Google Slides keyboard shortcuts

Q: How do I start a Google Slides presentation with the keyboard?

Press Ctrl+F5 on Windows or Cmd+Enter on Mac to present from the current slide. Add Shift to start from the beginning of the deck.

Q: How do I see all keyboard shortcuts in Google Slides?

Press Ctrl+/ on Windows or Cmd+/ on Mac to open the searchable shortcut overlay built into Slides.

Q: How do I group objects in Google Slides?

Select multiple objects and press Ctrl+Alt+G (Cmd+Option+G on Mac). Add Shift to the same combination to ungroup.

Q: What does pressing B do during a Google Slides presentation?

It blacks out the screen so the audience focuses on you. Press W for a white screen instead, and any key to return to the slide.

Q: How do I change the stacking order of objects in Google Slides?

With an object selected, Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down (Cmd on Mac) move it forward or backward one step, and adding Shift sends it all the way to the front or back.

Google Slides is Google's browser-based presentation app, the default deck tool for teams living in Google Workspace. Building slides is highly repetitive work: duplicating, aligning, reordering, and restyling objects. Learning these shortcuts turns a mouse-heavy grind into fast keyboard work, and the presenter shortcuts keep you in control when you are on stage. This cheat sheet covers 59 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

General

Show keyboard shortcuts list	`Ctrl`+`/Cmd`+`/`
Search the menus	`Alt`+`/Option`+`/`
Undo	`Ctrl`+`ZCmd`+`Z`
Redo	`Ctrl`+`YCmd`+`Y`
Copy	`Ctrl`+`CCmd`+`C`
Cut	`Ctrl`+`XCmd`+`X`
Paste	`Ctrl`+`VCmd`+`V`
Find and replace	`Ctrl`+`HCmd`+`Shift`+`H`
Insert link	`Ctrl`+`KCmd`+`K`
Print	`Ctrl`+`PCmd`+`P`
Insert comment	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`MCmd`+`Option`+`M`

Slides

New slide	`Ctrl`+`MCmd`+`M`
Duplicate slide or selection	`Ctrl`+`DCmd`+`D`
Move slide up	`Ctrl`+`UpCmd`+`Up`
Move slide down	`Ctrl`+`DownCmd`+`Down`
Move slide to beginning	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`UpCmd`+`Shift`+`Up`
Move slide to end	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`DownCmd`+`Shift`+`Down`

Text Formatting

Bold	`Ctrl`+`BCmd`+`B`
Italic	`Ctrl`+`ICmd`+`I`
Underline	`Ctrl`+`UCmd`+`U`
Strikethrough	`Alt`+`Shift`+`5Cmd`+`Shift`+`X`
Increase font size	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`>Cmd`+`Shift`+`>`
Decrease font size	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`<Cmd`+`Shift`+`<`
Align text left	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`LCmd`+`Shift`+`L`
Align text center	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ECmd`+`Shift`+`E`
Align text right	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`RCmd`+`Shift`+`R`
Justify text	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`JCmd`+`Shift`+`J`
Bulleted list	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`8Cmd`+`Shift`+`8`
Numbered list	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`7Cmd`+`Shift`+`7`
Clear formatting	`Ctrl`+`\Cmd`+`\`
Copy formatting	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`CCmd`+`Option`+`C`
Paste formatting	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`VCmd`+`Option`+`V`
Superscript	`Ctrl`+`.Cmd`+`.`
Subscript	`Ctrl`+`,Cmd`+`,`

Objects & Arranging

Group selected objects	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`GCmd`+`Option`+`G`
Ungroup objects	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`Shift`+`GCmd`+`Option`+`Shift`+`G`
Bring forward	`Ctrl`+`UpCmd`+`Up`
Send backward	`Ctrl`+`DownCmd`+`Down`
Bring to front	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`UpCmd`+`Shift`+`Up`
Send to back	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`DownCmd`+`Shift`+`Down`
Nudge object	`Arrow keysArrow keys`
Nudge object one pixel	`Shift`+`Arrow keysShift`+`Arrow keys`
Duplicate object	`Ctrl`+`DCmd`+`D`
Select next object	`TabTab`
Select previous object	`Shift`+`TabShift`+`Tab`
Exit text box / deselect	`EscEsc`

Presenting

Start presenting from current slide	`Ctrl`+`F5Cmd`+`Enter`
Start presenting from beginning	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`F5Cmd`+`Shift`+`Enter`
Next slide	`RightRight`
Previous slide	`LeftLeft`
Go to specific slide	`Number`+`EnterNumber`+`Enter`
First slide	`HomeFn`+`Left`
Last slide	`EndFn`+`Right`
Black screen	`BB`
White screen	`WW`
Open speaker notes	`SS`
Toggle laser pointer	`LL`
Toggle full screen	`FF`
Exit presentation	`EscEsc`

Put your top Google Slides shortcuts on real keys

The five Google Slides actions most worth binding to a physical macropad key:

Ctrl+DCmd+D Duplicate slide or object Deck building is mostly duplicating and tweaking; this fires constantly.

Ctrl+Alt+GCmd+Option+G Group selected objects Three-key chord used every few minutes when composing layouts.

Ctrl+Alt+VCmd+Option+V Paste formatting Restyling pasted content to match the deck is a nonstop chore.

Ctrl+MCmd+M New slide One tap to keep momentum while outlining a deck.

Ctrl+Shift+F5Cmd+Shift+Enter Start presenting from beginning A single rehearse/present key removes the most fumbled moment before going live.

I hand-build small-batch programmable macropads (QMK/VIA) in Barcelona. One press, any shortcut, any app.

See the macropads

Google Slides shortcut FAQs

How do I start a Google Slides presentation with the keyboard?

Press Ctrl+F5 on Windows or Cmd+Enter on Mac to present from the current slide. Add Shift to start from the beginning of the deck.

How do I see all keyboard shortcuts in Google Slides?

Press Ctrl+/ on Windows or Cmd+/ on Mac to open the searchable shortcut overlay built into Slides.

How do I group objects in Google Slides?

Select multiple objects and press Ctrl+Alt+G (Cmd+Option+G on Mac). Add Shift to the same combination to ungroup.

What does pressing B do during a Google Slides presentation?

It blacks out the screen so the audience focuses on you. Press W for a white screen instead, and any key to return to the slide.

How do I change the stacking order of objects in Google Slides?

With an object selected, Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down (Cmd on Mac) move it forward or backward one step, and adding Shift sends it all the way to the front or back.