Alt A E on Mac: Text to Columns in Excel

To run Text to Columns with Alt A E in Excel on a Mac, install LightningXL, tap Option, then type A, E. The same keys as Windows, with the same result.

Step by step

1. Install LightningXL

   Download LightningXL, then follow the instructions. Setup takes about two minutes.

2. Select what to act on

   Click a cell, or select the range the command should apply to.

3. Tap Option, then type A E

   Tap ⌥ on its own to show the keytips, then A for Data, E for Text to Columns.

What Alt A E does

Text to Columns sits on the Data tab of the Excel ribbon. On Windows, Alt A E runs it from the keyboard. Excel for Mac has the same ribbon but no Alt key, so without LightningXL you click through Data › Text to Columns instead.

Related shortcuts

The rest of the Data tab in Excel:

• ⌥AT Filter
• ⌥AC Clear
• ⌥AY Reapply
• ⌥AQ Advanced
• ⌥AAZ Analyze Data
• ⌥AFF Flash Fill
• ⌥AM Remove Duplicates
• ⌥AV Data Validation