Paste Values shortcut in Excel for Mac
Short answer: press ⌃⌘V (Control-Command-V) to open Paste Special, choose Values and confirm. With RibbonBridge you can use the Windows sequence instead: tap ⌥ and type HVV, exactly like AltHVV on Windows.
Why paste values?
A normal paste (⌘V) copies formulas and formatting along with the numbers. Pasting values only keeps just the results: the standard move when you hard-code a calculation, clean up an export, or paste into a model without dragging the source formatting along.
Three ways to paste values on a Mac
1. Paste Special dialog (built into Excel)
- Copy the cells with ⌘C.
- Select where to paste and press ⌃⌘V, or use Edit ▸ Paste Special….
- Choose Values and click OK.
It works everywhere, but it's a dialog and a few clicks every time.
2. The ribbon (built into Excel)
On the Home tab, click the arrow under Paste and choose Paste Values. With Excel's KeyTips switched on (Excel ▸ Settings ▸ Accessibility ▸ KeyTips ▸ ⌥), ⌥HV opens that menu from the keyboard, but Excel for Mac gives its items no letters, so the last step is the mouse or the arrow keys.
3. Option H V V with RibbonBridge
RibbonBridge adds the missing letters to Excel's menus, using the Windows ones. Copy, then tap ⌥ and type HVV: the values are pasted, no dialog, no mouse. The other paste options work the same way:
| On Mac | What it pastes |
|---|---|
| ⌥HVV | Values only |
| ⌥HVA | Values and number formatting |
| ⌥HVF | Formulas only |
| ⌥HVR | Formatting only |
| ⌥HVT | Transposed |
| ⌥ES | Opens Paste Special… (the classic Alt E S) |
Everything RibbonBridge does goes through Excel's own menus, so ⌘Z undoes it as usual.
Get Alt H V V back on your Mac. RibbonBridge is a small Mac app for Excel: 7 days free with just your email, then €15 once.
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