How to Use the Paste Column Widths Shortcut (Alt + E + S + W) in Google Sheets

Use the Paste Column Widths shortcut from Excel (Alt + E + S + W) in Google Sheets

Paste Column Widths is a great way to standardize your model and make sure your columns are formatted correctly. It allows you to paste the column widths of the cells you've copied, enabling more standardized formatting in your Sheet. In this article, I will show you how to activate this feature in Google Sheets by shortcut, just like you would in Excel

The most common shortcut for Paste Column Widths in Excel is Alt + E + S + W. You can use this shortcut in Sheets, first by pressing Alt + E + S to bring up the Paste Special menu, and then by hitting W which will navigate you to the Paste Column Widths Only option. Hit "OK" to apply the shortcut

The SheetWhiz Paste Special Menu in Google Sheets

Steps for Paste Column Widths:

1. Install the SheetWhiz Chrome Extension for free

2. Refresh a Google Sheet and login when prompted. The SheetWhiz logo will appear in the upper right hand corner of the screen

3. Copy the area you'd like to Paste and then hit Alt + E + S to bring up the shortcut menu. Make sure you press and release each key before pressing the next key, just like you would in Excel

   1. If you are on a Mac, use Option + E + S as there is no Alt key on the Mac keyboard

4. Once the menu is up, you can navigate the menu just like you would in Excel by hitting the letter that is underlined in each of the options. For Paste Column Widths, this would be:

   1. Paste Column Widths:

      1. Alt + E + S + W (PC)

      2. Option + E + S + W (Mac)

5. [Optional] Furthermore, you can change the Paste Special menu shortcut to a more convenient shortcut by clicking the button in the SheetWhiz menu and changing the key