Restore the Option-Click for Inserting Cells in macOS Excel

Question

Restore the Option-Click for Inserting Cells in macOS Excel

John Morris 10

How do I restore the option-click for inserting cells in macOS Excel? I used this very convenient shortcut for decades before Office 365. It even worked in early version of 365. Then it was killed for a year or two. Then it was restored. I just installed Office 365 on a new MacBook Pro and the option key no longer inserts cells for me. Not only that, but now Google's AI seems to claim that this was never an option and I cannot find any links to the extensive discussion about this the last time the feature was removed.

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4 answers

Answer 1

Francisco Montilla 31,185 Independent Advisor

Hello,

You can get that behavior back by turning on Excel for Mac's Click To Add mode. Microsoft removed it in early Excel 2016 for Mac, then brought it back in Microsoft 365 for Mac after customer feedback.

Open Excel, go to Excel menu > Preferences > Edit, then enable Click To Add Mode. Now type = in a cell and just click cells to insert their references into the formula.

Note that with this mode on, holding Option while you click temporarily disables the add behavior, which is the opposite of how many long‑time users remember it.

If that is not the option‑click you meant, tell me exactly where you clicked and what you expected to happen, and I will find the exact feature.

John Morris 10 Reputation points

2025-12-25T22:39:30.6766667+00:00

Thank you, Francisco, for looking into my request. While the Click to Add mode does restore a behavior that I enjoyed years ago, I have since gotten used to it not being there. The feature I'm looking to restore was used to insert cells into the worksheet, not build a formula. It worked when not directly editing a particular cell's contents. When holding the Option key down, clicking in a cell would insert a cell above that cell, moving all values in that column down by one row. Similarly, Option-clicking in a row (column) header would insert a row (column), shifting all values in the rows (columns) below (to the right of) the selected row (column). Option-clicking and dragging worked similarly, but inserted the same number of cells (or rows or columns) as the resulting selection had in it. This was super convenient, much better than the Insert command in the contextual menu.
Francisco Montilla 31,185 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-12-27T04:51:12.77+00:00
John, the old Option-click to insert cells, rows, or columns is not available in current Microsoft 365 for Mac builds and there is no setting to restore that mouse gesture.

The supported way to get the same result is to select the target and press Command+Shift+=:

If you select one or more whole row headers, that shortcut inserts the same number of blank rows above.

If you select one or more whole column headers, it inserts columns to the left.

If you select a range of cells rather than entire rows or columns, the Insert dialog appears so you can choose to shift cells down or right to match the classic behavior.

If you want it even closer to your muscle memory, you can assign your own one-stroke shortcut to Insert Cells or Insert Rows in Excel for Mac via Tools > Customize Keyboard, then pick the command and bind a key combo you like.
Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 438K Reputation points

2025-12-27T18:21:09.6833333+00:00
These two statements simply are not true:

Note that with this mode on, holding Option while you click temporarily disables the add behavior, which is the opposite of how many long‑time users remember it.

the old Option-click to insert cells, rows, or columns is not available in current Microsoft 365 for Mac builds

Neither is there an Insert Cells command... There is a Cells command but the keyboard shortcut you mentioned already is assigned to it. However, although it can be used to insert entire rows or columns it doesn't immediately insert individual cells or selected ranges of cells. When cells are selected it launches the Insert dialog:

Answer 2

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 438K

Have you tried simply restarting the Mac? Works like a charm here running Office 16.104 on Sequoia 15.7.2 — What are the Version Numbers of your macOS & Office installation?

If you've adopted Tahoe you're probably running into a compatibility issue. Key mapping is reliant on OS support.

John Morris 10 Reputation points

2025-12-26T02:17:26.1233333+00:00

Thank you, Bob, for thinking about my problem. I have tried restarting the computer, several times. However, your comment about Tahoe may be on the right track. I am running Tahoe 26.2. On the other hand, I was running Tahoe 26.1 on my other MacBook Pro, and it worked fine, including the Option-click. Are you aware of specific incompatibilities, or are you just hypothesizing?
Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 438K Reputation points

2025-12-26T16:03:50.24+00:00

I never adopt a new edition of the OS until it has received at least 3 major revisions, so I can't confirm my suspicions. What I can say is that I've seen a number of similar complaints from those who have started using Tahoe. Each update seems to correct some issues but impose others. My reasoning is further based on the fact that I've seen no other complaints about the feature you're referring to.

All I can suggest is that you install updates to both Tahoe & Office as soon as they are published.
John Morris 10 Reputation points

2025-12-26T18:12:47.19+00:00

Thank you for your thoughts. I also don't generally move up so quickly. However, this fall, circumstances conspired to make it happen. I hope they are able to get it working again.
John Morris 10 Reputation points

2026-10-09T11:08:09.1966667+00:00

Restarting the machine did not help. I was using Tahoe, but I think the more salient point was that I was working on a new M4 Pro MacBook Pro. It might have still worked on my older Intel MacBook Pro. I don't know.

Answer 3

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 438K

Use Help> Feedback in the Excel menu bar to report the issue to Microsoft. Feedback goes directly to the development group for consideration. You won't receive a personal reply but it's the best way to notify the right people of performance/compatibility concerns.

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Answer 4

John Morris 10

I don't recall if I ever submitted feedback, but this feature has returned as of September. I'm guessing this legacy feature is used by some internal tester, so it takes them a while to get it restored when a major update (like the change from Intel to Apple Silicon) breaks it.

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