How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow (w/ Shortcuts) (2024)

• May 11, 2019

There are a variety of ways to start a PowerPoint presention, depending on:

• Where you start your presentation (from beginning or from current)
• Which PowerPoint view you prefer to present in (Slide Show view or Presenter view)
• How comfortable you are with keyboard shortcuts

Why would Microsoft include so many ways to present a presentation? My guess is that everyone learns PowerPoint differently, and has personal presentation styles.The more options you have, the easier your life will be as there will always be a way to start your presentation the way you want to (or jump back into it when you need to).

See all the options below and find the method that works best for you and let the slide show begin!

To start a slideshow from the beginning of your presentation using the ribbon, simply.

1. Navigate to theSlide Show tab
2. SelectFrom Beginning

SelectingFrom Beginningstarts your presentation from the very first non-hidden slide in your presentation, regardless of which slide you are currently inside of your deck.

You can also start your slide from the beginning of your presentation by hitting the Slideshow From Beginning keyboard shortcut,F5.

Regardless of which method you use, this is the classic way to start your presentation in full screen from your first title slide (regardless of where you are in your slide deck).

Let the slide show begin!

To begin your slide show from the slide you are currently on using the ribbon, simply

1. Navigate to the Slide Show tab
2. SelectFrom CurrentSlide

Selecting From Current Slide starts your slide show from whatever slide you are currently on, even if the slide is hidden.

You can also start your slide from the current slide you are on by hitting theShift+F5keyboard shortcut.

Because it’s often easiest to catch errors when building your slides in this full screen mode, I highly recommend learning theShift+F5shortcut and using it frequently as you build your slides to spot them for errors.

If you don’t want to bother learning the From Current Slide shortcut, you can also start your slideshow by clicking theSlide Showicon at the bottom of your screen.

This is a fantastic way to spot check your slides as you are building them. On top of that, it’s a fast and uncomplicated way to re-start your presentation from where you left off after demoing something on screen.

To run a mini slide show, simply:

1. Hold down theAlt keyon your keyboard
2. With your mouse, click theSlide Showicon

Doing so starts a small slide show of your presentation that you can see below, from the current slide you are on.

To launch thePresenter Viewfrom the beginning of your presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

1. Navigate to theSlide Showtab
2. Hold down theAlt key onyour keyboard
3. ClickFrom Beginning

Holding down theAlt keyand clickingFrom Beginning, the Presenter View will launch from the very first (non-hidden) slide in your presentation.

Did you know that you can access different views in PowerPoint by adding keys as you click commands in the PowerPoint ribbon?

To start the Presenter view from your current slide using your Ribbon, simply:

1. Navigate to the Slide Show tab
2. Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard
3. ClickFrom Current Slide

Holding the Alt key and clicking From Current Slide launches the Presenter View from your current slide. So, this is another way you can quickly practice your presentation, see your speaker notes and see what’s coming up next.

To switch between the two slideshow views (while giving your presentation), simply:

1. Right-click your slide in whichever presentation view you are currently in
2. Select either Show Presenter View or Hide Presenter View

When would you use a feature like this during a presentation? One example is if you want to view your notes without leaving the slide show mode.

To open theSet Up Slide Showdialog box, simply:

1. Navigate to the Slide Show tab
2. Select theSet Up Slide Showcommand

Doing so, opens all your PowerPoint slide show settings and options as pictured below.

Inside the slide show settings dialog box, you can select:

1. How your presentation runs (full screen, window or in kiosk mode).
2. Your default pen and laser pointer color options (see our laser pointer article here).
3. Which slide you want start from, or which slides you want to show. You can also setup a custom show here.
4. How your slides progress (manually or using slide timings).
5. Which of your computer monitors (or screens) your slide show runs on.

TheSet Up Slide Show dialog box is also the secret to running multiple presentations at the same time in PowerPoint. To expand your knowledge and learn how to set this up, read our guide here.

To use the SECRET shortcut to open the Set Up Slide Show dialog box, simply:

1. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard
2. With your mouse, click the Reading View icon at the bottom of your screen

This is useful when you need to quickly cycle through lots of PowerPoint presentations and change how those presentations run. Instead of wasting time clicking through the Ribbon, simply hold the Shift key and click theReading View icon. This is also a friendly conversation starter with a fellow PowerPoint enthusiast at Happy Hour.

Regardless of how you start your full screen presentation, you can end your presentation at any time by hitting the Esc key on your keyboard.

HittingEscimmediately takes you out of thePowerPoint presentation mode and back to the normal editing view of your slides, on whatever slide you were last presenting.

Here is how you can use a combination of all the different keyboard shortcuts to spot check and practice your presentation in full screen before you finalize your presentation.

1. HitF5on your keyboard tostart your presentation in full screen from the very first slide in your presentation. You can then use your arrow keys to advance, spot checking your slides for errors.
2. When you find an error, simply hitEsckey to return to the normal PowerPoint editing view to fix your slide.
3. When you are done, hitShift + F5to return the full screen presentation mode from the slide you just updated. You can then continue spot checking your presentation (without having to start over from the beginning).

In this way you can quickly work your way through your slides and practice your presentation, fixing and adjusting your content as you go.

Understanding how to run your presentations is CRITICAL to the success of your presentation. Not only in presenting them live, but also in knowing how to spot check your slides as you build them.

I personally find it easiest to spot check your slides and quickly fix errors by running your presentation in slide show mode (or full screen). The last place you want to discover an error is during your presentation.

Using the commands and shortcuts above, you can quickly start, exit and step back into your slide show. Once you have these commands and features down, you will also look like a whiz during your presentations.

If you enjoyed the depth of this article, you will love our other PowerPoint training courses and free resources. To learn more, visit us here.

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