Part of the free Module 1: Excel Shortcut Keys · Lesson 8 of 8 · Full Excel course
Updated on 5 September 2026 · Covers Excel for Mac (Microsoft 365, 2021, 2019) alongside Excel for Windows 365, 2021, 2019 and 2016.
Excel shortcuts on a Mac follow three rules. Most Ctrl shortcuts become ⌘ shortcuts, so copy is ⌘ + C and Format Cells is ⌘ + 1. Function keys such as F2 and F4 either need Fn or have a different key entirely: Ctrl + U edits a cell and ⌘ + T toggles absolute references. And there are no Alt ribbon sequences at all. This lesson gives the full Windows to Mac table and a printable cheat sheet for both.
The five differences that matter on a Mac
1. ⌘ replaces Ctrl for most chords. Copy, paste, cut, undo, save, print, find, bold, italic, underline, select all, fill down, fill right and Format Cells all move from Ctrl to ⌘. If a Windows shortcut is Ctrl + letter, try ⌘ + letter first.
2. Function keys need Fn, or a settings change. By default macOS uses the top row for brightness, volume and Mission Control, so F5 is really Fn + F5. Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Function Keys and turn on Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys. Excel then sees the plain key and you press Fn only for volume and brightness.
3. Ctrl still exists, and Excel uses it. The Mac keyboard has both Ctrl and ⌘, and Excel for Mac keeps a set of Ctrl shortcuts of its own: Ctrl + U edits the active cell (the Windows F2), Ctrl + Page Down moves to the next sheet, Ctrl + H opens Replace, and Ctrl + ; inserts today’s date, exactly as on Windows.
4. There are no Alt key sequences. The KeyTips from the previous lesson do not exist in Excel for Mac, and neither do the Alt + 1 to Alt + 9 Quick Access Toolbar numbers. Option stands in for Alt only inside a few chords, such as Option + Down to open a filter drop-down.
5. Some keys have different names. Return is Enter, Delete is Backspace, and compact keyboards have no Home, End, Page Up or Page Down. Use Fn + Left for Home, Fn + Right for End, and Fn + Up / Fn + Down for Page Up and Page Down. An external Windows keyboard works too: its Windows key acts as ⌘ and its Alt key as Option.
Windows to Mac shortcut table
Every row below has been checked against Microsoft’s Excel for Mac shortcut list. Where two Mac keys are given, both work; where a shortcut is identical it is marked as the same key.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Edit the active cell | F2 | Ctrl + U |
| Toggle absolute and relative reference | F4 | ⌘ + T |
| Recalculate all open workbooks | F9 | ⌘ + = or Fn + F9 |
| Format Cells dialog | Ctrl + 1 | ⌘ + 1 |
| Paste Special dialog | Ctrl + Alt + V | ⌘ + Ctrl + V |
| Filter on and off | Ctrl + Shift + L | ⌘ + Shift + F |
| Open the filter drop-down on a header | Alt + Down | Option + Down |
| AutoSum | Alt + = | ⌘ + Shift + T |
| New line inside a cell | Alt + Enter | Ctrl + Option + Return (Option + Return in recent builds) |
| Fill the selection with the entry | Ctrl + Enter | ⌘ + Return |
| Fill down / fill right | Ctrl + D / Ctrl + R | ⌘ + D / ⌘ + R |
| Flash Fill | Ctrl + E | Ctrl + E (same) |
| Copy formula / value from the cell above | Ctrl + ' / Ctrl + Shift + " | Ctrl + ' / Ctrl + Shift + " (same) |
| Insert cells, rows or columns | Ctrl + Shift + + | Ctrl + Shift + = or ⌘ + Shift + = |
| Delete cells, rows or columns | Ctrl + − | ⌘ + − |
| Insert today’s date | Ctrl + ; | Ctrl + ; (same) |
| Insert the current time | Ctrl + Shift + ; | ⌘ + ; |
| Insert a new worksheet | Shift + F11 | Fn + Shift + F11 |
| Next / previous worksheet | Ctrl + Page Down / Ctrl + Page Up | Option + Right / Option + Left (also Ctrl + Page Down / Ctrl + Page Up) |
| Go To dialog | F5 or Ctrl + G | Fn + F5 or Ctrl + G |
| Find / Replace | Ctrl + F / Ctrl + H | ⌘ + F / Ctrl + H |
| Create an Excel Table | Ctrl + T | ⌘ + T (outside formula editing) |
