Mac users of Excel have struggled with the lack of alt-key shortcuts for the past 10 years with only painful workarounds available (see Reddit and Microsoft's forum).

macOS's increased support for accessibility features recently enabled a new way to control Mac Excel. Mac users can now use alt-key shortcuts without spending a lot or inconvenient setups. Give it a try!

• Bootcamp: Inconvenient to switch between Windows and Mac partitions, when most of our apps are on the Mac partition. Read-only access to Mac files from Windows partition without paid third-party software. Requires an additional Office license (US$150 per year).
• Running a VM (e.g. Parallels): Laggy and consumes a lot of CPU. Some keyboard shortcuts still don't work properly. And this isn't cheap — Parallels costs US$80/year, and you need additional Windows and Office licenses.
• Buying a separate PC: Technically this works…but surely we can do better than buying a new computer?

Have a question, or just want to say hi? You can always reach us at hi@acceleratorkeys.com.

How can I use Mac Excel like I use Excel on Windows?

First, download Accelerator Keys and follow the instructions in the installer.

The key is to drag Accelerator Keys into the Applications folder to enable automatic updates, and to grant accessibility access so that Accelerator Keys can control Excel. The Option key on your Mac keyboard now works like an alt-key, and pressing it in Mac Excel gives you access to accelerator shortcuts.

Then, change the top row of keys on your Mac to work as standard function keys without holding the Fn key. This enables you to hit F2 in Mac Excel and edit a cell more conveniently, or F9 to refresh the workbook.

Lastly, use the Cmd Key instead of the Ctrl Key for shortcuts that used the Ctrl key in Windows (e.g. Ctrl-D, Ctrl-R to drag formulas).

Missing shortcuts?

If you are a paying user, you can submit requests for additional controls to be added by emailing hi@acceleratorkeys.com. I will try to include these in the next update — barring technical difficulties.

Why do I need automatic updates?

The app needs to be updated each time Microsoft updates Excel Office 365. This allows the app to find controls in the Excel ribbon accurately (e.g. if button labels or the ribbon layout has changed), and let users control them through Accelerator Keys.

Does this replicate all the functionality of Windows ribbon shortcuts?

It replicates 250+ of the most-commonly used shortcuts, and we add additional shortcuts based on requests from paying customers. There are two known limitations to our approach.

First, Accelerator Keys does not currently work when Excel is in full-screen mode. The app works by creating an overlay on top of Excel. When Excel is in full-screen mode, it isn't possible to render an overlay on the same screen.

Accelerator Keys currently cannot control Excel buttons that aren't visible on the screen. This means if you have shrunk the Excel screen and some buttons are hidden, alt-key shortcuts will not be available for those.

Can I transfer my license across computers?

Yes. As a subscription licensee, you can deregister your existing Accelerator Keys license on one computer and move it to another.

See our full list of supported alt and ribbon shortcuts here.