Excel Alt key shortcuts and modeling macros, on your Mac

The Option key (⌥). Tap it on its own and LightningXL shows the keytips over the ribbon, the same way Alt shows them on Windows. Then follow the same shortcuts you already know, like ⌥ H O I to AutoFit a column.

LightningXL also includes the ability to use the Command key (⌘) as the Alt key, which is typically in the same location on a Mac keyboard as Alt is on Windows. You can select this from the Menu Bar > Trigger Key.

By default, LightningXL enables the F-keys as standard Excel function keys (vs. handling things like brightness and volume) when you're in Excel, so that you can use features like F2 to edit and F9 to recalculate.

The function keys automatically revert to the Mac functions when you switch to another application.

You can disable this from the Menu Bar > Standard Function Keys in Excel.

Yes. Ribbon shortcuts follow Windows and the default modeling shortcuts follow those popularized by Windows add-ins like Macabacus/Capital IQ.

Accelerator Keys offers similar Alt keytips, but doesn't include any of the additional Excel formatting and auditing functionality that LightningXL provides.

Accelerator Keys also only includes PowerPoint/Word keytips on a higher tier plan, whereas LightningXL provides everything for a single price.

Excel KeyTips, when enabled, offer basic Alt functionality, but do not allow you to access the full depth of sub-menus, eliminating the efficiency benefits. For example, trying to AutoFit a column will stop after Alt H O and require you to select the I with the arrow keys.

Excel also does not natively provide any of the additional model formatting and auditing functionality that LightningXL offers.

No. LightningXL runs entirely on your Mac and never reads or uploads the contents of your workbooks or other documents. Its only external connections are to check that your license key is valid and to check for updates.

macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, with Microsoft 365 versions of Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Keep Office on a current build for the best results.

Copy the key from your receipt, choose Activate Now from the menu bar icon, and paste it there.

The Accessibility permission is how LightningXL sees the Microsoft Office ribbon and presses its buttons for you. macOS asks for it once, when you click Grant Access during setup. Everything runs entirely on your Mac.

The modeling shortcuts, formula tracing and the paste to PowerPoint and Word run inside Excel as an add-in. The Setup Assistant installs the add-in for you and Excel asks once to enable macros.

Open the customer portal — also linked from your receipt and from the License window in the app — and turn off renewal.

LightningXL keeps working until the end of the annual period you have paid for.

On the old Mac, open the License window and choose Deactivate This Mac. Then install LightningXL on the new one and enter the same key.

If the old Mac is not accessible, deactivate it from the customer portal instead.

Email hello@lightningxl.com. We’d love to get your input on ways that we can improve and what we should be adding to our feature roadmap.