| Default chart on the sheet / on a chart sheet | Alt + F1 / F11 | Fn + Option + F1 / Fn + F11 |
| Select visible cells only | Alt + ; | ⌘ + Shift + Z |
| Select the entire column / row | Ctrl + Space / Shift + Space | Ctrl + Space / Shift + Space (same) |
| Select the current region, then the sheet | Ctrl + A | ⌘ + A |
| Jump to the edge of the data block | Ctrl + Arrow | ⌘ + Arrow |
| Select to the edge of the data block | Ctrl + Shift + Arrow | ⌘ + Shift + Arrow |
| Go to A1 / last used cell | Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End | Fn + Ctrl + Left / Fn + Ctrl + Right |
| Scroll back to the active cell | Ctrl + Backspace | ⌘ + Delete |
| Show formulas instead of results | Ctrl + ` | Ctrl + ` (same) |
| Expand or collapse the formula bar | Ctrl + Shift + U | Ctrl + Shift + U (same) |
| Insert Function dialog | Shift + F3 | Fn + Shift + F3 |
| Bold / italic / underline | Ctrl + B / Ctrl + I / Ctrl + U | ⌘ + B / ⌘ + I / ⌘ + U |
| Strikethrough | Ctrl + 5 | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| Number, time, date, currency, percent format | Ctrl + Shift + 1 to Ctrl + Shift + 5 | Ctrl + Shift + 1 to Ctrl + Shift + 5 (same) |
| Hide rows / hide columns | Ctrl + 9 / Ctrl + 0 | Ctrl + 9 / Ctrl + 0 (same) |
| Insert or edit a note | Shift + F2 | Fn + Shift + F2 |
| Insert a hyperlink | Ctrl + K | ⌘ + K |
| New / Open / Save / Print / Close | Ctrl + N / O / S / P / W | ⌘ + N / O / S / P / W |
| Save As | F12 | ⌘ + Shift + S |
| Undo / Redo | Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y | ⌘ + Z / ⌘ + Y |
| Switch to the next workbook | Ctrl + F6 or Ctrl + Tab | ⌘ + ` |
| Collapse or expand the ribbon | Ctrl + F1 | ⌘ + Option + R |
| Open the VBA editor | Alt + F11 | Fn + Option + F11 |
What has no Mac equivalent, and what to do instead
Three Windows features simply do not exist in Excel for Mac: KeyTips (the Alt, H, O, I sequences), the numbered Quick Access Toolbar shortcuts, and the legacy Excel 2003 menu sequences. The Quick Access Toolbar itself exists on the Mac ribbon, but its buttons are click-only.
There are two replacements. First, Excel for Mac lets you assign your own shortcut to any command: go to Tools > Customize Keyboard, pick a category and command such as AutoFit Column Width, press the keys you want in the Press new keyboard shortcut box and click Add. Excel warns you if the chord is already taken. Second, macOS can add a shortcut to any menu item in any app: System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > App Shortcuts, add Microsoft Excel, type the exact menu title such as Freeze Panes and choose the keys.
For anything you have not assigned, use the menu search. Press ⌘ + Shift + / to jump to the Help menu search box, type part of the command name, and press Return to run it. This is the Mac’s answer to Alt + Q on Windows and is faster than hunting through the ribbon.
Excel for the web in brief
In a browser most Ctrl shortcuts behave as they do in the desktop app, including Ctrl + Arrow, Ctrl + Shift + L, Ctrl + 1 and F2. The exceptions are the keys the browser claims first: Ctrl + N, Ctrl + O, Ctrl + P and Ctrl + S open browser features, and Ctrl + F may open the browser’s own search unless the cursor is in the grid. KeyTips exist but are reached with Alt + Windows key + letter, for example Alt + Windows + H for the Home tab, and Alt + Q opens the search box. On a Mac in the browser, ⌘ replaces Ctrl as it does in the desktop app.
Excel keyboard shortcut cheat sheet
The table below collects the twenty core shortcuts from the course hub and the most used keys from the other lessons in one place. To print it, press Ctrl + P (⌘ + P on a Mac), and in the print dialog choose to print the selection after selecting the table, or simply print the page. You can also select the table, copy it and paste it into an Excel sheet to keep by your desk.
