How to Use Format Painter Shortcut in Google Sheets
- David Pang
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
When working with large tables, reports, or dashboards in Google Sheets, keeping your spreadsheet formatting consistent can take a lot of time. Even small styling changes like font size, borders, or background colors can become repetitive when you need to apply them across multiple cells.
This is where Format Painter in Google Sheets comes in. It lets you copy formatting from one cell and apply it to another in just a few clicks, without redoing the same styling steps over and over.
In this guide, you’ll learn how Format Painter works in Google Sheets, and how to use it via its icon and the Paste Special menu. Moreover, you will learn what its limitations are and how SheetWhiz can help you apply formatting even faster.
What Is Format Painter in Google Sheets?
Format Painter in Google Sheets (officially called the Paint Format tool) lets you copy the formatting from one cell and apply it to another, without copying the actual data. In simple terms, it’s a quick way to reuse the same style across your sheet.
Instead of manually changing font size, text color, borders, or background fills again and again, you can apply them in seconds. You can use it to copy:
Font type, size, and bold/italic settings
Text color and cell background color
Borders
Text alignment (left, center, right)
Number formatting (currency, percent, date formats, etc.)
How to Use Format Painter in Google Sheets?
Here are all the methods you can use to utilize the format painter in Google Sheets:
Way 1. Using the Format Painter Icon
The easiest way to use Format Painter in Google Sheets is through the paintbrush icon in the toolbar.
Step 1: Select the cell that already has the formatting you want to copy. In the toolbar, click the Format Painter (paintbrush) icon.
Step 2: Now, click the target cell or drag across a range where you want to apply the formatting.
Way 2: Using the Paste Special Menu
When you are already copying and pasting data and only want to paste formatting, use the following steps to employ the “Paste Special” menu:
Instructions: Select the cell that has the formatting you want to copy. Copy it using Ctrl + C (Windows/ChromeOS) or Cmd + C (Mac). Next, select the cell where you want to apply the formatting. Lastly, go to the top menu to click Edit and move to Paste Special to tap Format Only.
Difference between Format Painter and Paste Special
Both options help you copy formatting in Google Sheets, but they’re best for slightly different situations. Here’s a quick comparison:
Feature | Format Painter | Paste Special |
Best for | Quick formatting copy with clicks | Formatting while copying/pasting data |
How it works | Click paintbrush, then click target cell/range | Copy cell → Paste special → Format only |
Speed | Very fast for single use | Fast for larger ranges |
Applies formatting only (no values) | Yes | Yes |
Works on ranges | Yes (click + drag) | Yes (select range before pasting) |
Stays active for multiple uses | No | No |
What are the Format Painter Keyboard Shortcuts in Google Sheets
Google Sheets does not have a dedicated keyboard shortcut for the Format Painter tool, the same way Excel does. In other words, there isn’t a single “Format Painter” hotkey you can press to activate the paintbrush icon instantly.
However, you can use keyboard shortcuts that achieve a very similar result by copying a cell and pasting only the formatting. You can copy formatting using these shortcuts:
Copy the Formatted Cell:
Windows/ChromeOS: Ctrl + C
Mac: Cmd + C
Paste Formatting Only:
Windows/ ChromeOS: Ctrl + Alt + V
Mac: Cmd + Ctrl + V
What are the Limitations of Format Painter in Google Sheets?
Format Painter is useful, but it has a few downsides in Google Sheets:
It turns off after one use, so you have to keep clicking the icon again.
No dedicated keyboard shortcut, which makes it slower if you copy formatting often.
No formatting control, as it copies everything, like fonts, borders, colors, and number formats, whether you want all of it or not.
Not ideal for non-adjacent ranges, since you can’t apply it repeatedly without restarting the tool.
A Faster Way to Copy Formatting with SheetWhiz
If you find yourself copying your formatting all the time in Google Sheets, SheetWhiz can make the whole workflow much faster. This Chrome extension is built specifically to bring Excel-style shortcuts and power formatting tools into Google Sheets.
Instead of relying on toolbar clicks or multi-step Paste Special menus, you can trigger formatting actions directly from your keyboard. Here is the default shortcut key for the format painter in SheetWhiz:
Windows: Alt + H + F + P
Mac: Option + H + F + P
SheetWhiz is a comprehensive tool for those who want to use all the quick shortcuts of Excel in Google Sheets. It also supports the classic Paste Special sequence workflow via a dedicated shortcut to help you in formatting.
Other SheetWhiz formatting-focused features that are hard to do quickly in native Sheets include format cycling, color cycling shortcuts, and shortcut-based alignment and formatting controls.
Moreover, you remap any of the provided shortcuts to one you find easiest to use, like Alt/Ctrl + A + S + D. Here is the tutorial to set up your own format painter shortcut in Google Sheets using SheetWhiz:
How to Use SheetWhiz Shortcut for the Format Painter in Google Sheets?
Instead of hunting for the paintbrush icon or going through complex menus, here is how to use Format Painter in Google Sheets via SheetWhiz:
Step 1: Make your way to the SheetWhiz site or Chrome Web Store to get the SheetWhiz extension.
Step 2: Now, open any Google Sheet - you'll be asked to login. Once logged in, you'll be able to use Format Painter.
Step 3: Then, select the cell with desired formatting, press the Format Painter shortcut key, defaulted to the Excel shortcut Alt/Option +H + F + P, and choose the targeted cell to complete the task. Shortcuts can easily be customized by clicking the shortcut key in the menu and changing it to something more suitable.
Many users use this to approximate the Quick Access Toolbar function in the Microsoft Suite which allows you to pin your favorite shortcuts and access them with a simpler shortcut like Alt + 1,2,3,4, etc.
Other SheetWhiz Shortcuts for Google Sheets to Optimize Your Work
SheetWhiz also brings a large set of Excel-style shortcuts into Google Sheets so you can work faster without relying on menus and toolbar clicks.
Task | Shortcut ( PC) | Shortcut (Mac) |
Paste Special Menu (Excel-style) | Alt + E + S + (T/V/F/E/W) | Option + E + S + (T/V/F/E/W) |
Add / Remove Filters | Ctrl + Shift + L | Ctrl + Shift + L |
Add / Remove Gridlines | Alt + W + V + G | Option + W + V + G |
All Borders | Alt + H + B + A | Option + H + B + A |
Remove Border | Alt + H + B + N | Option + H + B + N |
Freeze Columns & Rows | Alt + W + F + F | Option + W + F + F |
Unfreeze Columns & Rows | Alt + W + F + U | Option + W + F + U |
Autofit Columns | Alt + H + O + I | Option + H + O + I |
Note: Want to explore all available shortcuts? Go through our list of all the Google Sheets shortcuts.
Conclusion
In short, Format Painter is a quick way to copy styles in Google Sheets, but it can feel click-heavy. For a faster workflow, SheetWhiz lets you apply formatting from the keyboard. You can use Alt + H + F + P or a customized one to trigger the Format Painter shortcut and keep your sheets consistent in seconds.