A Look Back to Speed Editing with Keyboard Text Selection Shortcuts!
A few years ago, in 2018 actually, we wrote this post about some PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts that made editing slide text SO much faster!
Looking back at this post, we see now more than ever how adding keyboard shortcuts to your design workflow can make a big difference in efficiency, especially for presentation designers.
PowerPoint unfortunately does not match Microsoft Word in terms of text editing features, but maximizing the available PowerPoint editing features, such as these keyboard shortcuts, makes text editing slides a breeze! Let’s expand on the 2018 PowerPoint text editing keyboard shortcuts with some more.
EASY SHORTCUTS
Select All. As noted in our previous post, one easy shortcut is CTRL+A, which lets you select everything within a text box. This is an efficient way to start from scratch if you want to rewrite something new or change the typography styling!
Try these shortcuts as well:
- CTRL + B to bold selected text
- CTRL + I to italic selected text
- CTRL + U to underline selected text
MEDIUM SHORTCUTS
Select Paragraph. If you don’t want to highlight everything in the text box, but rather just one paragraph; use CTRL + Shift + Down Arrow, in that order, to highlight a single paragraph!
Select Word. And if you only need to edit selected words within a paragraph, CTRL + Shift + Right Arrow is the shortcut you need. All you have to do within the text box is click the beginning of the word you want to select, and CTRL + Shift + Right Arrow to select that word. If you want to select more words, keep hitting the right arrow!
Here are some additional shortcuts to use:
- CRTL + Y (or F4) to repeat the last action (this one is great!)
- CTRL + K to add or remove hyperlink (to an email address or web URL)
- CTRL + Shift + V to paste text only (no source formatting)
ADVANCED SHORTCUTS
In PowerPoint, you can quickly change the layering order of objects using keyboard shortcuts (select the object, not the content “inside”)
- CTRL + Shift + [: Sends the selected shape or text box behind other objects.
- CTRL + Shift + ]: Brings the selected shape or text box in front of other objects.
These shortcuts are especially useful when working with multiple overlapping elements, helping you control visual hierarchy without using the ribbon menu. Just select the object, then use the shortcut to move it!
Here are a few more great shortcuts to try:
- Ctrl + Shift + > to increase font size of selected text
- Ctrl + Shift + < to decrease font size of selected text
- CTRL + Alt + Left or Right arrow to rotate any object (this one is amazing)
- CTRL + Shift + Plus key (+) to superscript text
- CTRL + Shift + Minus key (-) to subscript text
And one more:
- Shift + arrow (left, right, top, or bottom) to change the width or height of the shape in larger increments
- CTRL + Shift + arrow (left, right, top, or bottom) to change the width or height of the shape in shorter increments
CONCLUSION
If you use these shortcuts, that’s great! You might be surprised that many designers still haven’t fully leveraged keyboard shortcuts, often defaulting to manual selection.
The 2018 post was a great reminder that mastering small efficiencies leads to big gains over time. Whether you’re tweaking slide layouts or refining content, these shortcuts help designers work smarter, not harder!
Have you incorporated these into your workflow? If not, now’s the perfect time to start!
-The TLC Creative Design Team
New Podcast Episode Available! “Typography Unleashed in PowerPoint: From Fonts to Function with Julie Terberg and Lori Chollar”
In this episode of “The Presentation Podcast,” the hosts, plus guests Julie Terberg and Lori Chollar, dive into the art of typography in PowerPoint slide design. We discuss the differences between fonts and typography, share practical tips for font pairing, and address PowerPoint’s limitations compared to professional design software. We also explore sources of design inspiration, have advice on spacing and alignment, and recommend resources for improving typographic skills.
Listen on your favorite podcast app, or at The Presentation Podcast site here
Why You Can’t Start a Bullet List at Zero (and What You Can Do)
If you’ve ever tried to create a numbered list in PowerPoint and wanted to start it at “0”, you’ve likely run into a small (and slightly frustrating) limitation: PowerPoint lets you change the starting number of a numbered list—but only if that number is 1 or higher. Starting at “0”? That’s not allowed!
