Like the other windows based programs, PowerPoint 2010 also offers a wide range of keyboard shortcuts. For the current PowerPoint users, there is a major change in the way these shortcuts are being mapped in the 2010 release compared to some of the older ones. With a whole new range of features being added to PowerPoint, it is evident why there are so many changes to the keyboard shortcuts. We will understand how to read and figure out the shortcuts with ease.

Step 1 − The first step to access the keyboard shortcuts is to press the Alt key on your keyboard. This will display the first level of shortcuts indicated by alphabets or numbers as shown. For example, the shortcut to access the Home ribbon is ”H” and for saving the presentation, the shortcut is ”1”.

Step 2 − Once you select the first level of shortcut, the second level of shortcuts for respective commands are shown. Notice that some of these shortcuts are disabled or displayed in a lighter shade than others. This is because the disabled shortcuts cannot be used in the current state.

For example, all the font related commands are disabled as no text has been selected. If you execute the same steps after selecting a portion of text, these shortcuts will be enabled too.

In some cases, there are two alphabets associated with a single shortcut; in such cases, you need to key in both of them immediately after another to get the desired effect.