PowerPoint · Insert a shape
Insert
Windows · Linux
Alt+N·S·HMac
Not on this systemOpens the shape gallery so you can draw a rectangle or an arrow; the gallery appears only after the last letter of the sequence, and the arrow keys can pick the shape too.
- Group
- Insert
- Keys held
- 2
Half of PowerPoint's shortcuts only listen while the show is running — blanking the screen with B, the laser on Ctrl+L — and in edit view those same keys do something else entirely.
Reading the key names
- Keys joined by + are pressed together: Ctrl+Shift+P means hold Ctrl and Shift, then P.
- On a Mac, Cmd is ⌘, Option is ⌥ (labelled Alt on some keyboards), Control is ⌃ and Shift is ⇧.
- Windows Ctrl usually becomes Cmd on a Mac, but not always — this reference lists both combinations separately.
- With a Korean, Japanese or Chinese input method active, shortcuts built on letter keys may not fire. Switch to Latin input and try again.
- When a combination does nothing, another program has often claimed it as a global shortcut first.
Common questions
Q. What is the shortcut for Insert a shape in PowerPoint?
Opens the shape gallery so you can draw a rectangle or an arrow; the gallery appears only after the last letter of the sequence, and the arrow keys can pick the shape too. It is Alt+N S H on Windows and — on a Mac.
Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?
No — Alt+N S H on Windows, — on a Mac.
Q. How many keys is that?
2 pressed together. The combination sits under Insert in PowerPoint.