# How to use Flash Fill in Excel on Mac: steps, preview setting, and fixes

> How to use Flash Fill in Excel on Mac: run it with Data > Flash Fill or Control+E, then turn on the live preview. Works in Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024.

URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/use-flash-fill-in-excel
Updated: 2026-11-09

To use Flash Fill in Excel on Mac, type your example result in the first cell, then choose Data > Flash Fill or press Control+E. Excel reads the pattern from the columns beside the new one and fills the cells below.

## Quick answer

- Type your example in the first blank cell, then choose Data > Flash Fill or press Control+E.
- Microsoft's Mac shortcut table lists Control+E, written ⌃E. Some guides say Command+E, which Microsoft doesn't list.
- Turn on Automatically Flash Fill under Excel > Preferences to see a live preview before anything is written.
- Add a second example when the preview guesses wrong. Microsoft says Flash Fill almost never needs more than two or three.

Applies to: Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024 and 2021 for Mac. Time: 5 min. Difficulty: Easy.

## What you need

- Excel for Mac, Microsoft 365, Excel 2024 for Mac, or Excel 2021 for Mac
- Source data in one column, with an empty column next to it
- Automatically Flash Fill turned on for the live preview (optional)

## How to Fill a column from examples in Excel on Mac in Excel on a Mac

1. **Open the workbook and check your version.** Open the workbook in Excel for Mac. Confirm you're on Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024 for Mac, or Excel 2021 for Mac. Those are the Mac builds Microsoft lists for Flash Fill. Tip: On Excel 2019 or 2016, the Mac steps may differ. Check Microsoft's page first.
2. **Put your source data beside an empty column.** Put the full names in column A, starting at A2. Leave column B empty. Column B is where the first names will go.
3. **Type your first example.** Click B2. Type Ada, the first name from A2. Press Return to confirm the cell.
4. **Type a second example.** Click B3 and type Grace, the first name from A3. Press Return. Excel now has two examples to compare against column A.
5. **Read the preview.** If Automatically Flash Fill is on, Excel shows predicted names in the cells below. Scan the first few predictions and check them against column A.
6. **Accept the preview with Return.** Shortcut: Return. If the predictions look right, press Return. Excel writes the previewed values into the cells.
7. **Run Flash Fill by hand if no preview appears.** (Data > Flash Fill) Shortcut: ⌃E. If the preview doesn't show, click B2 and choose Data > Flash Fill from the menu bar. Excel fills the cells below using the pattern it finds. Tip: Control+E does the same job as the Data menu command.
8. **Turn on Automatically Flash Fill.** (Excel > Preferences) To turn the preview on, open Excel > Preferences. Find the editing options and tick Automatically Flash Fill. Close Preferences and check the preview again.
9. **Check a few rows before you save.** Look at the top rows, a middle row, and the bottom rows. Compare each filled value with its source in column A. Fix any example that doesn't match, then check again.
10. **Save a copy under a new name.** (File > Save As) Shortcut: ⇧⌘S. Save the workbook with a new name if the file matters. Use File > Save As in the menu bar so you keep the original.

Flash Fill is Excel's pattern guesser. You type the result you want for one row. Excel studies the cells beside it, works out the rule, and fills the rest of the column. You don't write a formula. You show an example and let Excel finish the job.

Flash Fill is most useful for clean-up. Splitting first and last names, pulling a code out of a longer text string, and reshaping a messy list are common jobs. In those cases, a formula can take longer to write than the example takes to type.

Microsoft Research describes what happens behind the scenes. It says Flash Fill generates millions of small programs, each 10 to 20 lines of code, then ranks them with machine learning. You don't see any of that. You only see the column fill in.

## Which Excel versions include Flash Fill

Microsoft's Using Flash Fill in Excel article lists the versions that include it. The list covers Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024 for Mac, and Excel 2021 for Mac. It also names Excel 2019 and Excel 2016 without a Mac label.

The article does not name Mac for Excel 2019 or Excel 2016. If you run one of those, check Microsoft's current page before you rely on these steps. Not sure which version you have? Open Excel and check the About window under the Excel menu.

