top of page
Search

How to Customize Keyboard Shortcuts in PowerPoint, Excel, and Word

  • Writer: Power-user
    Power-user
  • Apr 5
  • 2 min read

Customizing keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Office can drastically speed up your workflow. But while Word offers built-in support for custom shortcuts, PowerPoint and Excel are far more limited—unless you use the right tools.


In this article, we break down the native options in Office, and introduce a powerful solution that unlocks full shortcut customization across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.



Table of Content



✅Word: Native Keyboard Shortcut Customization


Microsoft Office has a number of default keyboard shortcuts for Word. But it also includes a built-in feature to let users assign or change keyboard shortcuts for virtually any command.


How to customize shortcuts in Word:

  1. Go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon.

  2. Click "Customize..." next to Keyboard shortcuts.

  3. Select a command and assign your preferred shortcut.

Customize keyboard shortcuts in Word

You can override default shortcuts, add new ones, or remove existing mappings.


Assign custom keyboard shortcut in Word


❌ PowerPoint and Excel: No Native Shortcut Customization


Unlike Word, PowerPoint and Excel do not allow users to customize keyboard shortcuts natively.


This means you are limited to:

  • Default shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl + C, Ctrl + Z).

  • Some custom macros or Quick Access Toolbar commands (with cumbersome Alt + Number sequences)

  • External workarounds like AutoHotkey (not user-friendly, especially in corporate environments)


So if you want to create a shortcut for aligning objects in PowerPoint, switching tabs in Excel, or triggering a custom command—it seems at first that you’re out of luck.



⌨ Create custom keyboard shortcuts for PowerPoint, Excel or Word with Power-user


Keyboard shortcut customization capabilities


The Power-user add-in bridges this gap, enabling custom keyboard shortcuts for any command, including:

  • Built-in PowerPoint, Excel, or Word features

  • Buttons from the ribbon (even native ones)

  • Custom macros or add-in commands


Key features:

  • Works in PowerPoint, Excel, and Word

  • Assign shortcuts to any command

  • Detects conflicts with existing shortcuts

  • Easy UI to manage, edit, or reset shortcuts


✅ How to set up custom keyboard shortcuts


  • Download Power-user, install it and activate your license (see instructions).

  • Open the "Command Center" at the top left of the ribbon, and set up your custom keyboard shortcuts


Power-user add-in Command Center to set custom keyboard shortcuts



🔍 Exemples of custom shortcuts


All this means that with Power-user you are free to:

  • Create custom keyboard shortcut to Align Left, Align Right, Align Top, Align Bottom, Align Middle and Align Center

  • Create custom keyboard shortcut to Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically

  • Create custom keyboard shortcut to add Bullets or a Numbered List

  • Create a custom keyboard shortcut to Autofit columns and rows in Excel

  • Create a custom keyboard shortcut to apply Borders

  • Etc.


Custom keyboard shortcuts in PowerPoint

🚀 Why it matters


Time is money. Keyboard shortcuts reduce repetitive clicks and let you work faster.


Power-user is especially valuable for:

  • PowerPoint users who want shortcuts for alignment, formatting, or grid tools

  • Excel users who want quick access to navigation or formatting features

  • Word users looking to go beyond the default shortcut manager


 
 
bottom of page