Intro
I’ve wanted the alt+h,o,i shortcut (from Excel) for years. Now I have it. Here’s how.
Fixing Google Sheets’ Missing Auto‑Fit Shortcut
There’s one Excel shortcut I’ve missed for years: auto‑fit column width (Alt + H,O,I).
In Google Sheets, you can double‑click the column edge. You can right‑click and resize. You can even convert a range to a Table Ctrl + Alt + T) and let it auto‑fit for you.
But there’s no fast keyboard shortcut.
So, I built one.
The Idea
Google Sheets already has the method: autoResizeColumn().
All we’re doing is wrapping it in a tiny Apps Script and assigning it to a macro shortcut.
Two versions:
Resize current column (based on active cell)
Resize selected range (auto‑fit multiple columns at once)
That’s it. And, honestly, you don’t need the current column version because the range version works for all use cases.
The multi‑column version uses SpreadsheetApp.flush() to make sure everything actually applies when resizing in a loop — a small but important detail when Apps Script acts inconsistent.
Keyboard Shortcut Setup (High Level)
You can’t bind true custom shortcuts in Sheets, but you can assign macros to:
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + [Number]
(Mac automatically converts to Command + Option + Shift + [Number])
Inside the appsscript.json file, you define:
A
menuName(what it’s called in the Macros window)A
functionName(must match your script)A
defaultShortcut
Refresh the sheet, and you’ve got an instant auto‑fit shortcut.
First run will ask for permissions. Approve once and you’re done.
Why This Is Worth It
This is just another area where removing a little bit of friction makes a big difference for me. I don’t like clicking things to execute actions that I need to make often.
And it’s a great entry‑level Apps Script project if you’ve been meaning to get your hands dirty.
Watch the video above where I show you everything you need to do to get this working in your sheet.
If you’d rather skip setup, I packaged the sheet for you so it’s ready to go:
Autofit Columns Shortcut
I've fixed the missing alt+h,o,i shortcut in Sheets with some Apps Script. You're welcome.
NEXT STEPS
Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help:
Work with me
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