- **2013** First Excel version with Flash Fill, shipped with Office 2013 ([source](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/flash-fill-gives-excel-smart-charge/))
- **2 or 3** Examples Flash Fill almost never needs, per Microsoft Research ([source](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/flash-fill-gives-excel-smart-charge/))

![A person at a desk with a laptop, reviewing a spreadsheet before using Flash Fill in Excel on Mac.](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/use-flash-fill-in-excel/how-to-use-flash-fill-in-excel-1-6da852.jpg)

## Run Flash Fill with Data > Flash Fill or Control+E

There are two ways to run Flash Fill by hand. Choose Data > Flash Fill from the menu bar, or press Control+E. Microsoft's Keyboard shortcuts in Excel page lists Ctrl+E for Flash Fill in its Mac table. On a Mac keyboard, that's the Control key, written ⌃E.

Some third-party guides say Command+E. I could not find that in Microsoft's documentation, so try Control+E first. If Command+E does something else in your copy, press Command+Z to undo it.

Microsoft describes the Windows shortcut as one that recognizes patterns in adjacent columns and fills the current column. The Mac menu command does the same job. Only the trigger changes.

## Turn on the live preview for Flash Fill on Mac

A manual run works fine, but the live preview saves a step. With Automatically Flash Fill on, Excel shows predicted values in the cells below as you type. Microsoft's Advanced options article describes it this way: 'When Excel detects a pattern, it will show a preview and you can choose to use the predicted text.'

On a Mac, Microsoft says the options live under Excel > Preferences. The Automatically Flash Fill checkbox sits in the editing options. Microsoft doesn't show the exact pane name for every Mac version, so scan the editing options until you find it. Microsoft's Using Flash Fill article gives a Tools > Options path. That path doesn't match the Mac menus, so skip it.

The Windows steps are File > Options > Advanced, tick Automatically Flash Fill, click OK, and restart Excel. Microsoft's Mac documentation doesn't say whether a restart is needed. Restart Excel if the preview stays off after you change the setting.

| Task | Mac route | Keys |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Run Flash Fill by hand | Data > Flash Fill | Control+E (⌃E) |
| Turn on the live preview | Excel > Preferences, then editing options | None |
| Accept the previewed values | Press Return under your examples | Return |

_Routes for Excel for Mac, from Microsoft's documentation._

## Worked example: split full names into first names

Start with a simple sheet. Put full names in column A, from A2 down to A6: Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Alan Turing, Katherine Johnson, and Margaret Hamilton. Leave column B empty. You want the first names there.

Click B2 and type Ada. Press Return. Click B3 and type Grace, then press Return. Excel now has two examples to compare with column A. If the preview is on, the rest of column B fills in as a preview. Press Return to accept it.

Check the predictions before you accept. If Excel guesses wrong, type the correct first name in the next blank cell and look at the preview again. Microsoft Research says Flash Fill usually needs one example and almost never more than two or three.

![Office desk with a spreadsheet open, the kind of list you might clean up with Flash Fill in Excel on Mac.](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/use-flash-fill-in-excel/how-to-use-flash-fill-in-excel-2-e700ad.jpg)

## A second example: pull the area code from phone numbers

Phone numbers make a good second test. Suppose A2 holds (415) 555-0132 and A3 holds (212) 555-0198. Type 415 in B2 and 212 in B3. Excel compares both examples with column A, then previews the other area codes.

Use this pattern on your own data. After you accept a fill, check three or four rows at random. If one looks off, fix the nearest example and check the preview again.

## Mistakes people make with Flash Fill

- Typing the example into a column that already holds data. Pick an empty column so you don't overwrite anything.
- Assuming Command+E is the shortcut. Microsoft's Mac table lists Control+E, written ⌃E.
- Giving one example for a messy pattern. Add a second or third example when the preview guesses wrong.
- Expecting a formula. Flash Fill fills in values from a pattern. It doesn't write a formula you can copy down.
- Accepting the preview without a check. Scan the top, middle, and bottom rows first.

## When Flash Fill does nothing

Microsoft documents two fixes. First, turn on Automatically Flash Fill in Excel > Preferences, then the editing options. Second, run Flash Fill by hand with Data > Flash Fill or Control+E.

If the shortcut does nothing, click a cell in the column you want to fill and try the Data menu. Some search results list other causes, such as hidden columns or number formats. I did not verify those, so test them on a copy before you rely on them.

Microsoft's keyboard table lists Apply Flash Fill for Excel for the web. Its docs don't confirm the feature there, so use Excel for Mac if you need a sure result.

