Quick answer: The PowerPoint tips that save the most time are: Ctrl + M for a new slide and Ctrl + D to duplicate, Slide Master to change fonts and logos on every slide at once, Align to line up shapes, Designer for instant layouts, and Presenter View so you see your notes while the audience sees only the slide. During a show, press B to black out the screen and type a slide number then Enter to jump to it. Below are 10 practical tips with steps for PowerPoint on Windows.
Applies to: PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2024, 2021 and 2019 on Windows. Features that need a newer version, such as Designer and Morph, are noted.
In this guide
- 1. Learn the editing shortcuts
- 2. Change every slide at once with Slide Master
- 3. Get layout ideas with Designer
- 4. Line things up with Align and Distribute
- 5. Reuse slides from other decks
- 6. Use Morph and Zoom instead of busy animations
- 7. Present with Presenter View
- 8. Control the slide show from the keyboard
- 9. Rehearse and record
- 10. Shrink the file and share it
- Related guides
- Frequently asked questions
1. Learn the editing shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New slide | Ctrl + M |
| Duplicate the selected slide or object | Ctrl + D |
| Group / ungroup shapes | Ctrl + G / Ctrl + Shift + G |
| Copy / paste formatting | Ctrl + Shift + C / Ctrl + Shift + V |
| Start from the first slide | F5 |
| Start from the current slide | Shift + F5 |
| Start in Presenter View | Alt + F5 |
| Nudge an object a tiny amount | Ctrl + Arrow key |
Hold Shift while dragging a shape to keep it moving in a straight line, and while resizing to keep its proportions. Hold Ctrl while dragging to drop a copy.
2. Change every slide at once with Slide Master
Instead of fixing fonts slide by slide, go to View > Slide Master. The large slide at the top of the left pane is the master; anything you change there, such as fonts, colours, a logo or the footer, applies to every layout below it. Change individual layouts for title slides or section headers, then select Close Master View.
For quick theme-wide changes, Design > Variants (the drop-down arrow) lets you change the theme’s colours and fonts without opening the master.
3. Get layout ideas with Designer
Add a title and a picture to a slide, then go to Design > Designer (called Design Ideas in some versions). A pane opens with ready-made layouts; click one to apply it. Designer needs a Microsoft 365 subscription and an internet connection, and it may be turned off on work PCs by policy.
4. Line things up with Align and Distribute
Select several shapes or pictures, go to Shape Format > Align (or Picture Format > Align), and choose Align Top, Align Center and so on. Distribute Horizontally and Distribute Vertically space three or more objects evenly. As you drag objects, red dashed smart guides also show when they line up with each other or the slide centre.
5. Reuse slides from other decks
To pull slides from an older presentation without opening it, go to Home > New Slide > Reuse Slides, find the file, and click the slides you want. By default they take on the current deck’s theme; tick Use source formatting (or Keep source formatting) to keep their original look.
6. Use Morph and Zoom instead of busy animations
- Morph: duplicate a slide (Ctrl + D), move or resize objects on the copy, then select the second slide and choose Transitions > Morph. PowerPoint animates the change smoothly. Morph is in Microsoft 365 and PowerPoint 2019 or later.
- Zoom: Insert > Zoom creates clickable thumbnails. Summary Zoom builds an overview slide, and Slide Zoom lets you jump to any slide in any order during the talk.
7. Present with Presenter View
With a second screen or projector connected, go to the Slide Show tab and make sure Use Presenter View is ticked. When you start the show, your laptop shows your notes, a timer and the next slide, while the audience sees only the current slide. If the views are on the wrong screens, select Display Settings at the top of Presenter View and choose Swap Presenter View and Slide Show.
To practise with notes on a single screen, press Alt + F5.
8. Control the slide show from the keyboard
- B or .: black screen (press again to return). W or ,: white screen.
- Type a slide number and press Enter to jump straight to it.
- Ctrl + P turns the pointer into a pen, and E erases your drawings.
- Esc ends the show.
9. Rehearse and record
- Speaker Coach: in Microsoft 365, Slide Show > Rehearse with Coach listens as you practise and reports on pace, filler words and more. Availability depends on your version and region.
- Rehearse Timings: Slide Show > Rehearse Timings records how long you spend on each slide, useful for self-running kiosk shows.
- Record: Slide Show > Record (or the Record tab) records your narration and webcam over the slides, ready to export as a video.
- Screen recording: Insert > Screen Recording captures part of your screen straight onto a slide. For other ways to capture a demo, see how to record video on screen in Windows.
10. Shrink the file and share it
- Compress pictures: select a picture, then Picture Format > Compress Pictures. Untick Apply only to this picture to do the whole deck, and tick Delete cropped areas of pictures.
- Compress media: if you’ve added video, File > Info > Compress Media reduces its size.
- Export: File > Export offers Create PDF/XPS Document for handouts and Create a Video for a self-playing version.
Copying charts from Excel? Paste with Keep Source Formatting or as a picture so it doesn’t change when the spreadsheet does; our Excel tips cover getting the data right first.
Related guides
- Microsoft Word tips and tricks
- Excel tips and tricks
- Outlook tips and tricks
- Microsoft Teams tips and tricks
- How to record video on screen in Windows
Official sources: for more detail, see Microsoft’s own documentation:
- Microsoft Support: Use keyboard shortcuts to create PowerPoint presentations
- Microsoft Support: Use keyboard shortcuts to deliver PowerPoint presentations
- Microsoft Support: Use Presenter View in PowerPoint
Frequently asked questions
How do I make all my slides look the same?
Use View > Slide Master and change the fonts, colours and logo on the top master slide. Then apply the right layout to each slide with Home > Layout; Home > Reset fixes slides that ignore the master.
How do I see my notes while presenting?
Turn on Use Presenter View on the Slide Show tab and connect a second screen. Your notes appear on your screen only.
Why don’t I see Designer or Morph?
Designer needs Microsoft 365 and an internet connection. Morph needs Microsoft 365 or PowerPoint 2019 or later. On work PCs, your IT team may have turned off connected features.
How do I make a PowerPoint file smaller?
Compress pictures and media as described above, and avoid pasting huge images straight from a camera. Saving as PDF also gives a small file for sharing, though it loses animations.
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