Pariksha SaathiLesson 8 of 10 · Computer Knowledge
MS PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Common Shortcuts and File Extensions
Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections
PowerPoint basics
Microsoft PowerPoint is presentation software. It was created by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin at Forethought Inc., released in 1987 and bought by Microsoft the same year. A presentation is a set of slides, saved as .pptx since PowerPoint 2007 (.ppt earlier); a .ppsx file opens straight into a slide show and .potx is a template. Each slide follows a layout such as Title Slide (the default first slide), Title and Content, Section Header, Two Content, Comparison, Title Only or Blank, and the dotted boxes in a layout that hold text, pictures or charts are called placeholders. A theme (Design tab) gives all slides matching colours, fonts and backgrounds, and the Slide Master (View tab) controls the common formatting of every slide from one place.
Transitions, animations and views
A transition is the effect as one slide gives way to the next and is set on the Transitions tab. An animation is an effect on an object within a slide, set on the Animations tab, in four kinds: entrance, emphasis, exit and motion paths. The Animation Pane lists the order of the effects, and Rehearse Timings records how long each slide is shown. PowerPoint's views are Normal (the default editing view, with slide thumbnails and a notes pane), Outline View, Slide Sorter (all slides as thumbnails, easy to rearrange), Notes Page, Reading View and Slide Show; the master views are Slide Master, Handout Master and Notes Master. F5 starts the show from the first slide and Shift+F5 from the current slide, Esc ends it, and during a show B turns the screen black and W white. Ctrl+M adds a new slide and Ctrl+D duplicates the selected one. Speaker notes are seen by the presenter but not by the audience.
Access and Outlook
Microsoft Access is the database program of Office; its files are .accdb (.mdb earlier), and its objects are tables (which store data), queries (which find and filter it), forms (for entering it), reports (for printing it), macros and modules. Microsoft Outlook is an email client and personal information manager with mail, calendar, contacts and tasks; its folders include the Inbox, Drafts (unfinished messages), Outbox (messages waiting to be sent), Sent Items, Deleted Items and Junk Email. OneNote is the digital notebook of Office.
General Windows shortcuts
Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+X cut, Ctrl+V paste, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Y redo, Ctrl+A select all, Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+P print, Ctrl+N new and Ctrl+O open work in almost every program. Alt+F4 closes the active window or program and Alt+Tab switches between open programs. F1 opens Help, F2 renames a selected file and F5 refreshes. The Windows key opens the Start menu (as does Ctrl+Esc), Windows+D shows the desktop, Windows+E opens File Explorer, Windows+L locks the computer and Windows+R opens the Run box. Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager directly, and Ctrl+Alt+Delete opens the security screen. Delete sends a file to the Recycle Bin and Shift+Delete removes it permanently. Print Screen copies the whole screen to the clipboard (in Windows 11 it may open the Snipping Tool instead) and Alt+Print Screen only the active window.
Browser shortcuts
In most web browsers, Ctrl+T opens a new tab, Ctrl+W closes the current tab, Ctrl+Shift+T reopens the last closed tab, Ctrl+H shows the history, Ctrl+J shows downloads, Ctrl+D bookmarks the page, F5 reloads it and F11 switches to full screen.
File extensions
An extension tells the type of a file. Documents: .docx and .doc (Word), .txt (plain text, as in Notepad), .rtf (Rich Text Format), .pdf (Portable Document Format, created by Adobe), .xlsx, .pptx and .csv (comma-separated values). Images: .jpg or .jpeg (Joint Photographic Experts Group, compressed with some loss of quality), .png (Portable Network Graphics, lossless, supports transparency), .gif (Graphics Interchange Format, supports simple animation), .bmp (bitmap) and .tif. Audio: .mp3 (compressed), .wav (uncompressed) and .aac. Video: .mp4, .avi, .mov, .mkv and .wmv. Compressed archives: .zip, .rar and .7z. Programs and system files: .exe (executable), .bat (batch file), .dll (dynamic link library), .msi (Windows installer) and .apk (Android app package). Web pages and code: .html or .htm, .css, .js, .xml, .c, .java and .py.
Key facts
- PowerPoint: .pptx since 2007; .ppsx opens straight into a slide show; .potx is a template.
- Transition = effect between slides (Transitions tab); animation = effect on an object within a slide (Animations tab): entrance, emphasis, exit, motion paths.
- Normal view is PowerPoint's default; Slide Sorter shows all slides as thumbnails for rearranging; the Slide Master sets formatting for all slides.
- F5 starts a slide show from the beginning, Shift+F5 from the current slide; Ctrl+M inserts a new slide; B turns the screen black during a show.
- Access objects: tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, modules; Access file extension .accdb.
- Outlook: the Outbox holds messages waiting to be sent; Drafts holds unfinished messages.
- Alt+F4 closes the active program; Alt+Tab switches programs; Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager; Windows+L locks the PC; Windows+D shows the desktop.
- F2 renames a file; F5 refreshes; Shift+Delete deletes permanently, skipping the Recycle Bin.
- Image formats: .jpg (lossy), .png (lossless, transparency), .gif (animation), .bmp (bitmap); audio .mp3 and .wav; video .mp4, .avi, .mov.
- .exe executable, .bat batch file, .dll dynamic link library, .apk Android package, .zip and .rar compressed archives, .pdf Portable Document Format.
Quick revision
PowerPoint (1987, Forethought, bought by Microsoft): .pptx, .ppsx show, .potx template; layouts, placeholders, themes, Slide Master; transitions between slides, animations on objects (entrance, emphasis, exit, motion path); Normal view default, Slide Sorter; F5 show, Shift+F5 from current slide, Ctrl+M new slide; Access .accdb (tables, queries, forms, reports); Outlook Outbox; Alt+F4, Alt+Tab, Windows+D, Windows+L, Ctrl+Shift+Esc; .exe, .dll, .jpg, .png, .gif, .mp3, .mp4, .zip, .pdf.