## Check the result before you save

Look at the top rows, a few in the middle, and the bottom rows. Compare each value with its source. A pattern can change partway down a list, so the middle rows matter too.

Undo works right after a fill with Command+Z. After many more changes, undo may not reach that far back. Save a copy of a long file before you start, so you have a clean version to return to.

## Flash Fill or a formula: which one to pick

Flash Fill suits one-time clean-up. It's quick when the pattern is clear and the list won't change. A formula stays linked to its source cells, so it's better for work you repeat or update.

For lookups across sheets, read the [XLOOKUP guide](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/use-xlookup-in-excel). For results that fill a range automatically, the [spill formulas guide](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/use-spill-formulas-in-excel) covers the steps.

![A man typing at a Mac with a list of names on screen, like the worked example for Flash Fill in Excel on Mac.](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/use-flash-fill-in-excel/how-to-use-flash-fill-in-excel-3-c8245d.jpg)

## Next steps after your column is filled

Before a large fill, save the workbook under a new name. Keep the source column untouched. That way you can rerun the pattern from the same starting data.

Once the column is clean, you might summarize it. The [pivot table guide](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/make-a-pivot-table-in-excel) walks through the Microsoft 365 steps for a Mac.

## Shortcuts

- Run Flash Fill on the current column: ⌃E
- Accept the previewed values: Return
- Undo the last fill: ⌘Z
- Save as a new copy: ⇧⌘S

## If it does not work

- **The preview never appears** Open Excel > Preferences, find the editing options, and tick Automatically Flash Fill. If the preview still doesn't show, run Data > Flash Fill or press Control+E.
- **Control+E does nothing** Click a cell in the column you want to fill, then try Data > Flash Fill from the menu bar. Microsoft's Mac table lists Control+E, so Command+E is not the shortcut to rely on.
- **The predicted values are wrong** Type one more correct example in the next blank cell, then check the preview again. Microsoft says Flash Fill usually needs one example and almost never more than two or three.
- **Flash Fill doesn't show in Excel for the web** Microsoft's shortcut table lists Apply Flash Fill for the web, but its docs don't confirm the feature there. Use Excel for Mac to be sure.

## With Lazur

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download

- “Where's Flash Fill in this menu?”: Lazur circles Flash Fill under Data and says the shortcut out loud. You still choose the command or press the keys yourself. (Points at it)

## FAQ

### Does Excel for Mac have Flash Fill?

Yes. Microsoft's Using Flash Fill in Excel article lists Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024 for Mac, and Excel 2021 for Mac. It doesn't name Mac for Excel 2019 or Excel 2016, so check those before you rely on it.

### What is the Flash Fill shortcut on a Mac?

Microsoft's Keyboard shortcuts in Excel page lists Ctrl+E for Flash Fill in its Mac table. On a Mac keyboard, that's Control+E, written ⌃E. Some guides say Command+E, but Microsoft doesn't list that, so test Control+E first.

### Why doesn't the Flash Fill preview show up?

The Automatically Flash Fill setting may be off. Open Excel > Preferences, find the editing options, and tick the box. If the preview still doesn't show, run Data > Flash Fill by hand.

### How many examples does Flash Fill need?

Usually one. Microsoft Research says Flash Fill often understands intent from one example and almost never needs more than two or three. Add examples when the preview guesses wrong.

### When did Flash Fill first appear in Excel?

In Excel 2013. Microsoft Research says it arrived as part of Office 2013, which released on January 29, 2013.

### Can I undo a Flash Fill?

Yes. Press Command+Z right after the fill. Undo may not reach back after many other changes, so save a copy of a long file first.

## Sources

1. [Using Flash Fill in Excel](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/using-flash-fill-in-excel), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-09
2. [Enable Flash Fill in Excel](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/enable-flash-fill-in-excel-4e8cda31-51a7-45b7-ad19-a050ecc63cc4), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-09
3. [Advanced options](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/advanced-options), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-09
4. [Keyboard shortcuts in Excel](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/excel/keyboard-shortcuts-in-excel), Microsoft Support, checked 2026-11-09
5. [Flash Fill Gives Excel a Smart Charge](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/flash-fill-gives-excel-smart-charge/), Microsoft Research, checked 2026-11-09