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Fast rotate and resizing in PowerPoint

With a few PowerPoint keystrokes you can move, rotate or resize an object in any direction in tiny amounts to get it where and how you want it.

Positioning objects in PowerPoint applies to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021/2019 (Windows and Mac), PowerPoint 2016 and PowerPoint Online.

Change size, and rotation with the arrow keys

Apart from using Ctrl to decrease the nudge size while using arrow keys, there are other keyboard shortcuts that you can use to modify the object’s size and rotation.

Rotate with Alt plus arrows

To rotate the object left or right, press Alt (Option on a Mac) along with the left or right arrow keys.

Resize with Shift and arrows

If you want to make the object smaller, press Shift and either the down or left arrow keys.

Increase size with Shift along with the right or up arrow keys.

Hold Ctrl for smaller movements

You can hold down the Ctrl as well to make smaller increases or decreases in size (Ctrl + Shift) or rotation (Ctrl + Alt/Option), which allows for more precise edits using the keyboard.

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