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Keynote Keyboard Shortcuts

When most people think about creating presentations, Microsoft PowerPoint is the first software that comes to mind. However, many great PowerPoint alternatives exist, including Apple’s direct competitor, Keynote.

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Keynote is an intuitive yet simple presentation creation software with many great features. Its eye-catching themes, cinematic effects and transitions, and countless other tools offer much more than PowerPoint. Also, it works well on Mac computers and iPads and even supports conversion from PowerPoint to Keynote .

When you’re working in Keynote, sometimes it’s easier to utilize keyboard shortcuts to get things done instead of trying to move your mouse or touch the screen. Luckily, this list of Keynote keyboard shortcuts will help you master quick and easy ways to accomplish nearly anything as you design your next presentation.

Image credit: Canva . Alterations made by Megan Glosson.

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Megan Glosson is a freelance technology writer based in Nashville, TN. She has extensive experience working with everything from printers to smart home systems, and serves as the go-to “tech guru” for a small business that sells digital products. Megan has created thousands of articles for online publications and company blogs, including How-To Geek, Clean Email, and Review Geek. When she’s not writing, you will probably find Megan playing board games with her partner and two children or swimming in the pool. You can check out Megan’s entire portfolio on her website, https://www.meganglosson.com/.

New in the Shortcuts Library: Keynote shortcuts

• August 8, 2023

I’ve just added a new folder to the Shortcuts Library — my set of Keynote shortcuts :

• Open Keynote : Opens the Keynote desktop app on Mac and the mobile app from iPhone/iPad.
• Open my presentation : Opens a pre-selected Keynote presentation. I use this with any current presentation that I may be working on.
• Open password-protected presentation : Asks you to enter the password for a locked presentation, then passes it to the file as it opens it in Keynote.
• Open from Keynote docs : Gets the contents of the Keynote folder in iCloud, asks you to pick from a presentation, and opens it in Keynote.
• Start presentation : Asks you to pick from your Keynote folder in iCloud Drive and opens the presentation in Show Mode.
• Rehearse presentation : Presents your presentations in Keynote, asks you to pick one, and opens it in Rehearsal Mode.
• Create custom presentation : Creates a presentation from your “My Themes” section, which appears when you use Edit > Save Theme in Keynote.
• Create Basic presentation : Presents a menu of Basic themes from Keynote to create – choose from Basic White, Basic Black, Classic White, White, and Black.
• Create Dynamic presentation : Pick from Apple’s cool movement-based Dynamic presentations in Keynote – including Light, Dark, and Rainbow options.
• Create Minimal presentation : Asks you to choose between Miniminal themes in Keynote – pick from Basic Color, Color Gradient Light, Color Gradient, Gradient, Showroom, Modern Portfolio, Slate, and Photo Essay.
• Create Bold presentation : Presents a list of Bold presentation themes available in Keynote – choose from Bold Color, Showcase, Briefing, Academy, Modern Type, and Exhibit
• Create Editorial themes : Presents a menu of Editorial themes in Keynote – pick from Feature Story, Look Book, Classic, Editorial, and Cream Paper.
• Create Portfolio presentation : Presents a menu of Portfolio-style presentations to create in Keynote – choose from Industrial, Blueprint, Graph Paper, Chalkboard, Photo Portfolio, and Leather Book.
• Create Craft presentation : Pick from Craft presentation themes in Keynote – options are Artisan, Improv, Drafting, Kyoto, Brushed Canvas, or Craft styles.
• Create Textured presentation : Asks you to pick from various Keynote themes in the Textured category – choose between Parchment, Renaissance, Moroccan, Hard Cover, Linen Book, Vintage, Typeset, Harmony, and Formal.

Check out the folder of Keynote shortcuts on the Shortcuts Library .

• Apple , apps , Keynote , Shortcuts

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List of the best keyboard shortcuts for Keynote on Mac

If there’s an app that you’ll want keyboard shortcuts for on Mac, it’s Keynote . You can navigate your presentation and any videos in it, move around views as you’re creating a slideshow, or simply control the Keynote window.

