# XLKeys

> Use Excel-style shortcuts, formatting, formula auditing, Goal Seek, Sensitivity Tables, and Workbook Health audits in Google Sheets.

XLKeys is a free Chrome extension that brings Excel keyboard shortcuts and power-user features to Google Sheets. It maps Excel's Alt-key ribbon sequences (Alt H O I, Alt E S V, Alt H B A, and 150+ more) directly into Google Sheets, and adds features Sheets lacks entirely: Trace Precedents / Trace Dependents formula auditing, Goal Seek, one- and two-variable sensitivity (data) tables, Auto-Color for hardcodes vs. formulas, and workbook health audits.

Free tier covers most shortcuts. Pro features (paste special, format cycles, auditing, Goal Seek, sensitivity tables) come with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

- [Install XLKeys (Chrome Web Store)](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/xlkeys-excel-shortcuts-fo/jpdneiofokgelbncbjcknpclmgpekllc)
- [Homepage](https://xlkeyz.com)
- [Printable shortcut cheat sheet](https://xlkeyz.com/cheatsheet)
- [All shortcut guides](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts)
- [Blog](https://xlkeyz.com/blog)

## Common questions XLKeys answers

- "Does Google Sheets have Goal Seek?" — Not natively; XLKeys adds it behind Excel's Alt A W G shortcut.
- "How do I make a data table / sensitivity table in Google Sheets?" — Sheets has no What-If data table; XLKeys builds one- and two-variable tables via Alt A W T.
- "Can Google Sheets trace precedents like Excel?" — Not natively; XLKeys adds Ctrl + Shift + [ (precedents) and Ctrl + Shift + ] (dependents).
- "Do Excel Alt-key shortcuts work in Google Sheets?" — Not natively; XLKeys makes the original Excel keystrokes work as-is.
- "Is there a Macabacus alternative for Google Sheets?" — XLKeys replicates the core Macabacus workflow (shortcuts, auto-color, auditing) in Sheets.

