If you don't find a keyboard shortcut here that meets your needs, you can create a custom keyboard shortcut. For instructions, go to Create a custom keyboard shortcut for Office for Mac. Microsoft 365 mac update. Many of the shortcuts that use the Ctrl key on a Windows keyboard also work with the Control key in Excel for Mac. However, not all do. Finally, some Excel shortcuts are just plain different on a Mac. For example, the shortcut for Edit Cell in Windows is F2, and on a Mac, it's Control + U. The shortcut to toggle absolute and relative references is F4 in Windows, while on a Mac, its Command T. For a complete list of Windows and Mac shortcuts, see our side-by-side list. Add a layer: Ctrl + L: Command + L: Add a layer while opening the New Layer dialog box: Alt + Ctrl + L: Option + Command + L: Select all objects on the layer. Alt-click layer name. Option-click layer name. Show/hide all layers but the selected one. Alt-click eye icon.
It allows us to stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues during isolation, and for many businesses it has thrown an invaluable lifeline to help keep their operations running. However, just as technology can be extremely useful, it also poses complications and difficulties; especially for those who rely upon it for work.
For example, here at Financial Edge we now depend on technology to deliver our virtual programs. This is great because we can continue to operate as normal but it has also left a major challenge for our participants who only have access to Apple devices. Often in class we use neat keyboard shortcuts to improve efficiency and precision with how we handle data, but these differ massively between Windows and Mac. We have therefore devised this handy guide to help our Mac users adapt to using their own devices so they can also maximize their efficiency during our training programs. You can also find Windows shortcuts and Mac shortcuts for Excel here.
Windows Shortcuts vs Mac
Below, we have outlined the primary keys used on a Windows keyboard, and the Mac equivalents. These are super important to learn as the majority of keyboard shortcuts use a primary key in combination with other keys to quickly perform the action.
Windows Keys | Mac Keys |
⌘ OR | |
Alt | |
Windows/Start | |
Backspace | / ⌫ |
Delete / | |
Shift | |
Enter |
System Shortcuts
Learn these to improve your workflow on the system you’re using.
Action | Windows Keys | Mac Keys |
Backward delete | Backspace | / ⌫ |
Close active window | W | W |
Copy a file | and drag icon | ⌥ and drag icon |
Copy to clipboard | C | C |
Paste to clipboard | V | V |
Delete to clipboard | X | X |
Exit a dialogue box | Esc | |
Find specific text | F | F |
Force exit from unresponsive program | Alt | ⌘ |
Forward delete | Delete | Delete / |
Maximize window | Ctrl | Ctrl |
Minimize window | Windows | ⌘ |
New file | Ctrl | ⌘ N |
Open file | O | O |
P | P | |
Exit/quit program | F4 | Q |
Undo | Z | Z |
Windows Internet Explorer vs Safari
To access our materials you’ll need to navigate to our online learning platform. These shortcuts will enable you to quickly move around our website.
Action | Windows Keys | Mac Keys |
Navigate to the top of the page | Home | Shift |
Open a new browser window | Ctrl | ⌘ |
Open a new tab | Ctrl | ⌘ |
Refresh web page | Ctrl | ⌘ |
Switch to next tab | Ctrl | ⌘ |
Switch to previous tab | Ctrl | ⌘ |
Increase text size | Ctrl | ⌘ |
Reduce text size | Ctrl | ⌘ |
Mac Keyboard Shortcut Maximize Window
You can find Windows shortcuts and Mac shortcuts for Excel here.