Alt + E S F Mac Excel Shortcut: Legacy Paste Formulas (2026 Guide)

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Quick Answer

Alt + E + S + F is a legacy pre-ribbon shortcut for Paste Formulas. With Accelerator Keys, this shortcut works exactly like the modern Alt + H + V + F sequence.

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If you are looking for the Alt + E S F 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 F Do?

Alt + E + S + F is the legacy shortcut for Edit > Paste Special > Formulas. It pastes only the formulas from copied cells, without any formatting.

Legacy vs. Modern Shortcut Comparison

Shortcut	Era	Menu Path
Alt + E + S + F	Legacy (Excel 2003)	Edit > Paste Special > Formulas
Alt + H + V + F	Modern (Ribbon)	Home > Paste > Formulas

Both shortcuts work with Accelerator Keys!

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

Install the Fix: Download Accelerator Keys (14-day free trial, no credit card required).
Copy your data: Select cells containing formulas and press Cmd+C.
Activate the Ribbon: Press the Option key.
Execute Sequence: Press E, then S, then F.
Result: Only the formulas are pasted, preserving your destination formatting.

Note: This legacy shortcut is automatically mapped to the modern ribbon equivalent (Alt + H + V + F), so you can use whichever you prefer.

Why Use Legacy Shortcuts?

Many Excel power users learned the Edit menu shortcuts (Alt+E) years ago and have them committed to muscle memory. Accelerator Keys preserves this productivity by supporting both legacy and modern shortcuts.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The modern ribbon shortcut is Alt + H + V + F (Home > Paste > Formulas). Both work with Accelerator Keys.

Does Alt + E S F 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 + F on Mac.

What’s the difference between Paste Formulas and regular Paste?

Regular Paste (Ctrl+V) copies everything including formatting. Paste Formulas (Alt + E + S + F) copies only the formulas, leaving your destination cell formatting intact.