Google Sheets · Open Paste special
Clipboard
Windows · Linux
Ctrl+Alt+VMac
Cmd+Option+VOpens the box where you choose format only, transposed, conditional formatting only and the rest; a browser or keyboard layout can swallow this combination, so knowing the Alt+/ menu route helps.
- Group
- Clipboard
- Keys held
- 3
It runs inside the browser, so combinations the browser claims first — Ctrl+W, for one — never reach the sheet. That is why so many Sheets shortcuts use Alt/Option.
Reading the key names
- Keys joined by + are pressed together: Ctrl+Shift+P means hold Ctrl and Shift, then P.
- On a Mac, Cmd is ⌘, Option is ⌥ (labelled Alt on some keyboards), Control is ⌃ and Shift is ⇧.
- Windows Ctrl usually becomes Cmd on a Mac, but not always — this reference lists both combinations separately.
- With a Korean, Japanese or Chinese input method active, shortcuts built on letter keys may not fire. Switch to Latin input and try again.
- When a combination does nothing, another program has often claimed it as a global shortcut first.
Common questions
Q. What is the shortcut for Open Paste special in Google Sheets?
Opens the box where you choose format only, transposed, conditional formatting only and the rest; a browser or keyboard layout can swallow this combination, so knowing the Alt+/ menu route helps. It is Ctrl+Alt+V on Windows and Cmd+Option+V on a Mac.
Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?
No — Ctrl+Alt+V on Windows, Cmd+Option+V on a Mac.
Q. How many keys is that?
3 pressed together. The combination sits under Clipboard in Google Sheets.