PowerPoint · Insert a text box
Insert
Windows · Linux
Alt+N·XMac
Not on this systemDraws a text box anywhere on the slide; the keys are pressed in sequence, not together, and Office for Mac has no key tips, so there you use the Insert menu.
- 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 text box in PowerPoint?
Draws a text box anywhere on the slide; the keys are pressed in sequence, not together, and Office for Mac has no key tips, so there you use the Insert menu. It is Alt+N X on Windows and — on a Mac.
Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?
No — Alt+N X on Windows, — on a Mac.
Q. How many keys is that?
2 pressed together. The combination sits under Insert in PowerPoint.