The Keynote window

Control the Keynote window by minimizing, hiding, or closing it using these handy keyboard shortcuts:

• Minimize the window: Command + M
• Minimize all windows: Option + Command + M
• Hide Keynote: Command + H
• Hide all other app windows: Option + Command + H
• Enter full-screen mode: Control + Command + F
• Zoom in: Command + > (right angle bracket)
• Zoom out: Command + < (left angle bracket)
• Zoom to selection: Shift + Command + 0 (zero)
• Zoom to fit: Option + Shift + Command + 0 (zero)
• Return to normal size: Command + 0 (zero)
• Open Keynote preferences: Command + , (comma)
• Open the Pages User Guide: Shift + Command + ? (question mark)
• Close the window: Command + W
• Close all windows: Option + Command + W
• Quit Keynote: Command + Q
• Quit Keynote with windows open: Option + Command + Q

Keyboard shortcuts for playing a presentation using presenter mode

When you’re ready to play your presentation using presenter mode, have this list of keyboard shortcuts nearby to move smoothly through the slideshow:

• Play your presentation: Option + Command + P
• Play your presentation from the first slide: Option + Click the Play button in the toolbar
• Pause your presentation: F
• Pause your presentation with a black screen: B
• Pause your presentation with a white screen: W
• Go to the first slide: Home or Fn + Up arrow
• Go to the last slide: End or Fn + Down arrow
• Go to the next slide: Right arrow or Down arrow
• Go to the next slide without animation: Shift + Right arrow
• Go to the previous slide: Left arrow or Up arrow
• Go through previously viewed slides: Z
• Show the slide number: S
• Show or hide the pointer: C
• Show or hide the Presenter Notes: Shift + Command + P
• Scroll up the Presenter Notes: U
• Scroll down the Presenter Notes: D
• Increase Presenter Notes font size: Command + Plus sign (+)
• Increase Presenter Notes font size: Command + Hyphen (-)
• Switch the primary and presenter displays: X
• Reset the timer: R
• Hide the presentation and move to the last app used: H
• Quit presentation mode: Escape or Q
• Show or hide keyboard shortcuts: ? (question mark) or / (forward slash)

Keyboard shortcuts for controlling a video in your presentation

If you have a video embedded in your presentation, you can control it with keyboard shortcuts too:

• Play your video: Space bar
• Pause or resume playing the video: K
• Rewind the video by frame when paused: J
• Fast forward the video by frame when paused: L
• Move to the beginning of the video: I (capital letter “i”)
• Move to the end of the video: O (capital letter “o”)

Keyboard shortcuts when using Navigator view

For moving through your presentation as you’re creating it, use these shortcuts in Navigator view:

• Select multiple slides: Shift + Drag through the slides
• Expand or decrease the slide selection: Shift + Click
• Indent selected slides right: Tab
• Move indented slides left: Shift + Tab
• Add a new slide at the same level as the selected slide: Return or Shift + Command + N
• Duplicate a selected slide: Command + D
• Delete a selected slide: Delete
• Go to the next slide: Down arrow
• Go to the previous slide: Up arrow
• Skip a slide in your presentation or show a slide you’re skipping: Shift + Command + H
• Expand a group of slides: Right arrow
• Collapse a group of slides: Left arrow

Keyboard shortcuts when using Light Table view

For moving through your presentation as you’re creating it, use these shortcuts in Light Table view:

• Select the first slide: Command + Up arrow
• Select the last slide: Command + Down arrow
• Expand your selection to the next slide: Shift + Right arrow
• Expand your selection to the previous slide: Shift + Left arrow
• Expand your selection to the first slide: Shift + Command + Up arrow
• Expand your selection to the last slide: Shift + Command + Down arrow
• Go to the next slide: Right arrow
• Go to the previous slide: Left arrow

Using keyboard shortcuts for Keynote on Mac can help you not only create your slideshow faster but navigate while you play it easier.

For more, browse through our Keyboard Shortcuts section for controlling other Mac apps.

Check out next:

• Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft PowerPoint on Mac
• 40+ best keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word on Mac
• The ultimate list of Mac keyboard shortcuts

Tips & Tricks

Troubleshooting, 15 keynote keyboard shortcuts for ipad.

The Keynote presentation app for iPad has a variety of handy keyboard shortcuts available to it that are only accessible when the iPad is connected to a physical keyboard. If you’re a regular Keynote for iPad user, and you have either a Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard, keyboard case, or other external keyboard connected to the iPad , you’ll be sure to appreciate learning these helpful keystrokes for using iPad with the Keynote app.

From the basics like creating a new presentation and new slides, to duplicating slides, finding information, starting slideshows, showing transitions, navigating within the presentation, and much more, read along and you’ll learn a variety of handy keyboard shortcuts for the Keynote app on iPad.

16 Keyboard Shortcuts for Keynote on iPad

• Create New Presentation – Command N
• Open Presentation / Go to Presentations – Command O
• New Slide – Shift Command N
• Edit Master Slide – Shift Command E
• Duplicate – Command D
• Find – Command F
• Add Comment – Shift Command K
• Play Slideshow – Option Command P
• Show Transitions and Builds – Option Command A
• Show Presenter Notes – Shift Command P
• Show Light Table – Shift Command L
• Copy – Command C
• Paste – Command V
• Cut – Command X
• Navigate Presentation – Arrow Keys (left, up, right, down)
• Close Keynote and go to iPad Home Screen – Command H

Remember, you can also see a quick overview cheatsheet of many Keynote keyboard shortcuts directly within the Keynote app on iPad by holding down the Command key on an external keyboard.

