MS Excel is one of the most trusted and reliable tools in the industry right now, which is currently used by most professionals to maintain large databases. Even though MS Excel is a highly complicated and powerful spreadsheet program that allows users to store, organize, manipulate, and analyze data, it has managed to gain millions of users thanks to its highly intuitive UI and easy learning curve. Users can perform various calculations, apply formulas, and use functions to process data efficiently and accurately with MS Excel. MS Excel also has many features and tools, such as pivot tables, data validation, conditional formatting, and what-if analysis, that are essential for growing businesses.
However due to the complicated design of the program, there are some recurring problems that a lot of users face while using Excel. And despite some of these problems being quite small and simple, it can create a lot of trouble for its users, especially for professionals who only work with MS Excel for their job or business. Frequent errors, crashes, freezes, or slow performance with large data sheets can disrupt the workflow and cause frustration.
One of Excel users’ most common problems is the arrow keys not working. If you are also looking for a promising solution for this problem, you have come to the right place. In this guide, we will tell you how to fix the problem on different systems as well as offer multiple solutions so you can fix the problem completely.
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But first, let us try to understand what could cause this problem in Microsoft Excel.
What Could Cause Arrow Keys to Not Work in Excel?
- Scroll lock: The scroll lock mode is a feature that allows the user to scroll the worksheet without changing the active cell. When the scroll lock mode is on, the arrow keys will move the worksheet instead of the cursor.
- Frozen Panes: Freezing panes is a feature that allows the user to keep some rows or columns visible while scrolling through the worksheet. When the user freezes panes, the arrow keys will only move the cursor within the unfrozen area of the worksheet. This can limit the range of movement and selection of the cursor.
- Protected Worksheet: Protecting the worksheet allows the user to prevent other users from accidentally changing, moving, or deleting data in the worksheet. When the user protects the worksheet, the arrow keys will only move the cursor within the unlocked cells of the worksheet. Thus, the locked cells will be inaccessible and uneditable throughout the sheet.
- Unresponsive Sheet: Sometimes, the arrow keys may not work in Excel because the worksheet can become unresponsive due to a heavy load of data, formulas, or calculations. During this time, Excel may not respond for some time or freeze completely. This usually happens when the program is overloaded with data, formulas, or calculations. When the worksheet is unresponsive, the arrow keys will not move the cursor or the worksheet at all. During this period, you will see a message box saying that Excel is not responding or a spinning wheel instead of your cursor.
- Formula Entry Model: The formula entry mode is a mode that allows the user to enter or edit formulas in a cell or in the formula bar. When the user is in the formula entry mode, the arrow keys will not move the cursor in the worksheet. Instead, the arrow keys will change the selected cell reference in the formula entry mode and the user will see a dotted outline around the referenced cell.
How to Make Arrow Keys Work in Excel?
1. Test in Other Applications
The first step is to check if the arrow keys work normally in other applications, such as Word, Notepad, or your web browser. If the arrow keys work fine in other applications, then the problem is likely related to Excel settings or add-ins. If the arrow keys do not work in any application, then you can conclude that the problem lies with your keyboard, system, or scroll lock feature.
2. Restart MS Office/System
Sometimes, a simple restart can fix many issues with Excel or your system. Try closing and reopening Excel, or rebooting your computer, and see if the arrow keys work after that. This may clear any temporary glitches or conflicts that prevent the arrow keys from working properly.
3. Turn OFF the Scroll Lock Feature
To turn off the scroll lock feature, you can use different methods depending on your keyboard and operating system.
- If your keyboard has a scroll lock key, you can press it to toggle the scroll lock feature on and off. You can also check the status bar at the bottom of the Excel window to see if the word “SCROLL LOCK” appears. If it does, it means the scroll lock feature is on and you need to press the scroll lock key to turn it off.
- If your keyboard does not have a scroll lock key, you can use the on-screen keyboard in Windows to turn off the scroll lock feature. You can access the on-screen keyboard from the Windows Start menu, or by pressing Ctrl + Win + O. When the on-screen keyboard appears, click the ScrLk key to toggle the scroll lock feature on and off.
