Left ALT key works like ALTGR - Hungarian keyboard

**sebt** · 02-25-2015, 07:12 AM

Hi

I searched, hoping someone had come across this before.

I can't access Paste Special using the keystroke ALT + CTRL + V anymore in Excel 2013.

I'm generally having a hard time dealing with Excel 2013, but I'll leave that line of discussion aside, since I'm a heavy keyboard user who would still prefer Excel 2003... (I'm sure you've heard this all before)
Though if anyone has a link to a comprehensive list of the keyboard shortcuts still supported in Excel 2013, that would be great - the MS documentation seems to be halfhearted at best, hoping we all give up and go away and use their lovely shiny Ribbon (click, click, click, clickety click, RSI.... sorry, I promised I'd stay on topic...)

I'm using a Hungarian keyboard. On that keyboard, ALTGR+V gives the @ symbol. On the English keyboard, this key combination does nothing.

I copy something in Excel (CTRL+C).
Then:
- CTRL+V: Paste, as expected
- ALT+CTRL+V: types @ in the cell, as if I was holding down ALTGR, not ALT

The really weird thing is that ALT+key (without CTRL) still works as normal: e.g. ALT+W to bring up the little black key symbols on the ribbon, and to get to the Window menu. It's just ALT+CTRL+V that fails to work (there may be other ALT+CTRL combos that don't work, but I can't remember them, having been brainwashed by the Office post-2007 world...)

I tried using an English keyboard I borrowed, and using that Paste Special works fine through the keystroke.

Knocked up a quick Access form with a KeyUp event procedure on a textbox, to see what was going on. Not that the Access KeyUp event necessarily parallels how Excel interprets keystrokes: it's just the best thing I can think of to look into the machinery and see what the keyboard is sending. Result: pressing V gives vbKeyCodeV (86); ALT+V doesn't trigger the event (intercepted by what's left of the menu bar: "You've pressed an Office 2003 key..."; CTRL+V gives vbKeyCtrl, with Ctrl bit set; ALT+CTRL+V gives vbKeyV, with Alt and Ctrl bits set, and types a @ in the textbox.

The results of the Access test are not conclusive...

anyone come across this and found a solution? Paste Special is something I use every 10 minutes or so, and I really can't be reaching for my mouse all the time.

thanks for any ideas!