Most Excel shortcuts move from Windows to Mac by swapping Ctrl for Cmd. The big gap is the Alt ribbon KeyTips: on Windows, Alt then letters drives the whole ribbon; on Mac, Option types special characters instead. Function keys need Fn by default, F2 becomes Ctrl+U, F4 becomes Cmd+T, and Paste Special is Cmd+Ctrl+V. Accelerator Keys closes the Alt gap.
Swap Ctrl for Cmd and most Excel shortcuts survive the move to a Mac. Cmd+C, Cmd+V, Cmd+Z, Cmd+1 for Format Cells: all fine.
The rule breaks in two places. First, the Alt key. On Windows it opens the ribbon and hundreds of commands sit behind two to four letters. On a Mac the same key is Option, and it types characters. Second, the function keys, which macOS reserves for brightness and volume unless you hold Fn or change a setting.
Microsoft documents both platforms on one page, with a Windows tab and a macOS tab. The table below is drawn from it.
| What you want to do | Windows | Mac | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show ribbon KeyTips and type letters | Alt, then letters (Alt+H+O+I) | No Alt sequences by default | Pressing Option does nothing to the ribbon. Accelerator Keys adds the sequences and badges. |
| Copy, paste, undo, bold | Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+B | Cmd+C, Cmd+V, Cmd+Z, Cmd+B | Many Ctrl shortcuts also work on Mac, but not all |
| Function keys (F1 to F12) | Work directly | Need Fn by default | Apple: enable “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys” to skip Fn |
| The Alt/Option key itself | Opens the ribbon | Types accented and special characters | Same physical key, different job |
| Paste Special dialog | Ctrl+Alt+V (or Alt+E+S+V) | Cmd+Ctrl+V or Ctrl+Option+V | Mac has the dialog, not the Alt path to it |
| Edit the active cell | F2 | Ctrl+U (or F2 with Fn / setting) | Microsoft lists Ctrl+U on the macOS tab |
| Toggle absolute reference ($A$1) | F4 | Cmd+T (or F4 with Fn / setting) | Microsoft lists Cmd+T on the macOS tab |
| AutoSum | Alt+= | Cmd+Shift+T | Mac has a chord, not an Alt sequence |
| AutoFit column, Freeze Panes, Sort, Trace Precedents | Alt sequences | No default shortcut | Mouse or custom binding on Mac |
On Windows, press Alt and letters appear over every ribbon tab. Press H for Home, O for Format, I for AutoFit Column Width. Microsoft’s ribbon page describes this: press Alt to show the KeyTips, then the letter over the command you want.
Out of the box, pressing Option in Excel for Mac does nothing to the ribbon. Nothing lights up, and Alt+H+O+I has no native path. Microsoft’s Excel shortcut page lists Cmd and Ctrl shortcuts under its macOS tab, but no Alt sequences.
The practical effect: most of the ribbon has no keyboard path on a Mac. AutoFit, Freeze Panes, Sort A to Z and Trace Precedents are mouse commands unless you bind them yourself.
Cmd is the Mac’s primary modifier, so Ctrl+C becomes Cmd+C. Many Ctrl shortcuts also work in Excel for Mac, especially navigation such as Ctrl+Arrow. Microsoft’s page notes that many, but not all, carry over. Try Cmd first, then Ctrl.
Apple’s default is that F1 to F12 control system features. To send F2 to Excel you press Fn+F2. Apple documents a setting, System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Function Keys > “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys”, that reverses this. Microsoft’s Excel page repeats the advice and notes it affects your whole Mac, not only Excel.
The Option key sits where Alt sits and sends the same key code. macOS uses it as a character modifier: Option+N then A types ã, and Option+2 types ™. Excel for Mac follows the platform. That is why Option, H, O, I types characters instead of autofitting a column.
Three shortcuts bankers use all day have Mac chords, not Alt paths:
These are learnable. The Alt sequences are the part you cannot learn around, because they do not exist.
Accelerator Keys is a native macOS menu bar app. When Excel or PowerPoint is in front, it watches for the Option key, shows KeyTip badges on the ribbon, and runs the command when you type the sequence. Option, H, O, I autofits. Option, E, S, V opens Paste Special. Option, W, F, F freezes panes.
Your Cmd shortcuts keep working. The app only listens for Option.
What it does not do: it does not add Windows-only Excel features such as Power Pivot, the full set of Power Query connectors, or some VBA and COM add-ins. macOS only. Excel and PowerPoint only; Word is planned for Q3 2026.
Windows and Mac Excel share most shortcuts once you swap Ctrl for Cmd and fix the function-key setting. F2, F4 and Paste Special have Mac chords you can learn. The Alt ribbon KeyTips are the real gap: Windows has them; Excel for Mac has no Alt sequences by default. Accelerator Keys adds them to native Excel for Mac with the same letters.
Many do. Ctrl+Arrow and Ctrl+Shift+Arrow move and select as on Windows, and Microsoft’s shortcut page notes that many Ctrl combinations carry over. The reliable rule is to try Cmd first, then Ctrl. What never carries over is the Alt key: Alt sequences such as Alt+H+O+I have no native Mac equivalent.
By default macOS uses the F1 to F12 row for system features such as brightness and volume, so Excel sees the shortcut only when you hold Fn. Apple documents a setting, Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys, that reverses this. Microsoft’s Excel page repeats the same advice for Mac users.
The Option key sits where Alt sits and sends the same key code. But macOS uses it to type accented and special characters, and Excel for Mac has no Alt sequences by default. So Option, H, O, I types characters instead of autofitting. Accelerator Keys makes Option act like Alt in Excel and PowerPoint.
Not the way Windows does. Windows shows KeyTip letters on the ribbon whenever you press Alt, and every command has a letter path. Out of the box, pressing Option in Excel for Mac does nothing to the ribbon, so sequences like Alt+H+O+I have no native path. Accelerator Keys adds KeyTip badges and 900+ sequences to Excel for Mac.
No. You can also run Windows Excel in a VM (Parallels, VMware Fusion Pro, UTM), use remote desktop to a Windows PC, or relearn Excel for Mac’s Cmd shortcuts. Accelerator Keys is the only option that keeps you in native Excel for Mac with the same Alt letters. It does not add Windows-only Excel features.
It has a limited KeyTips option, off by default, and it does not do the job. Many commands have no letter at all — AutoFit Column Width (Alt+H+O+I) is one — the legacy Excel 2003 Alt+E, Alt+I, Alt+O and Alt+D sequences are missing, pressing Option and a letter together does nothing, and Esc throws away the whole sequence instead of stepping back. It covers only a fraction of the 900+ Windows shortcuts. Accelerator Keys gives you the full set, with KeyTip badges on the ribbon, and keystrokes register as fast as native Excel for Windows.