Alt + E S A Mac Excel Shortcut: Legacy Paste Values & Formatting (2026 Guide)

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Quick Answer

Alt + E + S + A is a legacy pre-ribbon shortcut for Paste Values & Number Formatting. With Accelerator Keys, this shortcut works exactly like the modern Alt + H + V + A sequence.

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If you are looking for the Alt + E S A shortcut on Mac Excel, you may be familiar with this shortcut from older versions of Excel (2003 and earlier). This legacy shortcut still works with Accelerator Keys and maps to the modern ribbon equivalent.

What Does Alt + E S A Do?

Alt + E + S + A is the legacy shortcut for Edit > Paste Special > Values & Number Formatting. It pastes the calculated values along with their number formats (currency, percentage, dates, etc.) but without formulas.

Legacy vs. Modern Shortcut Comparison

Shortcut	Era	Menu Path
Alt + E + S + A	Legacy (Excel 2003)	Edit > Paste Special > Values & Number Formatting
Alt + H + V + A	Modern (Ribbon)	Home > Paste > Values & Number Formatting

Both shortcuts work with Accelerator Keys!

Step-by-Step: How to do Alt + E S A on Mac Excel

Install the Fix: Download Accelerator Keys (14-day free trial, no credit card required).
Copy your data: Select cells and press Cmd+C.
Activate the Ribbon: Press the Option key.
Execute Sequence: Press E, then S, then A.
Result: Values and number formats are pasted without formulas.

When to Use This Shortcut

This is ideal when you want to:

Convert formulas to static values while keeping number formatting
Share data without exposing underlying formulas
Preserve currency, date, or percentage formats

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the modern equivalent of Alt + E S A?

The modern ribbon shortcut is Alt + H + V + A (Home > Paste > Values & Number Formatting). Both work with Accelerator Keys.

Does Alt + E S A work natively on Mac Excel?

No, the native Mac Excel “KeyTips” does not support legacy pre-ribbon shortcuts. You need Accelerator Keys to use Alt + E + S + A on Mac.