Microsoft PowerPoint
MS PowerPoint creates presentations made of slides. File extensions: .pptx (older .ppt), .ppsx (opens directly as a slide show), .potx (template).
The window
- Slide pane (centre), thumbnail pane (left), Notes pane (below), Ribbon tabs: File, Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show, Review, View.
- Default slide size is 16:9 widescreen (older versions used 4:3).
| Tab | Main uses |
|---|---|
| Home | New Slide, Layout, Font, Paragraph |
| Insert | Pictures, Shapes, SmartArt, Charts, Video, Audio, Hyperlink, Action buttons, Header and Footer, Slide number |
| Design | Themes, Variants, Slide size, Background |
| Transitions | Effects between slides |
| Animations | Effects on objects (text, pictures) inside a slide; Animation Pane |
| Slide Show | Start, Rehearse Timings, Record, Set Up Slide Show |
| View | Normal, Slide Sorter, Notes Page, Reading View, Slide Master |
Views
| View | Use |
|---|---|
| Normal | Main editing view. |
| Slide Sorter | Thumbnails of all slides: reorder, copy, delete. |
| Notes Page | Speaker notes with each slide. |
| Reading View | Review in a window. |
| Slide Show | Full-screen presentation. |
Key ideas
- Layout: arrangement of placeholders on a slide (Title, Title and Content, Blank).
- Theme: colours, fonts and effects for the whole deck.
- Slide Master: controls the design of all slides at once (logo, font, background).
- Transition vs animation: a transition is the effect when moving from one slide to the next; an animation moves objects within a slide.
- Presenter view: shows notes and the next slide to the speaker only.
- Export: save as PDF, video or handouts.
PowerPoint shortcuts
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
F5 | Start the show from the beginning |
Shift + F5 | Start from the current slide |
Esc | End the show |
Ctrl + M | Insert a new slide |
N or Enter or Right arrow | Next slide (in show) |
P or Left arrow | Previous slide |
B / W | Black screen / white screen during the show |
Ctrl + D | Duplicate the selected slide or object |
Ctrl + Shift + C / Ctrl + Shift + V | Copy / paste formatting |
Page Up / Page Down | Previous / next slide in Normal view |
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard computer textbooks, Microsoft documentation and official sources. Features differ between Excel and Word versions (2016, 2019, 2021, 365) so check which version your exam follows. Found a mistake? Tell us.