All shortcuts
Paste Special in Google Sheets
Windows
Alt→E→S
Mac
Option→E→S
In Excel, Alt E S opens the Paste Special dialog — the hub for pasting values, formats, transposed data, and column widths. Google Sheets has the same options, but only behind the Edit menu with your mouse.
With XLKeys installed, Alt E S opens a Paste Special menu right in Google Sheets. From there one more keystroke finishes the job: V for values, T for formatting, E for transposed, and more.
Excel vs. Google Sheets vs. XLKeys
| Where | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Excel | Alt→E→S (or Ctrl+Alt+V) |
| Google Sheets (native) | No keyboard shortcut |
| Google Sheets + XLKeys | Alt→E→S |
Google Sheets buries paste options under Edit > Paste special with no single shortcut to open the full menu.
How to use it
- Copy a cell or range (Ctrl + C).
- Select where you want to paste.
- Press Alt, release it, then type E, then S.
- Pick an option with one more key: V (values), F (formulas), T (formatting), E (transposed), W (column widths), X (all except borders).
Frequently asked questions
Related shortcuts
Make Google Sheets feel like Excel
Install XLKeys to use paste special and 150+ other Excel-style shortcuts, Alt-key sequences, formula auditing, Goal Seek, and Sensitivity Tables in Google Sheets.