Part of the free Module 1: Excel Shortcut Keys · Lesson 7 of 8 · Full Excel course
Updated on 5 September 2026 · Works in Excel 365, 2021, 2019 and 2016 for Windows. Alt key sequences do not exist in Excel for Mac.
Excel Alt key shortcuts, officially called KeyTips, let you run any ribbon command from the keyboard. Press and release Alt, and Excel shows a letter on every tab; type that letter and further letters appear on every button. So Alt, H, O, I autofits a column width. Because every ribbon command has a KeyTip, this one system gives you thousands of shortcuts without memorising any of them in advance.
How KeyTips work
Press Alt once and let go. Do not hold it. Small letter badges appear on the ribbon tabs and on the Quick Access Toolbar. Type the letter of the tab you want and the badges move to the commands on that tab. Type the command letter, and if the command opens a menu, type one more letter for the item inside it. Esc backs up one level, and pressing Alt again cancels the whole sequence. F10 shows the same badges if you prefer it.
The badges use the letters that were free when Microsoft designed the tab, so they are not always mnemonic: Home is H and Data is A, but Insert is N because Formulas took M and Page Layout took P. Buttons with a two-letter badge such as FP (Format Painter) need both letters typed in order.
KeyTips still work when the ribbon is collapsed with Ctrl + F1: the tab opens for a moment, runs the command and collapses again. They also work inside contextual tabs that only appear when a table, chart or pivot table is selected; those tabs use two-letter badges starting with J.
Ribbon tab letters
| Tab | Letter after Alt | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| File (Backstage) | F | Then A Save As, P Print, T Options |
| Home | H | Formatting, paste, insert and delete cells, sort and filter |
| Insert | N | Tables, pivot tables, charts, slicers |
| Page Layout | P | Print area, orientation, print titles |
| Formulas | M | Names, auditing arrows, calculation options |
| Data | A | Sort dialog, filter, remove duplicates, validation, refresh |
| Review | R | Comments, notes, protection |
| View | W | Freeze panes, gridlines, zoom, windows |
| Developer (when shown) | L | Visual Basic, record macro, controls |
| Search or Tell Me box | Q | Type a command name instead of hunting for it |
| Table Design (Excel Tables) | JT | Only while the cursor is inside a table |
| PivotTable Analyze / PivotTable Design | JT / JY | Only while the cursor is inside a pivot table; called Options in Excel 2010 |
| Chart Design / Chart Format | JC / JA | Only while a chart is selected |
Letters can differ between versions, languages and add-ins. If a badge on your screen does not match a tutorial, trust the badge: the whole point of KeyTips is that the letters are shown to you every time.
The Alt sequences worth memorising
Most ribbon commands you will use once a month can simply be read off the badges. A smaller set is worth learning as muscle memory because they have no Ctrl equivalent and you use them daily.
| Action | Sequence | Tab |
|---|---|---|
| AutoFit column width | Alt, H, O, I | Home |
| AutoFit row height | Alt, H, O, A | Home |
| Set column width / row height | Alt, H, O, W / Alt, H, O, H | Home |
| Paste values only | Alt, H, V, V | Home |
| Paste formatting only / transpose | Alt, H, V, R / Alt, H, V, T | Home |
| Paste Special dialog | Alt, H, V, S (or Ctrl + Alt + V) | Home |
| Wrap text | Alt, H, W | Home |
| Centre / left / right align | Alt, H, A, C / L / R | Home |
| Merge and centre / unmerge | Alt, H, M, C / Alt, H, M, U | Home |
| All borders / no border | Alt, H, B, A / Alt, H, B, N | Home |
| Fill colour / font colour palette | Alt, H, H / Alt, H, F, C, then Arrow keys | Home |
| Increase / decrease decimals | Alt, H, 0 / Alt, H, 9 | Home |
| Conditional Formatting menu | Alt, H, L | Home |
| Format as Table | Alt, H, T | Home |
| Clear all / clear formats | Alt, H, E, A / Alt, H, E, F | Home |
| Insert sheet rows / columns | Alt, H, I, R / Alt, H, I, C | Home |
| Delete sheet rows / columns | Alt, H, D, R / Alt, H, D, C | Home |
| Fill Series dialog | Alt, H, F, I, S | Home |
| Insert PivotTable | Alt, N, V, T (Excel 365) or Alt, N, V (older) | Insert |
| Insert Table / column chart | Alt, N, T / Alt, N, C | Insert |
| Sort dialog | Alt, A, S, S | Data |
| Filter on / off, clear filters | Alt, A, T / Alt, A, C | Data |
| Remove Duplicates | Alt, A, M | Data |
| Data Validation | Alt, A, V, V | Data |
| Text to Columns | Alt, A, E | Data |
| Refresh All | Alt, A, R, A | Data |
| Trace precedents / dependents / remove arrows | Alt, M, P / Alt, M, D / Alt, M, A, A | Formulas |
| Define Name / Name Manager | Alt, M, M, D / Alt, M, N | Formulas |
| Calculation options | Alt, M, X | Formulas |
| Set print area / orientation / print titles | Alt, P, S, P / Alt, P, O / Alt, P, I | Page Layout |
| New comment / new note | Alt, R, C / Alt, R, N (Excel 365) | Review |
| Freeze panes / top row / first column | Alt, W, F, F / R / C | View |
| Gridlines / headings on and off | Alt, W, V, G / Alt, W, V, H | View |
| Zoom dialog / new window / arrange all | Alt, W, Q / Alt, W, N / Alt, W, A | View |
| Visual Basic editor / record macro | Alt, L, V / Alt, L, R (Developer tab shown) | Developer |
| Save As / Print / Options | Alt, F, A / Alt, F, P / Alt, F, T | File |
Do not learn a sequence for anything that already has a Ctrl shortcut. Ctrl + B beats Alt, H, 1, and Ctrl + Shift + L beats Alt, A, T. The earlier chapters of this course cover those keys.
