These are the keys Microsoft lists for Excel for Mac and not for Excel for Windows. A few are macOS features. Most are Excel commands that Microsoft simply documents only for the Mac, such as border sides, unhiding rows and selecting precedents. Where Windows has another route, the note says so.
Checked against Microsoft's official lists on . Where Microsoft lists a key for one platform only, the other column says so instead of guessing.
Show keys for
Excel commands Microsoft lists for Mac only
Most of these are Excel commands Microsoft simply documents for the Mac and not for Windows. The note on each row gives the Windows route where there is one.
Scroll back to show the active cellNot in Microsoft's Windows list. Excel for the web: Ctrl+Backspace moves to the active cell and keeps the selection.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWebCtrl+Backspace
Control+Delete
Move to the Search Sheet boxNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+F5
Selecting
Shortcut
Windows
Mac
Extend the selection to the beginning of the rowNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Shift+HomeorShift+Fn+←Left arrow
Extend the selection down one screenNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Shift+Page DownorShift+Fn+↓Down arrow
Extend the selection up one screenNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
Keep the selection but make only the active cell selectedNot in Microsoft's Windows list. On a Mac this is the Delete key above Return, not Forward Delete.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWebShift+Backspace
Shift+Delete
Move the active cell clockwise to the next corner of the selectionNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWebCtrl+.
Control+.
Select the current arrayNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+/
Select cells in a row that differ from the active cellNot in Microsoft's Windows list. Select the row starting with the active cell first.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+\
Select all cells a formula refers to, directly or indirectlyNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+Shift+{
Select cells with formulas that refer directly to the active cellNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+]
Select all cells with formulas that refer to the active cell, directly or indirectlyNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+Shift+}
Editing cells
Shortcut
Windows
Mac
Delete text to the end of the lineNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+⌦ DeleteForward DeleteorControl+Fn+Delete
While editing, move to the beginning of the lineNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWebHome
HomeorFn+←Left arrow
Open the thesaurusNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Shift+F7orControl+Option+CmdCommand+R
Open the Smart Lookup paneNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+Option+CmdCommand+L
Entering data and filling
Shortcut
Windows
Mac
Show the AutoComplete listNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Option+↓Down arrow
Formulas and references
Shortcut
Windows
Mac
Open the pop-up menu of an on-sheet button, such as the one after you pasteNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Option+Shift+F10
Formatting
Shortcut
Windows
Mac
Add a border on the right of the selectionNot in Microsoft's Windows list. On Windows, Alt+H, B opens the Borders menu.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+Option+→Right arrow
Add a border on the left of the selectionNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+Option+←Left arrow
Add a border on the top of the selectionNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+Option+↑Up arrow
Add a border on the bottom of the selectionNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+Option+↓Down arrow
Align leftNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+L
Increase the font sizeNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWebCtrl+Shift+>
Shift+CmdCommand+>
Decrease the font sizeNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's listWebCtrl+Shift+<
Shift+CmdCommand+<
Open Modify Cell StyleNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
Cycle through the parts of a selected chartNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Arrowan arrow key
Workbooks, windows and panes
Shortcut
Windows
Mac
Open the Save dialogNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Option+F2
Create a new workbook from a templateNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+Shift+P
Close a window or dialogWindows: Ctrl+F4 closes the workbook window (see Close).
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+F4
Turn Drawing mode on or offNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+Control+Z
Insert an Excel 4.0 macro sheetNot in Microsoft's Windows list.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+F11
macOS shortcuts Microsoft includes
Shortcut
Windows
Mac
Insert special characters and emojiThe macOS Character Viewer.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Control+CmdCommand+Space
Hide ExcelA macOS shortcut.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+H
Switch to the next appA macOS shortcut.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
CmdCommand+Tab
Switch to the previous appA macOS shortcut.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Shift+CmdCommand+Tab
Take a screenshot and save it to the desktopA macOS shortcut.
—No Windows shortcut in Microsoft's list
Shift+CmdCommand+3
Why a shortcut sometimes does nothing
Mac function keys
Excel for Mac uses the function keys for real commands, but macOS gives them to brightness, Mission Control and volume first. Press Fn with the key, or turn on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" (System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Function Keys on recent macOS). After that, the printed features need Fn instead, so Fn+F12 changes the volume.
macOS shortcuts that get there first
Microsoft marks a few Mac shortcuts as clashing with macOS: Shift+F11 and F11 with Show Desktop, and Ctrl+Space with switching input sources. Control with the arrow keys moves between Spaces and opens Mission Control by default too. If macOS reacts instead of Excel, open System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts and turn the macOS one off.
F4 vs Cmd+T on a Mac
On Windows, F4 has two jobs: while you edit a formula it switches a reference between A1, $A$1, A$1 and $A1, and the rest of the time it repeats your last action. On a Mac, CmdCommand+T and F4 both switch the reference, but CmdCommand+T creates a table when you are not editing a formula. On a Mac laptop F4 may need Fn.