| Group | Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigate | Edge of data block | Ctrl + Arrow | ⌘ + Arrow |
| Navigate | First cell / last used cell | Ctrl + Home / Ctrl + End | Fn + Ctrl + Left / Fn + Ctrl + Right |
| Navigate | Next / previous sheet | Ctrl + Page Down / Ctrl + Page Up | Option + Right / Option + Left |
| Navigate | Go To | F5 | Fn + F5 |
| Navigate | Switch workbook | Ctrl + F6 | ⌘ + ` |
| Select | Current region / whole sheet | Ctrl + A | ⌘ + A |
| Select | To the edge of data | Ctrl + Shift + Arrow | ⌘ + Shift + Arrow |
| Select | Whole row / whole column | Shift + Space / Ctrl + Space | Shift + Space / Ctrl + Space |
| Select | Visible cells only | Alt + ; | ⌘ + Shift + Z |
| Edit | Edit cell | F2 | Ctrl + U |
| Edit | Cut / copy / paste | Ctrl + X / C / V | ⌘ + X / C / V |
| Edit | Paste Special | Ctrl + Alt + V | ⌘ + Ctrl + V |
| Edit | Undo / redo | Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y | ⌘ + Z / ⌘ + Y |
| Edit | Fill down / fill right | Ctrl + D / Ctrl + R | ⌘ + D / ⌘ + R |
| Edit | Flash Fill | Ctrl + E | Ctrl + E |
| Edit | Insert / delete rows, columns, cells | Ctrl + Shift + + / Ctrl + − | Ctrl + Shift + = / ⌘ + − |
| Edit | Today’s date / current time | Ctrl + ; / Ctrl + Shift + ; | Ctrl + ; / ⌘ + ; |
| Edit | New line in a cell | Alt + Enter | Ctrl + Option + Return |
| Edit | Find / replace | Ctrl + F / Ctrl + H | ⌘ + F / Ctrl + H |
| Format | Format Cells | Ctrl + 1 | ⌘ + 1 |
| Format | Bold / italic / underline | Ctrl + B / I / U | ⌘ + B / I / U |
| Format | Number / time / date / currency / percent | Ctrl + Shift + 1 to 5 | Ctrl + Shift + 1 to 5 |
| Format | Outline border / remove borders | Ctrl + Shift + 7 / Ctrl + Shift + _ | ⌘ + Option + 0 / ⌘ + Option + _ |
| Format | Strikethrough | Ctrl + 5 | ⌘ + Shift + X |
| Format | Hide rows / hide columns | Ctrl + 9 / Ctrl + 0 | Ctrl + 9 / Ctrl + 0 |
| Format | AutoFit column width | Alt, H, O, I | No shortcut; assign one in Tools, Customize Keyboard |
| Formulas | Toggle $ references | F4 | ⌘ + T |
| Formulas | AutoSum | Alt + = | ⌘ + Shift + T |
| Formulas | Recalculate | F9 | ⌘ + = |
| Formulas | Show formulas | Ctrl + ` | Ctrl + ` |
| Formulas | Insert Function | Shift + F3 | Fn + Shift + F3 |
| Formulas | Fill selection with the entry | Ctrl + Enter | ⌘ + Return |
| Data | Filter on / off | Ctrl + Shift + L | ⌘ + Shift + F |
| Data | Filter drop-down | Alt + Down | Option + Down |
| Data | Create a Table | Ctrl + T | ⌘ + T |
| Data | Default chart / chart sheet | Alt + F1 / F11 | Fn + Option + F1 / Fn + F11 |
| Data | Group / ungroup rows or columns | Alt + Shift + Right / Alt + Shift + Left | ⌘ + Shift + K / ⌘ + Shift + J |
| Workbook | New / open / save / print / close | Ctrl + N / O / S / P / W | ⌘ + N / O / S / P / W |
| Workbook | Save As | F12 | ⌘ + Shift + S |
| Workbook | Insert worksheet | Shift + F11 | Fn + Shift + F11 |
| Workbook | VBA editor | Alt + F11 | Fn + Option + F11 |
Worked example: moving a Windows habit list to a Mac
An analyst who has used Excel on Windows for years gets a MacBook. Her ten daily shortcuts, and what she presses now, are below. The third column shows which ones depend on the function key setting described earlier.
| Daily task | Windows habit | Mac key | Needs Fn setting? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit a formula | F2 | Ctrl + U | No |
| Lock a reference | F4 | ⌘ + T | No |
| Paste values | Ctrl + Alt + V, V | ⌘ + Ctrl + V, then choose Values | No |
| Filter a list | Ctrl + Shift + L | ⌘ + Shift + F | No |
| Jump to the last row | Ctrl + Down | ⌘ + Down | No |
| Add a total | Alt + = | ⌘ + Shift + T | No |
| Go to a named range | F5 | F5 | Yes, otherwise Fn + F5 |
| Add a sheet | Shift + F11 | Shift + F11 | Yes, otherwise Fn + Shift + F11 |
| Autofit columns | Alt, H, O, I | Assigned to ⌘ + Option + I in Tools, Customize Keyboard | No |
| Open the VBA editor | Alt + F11 | Option + F11 | Yes, otherwise Fn + Option + F11 |
Result: seven of the ten habits work on day one with ⌘ in place of Ctrl or with the documented Mac key. Two more work after a single settings change. Only autofit needed a custom shortcut, which took a minute to set up. The lesson is that almost nothing has to be relearned; it has to be remapped once.
Tips and common mistakes
- Turn on standard function keys first. Until you do, every F key in Excel needs Fn as well, which is the main reason people think Mac shortcuts are broken.
