PowerPoint Cheat Sheet
Design slides, use transitions wisely and present with confidence.
Last updated: September 23, 2026
Basic terms
The building blocks of a presentation.
SlideA single page of the presentationSlide layoutDetermines where the title, text and images sit on a slideSlide masterA central template layout, changes there affect every slideDesign
So a presentation looks professional.
Choose a designA consistent color and font scheme for the whole presentationConsistent font sizesKeep headings and body text the same size across all slidesLittle text per slideBullet points instead of full sentences keep the audience on the speaker, not on readingTransitions and animations
Use motion deliberately, not everywhere.
Slide transitionThe effect used when moving from one slide to the nextAnimationMoves individual elements within a slide, for example when they appearUse sparinglyToo many effects distract from the content, less is usually more convincingInserting objects
More than just text and bullet points.
Insert an imagePlace an image directly onto the slide via the Insert tabInsert a chartNumbers can be shown directly as a bar, pie or line chartEmbed a videoA video can be inserted directly into a slide and played therePresenting
The actual delivery.
Start the slideshowStarts the presentation in full screen mode, usually with the F5 keyPresenter viewShows the presenter notes and the next slide, while the audience only sees the current oneSlide notesA separate area under each slide for bullet points only the presenter seesSharing and exporting
Once the presentation leaves your own device.
Export as PDFKeeps the layout intact, even if the recipient doesn't have PowerPoint installedPrint handoutsPrints several small slides per page, handy as a takeaway for the audienceExport as videoConverts the presentation, including transitions and timing, into a video fileTemplates and masters
Save time on recurring presentations.
Save as a templateSaves the design and layout to reuse for new presentations laterSmartArtAutomatically turns bullet points into a graphical diagramShow slide numbersDisplays a running number on every slide, useful when answering questionsKeyboard shortcuts
For presenting and while building slides.
F5Starts the presentation from the beginningShift + F5Starts the presentation from the current slideCtrl + MInserts a new slideCtrl + DDuplicates the currently selected slide