How to Change the Starting Number in PowerPoint
1. Highlight the numbered list
2. Right-click and choose “Bullets and Numbering”
3. In the Numbered tab, change the “Start at” value
4. Enter any whole number except “0”
Yep, if you try to enter “0,” the field will snap back to “1”
But Larger Numbers Are Allowed
Side note: a numbered list can start at any number (larger than 0) and will continue the auto numbering from there. For example, PowerPoint makes it easy to update this number list to start at the number 8.
1. Right-click and choose “Bullets and Numbering”
2. Go to the Numbered tab
3. Change the “Start at” value from “1” to “8”
4. Click OK
Why No Zero?
PowerPoint follows the more traditional formatting logic found in word processing and presentation tools, where lists begin with “1” by default. Unlike coding languages or spreadsheets that often treat “0” as a valid starting index, PowerPoint assumes that users are building lists meant for human consumption, where “1” is the standard starting point. This is disappointing because we have slides that start with “0” occasionally.
A Workaround, if You Really Want to Start With a Zero
If starting your list with “0” is needed (such as when showing steps in a programming sequence or a timeline), here’s a simple workaround. This workaround does not use PowerPoint’s auto numbering, but it will look exactly the same.
Manually add bullet/number spacing:
1. Go to the “Home” tab, then the “Paragraph” section, click on the “Line Spacing” icon, then go to the “Line Spacing Options”… at the bottom of the menu open the “Paragraph” dialog
2. On the “Indents and Spacing” tab, go to the “Indentation” area
3. Change the “Before Text” to “0.38”
4. Change the “Special” section to be “Hanging” and by “0.38”
5. Click OK
These settings will mimic the spacing and alignment of a bullet/number list.
Now start the first line by typing “0”, then hit tab and continue (manually) numbering the full list. The result is a numbered list starting at “0”!
Depending on the font used and the text size, you may need to adjust the “Before Text” and “Special” settings to space the numbers and text appropriately – just make sure the numbers used in these 2 settings are the same.
Final Thoughts
While this method does not produce a true numbered list, it does visually replicate one, allowing you to start at “0” without disrupting the layout. It’s a small quirk, but it’s good to know these limitations when you’re trying to get your slides just right. PowerPoint’s list formatting features are powerful, but sometimes a manual tweak is the key to getting the result you need.
-The TLC Creative Design Team
A Look Back to Stylizing Text with a “Fire & Ice” Gradient Fill
Back in 2020, we wrote this post about gradient text. We picked this topic today because PowerPoint users are still sticking to basic solid colors in their text! So, if you weren’t hanging out with us here at the blog in 2020, allow us to add another design tool to your toolbox.
Looking at this tutorial five years later, we see that it’s still just as relevant today. PowerPoint’s gradient fill process is exactly the same (not necessarily great, but consistent), and it can be used to create great visual styling and visually dynamic designs – all directly within PowerPoint.
Creating a Gradient Text Fill
We used a simple two-word phrase as our example. We transformed this:
Into this:
Here’s how we did it:
- Select the text
- Go to (A) SHAPE FORMAT > (B) TEXT FILL > (C) GRADIENT > (D) VARIATIONS > pick a preset gradient style, or
- If you want more control and options, click (F) MORE GRADIENTS to open the Format Shape pane
Customizing Your Gradient
Now, let’s refine the gradient in the Format Shape pane where we get creative control of the gradient styling:
A. Preset Gradients: Ready-made styles based on your theme colors
B. Type: Let’s you choose from a number of gradients:
- Linear (meaning the gradient is horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)
- Radial (a circular gradient starting from the center, or from any of the 4 corners)
- Rectangular (similar to the circular gradient, but rectangular)
- Path (a gradient in the shape of the object it is filling)
C. Direction: Adjust what direction the colors blend
D. Angle: Adjust the angle at which the colors are blended
E. Gradient Stops: Add, remove, and customize colors along the gradient – you can also add or remove gradient stops (points along the line) to really make it your own
F. Color: Select the color for your gradient stop
G. Position: Change the position of the gradient stop
H. Transparency: Alter the opacity of the gradient
I. Brightness: Fine-tune the brightness of the gradient
For our example, the fire gradient effect is a 5-color stop gradient (E), each with the default Transparency (0%, or solid), default brightness (0%, or the color as selected), but a custom angle of 45 degrees (D). This all combines to create a dramatic, glowing look.
