by Andrew Bares

Created on: January 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 07, 2012

According to programmers and extreme PC users, keyboard shortcuts are quicker than clicking with the mouse. This is mostly true, but you have to learn how to use the keyboard shortcuts before you can use them efficiently. Most of these keyboard commands will involve pressing multiple buttons, which is shown with dashes between the button names. As an example, if the command is Ctrl-Shift-Esc, then you would first press and hold the Control button, and then press and hold the Shift button, and finally press and hold the Escape button. When you press and hold all of the buttons in succession, the command is processed and executed. These keyboard commands will apply to Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 and other Office 2007 suite programs.

First, there are the common keyboard commands, such as copy and paste.

Copy: Used for making a copy of selected text and bringing it to another section in a document or program. To Use: Highlight the text that you want copied, then, Press Ctrl-C (Press and hold Control and the key C). Now jump down to the Paste section to continue.

Cut: Used for moving the text in a document or a program to a new section. To Use: Highlight the text that you want to move. Then, Press Ctrl-X (Press and hold Control and the key X). Now jump down to the Paste section to continue.

Paste: After you either Copied or Cut text or items, click on the section of your presentation where you want to put the copied or cut item. Once you are at the spot you want to insert the item, Press Ctrl-V.

Undo: Don't like what you just did on your computer? Simply Press Ctrl-Z and it will undo your last action. Press it again, and it'll undo once more. You can continue to undo for multiple times, so don't be afraid to make mistakes.

General Office 2007 Commands:

Bold: To make your text stand out in bold, highlight it and Press Ctrl-B.

Italics: To italicize your text, highlight it and Press Ctrl I.

Underline: To underline your text, highlight it and Press Ctrl U.

Access all Shortcuts: When you're in Office 2007, you can just Press Alt and a list of keyboard hints appear. You can then press any of the keys that appear on the top menu bar to access the options. It's as simple as that, and you don't ever have to look at any reference cards. All of the commands will show up right on the screen for you, all you have to do is just press Alt.

That is mostly all you need to do, the new Office 2007 will show you every keyboard shortcut, you just have to press Alt first. This applies to Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and other programs in the Office 2007 suite. In no time, you will be executing speedy keyboard commands like a pro.

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