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 |
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.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Start and stop the show
'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.
Which key ends a running PowerPoint slideshow?
Show solutionHide solution
Esc — F5 and Shift+F5 start shows; Esc leaves the show and returns to the editing view.
During-show navigation keys
'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.
During a slideshow, pressing B makes the screen —
Show solutionHide solution
turn black (press again to return). B is a blackout, not 'back'; the previous slide is P.
Editing and build shortcuts
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).
Which shortcut duplicates the selected slide?
Show solutionHide solution
Ctrl+D — an exact copy appears right after; Ctrl+M would insert a fresh empty slide.
Presenter view and delivery aids
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.
In Presenter View, what does the AUDIENCE see on the projector?
Show solutionHide solution
Only the current slide — the notes, next slide and timer appear solely on the presenter's own screen.
Shortcuts that save time
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.
Shortcut to run the slideshow from the beginning?
Show solutionHide solution
F5.
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.
Key pressed to display a black screen during a show?
Show solutionHide solution
B.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
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.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
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.
Practice: 17 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.