The copy, cut, and paste commands are the same for every iPad app, and are also the same on a Mac too. In fact many of the Keynote keystrokes are also the same on Keynote for iPad as they are on Keynote for Mac, so if you use both platforms you’ll find there’s a lot of commonality between the two.

Of course Keynote is not the only app with many keyboard shortcuts available to it when the iPad is connected to a physical keyboard or keyboard case, and we’ve covered other apps with handy keystrokes available including Pages , Notes , Files , Chrome , using the Escape key if it doesn’t exist on the keyboard, and many others too.

Having a physical keyboard connected to iPad unlocks many keyboard shortcuts in many different apps, and for many users it makes typing easier on iPad too. Whether you’re going with an iPad keyboard case or using iPad on a stand with a keyboard as a simple desk setup , connecting a keyboard to your iPad setup is a handy addition.

If you know of any other handy Keynote for iPad tips, tricks, keystrokes, or other helpful information, share with us in the comments below!

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Related articles:

• How to Use Keynote Live from iPhone & iPad to Share Presentations
• How to Convert Keynote to PowerPoint on iPhone & iPad
• How to Automatically Change iPhone Wallpaper with Shortcuts
• How to Convert Keynote to PowerPoint with iCloud

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Keynote Tips

6 Must-know Keynote presentation keyboard shortcuts

April 4, 2023

Apple users are loyal – refusing to use any other operating system. This user loyalty doesn’t only go for devices, it may go for applications too. For instance, many prefer doing presentations via Keynote, rather than PowerPoint or Google Slide . 

Whether you’re a die-hard Keynote presenter, or you’re being asked to use Keynote for a presentation – I have some keyboard shortcuts you can use to keep your presentation moving swiftly during your next meeting.

Keep your cool by using keyboard shortcuts 

Slipping up during a presentation happens to the best of us. All it takes is two seconds for you to lose your concentration after you see an audience member disengage, you look at your keypad for too long, or you click the wrong button one too many times. 

All of this can be avoided by using shortcuts while delivering your Keynote presentation. Using shortcuts allows you to:

• Keep your eyes on the crowd, keeping their attention. 
• Have more control over your presentation.
• Navigate through the slides with ease. 

Keynote keyboard shortcuts to remember 

Use the below keyboard shortcuts during your Keynote presentation and never fumble again. Whether you’re using Mac or Windows, these will work – since, if you’re using Windows, you’ll have to access Keynote via Apple’s iWork on your web browser. So, in other words, you’ll be using Apple either way. 

1. Pause the presentation and show a blank screen (white or black)

To get all eyes on you – rather than reading the presentation content – press “W” for a white blank screen or “B” for a blank black screen . 

When you’re done making your point, press the same key you used initially to get back to the presentation. 

2. Navigate to any slide you want 

Get to any slide you want to, from anywhere, by pressing the slide number you want to get to. 

3. Point at content 

Don’t have a physical laser pointer but want to point at some content? Press “C” to bring up the pointer . To get rid of it, press “C” again. 

4. Switch to another app 

If you’re moving between the slides and something else you’re demonstrating, then open the other app before opening your slides. From there you can press “H” whenever you need to hide the slides and open the last app used. 

5. Skip a slide 

Sometimes you add in a slide or an animation, but when presentation time comes you’d prefer to skip it. To do this, simply press “]” . 

6. Access your notes 

Forgot what you wanted to say? Press “U” to open the presenter notes, and “D” to close them when you’re done. 

Kill it with Keynote! 

With keynote presentation shortcuts, you’ll keep your audience keen and connected. Make sure you use them! If you need assistance creating the perfect slides, contact me .

I provide professional presentation design services specializing in PowerPoint, Keynote and Google Slides. 

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15 ways to use Shortcuts with Pages, Keynote, and Numbers

In iOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3, Apple updated their iWork suite of Pages, Keynote, and the Numbers app to include improved actions for the Shortcuts app across all three applications, bringing the feature to macOS for the first time, and improving on the previous iOS-only set of actions for the suite.

Each app has Open and Create actions to let users open files and generate templates, plus Apple included specialized actions to interact with their Keynote presentations and insert values directly into tables in Numbers.

Read on to find example shortcuts using those actions, explanations for how to integrate the unique features for Keynote and Numbers, and learn what to know about password-protected files as well as improvements that could be made in future versions.