## Shortcut guides

- [Paste Values Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt E S V)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/paste-values): Paste values only in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt E S V. An XLKeys Pro feature with a 30-day free trial — no credit card required.
- [Paste Special Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt E S)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/paste-special): Open a Paste Special menu in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt E S. XLKeys Pro brings the full Excel paste special workflow to Sheets — 30-day free trial.
- [Paste Formatting Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt E S T)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/paste-formatting): Paste formatting only in Google Sheets using the Excel sequence Alt E S T. An XLKeys Pro paste special shortcut with a 30-day free trial.
- [Paste Transposed Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt E S E)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/paste-transposed): Transpose rows to columns when pasting in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt E S E. An XLKeys Pro feature with a 30-day free trial.
- [Paste Formulas Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt E S F)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/paste-formulas): Paste formulas only in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt E S F — destination formatting stays intact. An XLKeys Pro feature with a 30-day free trial.
- [Paste Column Widths in Google Sheets (Alt E S W)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/paste-column-widths): Copy column widths from one range to another in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt E S W. An XLKeys Pro feature with a 30-day free trial.
- [Autofit Column Width Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H O I)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/autofit-column-width): Autofit column width in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt H O I. XLKeys brings Excel Alt-key sequences to Google Sheets — free Chrome extension.
- [Trace Precedents in Google Sheets (Ctrl + Shift + [)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/trace-precedents): Trace precedents in Google Sheets like Excel: press Ctrl + Shift + [ to highlight every cell a formula references. Formula auditing by XLKeys.
- [Trace Dependents in Google Sheets (Ctrl + Shift + ])](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/trace-dependents): Trace dependents in Google Sheets: press Ctrl + Shift + ] to highlight every formula that uses the selected cell. Excel-style auditing by XLKeys.
- [Goal Seek in Google Sheets (Alt A W G Shortcut)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/goal-seek): Run Goal Seek in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt A W G. Solve for the input that produces a target output — no add-on chain, by XLKeys.
- [Sensitivity Table in Google Sheets (Alt A W T)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/sensitivity-table): Build one- and two-variable sensitivity tables in Google Sheets with Alt A W T — the Excel data table workflow, brought to Sheets by XLKeys.
- [Google Sheets Cell Limit Audit (Alt A W C)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/cell-capacity-audit): Audit the 10 million Google Sheets cell limit, see allocated and remaining cells, and find trailing blank rows and columns to delete with XLKeys Pro.
- [Google Sheets Performance Audit (Alt A W P)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/workbook-performance-audit): Scan Google Sheets formulas for open ranges, volatile functions, imports, and other likely performance issues with the XLKeys Pro Performance Audit.
- [Fill Color Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H H)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/fill-color): Change cell fill color in Google Sheets from the keyboard: Alt H H opens a fill color picker (free), and Ctrl + Shift + K cycles colors (Pro). Both with XLKeys.
- [Font Color Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H F C)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/font-color): Change font color in Google Sheets from the keyboard with Alt H F C (free), or cycle colors with Ctrl + ’ (Pro). Excel-style shortcuts by XLKeys.
- [Merge Cells Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H M A)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/merge-cells): Merge and unmerge cells in Google Sheets with Excel shortcuts: Alt H M A to merge, Alt H M U to unmerge. Free with the XLKeys Chrome extension.
- [All Borders Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H B A)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/all-borders): Apply all borders in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt H B A. XLKeys adds 11 Excel border shortcuts to Google Sheets — free.
- [Outside Border Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H B S)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/outside-border): Add an outside border in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt H B S. Part of 11 Excel border shortcuts XLKeys brings to Sheets for free.
- [Freeze Panes Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt W F F)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/freeze-panes): Freeze rows and columns in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt W F F. XLKeys brings Excel freeze pane shortcuts to Sheets — free.
- [Insert Row or Column Shortcut in Google Sheets](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/insert-row-column): Insert rows and columns in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Ctrl + Shift + =. Works on whole-row or whole-column selections via XLKeys.
- [Delete Row or Column Shortcut in Google Sheets](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/delete-row-column): Delete rows and columns in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Ctrl + Shift + −. Free Excel-style shortcut from the XLKeys Chrome extension.
- [Clear Formatting Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H E F)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/clear-formatting): Clear formatting in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt H E F, or clear everything with Alt H E A. Free Excel shortcuts from XLKeys.
- [Filter Shortcut in Google Sheets (Ctrl + Shift + L)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/add-filter): Toggle filters in Google Sheets with Excel’s Ctrl + Shift + L shortcut. Add or remove filter dropdowns instantly with XLKeys Pro — 30-day free trial.
- [Accounting Format Shortcut in Google Sheets (Alt H A N)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/accounting-number-format): Apply accounting number format in Google Sheets with the Excel shortcut Alt H A N. Aligned dollar signs and tidy negatives, free with XLKeys.
- [Auto-Color Cells in Google Sheets (Ctrl + Shift + S)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/auto-color): Auto-color hardcodes, formulas, and references in Google Sheets with one shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + S. Macabacus-style auto-color by XLKeys — 30-day free trial.
- [Number Format Cycle in Google Sheets (Ctrl + Shift + 1)](https://xlkeyz.com/shortcuts/number-format-cycle): Cycle through number formats in Google Sheets with Ctrl + Shift + 1 — commas, decimals, parentheses for negatives. Macabacus-style cycles by XLKeys Pro.

