All shortcuts
Fill Color in Google Sheets
Windows
Alt→H→H
Mac
Option→H→H
Highlighting cells is constant work in any model — inputs blue, checks green, flags yellow. Excel users open the fill palette with Alt H H. Google Sheets forces a trip to the toolbar every single time.
XLKeys gives you two keyboard options in Sheets: Alt H H opens a fill color picker you can navigate with keys, and Ctrl + Shift + K cycles through common fill colors on the selection.
Excel vs. Google Sheets vs. XLKeys
| Where | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Excel | Alt→H→H |
| Google Sheets (native) | No keyboard shortcut |
| Google Sheets + XLKeys | Alt→H→H |
Google Sheets has no keyboard shortcut for fill color — it’s a toolbar-only control.
How to use it
- Select the cells you want to color.
- Press Alt, release it, then type H, H to open the fill color picker.
- Choose a color with the arrow keys or your mouse and confirm.
- Or skip the picker: press Ctrl + Shift + K repeatedly to cycle fill colors.
Frequently asked questions
Related shortcuts
Make Google Sheets feel like Excel
Install XLKeys to use fill color and 150+ other Excel-style shortcuts, Alt-key sequences, formula auditing, Goal Seek, and Sensitivity Tables in Google Sheets.