For Pages, Apple has two actions: Open Document and Create Document.

With Open Document , users can make a shortcut that uses File parameter to select a file to be opened each time , or make a shortcut that passes .pages files chosen from elsewhere in your filesystem and open that as well.

With the Create Document action, users can specify an individual template from the list of options and make a shortcut to create that document every time , or make a shortcut to ask each time to pick a template and create one on the fly — templates include categories like Reports, Books, Letters, Resumes, Flyers & Posters, Newsletters, Cards, Envelopes, Business Cards, and Certificates.

Together, this set of actions makes it easy to generate new docs from all sorts of document templates made available by Apple, as well as retrieve them to work on or view at a moment's notice — all great templates to take advantage of one of the best writing apps for the Mac .

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For Keynote, Apple has four actions: Open Presentation , Create Presentation , Open Presentation in Rehearsal Mode , and Open Presentation in Show Mode .

With Open Presentation , the action works the same as Pages' above — users can open a specific presentation (maybe you're working on one for a whole month), or pick from a list of files and open that presentation. Keynote presentations can also be password-protected, so there's additionally a Password field on Open Presentation so you can unlock as necessary — Shortcuts can prompt you for the password for a document before trying to open it.

With Create Presentation , users can to pick from the Themes available in Keynote and generate a new presentation from one of those each time — I'd recommend checking out the examples in the app before you pick one to use regularly though. Plus, users can pick from any template and create it on the fly. There's Basic, Minimal, Bold, Editorial, Portfolio, Craft, and Textured themes to choose from.

Plus, in addition to the two basic actions, Keynote has actions for opening presentations in Rehearsal Mode and Show Mode, so you can practice a presentation and even start the show for the real event when it's time — a great set of shortcuts to use on your favorite iPad .

The Numbers actions provided by Apple for Shortcuts include Open Spreadsheet , Create Spreadsheet , and Add Row to Top or Bottom of Table .

With Open Spreadsheet , Shortcuts users can find and reopen a specific spreadsheet easily to view your data; additionally, Shortcuts can extract a set of documents or a folder, let you pick from those options , and open your chosen spreadsheet (note: spreadsheets can also be password-protected, and Shortcuts adds a parameter for this).

Create Spreadsheet is incredibly useful because of the wealth of super-useful templates available for Numbers. You can create shortcuts to generate a new pivot table or set of charts , pick from spreadsheets for Personal Finance or Business, keep track of Personal or Education information, and even generate new spreadsheets based on your own templates. Here's a shortcut to pick from the template options .

Add Row to Top or Bottom of Table is perhaps the most useful of all the iWorks actions as it actually lets you add data to your files, especially since updating spreadsheets is often the worst part about making them. Thanks to Shortcuts, this can be much easier now.

Using the action with a template like the Personal Budget, a user can add a transaction to the table on the second sheet in the document — each column of data can be added to the "Value" area of the action, then you can specify the Table Name, Sheet Name, and whether the information goes at the bottom or top.

Using Shortcuts' other scripting actions, you can create/ask yourself to enter those values on the fly using a series of Ask For Input actions, with prompts like "What's the description?", and "What's the amount?", then add those results (and the current date) into the Values field (note: leave any columns blank if you don't want to add values).

When you run the shortcut, get the prompts, and input all your data, the action will then take you into the Numbers app and insert your values directly — this requirement to manually open the app is the one downside of the action and a weird limitation from Apple, as inserting values in the background would be much smoother.

Despite the manual input, this action is extremely useful — you can use Shortcuts' scripting and Numbers to do all sorts of data entry that'd otherwise be very laborious to enter manually, especially from an iPhone or iPad. Plus, your "logging" shortcuts work on mobile and desktop, so your workflow can be smooth anywhere.

Automating iWork

Overall, these set of Shortcuts actions for Pages, Keynote, and Numbers are welcome — each application is on a level playing field across iOS and Mac, they provide great access to files and the templates in the app, and Apple gave Keynote and Numbers extra attention for their app-specific features.

In the next iteration of these, I'd love to see more ways to interact with my iWork files: getting data out, inserting data, and being able to extract details from the file's parameters would enable much more programmatic access to everything. Plus, Numbers should be able to insert data in the background without opening the app — that experience is very antithetical to the Shortcuts experience and unfortunately means many people won't utilize it.

However, these iWork actions are a great stake in the ground for first-party apps — Apple has demonstrated their intent to make apps like this have feature parity when it comes to Shortcuts support, they've pushed quality-of-life updates for users wanting to take more advantage of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, and they're honing in on the particular use cases for each app and making them easier.

