Mac Excel Shortcuts vs BetterTouchTool: Which Is Better for Excel on Mac?

BetterTouchTool is one of the most-recommended Mac utilities, so when a Windows switcher asks how to get Excel shortcuts back, someone will say "just use BetterTouchTool". It can do it. The question is how much work it takes, and whether a tool built for trackpad gestures and window snapping is the right place to rebuild Excel's Windows Ribbon sequences. This guide compares Mac Excel Shortcuts with BetterTouchTool for that one job.

Both are paid, both are well maintained, and they overlap less than you might expect. BetterTouchTool is a general customisation toolbox. Mac Excel Shortcuts is a single-purpose app for Windows Excel shortcuts on a Mac.

Quick answer: Choose BetterTouchTool ($15 with two years of updates, or $25 lifetime) if you also want custom trackpad gestures, mouse buttons, window snapping and general shortcuts, and you do not mind building your Excel shortcuts yourself. Choose Mac Excel Shortcuts ($49 one-time or $4.99/month, free trial) if the goal is to type Windows sequences such as Alt, E, S, V (Paste Values) or Alt, H, M, C (Merge & Center) in Excel and have them work, with nothing to build. BetterTouchTool can reproduce a sequence with its Key Sequence trigger, but expect 15 to 30 minutes per command.

Mac Excel Shortcuts vs BetterTouchTool at a glance

Prices were checked on each vendor's site in October 2026 and may change.

What BetterTouchTool is good at

BetterTouchTool has been a Mac staple for years. It lets you attach actions to almost any input, and it is hard to beat for:

• Trackpad and mouse gestures. Three-finger taps, corner clicks, extra mouse buttons, Magic Mouse gestures.

• Window management. Snapping and moving windows with keys or gestures.

• Keyboard shortcuts and key sequences. Assign an action to a shortcut, or to a sequence of keys pressed one after another.

• Per-app behaviour. Triggers can be limited to a single app, such as Excel, so they do not interfere elsewhere.

• Flexible actions. Send keystrokes, trigger a menu item by name, run AppleScript or launch other apps.

One licence covers all your personal Macs. If you will use more than a handful of these features, BetterTouchTool is excellent value, and Excel shortcuts are a bonus.

Where BetterTouchTool takes work: Windows Ribbon sequences

On Windows, pressing Alt lets you run any Ribbon command by typing a sequence of letters, such as Alt, H, V, V. Native Excel for Mac has optional Ribbon KeyTips in recent Microsoft 365 builds, but coverage is partial. Alt, E, S, V for Paste Values, for example, does not work.

To rebuild a sequence in BetterTouchTool, you:

1. Create a Key Sequence trigger, limited to Excel, such as Option, then E, then S, then V.

2. Set the timing so BetterTouchTool waits long enough between keys, but not so long that it swallows normal typing.

3. Choose the action: trigger the Paste Special menu item by name, or send a chain of keystrokes (⌃⌘V, a short pause, V, Return).

4. For commands that only exist on the Ribbon, such as Merge & Center, first assign a shortcut in Excel under Tools → Customize Keyboard, then have BetterTouchTool press that shortcut.

That works, and it is flexible. It is also one trigger per command, each with its own timing, built and tested by you. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes per command until you find a pattern, and expect to revisit them when Excel updates.

What Mac Excel Shortcuts does differently

Mac Excel Shortcuts is built for exactly this job. You install it, grant the permissions macOS asks for, and type the Windows sequences you already know. Alt, E, S, V runs Paste Values. Alt, H, M, C runs Merge & Center. Alt, W, F, F freezes panes. The Mac Excel shortcut cheat sheet lists the commands.

What that means in practice:

• No triggers to build. The sequences are already mapped to Excel actions.

• No timing to tune. You are not guessing how long a dialog takes to open.

• No Customize Keyboard detour. You do not need to assign intermediate shortcuts in Excel first.

• Narrow by design. It will not snap windows, add trackpad gestures or run general automations. That is what BetterTouchTool is for.

The same job in both: Paste Values and Merge & Center

Paste Values (Alt, E, S, V)

• BetterTouchTool: create a Key Sequence trigger for Option, E, S, V in Excel. Action: send ⌃⌘V, pause, send V, send Return, or trigger the menu item directly. Tune the delays. Roughly 15 to 30 minutes.

• Mac Excel Shortcuts: copy, select the destination, type Alt, E, S, V.

Merge & Center (Alt, H, M, C)

• BetterTouchTool: assign a shortcut to Merge & Center in Excel's Customize Keyboard, then create a Key Sequence trigger that presses it.

• Mac Excel Shortcuts: type Alt, H, M, C.

For two commands, either route is fine. For twenty, the per-command work in BetterTouchTool is the real cost.

Setup time and ongoing maintenance

BetterTouchTool needs Accessibility permission, and it is a recurring topic on its community forum that the permission prompt can reappear after an upgrade. The usual fix is to remove BetterTouchTool from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and add it again. Mac Excel Shortcuts needs Accessibility and Input Monitoring. Our guide to giving Mac Excel Shortcuts the right permissions walks through it.

One trap with any Option-based sequence: Option is also a typing key on a Mac. Option+V types a square-root sign and Option+H types a dot accent. If a trigger misfires, odd characters land in your cells, so test on a scratch sheet first.

Cost over time

• BetterTouchTool: $15 for a standard licence with two years of updates, or $25 lifetime, on all your personal Macs. After two years the standard licence keeps working on the last version you received. Your other cost is time.

• Mac Excel Shortcuts: $49 one-time or $4.99/month, with a free trial of 7 days or 10 shortcuts, whichever comes first.

BetterTouchTool is cheaper on paper, and it replaces several other utilities if you use its other features. For Excel shortcuts alone, the question is whether your hours spent building triggers cost more than the price difference.

Can you use both?

Yes. They coexist well because they do different things. Use BetterTouchTool for gestures, window snapping and general shortcuts, and Mac Excel Shortcuts for the Windows Excel sequences. Avoid building Option-based Excel sequences in BetterTouchTool at the same time as using Mac Excel Shortcuts or Excel's own KeyTips, because they will compete for the same key.

Which should you choose?

FAQs

Can BetterTouchTool make Windows Alt shortcuts work in Excel for Mac?

Yes, with a Key Sequence trigger and an action per command. It is workable but manual: expect to build and test each sequence yourself.

Is BetterTouchTool free?

No. It offers a free trial, and a licence costs $15 (two years of updates) or $25 (lifetime). One licence covers your personal Macs.

Do I need BetterTouchTool if I use Mac Excel Shortcuts?

Not for Excel sequences. You only need it if you want gestures, window management or other automation beyond Excel.

Does Mac Excel Shortcuts work alongside BetterTouchTool?

Yes, as long as you do not bind the same key sequences in both. Use one for Excel Alt sequences and the other for everything else.

Why did my BetterTouchTool shortcuts stop working?

The most common cause is the Accessibility permission being reset after an update. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, remove BetterTouchTool, add it back and restart it.

Related guides

• Karabiner vs BetterTouchTool vs Keyboard Maestro: Which Is Best for Windows Excel Shortcuts on Mac?

• Mac Excel Shortcuts vs Karabiner-Elements

• Mac Excel Shortcuts vs Keyboard Maestro

• How to Remap Windows Shortcuts on Mac in Excel?

• Which Apps Are Windows-Style Accelerator Apps for Excel on Mac?

• Is There an App That Makes Excel Shortcuts Work on Mac?

Sources

• BetterTouchTool

• BetterTouchTool pricing

• Microsoft: Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Office for Mac