PowerPoint Alt shortcuts on Mac
Updated by Leonard Peez
Short answer: PowerPoint for Mac stops at the ribbon: tap ⌥ and the tabs and buttons get letters, but the Arrange and Align menus don't. With RibbonBridge, the full Windows sequences work, for example ⌥HGAC to centre, exactly like AltHGAC on Windows.
Why it matters for slides
Pitch books, investment memos and client decks are built from boxes that have to line up. On Windows, people who live in PowerPoint align, distribute and group with the keyboard in a second. On a Mac, the same work means opening Arrange, then Align, then clicking, for every object. Over a 30 page deck, that adds up.
Align (⌥ H G A, then …)
| On Mac | What it does | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| ⌥HGAL | Align left | Alt H G A L |
| ⌥HGAC | Align center | Alt H G A C |
| ⌥HGAR | Align right | Alt H G A R |
| ⌥HGAT | Align top | Alt H G A T |
| ⌥HGAM | Align middle | Alt H G A M |
| ⌥HGAB | Align bottom | Alt H G A B |
| ⌥HGAH | Distribute horizontally | Alt H G A H |
| ⌥HGAV | Distribute vertically | Alt H G A V |
| ⌥HGAA | Align to slide | Alt H G A A |
Arrange, group and rotate (⌥ H G, then …)
| On Mac | What it does | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| ⌥HGR | Bring to front | Alt H G R |
| ⌥HGK | Send to back | Alt H G K |
| ⌥HGF | Bring forward | Alt H G F |
| ⌥HGB | Send backward | Alt H G B |
| ⌥HGG | Group | Alt H G G |
| ⌥HGU | Ungroup | Alt H G U |
| ⌥HGOR | Rotate right 90° | Alt H G O R |
| ⌥HGOH | Flip horizontal | Alt H G O H |
| ⌥HGP | Selection pane | Alt H G P |
German PowerPoint works too: the same menus get the German Windows letters, for example Ausrichten ▸ Horizontal zentrieren with I.
Setup
- Switch on KeyTips in PowerPoint: PowerPoint ▸ Settings ▸ Accessibility ▸ KeyTips ▸ ⌥. If you already did it in Excel, it is on for PowerPoint too.
- Install RibbonBridge. One licence covers Excel and PowerPoint, with Word coming in November.
- Select a shape, tap Option (press and release) and type the letters one after another.
Align a whole deck from the keyboard. RibbonBridge brings the Windows Alt shortcuts to PowerPoint and Excel for Mac: 7 days free with just your email, then €15 once.
Start 7-day free trial All guides