Dialogs and Paste Special shortcuts in Excel
Paste Special is the one to learn: copy, press Ctrl+Alt+V, then V and Enter, and only the values land. Inside any dialog, Tab moves between options, Space ticks a checkbox and Enter presses OK. Microsoft lists the Paste Special letter keys for Windows only; on a Mac, pick the option in the dialog.
Checked against Microsoft's official lists on . Where Microsoft lists a key for one platform only, the other column says so instead of guessing.
Learn these first
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open Paste Special How to: Paste values shortcut in Excel Copy first. In the Windows dialog, press V then Enter to paste values only. | Ctrl+Alt+V | Command+Control+V or Control+Option+V or Command+Option+V |
| Paste Special: values only, not formulas How to: Paste values shortcut in Excel | V | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: formatting only | T | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: column widths only | W | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
Step-by-step shortcut guides
Paste Special
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Open Paste Special How to: Paste values shortcut in Excel Copy first. In the Windows dialog, press V then Enter to paste values only. | Ctrl+Alt+V | Command+Control+V or Control+Option+V or Command+Option+V |
| Paste Special: all contents and formatting | A | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: formulas only, as entered | F | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: values only, not formulas How to: Paste values shortcut in Excel | V | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: formatting only | T | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: comments and notes only | C | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: data validation only | N | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: all contents and formatting (the "All using Source theme" option) | H | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: everything except borders | X | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: column widths only | W | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: formulas and number formats | R | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Paste Special: values and number formats How to: Paste values shortcut in Excel | U | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
Any dialog
| Shortcut | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Move to the next option in a dialog | Tab | Tab |
| Move to the previous option in a dialog | Shift+Tab | Shift+Tab |
| Go to the next tab of a dialogNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+Tab | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Go to the previous tab of a dialogNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Ctrl+Shift+Tab | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Press the default button (usually OK) | Enter | Return |
| Close the dialog or menu without changes | Esc | Esc |
| Press the selected button, or tick or clear a checkboxNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Space | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Move between options in a list or groupNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | an arrow key | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Open the selected drop-down listNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Alt+Down arrow or Down arrow | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Select the first command on an open menuNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | Home | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
| Select the last command on an open menuNot in Microsoft's Mac list. | End | —No Mac shortcut in Microsoft's list |
Why a shortcut sometimes does nothing
You are still editing a cell
While a cell is in edit mode, most commands are greyed out and many shortcuts type into the cell instead. Press Enter to finish the entry or Esc to cancel it, then try again.
Related guides
- How to transpose rows to columns in ExcelCopy the range, right-click the destination and choose Paste Special > Transpose.
- How to convert numbers stored as text in ExcelSelect the cells, click the yellow warning icon that appears, and choose Convert to Number.
In the glossary: Paste Special