Want to see it in action? Download the FIRE & ICE gradient fill sample slide here!
-The TLC Creative Design Team
Morph Bullet List to Number List
This month we are focusing on typography and how small design choices like text animations can make a big impact in PowerPoint. One tool to explore with text in mind is the Morph animation…err transition…we mean the Morph Effect! Morph is the easiest way in PowerPoint to create smooth, visually engaging movement between slides without needing complex animations. For example, let’s start with 2 slides. Slide 1 is a typical, left-aligned bullet list. Slide 2 is the same list, but center aligned with different colors, font sizing, and bolding applied.
No animations have been added to either slide, just a Morph transition has been added to slide 2. FYI, applying a Morph transition to slide 1 does nothing – the transition to slide 1 looks like a Fade transition (tip: the Morph transition is applied to the “end result” slide).
Morph transitions have 3 variations: Objects, Words, Characters.
Let’s demonstrate each variation using text only slides. The above example is the Morph transition set to its default “Object” option. The Object mode moves and animates everything as single entities.
What makes Morph especially useful is its flexibility. Beyond the default “Object” option, it offers more granular options for the transition effects. You can choose to animate “by word” or even “by character,” giving you more control and variety over how the content appears and animates.
By updating Morph to use the “Words” option, the text is moved by each word, not as a single block or object. So, our three words on slide one move independent of each other, on their own path to the slide 2 end position.
And the final option, “Characters,” can create complex and interesting motion effects. Every letter is now morphed independently to the slide 2 end position. Any letters on the first slide not on the second slide fade out (no motion), and letters on the second slide not on the first slide fade in (again, no motion). One of the interesting frustrations is that the association of letters from one slide to the next cannot be controlled. As example, the first letter in “One” on the first slide, connects to the first letter of “Once” on the second slide. Looks great, which is good, because there is no option to tell Morph we want the letter “O” on the first slide to associate with the “o” in “upon” or “options”.
Note that it can take some tinkering to get the desired effect, but with some clever thinking and experimentation, you can create some visually stunning effects with text in PowerPoint!
-The TLC Creative Design Team
A Look Back to Celebrating the U.S. 4th of July with a Free PowerPoint template!
Fourteen years ago, we created this custom 4th of July-themed PowerPoint template and made it available for anyone to use (for personal use), free! Now, a decade and a half later, we still think it’s a great design to use!
This full-featured PowerPoint template is perfect for PowerPoint presentations and holiday event notices. Whether you’re prepping slides for a festive gathering, a company event, or just want to add some flair to your next presentation, this FREE template has you covered!
What’s included in this template:
- 16:9 aspect ratio
- Uses Microsoft Cloud fonts
- 1 Master Slide with theme, title, and content layouts (along with all standard Microsoft layouts)
Download the template here and get a head start on next year’s 4th of July! Speaking of, Happy 4th of July from the team at TLC Creative Services!
– Troy @ TLC
New Podcast Episode Available! “Fonts, Spacing, and Alignment: The Typography Toolkit for PowerPoint”
New episode of The Presentation Podcast now available!
Our latest episode of The Presentation Podcast dives deep into the role of typography in PowerPoint presentations. The hosts discuss font selection, line and paragraph spacing, alignment, visual hierarchy and more. Plenty of practical tips and frustrations of typography formatting within PowerPoint are shared, along with comparing PowerPoint’s features to other advanced design and desktop publishing tools. Solutions to common text formatting challenges in PowerPoint are also a big part of the conversation…because effective typography is essential for clear, professional, and engaging presentations.
Listen on your favorite podcast app, or at The Presentation Podcast site here.