Old Excel 2003 menu sequences that still work
Before the ribbon arrived in Excel 2007, shortcuts followed the menu bar: Alt, D opened the Data menu, Alt, E opened Edit and so on. Excel still honours most of them for compatibility. When you press Alt, D a small message appears saying you are using an Office access key from an earlier version; keep typing and the command runs.
| Action | Legacy sequence | Modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| PivotTable and PivotChart Wizard (multiple consolidation ranges) | Alt, D, P | Not on the ribbon; the wizard is only reachable this way or through the Quick Access Toolbar |
| Data Validation | Alt, D, L | Alt, A, V, V |
| Paste Special | Alt, E, S | Ctrl + Alt + V |
| Insert row / column | Alt, I, R / Alt, I, C | Alt, H, I, R / C |
| Insert worksheet | Alt, I, W | Shift + F11 |
| AutoFit column | Alt, O, C, A | Alt, H, O, I |
| Excel Options | Alt, T, O | Alt, F, T |
The legacy sequences are worth knowing for two reasons. Alt, D, P is the only keyboard route to the old PivotTable wizard, which can consolidate several ranges into one pivot. And Alt, E, S followed by V is the fastest paste-values sequence many analysts ever learn.
The Quick Access Toolbar and Alt + number
The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is the small row of icons above or below the ribbon. Every button on it gets a numbered KeyTip: Alt + 1 runs the first button, Alt + 2 the second, up to Alt + 9. Buttons ten to eighteen use two keystrokes, Alt, 0, 1 for the tenth and so on. Note that Alt + 1 is a chord (hold Alt, press 1), unlike the ribbon sequences.
This turns any command into a one-chord shortcut, including commands that have no ribbon button at all, such as the Camera tool, the legacy PivotTable wizard or Speak Cells. To add a command:
- Right-click any ribbon button and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar, or
- Go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar (Alt, F, T, then choose Quick Access Toolbar), set Choose commands from to All Commands or Commands Not in the Ribbon, select the command and click Add.
- Use the up and down arrows on the right to order the buttons. Position decides the number, so put your most used commands in slots 1 to 9.
- Tick Show Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon if you want the icons closer to the grid, then click OK.
In Excel 365 the toolbar is hidden by default. Right-click the ribbon and choose Show Quick Access Toolbar, or use the ribbon display options at the right-hand end of the tab row. Once it is visible the numbers work exactly as in older versions.
A sensible first nine, in order: Paste Values, AutoFit Column Width, Freeze Panes, Sort Ascending, Filter, Format Painter, Camera, PivotTable and Save As. To move the set to another PC, go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar > Import/Export > Export all customizations, which saves an .exportedUI file you can import on the other machine.
Worked example: cleaning a raw export without the mouse
A system export has landed in A1:F500 with narrow columns, no filter and the header scrolling out of view. The columns are Date, Customer, Product, Units, Price and Total. Format it for review in eight keystroke groups.
| Step | Keys | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ctrl + Home, Ctrl + A | Selects the whole current region A1:F500 |
| 2 | Alt, H, O, I | Every column autofits to its longest entry |
| 3 | Alt, H, B, A | All borders on the block |
| 4 | Ctrl + Home, Shift + Space, Ctrl + B, Alt, H, A, C | Header row bold and centred |
| 5 | Alt, W, F, R | Top row frozen so the headers stay visible |
| 6 | Ctrl + Shift + L | AutoFilter arrows on every header |
| 7 | Select column F, Alt, H, K, Alt, H, 9, Alt, H, 9 | Comma style on Total with no decimals |
| 8 | Alt, W, V, G | Gridlines off for a cleaner print |
The whole routine takes about fifteen seconds once the sequences are familiar, against a minute or more of clicking through the Home and View tabs. If you do this daily, put AutoFit Column Width and Freeze Panes on the Quick Access Toolbar as buttons 1 and 2, and steps 2 and 5 shrink to Alt + 1 and Alt + 2.