Get the shortcuts listed in the article:

• Open Pages document
• Open Pages documents
• Create Dark Mode document
• Create document from template
• Open my presentation
• Open Keynote doc
• Open protected presentation
• Rehearse presentation
• Start presentation
• Open my spreadsheet
• Open my Numbers spreadsheets
• Create pivot table
• Create table and chart
• Pick from a Numbers template
• Add to spreadsheet

Matthew Cassinelli is a writer, podcaster, video producer, and Shortcuts creator. After working on the Workflow app before it was acquired by Apple and turned into Shortcuts, Matthew now shares about how to use Shortcuts and how to get things done with Apple technology.

On his personal website MatthewCassinelli.com, Matthew has shared hundreds & hundreds of shortcuts that anyone can download, plus runs a membership program for more advanced Shortcuts users. He also publishes a weekly newsletter called “What’s New in Shortcuts.”

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Keyboard shortcuts.

80 Apple Keynote Keyboard Shortcuts

Apple Keynote shortcuts assist you in effectively conveying your message through slides. With professional-looking templates, cinematic-quality animations, and smooth transitions, it’s easy to create captivating presentations. These shortcuts make the presentation even more seamless by allowing you to navigate between slides effortlessly, whether at the beginning, middle, or end, without exiting the presentation or revealing the desktop.

Download Apple Keynote Shortcuts PDF

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Most used Apple Keynote Shortcuts
• 1.2 Canvas Object Shortcuts
• 1.3 Movie Playing Shortcuts
• 1.4 Slideshow Shortcuts
• 1.5 Chart Data Editor Shortcuts
• 1.6 Tables Shortcuts
• 1.7 Formula Shortcuts

I’ve compiled a list of Apple Keynote shortcuts, covering not only how quickly and easily you can navigate through the app but also how to use them during slideshows. Below is the list of shortcuts. Feel free to download and keep it until you’ve memorized the most frequent and useful ones for you.

Most used Apple Keynote Shortcuts

Similar Programs: Google Slides Keyboard Shortcuts

Canvas Object Shortcuts

Similar Programs: LibreOffice Impress Keyboard Shortcuts

Movie Playing Shortcuts

Slideshow Shortcuts

Similar Programs: Microsoft Sway Keyboard Shortcuts

Chart Data Editor Shortcuts

Tables Shortcuts

Similar Programs: Evernote Keyboard Shortcuts

Formula Shortcuts

When it comes to creating presentations, Microsoft PowerPoint is often the first application that comes to mind. It’s synonymous with presentation creation. Take a quick look at the Microsoft PowerPoint Shortcuts list. Additionally, Canva is emerging as a popular application in the presentation world. Explore the Canva Shortcuts list as well.

• MS Access Shortcut keys
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• Apple Numbers Keyboard Shortcuts
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6 Tips and Tricks for Amazing Keynote Presentations on Your Mac

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Keynote is the simplest way to make a beautiful presentation on your Mac. If you pick a template you like and let the defaults do the trick, you'll most likely end up with something you're proud of. However, you've got a lot more options than just the basics.

When using Keynote, you can easily transition between different slides. On top of that, you can jump around however you feel necessary—along with much more. Here, you'll learn the best Keynote tips for making amazing presentations in macOS.

1. Master Keynote's Slide Transitions

Transitions and animations are the two biggest reasons to use Keynote for making a presentation. To add a transition effect, select the slide from the slide navigator on the left. From the top-right corner of the window, click on the Animate tab.

Then, select the Action option, and you'll see a big blue Add an Effect button.

When you click on it, you'll be able to select from more than a dozen effects. In the example below, we've used the Confetti effect.

Once you select a transition, you'll be able to define the duration, the direction, and the start time.

2. Animate Individual Objects on the Slides

Keynote lets you control exactly when and where your objects show up. You can animate these by going to Animate > Build In > Add an Effect .

Click the Preview button to see how it looks. If you want to animate multiple objects together or one after the other, select all of them when defining the Build In effect.

When multiple objects are involved, click the Build Order button from the bottom of the sidebar. Here, you can define the order in which the objects appear on the screen.

3. Master Magic Move

Magic Move lets you directly move an object from one slide to another, with complete control over the animation.

First, place the objects on the slides the way you want. From the Slide Navigator , duplicate the slide by using the Command + D shortcut.

Now, change the position of the objects on both slides. The first slide will have objects in the default state. In the second slide, position the elements where you want them to end up.

Select the first of the two slides (not both), and from the sidebar, click on the Animate tab. From the Add an Effect section, choose Magic Move .

