What Are the Paste Special Shortcuts on Mac Excel?

Quick Answer: On Windows, Paste Special is Ctrl+Alt+V (or the classic Alt+E+S). On Mac, it's Control+Cmd+V — note that's the Control key plus Cmd, not Option/Alt plus Cmd. There's no single-keystroke shortcut for individual paste types on Mac by default — you open the Paste Special dialog with Control+Cmd+V, then use the on-screen options or arrow keys + Enter to pick the variant. Mac Excel Shortcuts intercepts the Windows-style Alt+E+S+V keystroke and fires the correct Mac Paste Special action directly, skipping the dialog entirely.

User problem

Paste Special is one of the most-used commands in Excel, and one Windows users are most confident about, because Alt+E+S+V is burned into muscle memory. On Mac, that does nothing useful. The actual shortcut, Control+Cmd+V, isn't something most people would guess.

What this covers

Every Paste Special variant available in Mac Excel, its shortcut path, and its Windows equivalent.

Method 1: Ribbon

Home tab → Paste dropdown (the small arrow under the Paste icon) gives you the most common variants directly: Paste Values, Paste Formulas, Paste Formatting, and Transpose, each as its own icon with a live preview.

Method 2: Menus / dialog

Right-click a cell after copying → Paste Special... opens the full dialog with every option: Values, Formulas, Formats, Comments, Validation, All Except Borders, Transpose, and arithmetic operations. Functionally identical to the Windows dialog, just launched with a different shortcut.

Method 3: Native keyboard shortcuts

• Open Paste Special dialog: Control+Cmd+V

• Regular paste: Cmd+V

• Copy: Cmd+C

• Once the dialog is open, use arrow keys to move between radio buttons and Return to confirm — there's no dedicated single-key shortcut per variant

• Transpose during paste: open Paste Special (Control+Cmd+V), check Transpose, then Return

Full shortcut/variant table

Why there's no per-variant keyboard shortcut on Mac

Windows' Alt+E+S sequence works because Windows lets any menu be navigated by underlined-letter keystrokes — Alt+E+S+V for Values-only paste is really four sequential single-key presses through a menu tree, not a true simultaneous shortcut. macOS doesn't have that accelerator-key menu system at all. That's why on Mac you open the dialog once (Control+Cmd+V) and pick the variant with the mouse or arrow keys.

Method 5: Maccove workflow

This is the single highest-friction shortcut gap for Windows migrators, and it's the one Mac Excel Shortcuts (Mac Excel Shortcuts) is built to solve directly: type the Windows sequence you already know (Alt+E+S+V or Alt+E+S+T) and Mac Excel Shortcuts intercepts it and fires the correct Mac Paste Special action, including jumping straight to Values Only.

Real-world example

You've built a formula in one column to calculate variance, and you need to copy the results into a summary tab. Workflow: Cmd+C to copy the formula range, click the destination cell, Control+Cmd+V to open Paste Special, select Values, hit Return.

Common mistakes

• Pressing Cmd+Option+V instead of Control+Cmd+V — Option and Control are easy to mix up.

• Expecting a one-key Values-only shortcut like old Windows muscle memory — use the Home tab Paste dropdown for a one-click version instead.

• Forgetting to check Transpose before confirming.

FAQs

Can I create my own keyboard shortcut for Paste Values on Mac?

Yes — via System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → App Shortcuts, you can assign a custom key combination to any menu command, including "Paste Values" if it appears as an exact menu item name.

Is there a difference between "Paste Formats" and Format Painter?

Format Painter applies formatting live as you click/drag; Paste Special → Formats requires a prior copy and works on a fixed destination range.

Related guides

• Paste Special on Mac: The Complete Guide

• What Are the Mac Excel Keyboard Shortcuts?

• How to Paste Values and Other Paste Shortcuts in Excel on Mac (5 Methods Compared)