Tips and common mistakes
- Release Alt before typing the letters. Holding Alt and pressing H at the same time is a different chord and usually does nothing. Tap Alt, let go, then type.
- Type the letters at any speed. There is no timeout. If you pause, the badges stay on screen and you can read the next letter.
- Read the badges when a tutorial fails. Localised versions of Excel, add-ins and the simplified ribbon in Excel 365 can change letters. The badge on your own screen is always correct.
- Two-letter badges must be typed in full. Format Painter is FP and Accounting Number Format is AN; typing only the first letter waits for the second.
- Reordering the Quick Access Toolbar renumbers it. Adding a button at the front shifts every Alt + number shortcut by one. Add new buttons at the end.
- Contextual tabs disappear with the selection. Alt, J, T only exists while the cursor is inside a table or pivot table. If the badge is missing, move into the object first.
- Alt sequences are Windows only. Excel for Mac has no KeyTips; use the menu bar search (⌘ + / in recent versions) or the Mac shortcuts in the next lesson.
Practise these five this week
| Shortcut | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Alt, H, O, I | AutoFit column width | Every time you paste or import data |
| Alt, H, V, V | Paste values only | Freezing formula results or stripping formats from a copied range |
| Alt, W, F, F | Freeze panes at the active cell | Keeping headers and key columns in view on long sheets |
| Alt, A, S, S | Opens the Sort dialog | Multi-level sorts that the A to Z button cannot do |
| Alt + 1 to Alt + 9 | Runs a Quick Access Toolbar button | Any command you use daily that has no Ctrl shortcut |
- Press Alt and, without touching the mouse, find the badge for every tab and for the Wrap Text button. Then run Wrap Text on a cell using only the badges.
- Copy a column of formulas and paste it as values next to it with Alt, H, V, V. Check that the pasted cells contain numbers, not formulas, with F2.
- Add Paste Values, AutoFit Column Width and Freeze Panes to the Quick Access Toolbar in that order, then use Alt + 1, Alt + 2 and Alt + 3 on a fresh export.
Key takeaways
- Tap and release Alt to show KeyTips, then type the tab letter and the command letters shown on screen.
- Every ribbon command has a KeyTip, so you never need to memorise a sequence you can read.
- Learn a handful of daily sequences by heart: autofit, paste values, freeze panes, the Sort dialog and insert or delete rows.
- Excel 2003 menu sequences such as Alt, D, P and Alt, E, S still work.
- The Quick Access Toolbar turns any command into Alt + 1 to Alt + 9; keep it ordered and export it to your other PCs.
- None of this applies to Excel for Mac, which has no KeyTips.
Related lessons
- Excel Shortcut Keys course hub: the twenty shortcuts to learn first and the full reference tables.
- Formatting shortcuts: Ctrl + 1 and the number format keys
- Data shortcuts: sort, filter, tables, pivot tables and charts
- Excel shortcuts on a Mac and a printable cheat sheet
- Conditional Formatting (module 7), reached with Alt, H, L.
- Introduction to VBA (module 12), where Alt + F11 and the Developer tab take over.
- Microsoft Support: Keyboard shortcuts in Excel, including the section on using access keys for ribbon tabs.
Frequently asked questions
What are KeyTips in Excel?
KeyTips are the letter badges that appear on the ribbon when you press and release Alt. Typing the letters runs the command they sit on, so Alt, H, O, I runs Home, Format, AutoFit Column Width. They give every ribbon command a keyboard route without any set-up.
Why do Alt shortcuts not work in Excel for Mac?
Excel for Mac does not have KeyTips or access keys, because macOS reserves the Option key for typing special characters and uses the menu bar rather than the ribbon for keyboard access. Mac users rely on ⌘ shortcuts, the menu bar search box and custom shortcuts set in Tools, Customize Keyboard. The next lesson covers the Mac equivalents.
How do I add a shortcut to the Quick Access Toolbar?
Right-click any ribbon button and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar, or open File, Options, Quick Access Toolbar to add commands that are not on the ribbon. The button’s position gives it a number: Alt + 1 runs the first, Alt + 9 the ninth, and Alt, 0, 1 the tenth. In Excel 365 you may first need to right-click the ribbon and choose Show Quick Access Toolbar.
Why are my Alt key letters different from a tutorial?
KeyTip letters depend on your Excel version, display language, installed add-ins and whether a contextual tab is open. Microsoft also changed a few letters when the simplified ribbon arrived in Excel 365. The badges shown on your own screen are always correct, so press Alt and read them rather than relying on a remembered sequence that has changed.
What is the shortcut to autofit column width in Excel?
Select the columns, or any cells in them, and press Alt, H, O, I one key at a time. Excel widens each selected column to fit its longest entry. Alt, H, O, A does the same for row height. The legacy sequence Alt, O, C, A still works in every current Windows version.
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