Preview it, and you'll instantly see a smooth animation going from one slide to another. Keynote takes care of the transition and animation automatically. But if you want, you can change the duration, match it with text instead of objects, and define when to start the transition.

4. Edit Your Slide Layouts

If you're working on a big presentation, you'll probably want your styling to be consistent. To achieve this, you can use the feature that lets you edit your slide layouts—which will allow you to define layouts and designs you use frequently.

Finding this feature in Keynote is simple. On your Mac keyboard, hold the Control button and click on a slide with your trackpad. Then, choose Edit Slide Layouts from the context menu.

After selecting Edit Slide Layouts , you can adjust numerous areas of your Keynote slides. For example, you can include a title and photo—along with several other things.

When you're finished, hit the blue Done button at the bottom, and you'll have something that better fits your needs.

If you aren't a big fan of the presentation layouts in Keynote, you can always consider picking from various Keynote alternatives .

5. Customize Your Toolbar

The more you use Keynote on your Mac, the more you'll figure out what does and doesn't work for you. You'll also probably notice that you use some tools more frequently than others. Having easy access to these is a good idea if you'd like to work more efficiently when creating your presentations.

Customizing your toolbar in Keynote is quite straightforward. When using the app on your Mac, you'll first need to go to the View menu from the macOS menu bar and choose Customize Toolbar located at the bottom of the dropdown.

A pop-up window will appear; here, you'll see a huge range of icons and other things you can move around. Moving these is the same as if you wanted to change icons on your iPhone or iPad; you can drag and drop the features you most frequently use.

When you're done customizing your toolbar, you can click the Done button in the bottom right-hand corner.

Keynote isn't the only way you can customize on your Mac . You can change several areas on your computer—color schemes, icons, and sounds, to name a few.

6. Use Action Buttons for Shapes in Keynote

As you create your presentations in Keynote, you might want to use shapes for several reasons. You can use them to create graphics , and they're also handy for breaking up your text—among numerous other things. One of the app's best hidden features lets you turn any shape into more of an interactive button.

You can use the action options for shapes in Keynotes to jump to a different slide. But that's not all; they're also handy for opening web pages and even ending the presentation.

First, you'll need to add a shape to your Keynote presentation. You can do this by selecting Shape from Keynote's toolbar at the top.

Choose the shape you want to add to your presentation and select it. After that, use the Command + K keyboard shortcut.

Expand the dropdown menu, and you can choose whether you want your shape to link to a slide, a website, or something else.

After choosing the purpose of your shape in Keynote, complete the remaining steps that your Mac prompts you to do. You can then use your shape to supercharge how your presentation functions.

Get More Advanced With Keynote Presentations on Your Mac

If you use a Mac to create your presentations, you might want to use Keynote for several reasons. Its interface is user-friendly, and you have plenty of customization options. On top of that, the app makes it easy for you to move around to different slides and various other things—giving you more control over what you're trying to do.

Now that you've read these tips, you should have a better understanding of how you can improve your presentations and wow your audience. You've learned all about adding effects, skipping to different slides, and more.

• Productivity
• Presentations

Print-friendly keyboard shortcuts for all your favorite Mac apps

Text Selection

Cell References

Light Table

Presenter Mode

Keynote User Guide

Get started with a theme

All presentations begin with a theme—a set of predesigned slide layouts you can use as a starting point. Replace the theme’s images and text with your own, then add more slides as needed.

• Create a presentation

Add text, photos, charts, and more

Add objects like text boxes, tables, charts, shapes, and media (images, audio, and video) to any slide. You can layer objects, resize them, and link them to webpages or other slides in your presentation.

• Intro to images, charts, and other objects

Lights, camera, action

Bring your presentation to life with movies, live video, recorded narration, music, and more.

Add video or audio

Present in any situation

Play a presentation during a video conference, virtually with multiple presenters, as a movie with recorded narration, and more.

Play a presentation

Wow them with animation

Add visual effects or animations to captivate your audience. For example, add a transition so each slide dissolves into the next, or make each word in a title bounce onto the slide.

Add transitions between slides

Collaborate in real time

Invite others to work with you on your presentation. Everyone you invite can see changes as they’re made, but you control who can edit or only view the presentation.

• Intro to collaboration

This guide helps you get started using Keynote 14.1 on your Mac. (To see which version of Keynote you have, choose Keynote > About Keynote from the Keynote menu at the top of your screen.) To explore the Keynote User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field.

If you need more help, visit the Keynote Support website .

