Timings — records the time spent per slide for self-running kiosks.
- Ctrl+L turns the mouse pointer into a laser pointer during the show (Microsoft 365 builds).
- F1 during a show lists all the show controls.
How the exam frames these questions
Shortcut questions here rarely go beyond a fixed pool: start keys (F5, Shift+F5, Esc), traffic keys (N, P, B, W, number+Enter), build keys (Ctrl+M, Ctrl+N, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+K) and the two delivery aids (Presenter View, Rehearse Timings). The traps are always reversals — F5 shown as "stop", B shown as "back", Shift+F5 shown as "from slide 1". Read the direction of the key in the option, not the letter. A quick self-test: F starts (F5 first slide, Shift+F5 here), Esc exits, N next, P previous, B black, W white, M more slides, D duplicate, K linK.
Quick revision
- F5 from first slide, Shift+F5 from current slide, Esc ends the show.
- Next: N/Enter/Space/Page Down; Previous: P/Backspace/Page Up.
- B = black screen, W = white screen; number+Enter jumps to a slide.
- Ctrl+M new slide, Ctrl+D duplicate, Ctrl+K hyperlink.
- Presenter View: notes and timer for the speaker, slide only for the audience.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Start and stop the showvery common4 practice Q
'Shortcut to run the slideshow', 'start from the current slide', 'which key ends the show' — F5 / Shift+F5 / Esc as options.
- F5 = start from slide 1; Shift+F5 = start from the current slide; Esc = end the show.
- F5 starts and Esc stops — the reversed pair is the standard trap.
- F5 in most other programs means Refresh — in PowerPoint's editing view it means the show.
Example: Which key ends a running PowerPoint slideshow?
Esc — F5 and Shift+F5 start shows; Esc leaves the show and returns to the editing view.
Type 2: During-show navigation keysvery common4 practice Q
'Which key shows the next slide', 'which key turns the screen black/white', 'jump to slide number 12' — inside a running show.
- Next: N, Enter, Space, Page Down, Right/Down arrow. Previous: P, Backspace, Page Up, Left/Up arrow.
- B = black screen, W = white screen (pause the visuals); pressing the same key again brings the slide back.
- Number + Enter jumps straight to that slide number.
Example: During a slideshow, pressing B makes the screen —
turn black (press again to return). B is a blackout, not 'back'; the previous slide is P.
Type 3: Editing and build shortcutscommon2 practice Q
Shortcut recall in the editing view: new slide, duplicate slide, hyperlink, copy-paste family, or a mispaired option.
- Ctrl+M new slide, Ctrl+D duplicate slide, Ctrl+N new presentation, Ctrl+K hyperlink.
- Ctrl+C/X/V and Ctrl+Z behave as in every Office program.
- Watch pairs: Ctrl+M (slide) vs Ctrl+N (presentation) vs Ctrl+D (duplicate).
Example: Which shortcut duplicates the selected slide?
Ctrl+D — an exact copy appears right after; Ctrl+M would insert a fresh empty slide.
Type 4: Presenter view and delivery aidsoccasional2 practice Q
What Presenter View shows and to whom, what Rehearse Timings does, or the laser-pointer shortcut.
- Presenter View: the speaker sees current slide, next slide, notes and a timer; the audience sees only the slide.
- Rehearse Timings records seconds per slide for a self-running show.
- Ctrl+L = laser pointer during the show.
Example: In Presenter View, what does the AUDIENCE see on the projector?
Only the current slide — the notes, next slide and timer appear solely on the presenter's own screen.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ F5 = Full show
F5 from the First slide; Shift+F5 from where you Stand. Esc = Exit. The F-key is PowerPoint's signature - no other app uses F5 to present.
Example: Shortcut to run the slideshow from the beginning?
F5.
⚡ B/W = Blackout/Washout
Mid-show, B blanks the screen to black and W washes it to white - for pauses/questions. Pressing the same key again brings the slide back.
Example: Key pressed to display a black screen during a show?
B.
Where students lose marks
Using Esc to start or F5 to stop - F5 starts, Esc stops.
Pressing B expecting 'Back' - B is the black screen; P is previous.
Thinking Shift+F5 starts from slide 1 - it starts from the slide you are ON.
Practice sets — 17 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.