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Excel on Mac uses Command (⌘) as its primary modifier for most shortcuts. The general patterns, cell navigation, formula entry, formatting, work similarly to Windows, with Command substituting for Ctrl. Where Excel on Mac diverges most noticeably is in F-key shortcuts, which play a larger role in Excel than in most other applications.
F-key behavior on Mac. Excel relies on F-keys for several important operations: editing the active cell, toggling between absolute and relative cell references in formulas, opening the Go To dialog, and inserting a chart. On macOS, F-keys are mapped to system functions (brightness, volume, Mission Control) by default. To use these Excel shortcuts directly, you either hold Fn alongside the F-key, or change the F-key behavior in System Settings → Keyboard to treat F-keys as standard function keys.
For regular Excel users on Mac, changing this setting is worth considering, Excel's F-key shortcuts are used frequently enough that pressing Fn each time becomes a friction point.
Mixed modifier keys. Excel on Mac uses both Command and Ctrl in different parts of its shortcut set, a legacy of the application's history across platforms. Some shortcuts that might be expected to use Command actually use Ctrl on Mac. The table above shows the exact key for each action.
Cell range navigation. Jumping to the last filled cell in a column or row, one of the most-used navigation techniques in large spreadsheets, uses a Command+Arrow combination on Mac. This is a natural Mac-style shortcut and works consistently throughout cell navigation.
Formula confirmation. Excel on Mac has specific shortcuts for confirming a formula in a cell, filling a selection with the same value, and navigating within the formula bar. These follow Command patterns.
The Excel macOS shortcut list is available as a printable PDF. The F-key shortcuts section is particularly worth printing, these are easy to forget until they become habits, and having a reference nearby during formula work saves repeated lookups.
By default, yes. macOS maps F-keys to system controls (brightness, volume, etc.), so pressing F2 adjusts keyboard brightness rather than entering cell edit mode in Excel. To use bare F-key shortcuts in Excel, hold Fn+F-key, or change the setting in System Settings → Keyboard → "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys." The second option is more practical for regular Excel use.
Not entirely. The modifier key changes (Command for most shortcuts vs Ctrl on Windows), and several important F-key shortcuts behave differently because of macOS F-key defaults. Some shortcuts also use different key combinations between platforms rather than a simple Command/Ctrl swap. The table above covers the Mac version specifically.
Yes. Using Command+Arrow in Excel on Mac moves the cursor to the last filled cell in the arrow's direction, equivalent to Ctrl+Arrow on Windows. This is one of the most useful navigation shortcuts for working with large datasets and works consistently on both platforms.
Need more than shortcuts?
Visit the Microsoft Excel app page for an overview and helpful links.
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