Keynote User Guide for Mac

• What’s new in Keynote 14.1
• Intro to Keynote
• Choose how to navigate your presentation
• Open or close a presentation
• Save and name a presentation
• Find a presentation
• Print a presentation
• Undo or redo changes
• Show or hide sidebars
• Quick navigation
• Change the working view
• Expand and zoom your workspace
• Customize the Keynote toolbar
• Change Keynote settings on Mac
• Touch Bar for Keynote
• Create a presentation using VoiceOver
• Add or delete slides
• Add and view presenter notes
• Reorder slides
• Group or ungroup slides
• Skip or unskip a slide
• Change the slide size
• Change a slide background
• Add a border around a slide
• Show or hide text placeholders
• Show or hide slide numbers
• Apply a slide layout
• Add and edit slide layouts
• Change a theme
• Add an image
• Add an image gallery
• Edit an image
• Add and edit a shape
• Combine or break apart shapes
• Draw a shape
• Save a shape to the shapes library
• Add and align text inside a shape
• Add 3D objects
• Add lines and arrows
• Animate, share, or save drawings
• Add video and audio
• Record audio
• Edit video and audio
• Add live video
• Set movie and image formats
• Position and align objects
• Use alignment guides
• Place objects inside a text box or shape
• Layer, group, and lock objects
• Change object transparency
• Fill shapes and text boxes with color or an image
• Add a border to an object
• Add a caption or title
• Add a reflection or shadow
• Use object styles
• Resize, rotate, and flip objects
• Move and edit objects using the object list
• Add linked objects to make your presentation interactive
• Select text
• Copy and paste text
• Use dictation to enter text
• Use accents and special characters
• Format a presentation for another language
• Use phonetic guides
• Use bidirectional text
• Use vertical text
• Change the font or font size
• Add bold, italic, underline, or strikethrough to text
• Change the color of text
• Change text capitalization
• Add a shadow or outline to text
• Intro to paragraph styles
• Apply a paragraph style
• Create, rename, or delete paragraph styles
• Update or revert a paragraph style
• Use a keyboard shortcut to apply a style
• Adjust character spacing
• Add drop caps
• Raise and lower characters and text
• Format fractions automatically
• Create and use character styles
• Format dashes and quotation marks
• Format Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text
• Set tab stops
• Format text into columns
• Adjust line spacing
• Format lists
• Add a highlight effect to text
• Add mathematical equations
• Add borders and rules (lines) to separate text
• Add or delete a table
• Select tables, cells, rows, and columns
• Add or remove rows and columns
• Move rows and columns
• Resize rows and columns
• Merge or unmerge cells
• Change the look of table text
• Show, hide, or edit a table title
• Change table gridlines and colors
• Use table styles
• Resize, move, or lock a table
• Add and edit cell content
• Format dates, currency, and more
• Create a custom cell format
• Highlight cells conditionally
• Format tables for bidirectional text
• Alphabetize or sort table data
• Calculate values using data in table cells
• Use the Formulas and Functions Help
• Add or delete a chart
• Change a chart from one type to another
• Modify chart data
• Move, resize, and rotate a chart
• Change the look of data series
• Add a legend, gridlines, and other markings
• Change the look of chart text and labels
• Add a chart border and background
• Use chart styles
• Animate objects onto and off a slide
• Animate objects on a slide
• Change build order and timing
• Add transitions
• Present on your Mac
• Present on a separate display
• Present on a Mac over the internet
• Use a remote
• Make a presentation advance automatically
• Require a password to exit a presentation
• Play a slideshow with multiple presenters
• Rehearse on your Mac
• Record presentations
• Check spelling
• Look up words
• Find and replace text
• Replace text automatically
• Set author name and comment color
• Highlight text
• Add and print comments
• Send a presentation
• Invite others to collaborate
• Collaborate on a shared presentation
• See the latest activity in a shared presentation
• Change a shared presentation’s settings
• Stop sharing a presentation
• Shared folders and collaboration
• Use Box to collaborate
• Create an animated GIF
• Post your presentation in a blog
• Use iCloud Drive with Keynote
• Export to PowerPoint or another file format
• Reduce the presentation file size
• Save a large presentation as a package file
• Restore an earlier version of a presentation
• Move a presentation
• Delete a presentation
• Password-protect a presentation
• Lock a presentation
• Create and manage custom themes
• Transfer files with AirDrop
• Transfer presentations with Handoff
• Transfer presentations with the Finder
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Keyboard shortcut symbols

10 Simple Keynote Shortcuts You Wish You Knew Sooner

Most people either love or hate making slide decks. My theory is that if you hate it, it's likely that you haven’t mastered the program just yet. It's estimated that most people lose an average of 2 seconds per minute of work by switching back and forth from their mouse instead of using the designated keyboard shortcut. For example, to open a new tab in a web browser, most people will:1. Move their hand to the mouse2. Then move the cursor to the [+] button to the right of their other open tabs3. Then click that button4. Then switch their hands back to the keyboard to type a search term or URL.

