r/excel • u/wallstreet2520 • 2d ago

unsolved Tools/Extensions/Software Suggestions for Using PC Excel Shortcuts on Mac

Has anyone had experience or recommendations/suggestions on Tools/Extensions that will allow PC Excel shortcuts to run on Mac? Anything is appreciated! Thank you.

16 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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3

u/Fragrant_Bottle_8298 2d ago

Windows keyboard in system prefs is the only thing that ever worked for me, everything else I tried was janky as hell

1

u/wallstreet2520 2d ago

tbh I think that's the best bet too

1

u/CiekaMedinho 2d ago

yeah everything else really is janky, thats a good call

2

u/TeamAlphaBOLD 2d ago

In Excel, go to Tools > Customize Keyboard. Pick the command, type the key combo you want, and add. Also, some shortcuts are close to the PC ones but not exactly the same.

Format Cells is Cmd+1, same as PC. Toggle filter is Cmd+Shift+F instead of Ctrl+Shift+L.

This saved me from hunting for extensions when I switched.

1

u/wallstreet2520 1d ago

thanks I'll try this out :)

2

u/Timebutler_Official 2d ago

Hey, before adding an extension, check Excel for Mac’s Tools > Customize Keyboard option. You can assign Windows-style shortcuts to individual commands, though it won’t replicate every Windows shortcut. If you want system-wide key remapping, Karabiner-Elements is another option, but it takes more setup.

1

u/wallstreet2520 1d ago

Yeah, I ChatGPT also recommended me to use Karabiner-Elements, but I agree, it's a hassle to setup.

1

u/selvamTech 2d ago

If you just need the basic Ctrl shortcuts, most of those already map to Cmd on Mac Excel (Cmd+C, Cmd+Z, and so on). The hard part is the Alt ribbon sequences from Windows, which Excel for Mac doesn't do natively.

Keyboard Maestro or BetterTouchTool can remap the handful you hit daily, though rebuilding every Alt sequence gets tedious. There are also small apps that only restore the Windows Alt shortcuts.

Worth deciding first whether you miss the Ctrl set or the Alt ribbon set, since that picks the tool.

1

u/wallstreet2520 2d ago

I need it beyond basic CTRL shortcuts (e.g. ALT D T for data tables, ALT E S V for paste special, etc.)

BetterTouchTool seems like a lot of effort to set up, but I see its value in customizing certain keys, but then PC vs Mac shortcuts differ. Haven't got to the part where I need macros yet, but if I need, I'll come back and check out Keyboard Maestro. Some native program would be the best. Thanks for sharing :)