Why is excel so bad on a macbook

Because it isn't a lower version. The code base for Excel Mac and Windows is identical. That said, there are some differences.

There are features unique to both platforms, most of which are actually part of the operating system which is why you find them on one platform or the other and not both. Regarding extensibility, you can program Excel for Mac using more languages on Mac than Windows. Javascript on Mac is more robust than it is on Windows because on Mac you can use Apple's Script Editor and AppleScript, which does not exist on Windows.

For example, as Bob mentioned, Excel for Mac has had custom keyboard shortcuts for many years. But even more impressive is that you can use the keyboard to navigate the Menu Bar. There isn't even a Menu Bar in Excel for Windows (the link works but the preview won't display here in the forum):

https://youtu.be/uGC2iitgJWs?si=9dg3MRrWTf2nVI3_

The [IMO] obtrusive KeyTips is now available in the Mac Office UI starting with the 16.92 build of Office 365. My understanding is that it also is included in Office 2024 for Mac. New features are not made available to earlier perpetual license editions & may not be enabled in managed software at the discretion of the licensee. If necessary, go to Excel> Preferences - Accessibility to enable it.

It was introduced in Beta several months ago but apparently was found to be problematic. Accordingly, it was withdrawn for reworking but now has been restored.

BTW: IIRC, KeyTips [formerly Hot Keys or ALT keys] was introduced in Excel for Windows in order to compensate for the lack of being able to assign custom keyboard shortcuts to most commands. Custom keyboard shortcuts have been a stock component of Mac Excel for decades.

Dear Ayman Tripathi,

Greetings! Thank you for posting to the Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

We deeply understand the frustration caused by the differences between Excel on different platforms, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Generally, macOS and Windows have fundamental differences in their architectures and APIs, which can make it challenging to implement certain functionalities on one platform compared to the other. The Beta Channel includes features that are still in development. These features are typically limited to users who want to help identify issues and provide feedback about new features before a wider release and who don't mind the bit of risk involved in using unsupported builds.

For the option of Alt-key shortcuts (key-tips) that are only available in the Beta Channel, if you're willing, please change the update channel by going to Help > Check for Updates > Advanced. The Beta Channel should be there unless it has been disabled by your admin.

For your reference: Become a Microsoft 365 Insider on macOS

Compare Microsoft 365 Insider channels - Microsoft 365 Insider | Microsoft Learn

While it may feel like Excel on Mac is a "lower version," it's more about navigating these inherent challenges. Microsoft does continue to work on improving the Mac version of Excel based on user feedback, so it's always valuable to share your experiences and feature requests with them. Please feel free to send your feedback and feature requests via Help > Feedback within PowerPoint. Feedback submitted this way goes directly to the related team, which is the best way to let the developers know your requirements and comments, helping improve the product for you and others. We hope the missing features will be released in the Current Channel to all users soon in the future.

Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you for your time and cooperation.

Hope you have a wonderful day and an amazing 2025 as well!

Sincerely,

Rhoda | Microsoft Community Moderator