## Blog posts

- [How to Use Alt Key Shortcuts in Google Sheets (For Excel Users)](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/alt-key-shortcuts-google-sheets): Google Sheets has no Alt-key system — tapping Alt just hits the browser. What Excel’s Alt sequences do, what Sheets offers natively, the Mac wrinkle, and how to get the real keystrokes back.
- [How to Paste Column Widths in Google Sheets (Without Dragging Every Column)](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/paste-column-widths-google-sheets): A normal paste in Google Sheets never carries column widths. Here’s the Paste special → Column widths only workaround — plus how to get Excel’s Alt E S W working in Sheets.
- [How to Autofit Column Width in Google Sheets (Without Double-Clicking)](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/autofit-column-width-google-sheets): Google Sheets has no autofit keyboard shortcut. Here’s every native way to fit columns to your data — plus how to get Excel’s Alt H O I working in Sheets.
- [How to Make a Data Table in Google Sheets (One and Two Variable)](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/data-table-google-sheets): Google Sheets has no What-If data table feature. Here are the three real options: a manual formula grid, Apps Script, or an Excel-style data table with a Chrome extension.
- [Excel Shortcuts in Google Sheets: The Complete Conversion Table](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/excel-to-google-sheets-shortcuts-table): Every major Excel keyboard shortcut, its native Google Sheets equivalent (if one exists), and how to get the exact Excel keystroke working in Sheets.
- [New in XLKeys: Cell Capacity and Workbook Performance Scans](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/workbook-health-audits-google-sheets): Two new XLKeys workbook health tools help you understand the Google Sheets cell limit and find formulas that may be slowing down your workbook.
- [Why Is Google Sheets So Slow? (And How to Fix It)](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/why-is-google-sheets-so-slow): Google Sheets gets slow for a handful of predictable reasons: full-column references, volatile functions, IMPORTRANGE chains, conditional formatting pileup, and too many cells. Here’s how to figure out which one is killing your sheet and fix it.
- [How to Add ChatGPT to Google Sheets](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/how-to-add-chatgpt-to-google-sheets): OpenAI shipped an official ChatGPT app that lives inside Google Sheets and edits your cells directly — writing formulas, running ad hoc analysis, and building templates. Here’s how to install it, the good and bad use cases, and how to audit what it changes.
- [How to Create and Format Charts in Google Sheets](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/how-to-create-and-format-charts-google-sheets): A finance person’s guide to building clean charts in Google Sheets — formatting best practices, combo charts, stacked bars with a line, number formats, waterfall charts, and the annoying errors people hit along the way.
- [How to Turn Your Mac Keyboard Into a PC Keyboard](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/turn-mac-keyboard-into-pc-keyboard): A practical guide to remapping your Mac keyboard so it feels like a PC — Ctrl+C for copy, Ctrl+Arrow for navigation, and no more Mission Control hijacking your shortcuts.
- [How to Use Excel Shortcuts on a Mac](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/excel-shortcuts-on-mac): Most Excel keyboard shortcuts are broken on Mac. Here’s why, what your real options are, and why switching to Google Sheets with XLKeys is the fastest fix.
- [How to Indent Cells in Google Sheets and Excel](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/how-to-indent-cells-google-sheets-excel): Two ways to indent cells in Google Sheets and Excel — the built-in method that takes too many clicks, and a one-shortcut solution with XLKeys.
- [How to Get Excel-Like Shortcuts in Google Sheets](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/how-to-get-excel-like-shortcuts-in-google-sheets): Two tips to make Google Sheets feel like Excel: enable native compatible shortcuts and install a Chrome extension for Alt keys, formatting, trace precedents, and more.
- [Is There a Macabacus Add-On for Google Sheets?](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/macabacus-for-google-sheets): Macabacus doesn’t have a Google Sheets version, but XLKeys adds shortcuts, formula auditing, modeling tools, and workbook health audits for finance teams.
- [Google Sheets Formatting Shortcuts for Excel Users: The Complete Guide](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/google-sheets-formatting-shortcuts): Every Excel-style formatting shortcut that works in Google Sheets — fill color, borders, autofit, freeze panes, number formats, alignment, and more — with XLKeys.
- [How to Trace Formulas in Google Sheets](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/trace-precedents-dependents-google-sheets): Google Sheets is surprisingly easy to trace formulas in — even easier than Excel in some ways. Two methods: the native F2 trick and using an extension like XLKeys.
- [How to Do Sensitivity Analysis and Goal Seek in Google Sheets](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/goal-seek-google-sheets): Google Sheets doesn’t have Excel-style Data Tables or Goal Seek built in. Here’s how to get both working with a Chrome extension.
- [How to Use Alt Keys in Google Sheets Just Like Excel](https://xlkeyz.com/blog/how-to-use-excel-shortcuts-in-google-sheets): Google Sheets doesn’t natively support Alt keys, but there are workarounds. This guide walks through how to get Excel-style Alt key shortcuts working in Sheets.