Yet opening a new browser tab could be done much more quickly by simply typing the keys [cmd] + [t] . Learning this single shortcut could save you several cumulative hours over the course of a year. Just to put things into perspective, let's assume you waste an average of 2 seconds per minute each workday...

(2 wasted sec / min) x (480 min / workday) x (240 workdays / year) = 64 wasted hours each year.

‍ That’s 8 workdays wasted per year. Yikes.

I use the example of a browser tab flow because we’re all too familiar with how it’s used. But what you might not realize is that as easy-to-use as Keynote is deemed to be, its Format Pane alone can be unexpectedly tedious to navigate, especially if you’re not using master templates or keynote themes. I find that you often need 3-6 clicks per basic action because it relies on nested tabs and collapsable menus rather than an adaptive properties menu. Three clicks may not sound like a lot, but remember that you're likely making a hundred or more actions per slide deck design, which adds up fast!

Start to improve your workflow by integrating these 10 easy shortcuts into your next Keynote presentation. Challenge yourself to use these often and they’ll become second nature in no time :).

When working with fonts in Keynote, text size doesn’t always have one-size fits all solution. More often than not, you’ll find yourself wanting to tweak it to correct line breaks or prevent orphans. Although [cmd] + [+] and [cmd] + [-] are typically used for zooming in and out in other programs like Google Chrome and the Adobe suite, Apple programs such as Keynote and other built-in applications like Notes use it for font resizing. In Keynote, it’s most handy for small font changes and perfecting layouts, so you may want to use the Format Pane for large-increment sizing edits.

You'll notice that most shortcuts have a pretty intuitive system in place for their counterparts. For instance, if [cmd] + [+] is for increasing text size, it's pretty reasonable to assume that [cmd] + [-] will decrease text size. Keeping this in mind while learning your shortcuts will make the process much quicker.

Commonly used across most text editing programs, [cmd] + [k] is the fastest way to add a link to an image, line of text, or text box. Simply select or highlight the item you want to turn into a clickable element and tap the shortcut key. You’ll then be prompted to paste in a URL. Alternatively, you can choose to link to a different slide or link it to an email address. Once you start using this shortcut, you may find that you get hooked on adding links everywhere. It’s a great way to cite sources or cross-link to assets and other useful information.

Save yourself a few clicks by selecting a slide thumbnail or any element on the slide itself and hit [cmd] + [d] to duplicate it. It’s a huge time saver when recycling slide layouts. One thing to note is that when duplicating an element on a slide (such as an image or text), Keynote will automatically paste it 10 units to the right and down from the original. If you’d like to re-align it to its original placement, simply select the duplicate object and hit [shift] + [up arrow] and then [shift] + [left arrow] .

If you work as I do, you may find that you’re frequently adjusting the rag on your text after roughing out a presentation outline. This late-stage finessing can be a huge time suck, so use shortcuts for the most common rags like left aligned text   [cmd] + [ { ] and center aligned text [cmd] + [ | ] .

An easy way to remember this set of short cuts is that the curly brackets point left for left rag ( { ) and right for right rag ( } ). There's your intuitive pattern for opposites! Now just visualize the pipe ( | )as pointing to no one because it's so damn self-centered ;).

If you find yourself copying content over from multiple documents, online sources, or even notes, you’ll run into a plethora of inconsistent formatting issues when pasting into your final slide deck. A simple way to skip the headache is to copy content over as usual and simply paste it into your slides using the [opt] + [cmd] + [v] operation and it Keynote will match your fonts, colors, and sizes to the existing destination’s text box style.

If you’re trying to maintain a look from a different slide deck, you can also copy existing text styles so that they carry over to your working Keynote file. This will keep you from having to dig through the settings of the Format Pane more than you have to.

Whether you do discovered it accidentally or are an avid abuser of the zooming functionality, being able to reset back to 100% is key. As you may know, you can zoom in or out of a slide using your mouse's scroll wheel or by pinching and zooming on your track pad. To return to 100%, simply hit [cmd] + [0] .

I challenge you to practice composing and editing text without having to reach for your mouse! By using [cmd] + [right arrow] , you can quickly jump your cursor to the right end of the text box. Try this with any arrow key. For example, the up arrow takes you to the top of the text box, and the down arrow drops it to the very bottom.

Hungry for more time-saving shortcuts or want to make a printable cheatsheet? Explore the full list of Keynote shortcuts from Apple.

Go forth my fellow speed demons!

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// Thoughts

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Keynote > controlling a presentation with the keyboard.