Alt + E S K Mac Excel Shortcut: Legacy Paste Keep Source Formatting (2026 Guide)

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Quick Answer

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

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

Alt + E + S + K is the legacy shortcut for Edit > Paste Special > Keep Source Formatting. It pastes the copied data along with its original formatting from the source cells.

Legacy vs. Modern Shortcut Comparison

Shortcut	Era	Menu Path
Alt + E + S + K	Legacy (Excel 2003)	Edit > Paste Special > Keep Source Formatting
Alt + H + V + K	Modern (Ribbon)	Home > Paste > Keep Source Formatting

Both shortcuts work with Accelerator Keys!

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

Install the Fix: Download Accelerator Keys (14-day free trial, no credit card required).
Copy your data: Select your formatted cells and press Cmd+C.
Activate the Ribbon: Press the Option key.
Execute Sequence: Press E, then S, then K.
Result: Data is pasted with its original source formatting intact.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The modern ribbon shortcut is Alt + H + V + K (Home > Paste > Keep Source Formatting). Both work with Accelerator Keys.

Does Alt + E S K 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 + K on Mac.