- Mission Control steals Ctrl + Arrow. macOS uses Ctrl + Left and Ctrl + Right to switch desktops and Ctrl + Up for Mission Control. Excel wants ⌘ + Arrow anyway, so the fix is habit; if you must use Ctrl, change the Mission Control shortcuts under System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts.
- ⌘ + T does two jobs. While you are editing a formula it cycles references like F4. When you are not editing, it creates an Excel Table. Press Ctrl + U to enter edit mode before toggling references.
- Return moves down, Tab moves right. Exactly as on Windows. Shift + Return moves up and Shift + Tab moves left.
- Delete clears backwards, Fn + Delete clears forwards. A Mac keyboard has no separate forward-delete key; Fn + Delete does that job inside a cell.
- Custom shortcuts live in the app, not the file. Assignments made in Tools, Customize Keyboard stay on that Mac. Note them down so you can recreate them on a new machine.
- Check the Microsoft list when a key does nothing. The official page has a Mac tab and is updated when Microsoft changes a key, as happened with Option + Return for new lines.
Practise these five this week
| Shortcut | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + U | Edits the active cell on a Mac | Every time you would press F2 on Windows |
| ⌘ + T | Cycles absolute and relative references while editing | Locking a lookup range or a tax rate cell |
| ⌘ + Shift + F | Turns AutoFilter on and off | Any list you need to slice quickly |
| ⌘ + Ctrl + V | Opens Paste Special | Pasting values, formats or a transposed block |
| ⌘ + Shift + / | Jumps to the Help menu search | Running any command whose key you do not know |
- Turn on standard function keys in System Settings, then check that F2 still does nothing in Excel and Ctrl + U edits the cell. Excel for Mac does not remap F2; the setting matters for F5, F9 and F11.
- Type
=A1*B1in a cell, press Ctrl + U, place the cursor inB1and press ⌘ + T four times, watching it cycle through$B$1,B$1,$B1and back. - Assign ⌘ + Option + I to AutoFit Column Width in Tools, Customize Keyboard, then use it on a pasted block of text.
Key takeaways
- On a Mac, replace Ctrl with ⌘ for most shortcuts and you are already most of the way there.
- The big remaps are F2 to Ctrl + U, F4 to ⌘ + T, Alt + = to ⌘ + Shift + T and Ctrl + Shift + L to ⌘ + Shift + F.
- Function keys need Fn until you turn on standard function keys in System Settings.
- There are no Alt ribbon sequences on a Mac; use Tools, Customize Keyboard and the Help menu search instead.
- Print or copy the cheat sheet table above and keep it beside the keyboard for a month.
Related lessons
- Excel Shortcut Keys course hub: the twenty shortcuts to learn first and the full reference tables.
- Navigation and selection shortcuts
- Formula shortcuts: F2, F4, F9, Ctrl + ` and Alt + =
- Alt key ribbon sequences and the Quick Access Toolbar
- The full Excel learning path: the next module is Fill and Flash Fill.
- Excel Formulas (module 5), where ⌘ + T and Ctrl + U earn their keep.
- Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Excel, with separate tabs for Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android.
Frequently asked questions
What is F4 on a Mac in Excel?
Press ⌘ + T while editing a formula. It cycles the reference under the cursor through absolute, mixed and relative forms exactly as F4 does on Windows. The plain F4 key on a Mac repeats the last action in recent builds, but only when function keys are set as standard keys or you hold Fn.
What is the equivalent of Alt + Enter on a Mac?
Press Ctrl + Option + Return to start a new line inside the same cell. Recent Microsoft 365 builds also accept Option + Return. Plain Return finishes the entry and moves down, so the modifier is essential when you want a line break in an address or a note.
Why do function keys not work in Excel on a Mac?
By default macOS gives the top row to brightness, volume and Mission Control, so Excel never sees a plain F5 or F11. Either hold Fn with the key, or open System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Function Keys and turn on the option to use F1, F2 and so on as standard function keys. Mission Control shortcuts on F9 to F12 can also be changed there.
How do I paste values only on a Mac in Excel?
Copy the cells, select the destination and press ⌘ + Ctrl + V to open Paste Special, then choose Values and press Return. You can also click the arrow under the Paste button on the Home tab and pick the Values icon. There is no Alt sequence on a Mac, so assign a custom key in Tools, Customize Keyboard if you paste values many times a day.
Are Excel shortcuts the same on Mac and Windows?
Mostly. Around three quarters of the common shortcuts are identical once you swap Ctrl for ⌘. The differences cluster in three places: function keys, which need Fn or a settings change; a handful of remapped keys such as Ctrl + U for editing and ⌘ + Shift + F for filtering; and the Windows-only Alt ribbon sequences, which have no Mac equivalent.
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