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Keynote Shortcuts

This page is a complete keyboard shortcut reference for Keynote on macOS, covering all 138 shortcuts organized into 7 sections. Whether you’re new to Keynote or looking to master advanced features, this cheat sheet has every key combination you need — from basic editing and navigation to app-specific power-user actions.

Keyboard shortcuts are the fastest way to work in Keynote. Every time you use a shortcut instead of reaching for the mouse, you save a few seconds — and those seconds compound into hours over weeks and months. Start with the shortcuts you use most (copy, paste, undo, save), then gradually add app-specific ones as they become relevant to your workflow. Bookmark this page or download the PDF cheat sheet for quick reference.

Using keyboard shortcuts in Keynote reduces context switching between keyboard and mouse, helping you maintain focus and work more efficiently. Research shows that shortcut-driven workflows can save up to 8 working days per year compared to menu-driven navigation. On macOS, most Keynote shortcuts follow standard conventions — once you learn the modifier key patterns, new shortcuts become intuitive.

Tips for Learning Shortcuts

  • Practice one new Keynote shortcut each day. Muscle memory builds faster when you focus on a single combination at a time rather than trying to learn them all at once.
  • Print or bookmark this page for quick reference while working in Keynote. Having shortcuts visible nearby helps bridge the gap between looking them up and recalling them from memory.
  • Start with the shortcuts you use most. In Keynote, common actions like copy, paste, undo, and save are worth learning first since they apply across nearly every workflow.

General41

ActionShortcut
Bold⌘B
Italic⌘I
Speaker Notes⇧⌘N
Play Slideshow⌥⌘P
End SlideshowEsc
Skip Slide⇧⌘H
Duplicate Slide⌘D
Show Fonts⌘T
Open the theme chooser⌘N
Save a presentation⌘S
Print a presentation⌘P
Minimize a window⌘M
Open theme chooser with Language menu⌥⌘N
Duplicate a presentation⇧⌘S
Show the Settings window⌘,
Choose a file to insert⇧⌘V
Enter or exit Edit Slide Layouts view⇧⌘E
Quit Keynote⌘Q
Close the theme chooserEscape
Minimize all windows⌥⌘M
Zoom to selection⇧⌘0
Show the Colors window⇧⌘C
Hide Keynote⌘H
Quit Keynote and keep windows open⌥⌘Q
Open an existing presentation⌘O
Open the Keynote User Guide⇧⌘?
Enter full-screen view⌃⌘F
Fit slide in the window⌥⌘0
Hide or show the toolbar⌥⌘T
Hide other windows⌥⌘H
Save as⌥⇧⌘S
Close all windows⌥⌘W
Zoom out⇧⌘<
Show the presentation rulers⌘R
Show or hide the object list⇧⌘L
Redo the last action⇧⌘Z
Close a window⌘W
Zoom in⇧⌘>
Return to actual size⌘0
Hide or show inspector sidebars⌥⌘I
Undo the last action⌘Z

Text Formatting27

ActionShortcut
Show the Fonts window⌘T
Delete the word before insertion point⌥Delete
Increase space between characters⌥⌘]
Align the text flush right⌘}
Cut the selection⌘X
Paste and match style⌥⇧⌘V
Apply boldface to selected text⌘B
Delete text to end of paragraph⌃K
Make the text superscript⌃⌘+
Justify text⌥⌘|
Copy the selection⌘C
Enter special characters⌃⌘Space
Apply italic to selected text⌘I
Make the font size bigger⌘+
Make the text subscript⌃⌘-
Decrease the indent level⌘[
Copy the paragraph style⌥⌘C
Delete the previous character or selectionDelete
Decrease space between characters⌥⌘[
Center the text⌘|
Turn text into a link⌘K
Paste the paragraph style⌥⌘V
Apply underline to selected text⌘U
Make the font size smaller⌘-
Align the text flush left⌘{
Increase the indent level⌘]
Paste the selection⌘V

Find10

ActionShortcut
Find⌘F
Check spelling and grammar⌘;
Find next⌘G
Show Spelling and Grammar window⇧⌘:
Find previous⇧⌘G
Open a new comment⇧⌘K
Look up the word at insertion point⌃⌘D
Show the previous comment⌥⇧⌘K
Place selected text in Find field⌘E
Show the next comment⌥⌘K

Objects14

ActionShortcut
Select the next object on the slideTab
Bring object one layer forward⌥⇧⌘F
Duplicate the object⌘D
Select the previous object on the slide⇧Tab
Group selected objects⌥⌘G
Mask or unmask the object⇧⌘M
Send object to the back⇧⌘B
Ungroup selected objects⌥⇧⌘G
Deselect all objects⇧⌘A
Bring object to the front⇧⌘F
Unlock selected objects⌥⌘L
Select all objects⌘A
Send object one layer back⌥⇧⌘B
Lock selected objects⌘L

Tables13

ActionShortcut
Insert an equation⌥⌘E
Select all rows that intersect⌥⌘Enter
Merge selected cells⌃⌘M
Add a row above⌥Up
Select all columns that intersect⌃⌘Enter
Unmerge selected cells⌃⇧⌘M
Add a row below⌥Down
Delete selected rows⌥⌘Delete
Turn on autofill mode⌘\
Add a column to the left⌥Left
Auto-align cell content⌥⌘U
Add a column to the right⌥Right
Delete selected columns⌃⌘Delete

Slide Navigator11

ActionShortcut
Duplicate a slide⌘D
Collapse a slide groupLeft
Create a new slideEnter
Delete selected slidesDelete
Skip or unskip a slide⇧⌘H
Add a new slide⇧⌘N
Move to the next slideDown
Move indented slides to the left⇧Tab
Expand a slide groupRight
Indent selected slides to the rightTab
Move to the previous slideUp

Presenting22

ActionShortcut
Play a presentation⌥⌘P
Show or hide presenter notes⇧⌘P
Show a white screenW
Scroll presenter notes upU
Hide presentation and switch to last appH
Advance to the next slide or buildRight
Go back to previous build⇧Left
Show or hide the pointerC
Scroll presenter notes downD
Show or hide keyboard shortcuts?
Go to previous slideLeft
Go back through previously viewed slidesZ
Display the slide numberS
Increase note font size⌘+
Advance to next slide without builds⇧Down
Show a black screenB
Reset timerR
Quit presentation modeEscape
Advance without animation⇧Right
Pause the presentationF
Switch primary and presenter displaysX
Decrease note font size⌘-

Frequently Asked Questions

Access Keynote shortcuts from your menu bar

KeyShortcut detects the active app and shows its shortcuts instantly. No memorization needed.