- On MacOS, you can press the fn + Shift + F12 keys to turn on and off the scroll lock feature. You can also press Command + F14 to toggle the scroll lock feature on and off.
- Another way to turn off the scroll lock feature in Excel is to use the Excel options. You can go to the File tab, click Options, and then click Advanced. In the Advanced options, under the Display options for this workbook section, uncheck the box next to Show horizontal scroll bar and Show vertical scroll bar. This will disable the scroll bars and the scroll lock feature in Excel.
4. Enable Sticky Keys in Windows
Sticky keys is a feature that allows you to press one key at a time when using keyboard shortcuts in Windows. This can help you avoid pressing multiple keys at the same time, which may cause the arrow keys to not work in Excel. To enable sticky keys in Windows:
- You can go to the Settings app, click Accessibility, and then click Keyboard.
- In the Keyboard settings, turn on the toggle switch for Sticky keys.
- You can also press the Shift key five times to turn on sticky keys.
5. Disable MS Excel Add-Ins
Excel add-ins are additional features that enhance the functionality of Excel. However, some add-ins may interfere with the normal behavior of the arrow keys in Excel. To disable or remove an add-in:
- You can go to the File tab, click Options, and then click Add-ins.
- In the Add-ins options, click the Go button next to the Manage drop-down list.
- In the Add-ins window, uncheck or remove the add-ins that you do not need or use.
This may resolve the issue with the arrow keys in Excel.
Excel Arrow Keys Not Working – FAQs
Ans: Unfreezing panes in Excel sheets is a way to restore the normal scrolling and editing of the worksheet after freezing some rows or columns. Freezing panes is a feature that allows the user to keep some rows or columns visible while scrolling through the worksheet. Here are steps to unfreeze panes in Excel sheets:
* Open the Excel sheet that has frozen panes.
* Go to the View tab and click on the Freeze Panes button in the Window group. A drop-down menu will appear.
* Click on the Unfreeze Panes option in the menu. This will remove the frozen panes and allow you to scroll and edit the worksheet normally.
* Alternatively, you can also use a keyboard shortcut to unfreeze panes in Excel sheets. The shortcut is Alt + W + F for Windows or Option + W + F for Mac
Ans: To exit formula entry mode and restore the arrow keys’ regular functionality, you can try the following:
* Press the Enter key to confirm the formula, or the Esc key to cancel the formula. The user can also click on another cell or on the Enter or Cancel buttons in the formula bar.
* Also, try to press Ctrl + Z to undo the formula and leave entering mode. This will revert the cell to its previous value and exit formula entry mode
Ans: If a worksheet is protected without a password, you can simply unprotect the worksheet by following these steps:
* Open the workbook that contains the protected worksheet in MS Excel.
* Right-click the tab for the protected worksheet at the bottom of the Excel window. The protected worksheet may have a padlock icon next to its name.
* Click Unprotect Sheet from the context menu. A dialog box will appear asking for the password.
* Enter the password and click OK. The worksheet will be unprotected and editable as before.
Ans: To prevent arrow key problems, ensure that you’re familiar with Excel’s functions and features and avoid enabling unnecessary options like scroll lock or sticky keys. Additionally, keep your software and add-ins up to date to reduce conflicts.
Conclusion
Using Microsoft Excel is quite simple and a lot of new users can easily get used to its functionality and features within a short period of time. But, since many functionalities are available in the program that affect one another, it can sometimes cause problems to the user such as arrow keys or the alphabet keys not working in Excel. If you are already sure that there isn’t a problem with your keyboard, you can rest assured that the problem with Excel can be fixed easily and it is caused by one of its features preventing input from the arrow keys. On our guide, you can learn all of the possible reasons that can cause the arrow keys to not work along with solutions that can help you for each case. So, we will suggest you try out all of the solutions provided in this article to see which one fixes the issue for you. You can also reach out to us via the comment section if you need any more information and we will get back to you right away.
